Diabetic Anger

[bloodwood]

Hi,
I am type two diabetic and continually struggle with my sugar balance and what it does to my behaviour. I have come a long way but there have been times when there has been a murderous rage which I could barely control and in hindsight seemed sureal.
I have read about it and know I am not alone but it is still a bit of a struggle. I have to be vigilant of my sugars and also of my responses.
Anyone got any tricks on this?
Peter

 

[CarlaMarie]

Peter,
I can relate to the uncontrollable rage. I am not diabetic but hormonal and rage is not part of my temperment so when I am rageful it is quite an event. I have nothing for you except compassion.:support:

Carla

 

[bloodwood]

Thanks so much CarlaMarie. When people have been caught by a blast it as startled and shaken them. And I am usually a quiet, funny, guy. What has helped me in part is the hard realization that that person does not deserve the treatment. They have not done anything at all to be treated like that. It was not them that did something wrong, it was just my uncontrolled sugar. I am responsible for what I do.
Thinking about that helps me behave like a human being.
Peter

 

[Yuray]

You mentioned you had 'read' about it. Not knowing how much you have read, I found the following
diabetes anger issues - Google Search

 

[bloodwood]

Thanks Yuray, I think I've heard of this new Google thing :lol:

I have explored this stuff. Thanks. I keep looking around though for more coping ideas
Peter

---------- Post added at 08:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:59 PM ----------

Edit - Some of the links on the search are very useful. It is a common type of thing.

I notice some of the links suggest the anger or mood difficulty are attributed to the anger at getting a chronic disease or the frustration of day to day coping. Another says:
"In the brain is a neurotransmitter called dopamine, and excess amounts of dopamine are associated with mood and behavioral changes."

---------- Post added at 08:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ----------

I know I can get cranky sometimes but when this happens it is very profoundly intense. It is irrational and consuming. So I try to learn about it. The funny thing is that most of the things I have read make refference to older males, and seldom women getting this thing. Does that mean that women have some special reserve of rationality.

 

[Yuray]

Does that mean that women have some special reserve of rationality.

My dear chap....isn't it obvious?

 

[murdock]

Hi,
I'm a type 1 diabetic since of early age. I never felt raged, but when hypoglycemic I often fell more down than usual.
The most I can say is that it all comes down to glycemic control. As long as it is control, every aspect of your physical and phsysical health are improved.
So the advice that I give you is the same as I do when I'm feeling unusually down: as soon you feel altered, test you glycemical values in the moment regulate them. Other than that is to develop some self relaxing techniques, like breathing exercises.
Also, and most important, speak to your endochrinologist (if you don't have one, you should consider in getting one*) and work out toguether a better glycemic control plan.

*From my own personal experience, general practice doctors don't know how to deal with diabetes, unlike a doctor that is expert in that area.

 

[bloodwood]

Thanks, I have an appointment in April with an endochrinologist. I look forward to working with him. I know it is tied to the sugar balance and try to maintain that with less success than I would like. You are right that it makes a big difference.
The difficulty is less but is often tied to when the sugar level change. The change seems to trigger the mood. I am glad you have not felt this.
Peter

 

[murdock]

Thanks, I have an appointment in April with an endochrinologist. I look forward to working with him. I know it is tied to the sugar balance and try to maintain that with less success than I would like. You are right that it makes a big difference.
The difficulty is less but is often tied to when the sugar level change. The change seems to trigger the mood. I am glad you have not felt this.
Peter

You're welcome.
Once some historical figure (that I can't remember at the moment) sayed:
"If you want to live a healthy life, get a chronical disease and take good care of it."
As soon you determine the best treatment and food plan (and plan some physical exercise as well - that's important) for you and follow it religiously, the soon you'll see that a diabetic can live as well as a non-diabetic and can be indistinguishable.

More than that, the benefits you'll get from the plan will also benefit your health in other ways.

 

[bloodwood]

Hi Murdock,
I think you are right. I was under better control in the past but things have changed. The quote you offered is very accurate, especially for diabetes.
Just do what everyone should do anyway and the disease is managed.
Thank you

 

[Dragonfly]

It is very hard. My daughter, a tween, has both insulin dependence (type 1) and insulin resistance (type 2) diabetes. She uses a pump, so at least she doesn't have to carry insulin & syringes w her .... But she has another autoimmune disorder where she doesn't make cortisol - which means she has to take that in pill form. And .... Importantly ..... Her sugars can easily & unpredictably drop to 20 or so (2.0 in Canada). I figure my job as her parent is to help her learn & understand that she can't be perfect. She has a lifetime to understand and manage these issues. That aside from these issues (and I silently remind myself that next it is likely her thyroid that will stop working) she is healthy & can do anything she wants. ( and I silently hope she never wants to pilot a commercial plane or serve in the military cuz she won't be able to do these things....). Some days i so worry about her. . I try to remind myself that she does not need to be troubled by my fears and worries. She needs me to drive her and some friends to soccer, or let her make the same mistakes that any other tween gets to make. And that she is accountable for how she expresses her emotions - just like me & her brother. But she has one additional factor that might be influencing how she is feeling .... A factor that she can actually test & fix if needed, and then monitor to see if her emotions to whatever are, perhaps, less ... Intense.

 

[bloodwood]

You sound like a really good and understanding mom dragonfly. She is juggling more than just the one ball. And on top of that as time passes our bodies, activites and metabolisms change just to keep us on our toes.
Peter

 

[murdock]

20 or so (2.0 in Canada).

20 mg/dl? (You have to specificate the measure unit because there is no universal convention) If so, that is awfully low and very dangerous values.

 

[Dragonfly]

Yes on both parts - my omission of the units (sorry) & your comment about it being very low & (potentially) dangerous. Hence some of my worries .... It is the combination of addisons's disease (primary adrenal failure) and diabetes that makes this such as issue. So anytime her cortisol needs increase ( stress, growth, injury, sickness, ....excitement), her sugars will drop. In part, I worry about her normal psych. development because she is at age where she should be able to spend more time away from me. But it can be ++++ dangerous for her .... Even something as simple and normal as a sleepover takes a lot of planning and coordinating. I wonder if she will ever be able to live by herself - impt for everyone, (but in my opinion), especially for young women to feel competent enough to do this. So, I / we work very closely w her doc ( fortunately, we live in a major metrolpolitan area with a Childrens hospital & clinics). I am also looking into a diabetic dog for her - one that is trained to recognize and alert her to lows before they become critical. And when she has a run of lows, I ask a friend to come in and help me - cuz I can only go so long w waking every 1.5 hrs at night to test her sugars, before I cease to function very well. I just try to remember that part of what I am teaching her about is asking for help when it gets too much .... And to just laugh and hug both of my kids .....

 

[murdock]

Even though conventions stipulate that below 80 mg/dl is considered and hypoglycemia, depending on the individual, the weight and medication, of course, the body usually hangs on more or less well at about levels over 50 mg/dl, generally speaking, between 40 mg/dl and 50 mg/dl, you can see already visible reactions (people lose their balance, lose their reasoning, their temper, etc). Below 40mg/dl there is a major lack of glycemia in the body. That means the body does not have a sufficient energy source, and when this happens, the body starts to suffer, and for a prolonged time, there could be damage on important organs like the brain.

If this is happening more than once, there should really be an important discussion between her doctors in a way to find balance and also a very responsible posture from her part in her daily life.

About live by herself, as much I enjoy freedom myself, I realise that is not a good idea to live alone. It is also very important that she always have someone in the same house able do deal with her crisis like a familly member or a trusted roomate.

 

[bloodwood]

Dragonfly, with her unique diabetic situation is is the sort of thing that is likely to stabalize a bit with age?
Peter

 

[Dragonfly]

If this is happening more than once, there should really be an important discussion between her doctors in a way to find balance and also a very responsible posture from her part in her daily life.

Murdock - thank you for your concerns. I am really hoping that your comment above does not imply that in any way her providers, or my daughter is not responsible for recognizing and managing her low blood sugar values - especially with the "... easy and unpredictable ...." drops in her blood sugars (per my first post on this thread). It is a function of the combination of primary adrenal failure (so no cortisol being made to stop sugars from plummeting once they start down), with the diabetes. If anything, I see my daughter as overly responsible - compared to the other tweens that are around our home. We both know she needs to be [overly] responsible - but part of my worry / grief for her is a loss of the innocence and the feeling of infallibility that many of us get to experience as tweens / teens.

".... is the sort of thing that is likely to stabilize a bit with age?".

Bloodwood - yes, thankfully, to some degree. The significant instability right now (and for the next 5-7 yrs) is around puberty, and what hormone surges do to the insulin and cortisol requirements. Part of what she is learning is that any time of stress - any time a body would usually produce more cortisol - she is at risk for very low sugars. Puberty will pass (thankfully, 'eh?). Other stresses include: illness; significant injury; social upheaval in her peer group or world (she is a girl.....); exams; a major soccer game with high stakes ..... life. Again, for me, it goes back to helping her understand that she can't be perfect. She needs to develop a variety of strategies that will help her recognize, as quickly as possible, that her sugars are headed downward.

And you are right that it is relatively rare. When the 2nd issue was added to the diabetes, I contact the local Children's Hospital support network and asked that they please help me be in touch with other families that have kids that deal with this. They couldn't come up with another family .... Every once in a while I re-search the net - but so far, can only come up with a single person who has a web site. Helpful to a degree.

many thanks again, for all the support and concern. However, I feel like I need to apologize - I really didn't mean to hijack this thread.

 

[murdock]

I'm not blaming anyone for anything, I'm just saying that 20 mg/dl may imply some serious health sequels.

What I meant to say also is that insulin can be ajusted to external factors. There are many types of insulin, both biological and synthetic (and hybrid) that are meant to have different effects. If an endochrinologist knows what are the conditions, he can better adapt the doses and the exceptions to the patient. Also communication between her doctors may provide a concrete trigger for the unpredictable drops.

I meant not to offend anyone, but to alert and advise. If you find my attempts to help somehow offensive then please ignore me and I'll say no more.

 

[Dragonfly]

. If you find my attempts to help somehow offensive then please ignore me and I'll say no more.

Murdock, again - I appreciate your comments and concern. Please continue to contribute both to this thread and others - you have many valuable comments to share. Thanks again, dragonfly

 

[bloodwood]

Bloodwood - yes, thankfully, to some degree. The significant instability right now (and for the next 5-7 yrs) is around puberty, and what hormone surges do to the insulin and cortisol requirements. Part of what she is learning is that any time of stress - any time a body would usually produce more cortisol - she is at risk for very low sugars. Puberty will pass (thankfully, 'eh?). Other stresses include: illness; significant injury; social upheaval in her peer group or world (she is a girl.....); exams; a major soccer game with high stakes ..... life. Again, for me, it goes back to helping her understand that she can't be perfect. She needs to develop a variety of strategies that will help her recognize, as quickly as possible, that her sugars are headed downward.

I am type 2 and I have always found that stress, illness, etc cause flutuations in my sugar. For me it tends to rise.
And you aren't hijacking the thread, you are contributing.
Peter