Subscribe Now

[hb-subscribe]

Trending News

T1D Exchange T1D Exchange T1D Exchange
  • Activity
    • 1 hour, 47 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      Gastroparesis
    • 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      In late summer of 2017 I lost all feeling in both lower extremities to my hips and both upper extremities to my shoulders. It was not all diabetic related though. Lowered the drug in my chemo regimen but didn't reverse by next treatment, so that drug was stopped. Slowly I regained feeling in my arms and legs; left with no sensation in hands & feet up to ankles & wrist. I'm thankful that my oncologist realized that it wasn't just a diabetic thing.
    • 4 hours, 38 minutes ago
      Sandra Rosborough likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 5 hours, 26 minutes ago
      KSannie likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 8 hours, 33 minutes ago
      Lee Tincher likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      My feet were killing me when I started taking insulin. Saw on another website that alpha lipoic acid (ALA) was good for neuropathy. Once I started taking it, the pain was gone within a week! Still using it 20 years later, still pain free
    • 8 hours, 34 minutes ago
      Lee Tincher likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 8 hours, 53 minutes ago
      magoo likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 8 hours, 54 minutes ago
      Mike S likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 9 hours, 6 minutes ago
      Dennis Dacey likes your comment at
      Do you live with diabetes-related neuropathy?
      I’ve been T1D for 60 years. There have been slight indications of neuropathy for a number of years. However it is not severe. Whenever I go to orthopedics, I try to stop at endocrinology first and get an accurate assessment of my current neuropathy. Whenever a non-endocrinologist doctor reads I’m T1D every problem I’m having is caused by T1D. Then the root, non-diabetic, issue is never addressed.
    • 22 hours, 4 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      I spend a bit of time in my garden, yardwork , the animal shelter. Days I'm not with the Shelter my herd gets walked.
    • 22 hours, 5 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Good old WALKING!
    • 1 day, 3 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      avid cyclist for many years now ........... OK ..... add in resident year around maintenance yard work
    • 1 day, 3 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Walking and hiking.
    • 1 day, 6 hours ago
      Steven Gill likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Try pausing insulin on your pump if you are below 150mg/dl.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Daniel Bestvater likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Really struggle with bouncing blood sugars and so I don’t exercise. I know this is a bad thing but really end up with so much bouncing hard to figure it out.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Dennis Dacey likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Good old WALKING!
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Good old WALKING!
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Really struggle with bouncing blood sugars and so I don’t exercise. I know this is a bad thing but really end up with so much bouncing hard to figure it out.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      What types of exercise do you participate in regularly? Select all that apply.
      Really struggle with bouncing blood sugars and so I don’t exercise. I know this is a bad thing but really end up with so much bouncing hard to figure it out.
    • 2 days, 5 hours ago
      Bonnie Lundblom likes your comment at
      What event(s) prompt you to calibrate your CGM? Select all that apply.
      I always do 3 successive finger sticks about 1 day after applying a new G7 sensor. I'm amazed at how much variability there is among sensors. Some are spot on, and remain so during the entire 10 days, while the worst I saw was off 100 mg/dl at the start (reading half of the actual level) (I demanded -- and got -- a replacement for that outlier, since I did't want to have to trust it for days and go through piles of strips just to see if it was as bad as it seemed). I generally also do another batch of 3 tests several days later, just to check. I care about accuracy. I've found that it is essential to do multiple sequential finger sticks to get an accurate number from strips, since they too are far more variable than I am comfortable with. If the variability in strips is too great, I do 4 tests rather than 3, and throw out one, averaging the rest. I love my CGM, but it doesn't completely replace strips.
    • 3 days, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Have you ever been on a ketogenic or “keto” diet (low carbohydrate, high protein)? Please share more in the comments.
      I’ve been a T1D for about 50 years. After about 10 years I moved towards a more whole food diet with only small amounts of meat. I seem to consume 100-150 grams of carbs per day and try not to eat more than 30-40 grams at a time.
    • 3 days, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Have you ever been on a ketogenic or “keto” diet (low carbohydrate, high protein)? Please share more in the comments.
      No. Fruits, veggies and whole grains are too important for our health.
    • 3 days, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Have you ever been on a ketogenic or “keto” diet (low carbohydrate, high protein)? Please share more in the comments.
      I do not eat keto but it is safe. The term is ketosis which is very different from DKA. “ Ketosis is a normal metabolic process where the body produces ketones for energy when carbohydrate intake is limited, while ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication of diabetes where dangerously high levels of ketones cause blood to become acidic. Ketosis is typically harmless and can be induced by fasting or following a ketogenic diet, according to Healthline. Ketoacidosis, however, is a serious emergency requiring immediate medical attention, says the Mayo Clinic.
    • 3 days, 8 hours ago
      Deborah Wright likes your comment at
      Have you ever been on a ketogenic or “keto” diet (low carbohydrate, high protein)? Please share more in the comments.
      i agree! eating lower card due to Dr. Bernsteins book was a game changer in my type 1 control. I am so grateful he wrote it. I only found the book 10 years ago but wish I had known about it for the first 32 years of insulin treatment.
    • 3 days, 8 hours ago
      Deborah Wright likes your comment at
      Have you ever been on a ketogenic or “keto” diet (low carbohydrate, high protein)? Please share more in the comments.
      I have been a Type 1 since 1976. Back in the early 2000's, a friend gave me the book "Diabetes Solution" written by Dr Richard K Bernstein. Reading that book was a turning point for me in my diabetes control as it made me aware of the HUGE role carbohydrates play in glucose levels. I immediately became "carb-aware" and started tracking and reducing the number of total carbohydrate grams I was eating. My A1c's dropped from 9's and 8's into the low 6's with several higher 5's. My goal is to keep my A1c in the low 6's. As I've aged, (now 75), I've had to reduce the total number of daily carbs I consume in order to maintain my control. I credit becoming carb-aware and reducing my daily carbohydrate intake for not having developed any of the serious long-term diabetes complications that require additional treatment and medication. The diabetic ophthalmopathy that was first noticed in the late 1990's as well as neuropathy in my feet noticed about the same time have not progressed in the intervening 25 years. (I was on MDI until 2011 when I transitioned to an insulin pump. I resisted using a pump for years but love the added control and flexibility the pump gives me.) Life is good!
    Clear All
Pages
    • T1D Exchange T1D Exchange T1D Exchange
    • Articles
    • Community
      • About
      • Insights
      • T1D Screening
        • T1D Screening How-To
        • T1D Screening Results
        • T1D Screening Resources
      • Donate
      • Join the Community
    • Quality Improvement
      • About
      • Collaborative
        • Leadership
        • Committees
      • Centers
      • Meet the Experts
      • Learning Sessions
      • Resources
        • Change Packages
        • Sick Day Guide
      • Portal
      • Health Equity
        • Heal Advisors
    • Registry
      • About
      • Recruit for the Registry
    • Research
      • About
      • Publications
      • COVID-19 Research
      • Our Initiatives
    • Partnerships
      • About
      • Previous Work
      • Academic Partnerships
      • Industry Partnerships
    • About
      • Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Culture & Careers
      • Annual Report
    • Join / Login
    • Search
    • Donate

    Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management?

    Home > LC Polls > Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management?
    Previous

    How would you bolus for a serving of chips and guacamole at a restaurant?

    Next

    Do you have different basal insulin rates for nights than for days?

    Sarah Howard

    Sarah Howard has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.

    Related Stories

    Conditions

    Protected: What to Know About Thyroid Conditions with T1D 

    Michael Howerton, 10 hours ago 7 min read  
    2025 ADA

    T1D Exchange Announces 13 Real-World Data Presentations and Posters at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions 

    T1D Exchange, 1 week ago 4 min read  
    Mental Health

    What is the Emotional Impact of Screening for T1D? 

    Hannah Doskicz, 2 weeks ago 5 min read  
    Meet the Expert

    Meet the Expert: Advancing Research To Treat, Delay, and Prevent the Development of T1D 

    Jewels Doskicz, 4 weeks ago 7 min read  
    Advocacy

    Sam Scott, PhD: The Science of Exercise with T1D 

    Jewels Doskicz, 1 month ago 9 min read  
    Research

    The T1D Exchange Fear of Hypoglycemia Screening Project 

    Sarah Howard, 1 month ago 6 min read  

    25 Comments

    1. Natalie Daley

      I’ve seen the head of endocrinology for over 25 years and didn’t know such a specialist existed. I guess I didn’t need to know?

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. Mary Dexter

      She was horrible. Said she understood what it was like to have diabetes because she has to wait behind others in the grocery store checkout and drive behind other cars on the beltline. Her advice to dealing with the stress was lunch and shopping with girlfriends. She’s now counseling cancer patients instead, probably with the same lack of empathy.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Patricia Dalrymple

      I have never but I support everyone who has. I have strong support from my husband and it is very important to not be alone with this disease if you can. I’m probably not even aware of how much it affects my mind. My heart goes out to anyone who has a chronic illness. Not easy living with it, but beats the alternative. Stay strong and well T1Ds.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. Randi Niemer

      I’m not sure he was an expert but he certainly had experience and knowledge working with peeps who had diabetes. One day a week he would be available to be seen in the Diabetes’s Care Clinic for those who needed that.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. ConnieT1D62

      HAH!!! And where does an everyday PWD find such an expert???

      As a RN, CDE I have heard a few (and that is very few) mental health experts speak about treating diabetes distress snd related psycho-emotional self-care issues at professional conferences. However rare, they are out there usually in bigger East Coast and West Coast locations. A reliable source is the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego headed up by PhD psychologists Dr Bill Polansky and Susan and Guzman. See http://www.behavioraldiabetes.org . They are affiliated with http://www.TCOYD.org and Drs. Edelman and Pettus have a lot to say about the ups and downs of dealing with T1D since they both live with it themselves.

      7
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. ConnieT1D62

        Agh! Was unable to fix the typo “and” between Dr. Susan Guzman’s name.

        4 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. KarenM6

        Hi ConnieT1D62!
        I totally agree that the BDI and Drs Edelman and Pettus are great resources! Thank you for putting the link in! 😀

        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. connie ker

      When I was first diagnosed with LADA on insulin, I saw a mental health counselor. My husband was a juvenile T1D and I was concerned about the safety of our upcoming spring vacation car trip. After expressing my concerns, she had my husband return with me and we had a discussion about the fears I carried inside. Now I am a widow living alone and my saving grace has been the Abbott Freestyle Libre with a reader. ( The news this week has me terribly upset, and we all should be thinking of those americans, comerads, women, children and all those hostages in enemy territory. )

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. Anita Galliher

      I have not seen a mental health advisor, but I’ve been going to a wonderful Endo and CDE for about 15 years now. The Endo is very supportive and offers great advice, and the CDE has had T1D for nearly as long as I have (58 years for me), so she knows the frustration and depression that can ensue from it. My husband is very supportive as well. The rest of my family is supportive, but not nearly as informed, or willing to be informed, as I would like. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. BustedPancreas

      YES! I had undiagnosed depression when I was 11 (I mean… what 11-year old has anything to be sad about, right?!). My Mom wanted me to speak with a pro about my troubles and I said, “Sure, but it has to be a woman and she has to be a T1.” My Mom took on the impossible challenge (keep in mind this is pre-Google) and found a wonderful lady therapist with T1 in about a month. She specialized in marriage counseling, but offered me a 1-time session. That 1-time visit turned into years of sessions as she was the only person in my life that truly understood what my life entailed. She truly saved my life.

      7
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Joan McGinnis

        I saw a psychologist who understood diabetes very well with situational depression twice. Helps immensely and u think I am better for it. There are psychologists I know of in st. Louis who have expertise with diabetes.

        1
        4 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. Chris Deutsch

        Great story, Busted Pancreas, how amazing that your Mom found someone with the right “credentials” for young you!! I think there must be few mental health providers who have expertise in DM management, few outside of large specialty clinics like the Joslin Center.
        But when searching, we could cast a bigger net to round up counselors with expertise in chronic disease management. And those professionals ought to advertise their availability better!

        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. BOB FISK

      Yes, but a long, long time ago, in 1980. This was in one of the first home glucose monitoring programs.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    10. Bob Durstenfeld

      I said no, but there have been times when I wished I had access to a mental health pro.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. Ceara Glasgow

      Honestly if I could find one that specifically worked with type 1 I would try it but specializing in diabetes usually means type 2 and a little bit of knowledge about type one… in my experience doctors (even when they say they understand the differences they don’t seem to know much about type 1.

      3
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. Sue Martin

      I have not but with that said my father was a medical doctor, who initially diagnosed me with T1. He was my go-to resource for both medical issues as well as how to balance my life. For some things, he would say, go talk to your doctor. I had a great Eno but she recently retired.
      I also have a friend who calls themselves a Chocolate therapist. Bring chocolate and tell me your troubles. It all helps. I don’t think I would trust someone who I’d have to pay to listen to me.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Francisco Varea

      I wish I had access to one. There is none where I live as far as I know.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. betsy valian

      I also think that would be a tough person to locate.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. NAK Marshall

      Not a therapist with type1 expertise, but I have seen 3 therapists throughout my 61 years type 1 and each was an amazing person who helped me get beyond the current issue I was having at the time mentally dealing with having type 1. Actually the best therapy I ever had was having my son 36 years ago & daughter 32 years ago because they took my attention and filled my heart and brain and left little time to obsess about other things. I got my first meter 2 years before his birth and it was a life changer!

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. KarenM6

      I have used one who specialized in diabetes AND was type 1 himself. We did our appointments on a video basis… don’t think it was Zoom, but something like that.
      It was helpful. And, being that it was over video, I’m sure anyone (within a reasonable time zone variable) could use him…
      Am I allowed to put his name here? I will if someone tells me I can… Because if there are people who are interested…
      I can tell you, I think, that I found him through BDI (Behavioral Diabetes Institute)… this organization is in California, USA.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. Kevin McCue

      That’s a thing? I need to brush up on my psychology fields. Haven’t heard of this sub field for mental health.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Wanacure

      My first endocrinologist had an excellent understanding of my teenage psychology. He helped me with the diabetes and my mental health. I’m also very appreciative of the non diabetic psychiatrists, and psychiatric social workers I’ve known both socially on a casual basis as well some I’ve paid to see when I was “stuck” in depression. And I’ve read many helpful articles & books: Freud, Menninger, Horney, Misildine (?), Albert Ellis, etc. I minored in psych in college. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Rational Emotive Therapy have books with suggested written exercises. Physical exercise, being in nature, meditation, yoga, support groups have all helped me cope. I think I’ve known only one counselor who was also T1D. Yes, he was helpful, but so have all the rest.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. Bill Marston

      Based on the above response results it looks like less than 10% of us have sought psychoemotional support in this way. That seems pretty positive to me. However I have to bet a greater percentage of us have used counseling in general, perhaps not realizing that there are SOME indeterminate number which have expertise in the distinctly unique nature of the T1D management’s challenges – simultaneously hour-to-hour and over a lifetime. I hope T1Dexchange can use its resources (including this question) to build up a clinical consensus on the importance of building up this specific field as a resource for users and providers alike.

      P.S. in my case, I pushed my endocrinologist to help me find a way to distinguish between the way I felt in that hour or more of a declining BG and the identical symptoms of chronic depressive episode. Before the existence of CGM, during my years of Hypoglycemia Unawareness (without even knowing that there was such a clinically recognized condition), and thinking that I had the longstanding depression reasonably under control, I had come to realize that these were two independent, but sometimes overlapping, symptoms. I’d found myself scrambling for a glucose tab or the like when it was better served (had I known) by some relaxation meditative calming & looking at “what really is” rather than “what we feel/think it is” – in the CBT cognitive behavioral model.

      My endo sought among his big city med school multi-disciplinary resources and provided me some names. I briefly interviewed them and chose one and satisfactorily TREATED MY DEPRESSION sufficiently to remove the anxiety, confusion and thereby a good bit of the resulting dysfunctionality.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Chris Deutsch

        Reply to Bill Marston: Thanks for the good reply, bravo for the successful result of your search. I find the two conditions frequently interact… or coincide.

        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. Chris Deutsch

      Only once, as required by the endocrinology office when I first started wearing a pump 20? years ago. But I have seen several CDE’s who have great interpersonal skills besides their training in the emotional aspects of T1D.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply

    Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management? Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.




    101 Federal Street, Suite 440
    Boston, MA 02110
    Phone: 617-892-6100
    Email: admin@t1dexchange.org

    Privacy Policy

    Terms of Use

    Follow Us

    • facebook
    • twitter
    • linkedin

    © 2024 T1D Exchange.
    All Rights Reserved.

    © 2023 T1D Exchange. All Rights Reserved.
    • Login
    • Register

    Forgot Password

    Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.

    Skip Next Finish

    Account successfully created.

    Please check your inbox and verify your email in the next 24 hours.

    Your Account Type

    Please select all that apply.

    I have type 1 diabetes

    I'm a parent/guardian of a person with type 1 diabetes

    I'm interested in the diabetes community or industry

    Select Topics

    We will customize your stories feed based on what you select here.

    [userselectcat]

    We're preparing your personalized page.

    This will only take a second...

    Search and filter

    [searchandfilter slug="sort-filter-post"]