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If you have (or your child has) experienced diabetes burnout (feeling run down and not managing your diabetes in the way you normally would), how do you usually handle it? Select all that apply.
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This is and has been a real problem for me. I haven’t figured it out yet and the damage it will do seems to not deter it.
I do feel overwhelmed at times about the continuous 24/7/265 relentless care of my T1D, Celiac disease, Asthma, etc. etc. ; especially when my blood glucose is all over the place. Mentally, high blood glucoses bother me more than lows. What works for me is to push myself through. I know it’s not going to change, so, if I want to live, I have to do what is necessary. I don’t take “breaks” or “vacations” from my diabetes. That’s just denial, in my eyes, and does not resolve anything. I work on correcting my blood glucoses, and keep myself busy. The feeling goes away because I’m focused on a task.
Issues with highs are much more frustrating, in which case rather than ignoring/not treating the high with insulin, I’ll “treat” it instead by fasting or skipping my next meal. Immediate relief in that I don’t have to think through all the things that could be messing up (bad infusion site, stress reactions, just an “off day”), though disordered eating isn’t a great option in the long run. It can take the pressure off without feeling too irresponsible, though.
I will let different people know
Rather than “burnout”, how about as one definitive dictionary indicated the attributes of:
1. Heavy workload
2. Lack of control
3. Unrealistic expectations
4. Lack of support
5. Unhealthy lifestyle
We all experience all of these. Each is addressed differently. Unrealistic expectations is the one I handle best. 100 BG? Meh. 80% TIR? Meh. Life and accidents happen with unmitigated regularity. 😁
I agree that “burnout” is an overused term. As a former HR professional, I dealt with “job” burnout frequently and the options available such as training, transfer, severance, etc. Diabetics can’t walk away from their. Diabetes, however, I’ve found many Type 1s incredibly resilient and bounce back. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t think I have experienced diabetes burnout, when I am really not taking care of myself, but definitely have felt diabetes distress (frustration, fatigue, and low mood). Talking with family and friends, posting concerns or questions in the online D forums, and mindful breath practice all help relieve my stress.
Was just on a cruise and my new Dexcom’s failed. Used finger sticks and was somewhat liberating. Didn’t check until InPen said 0 insulin on board. And of course ate things I usually don’t. Diabetes type 1 is a pain to deal with
I call it a diabetes reboot. Essentially, getting back to basics. Outside help is always welcome, however, after 49 years it’s up to me to take charge and solve the problems. Peer support is emotionally helpful as my fellow T1Ds will attest because there is no substitute for personal experience.
I don’t do much of anything. After 63 years of it, I know that the situation/mindset/whatever will improve shortly. If I’m higher than I’d like for a couple of days, it’s just not a big deal. After all, I’ve been playing with house money for a very long time.
I guess it’s my personality – I like being responsible for things, I’m detail oriented, take pride in my T1D mgt (I take get great joy in proving healthcare providers wrong (their low opinion of patients with D of any kind). Chances are, my “Spouse with Bipolar1 and Anger Mgt issues burnout” that shows up more often. Could that be a perfect distraction?
Be more intentional.
But, also, I had a period where I had no insurance and the stress of that, and not having the insulin and supplies I needed made life a huge challenge.
I just deal with it for the majority of the time. Infrequently, I can have a down day. When that happens, as others have noted, I review what happend and consider what I could have done better. I make notes in my phone and look them over and see what I can change. Over the following days I consider what theae changes.
I am going through that now. I “forget” to bolts for meals. I am trying to find a counselor to speak with but everybody is booked solid and tell me they will get back to me. My control is usually pretty tight. Husband dislocated his shoulder so more is falling on me and I have a bunch of my own physical limitations. We are both 78 years old. Live rural and cannot find people to help. Can someone recommend one of the Diabetes chat groups. Husband has no idea what one goes through to manage this disease. I am almost at the 50 year mark living with T1D.
There are many groups on Facebook. I am a member of several. Join a few and check them out. All at least offer support and a multitude of answers to questions.
Isaiah 26:3 Tells me, “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusteth in Thee.”
like several who have posted comments, I am gong through it now. I don’t have any answers. Reading the comments is a start.
I feel sorry for myself for a few hours/day and suck it up and get back to my goals and diabetic health plan.
Focus on other things in my life that bring me joy WHILST handling my diabetes self-care obligations with self-compassion and gratitude that I have so many resources that make living with T1D so much easier these days than when I was first diagnosed in 1962. When BGs get out of control, I problem solve to figure out why, and pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again.
My first step is to analyze all available data on Dexcom and Tandem to determine a logical reason for the problem, especially if I see patterns in the data. 98% of the time, stress is the problem for highs. I have high stress due to caregiving 2 older people as well as myself. I do a lot of research on Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Joslin sites as well as some of the other medical sources. My husband has also been a gem in listening to me talk out the problem (he does a lot of “yeah…. ok…. I see” and nodding LOL!). He is having health problems now too, so I’ve had to turn to yoga, walking, and mindfulness exercises to keep stress under control. I will admit….. severe burnout causes me to indulge too much, bolus appropriately and ignore the alarms for a few hours….. 😉
Grim bitterness?! Whatever usually handling means (by your definition) apparently does not work or is not working. I have zero honed or effective tools for this diabetes “Groundhog Day” routine. A cycle which never ends…
There may be days where I don’t track my sugar levels as closely as other days, but I never really considered myself having burnout.