The Unspoken Cost of T1D
I think we can all agree, type one diabetes has a high cost...
From the physical cost of having to poke and prick ourselves with needles..
To the financial cost of insulin..
We pay a high price.
This blog is discussing a lesser talked about but equally important cost of T1D and the effects it has on us.
Let me be real with you for a sec.. there was a time in my life when I literally thought that my diabetes was going to kill me.
It was so bad at one point.. I was terrified to leave my house, fearing that I would have low blood sugar and not be able to treat it (side note, this was after I almost died from a bad low blood sugar in Paris and had some PTSD).
It was a feeling that I’d never wish on anyone.
Fast forward to now… while I am not deathly afraid of low blood sugars, and it doesn’t have the same effect on me as it did during "the dark days" (re: Paris)..
I’ve got a smidge of lingering anxiety when I hear that "BEEP...BEEP...BEEP..." from my pump yelling at me "look out dude, you're dropping quick!"
I often think about those days when I was essentially a prisoner to my T1D because unfortunately, the fear of having a severe hypo is more common than you think…
It comes up on blood sugar consultation calls quite often.
And recently, I saw someone reply to a post on another page saying “don't eat carbs and use little if any bolus insulin”.. honestly, I felt sad reading it… let me explain why.
See, this response was to someone who was asking for help dealing with significant anxiety about a severe low.. and while the advice was likely coming from a good place, it wasn’t good advice…
Sure, you could take the advice and it might help you gain some control, but at what cost? We already have to deal with having a lifelong disease, and I don’t know about you, but having to be more restrictive than I already have to be is a hard pass for me.
First of all, repeat after me..
CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY!
I eat between 300-500 carbs/ day and still maintain over 90% time in range consistently…
Secondly, that restrictive method is like putting a bandage on a gash instead of getting stitches and fixing the bleed in the first place. You could continuously change the bandage but if you suck it up and get the stitches, you fix the bleed in the first place.
Okay, I’m getting off my soap box but you get the picture.
Anyway, seeing that post prompted me to post the question “What is your biggest fear as someone who is living with type 1 diabetes?” across my social media accounts and over 50% of the responses were related to severe low blood sugars.
That’s significant to me.. because aside from the very real danger that having a severe low blood sugar can cause, the ANXIETY around having a severe low blood sugar is costing us, diabetics, a great deal more than we like to admit.
I can speak to this personally..I used let my blood sugar anxiety rule my life, and as a result, it cost me a lot of memories with my family and friends because I missed so much during that time, and while it makes me sad to think about what was lost during that time, I am very proud of how far I have come since the Paris incident.
One way that I like to combat anxiety is through knowledge. I learn as much as I can about a situation that gives me anxiety so that I feel more capable of handling it.
With that, here is one of our blogs about Hypoglycemia that will help give you some insights on how to treat a low blood sugar as well our YouTube video about how to use Glucagon—if you don’t know how to use glucagon, I highly recommend that you (and even loved ones) become familiar with how to administer it.. it could save your life.
Another way that I combat my blood sugar anxiety is with certainty..
Utilizing therapy and having certainty about what my blood sugars are going to do using the 80/20 blood sugar formula both help me A LOT.
Is it perfect every time? Almost..but not evvvvery time..Because diabetes has so many VARIABLES, what worked yesterday might not work today.
I will say though, the 80/20 blood sugar formula gets me pretty darn close if not spot on to the correct dose.
At the end of the day, I know that not all anxiety is bad… it serves a purpose for us. Oftentimes, it is coming from a good place too, trying to keep us alive and aware of our surroundings..
But it is crucial to keep it in check and not let it rule our lives.
And when it does start to become a bit overbearing, it is important to address it..
Whether that is talking to a mental health professional, a trusted friend or family member, going to a support group, spiritual guidance, finding an expert to help you figure out your blood sugars etc.
You don’t have to do this alone.
If you find after self-reflection that your fear is rooted in the unknown surrounding your blood sugar numbers with frustrating spikes and mysterious drops…
Join the “Fix My Blood Sugars” Challenge to get more clarity on your blood sugars and gain the ability to bring your time in range to 90% or better. (We guarantee it)