View Full Version : Diabetes/Depression / Bipolar Disorder
I was just wondering do we have any here….
I was diagnosed a type 2 last year, just got landed with an appointment in the post for my annual review!
I can’t wait…
hi toots
you are not alone im type 2 diabetic too just had my review mine are done every six months
although the reviews are a pain in the rear end they have to be done its important that they monitor any changes :)
also got the eye test booked (the one where they put drops in your eyes to dilate the pupils ) and the chiropodist for this week good luck with yours hope it all goes well :thumbs:
hi
gets confusing doesnt it :hihi: its probably hypo's some people have very high blood sugar and when it rises the symptoms are similar to being drunk only with more serious implications its not unusual to have blurred vision slurred speech and not be able to stand or walk properly
im the opposite end of the scale my blood sugar tends to plummet i shake feel extreme hunger and tiredness and often go into a daydream like state ive been told i just stare like a zombie :blush: i would hate to have to be put on insulin so i try to be very carefull dont think i could bear to have to inject myself every day :(
Do any of you diabetics & friends/relatives of diabetics know anyone who refuses to treat their condition with the proper concern/respect it deserves?
I know someone who was diagnosed a few years ago & refuses to treat it properly, eats far too much of the wrong things, lies on the test diary & skimps on the injections, needless to say they're ill all the time, losing their eyesight & in danger of having both legs amputated.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE( @ 26th July 2006 - 1:05 PM) 183379</div>
Yup circle,
Denial and wanting to carry on as if nothing is wrong is a normal way of things - even if they know they will make themselves worse they do not seem to care about it - it is very hard to try and get a stroppy teenager to take their medication - they want to be normal and just like anyone else - not have to worry about times and injections and diet etc.
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Would you believe it's not a stroppy teen I'm talking about but a 50yr old woman?
hi c1rcle
I know someone just like that too she is 33 she eats choccie and cream cakes like theres no tommorow and drinks lucozade all of the time i think she is in some sort of denial she always insists she needs it because her sugar is low
it isnt nice having to watch everything you eat and you can get really despondent and down hearted especially in the first year or so of being diagnosed her gp tried shock tactics on her going into detail about what could happen and she just shrugs it off and says she doesnt care
she never leaves the house and weighs 24 stone its a real worry but what can you do :(
Not nice but feel I have to add this.
My dad was diagnosed diabetic at 50. Told to stop smoking. Carried on 2-3 packs a day.
He went into hospital last August to have his leg veins blown out so as not to lose the leg.
It didn't work. His lung collapsed and they couldn't do the anaesthetic for the amputation. Eventually they amputated while he was unconscious and sedated otherwise the leg would have rotted.
Anyway, 3 months in hospital, the stump never healed and he died.
Please, please,please look after yourselves and tell others to do the same.
Thanks dude.
I just hope others heed the warning.
Have a good evening.
>>:-)
I know of someone that did not control their diabetes properly either - drank alcohol like there was no tomorrow, smoked like a chimney and ate rubbish food all the time (usually when drunk) .
So you can guess that he is no longer with us...and he died alone too - it took three days before anyone was worried sufficiently to go find him :( .
Not nice at all.
coppernob
26-07-06, 10:29 PM
My Gran,her Mother and sister were all diabetics,late on set ones and my Mum had gestastional diabetes so I'm very careful about what I eat,if I eat too much choclate I get shaky as it is! My Nan really missed eating sweet stuff and did suffer with eye problems linked to her diabetes.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(er 59 @ 26th July 2006 - 1:23 PM) 183390</div>
I know someone just like that too she is 33 she eats choccie and cream cakes like there’s no tomorrow and drinks Lucozade all of the time i think she is in some sort of denial she always insists she needs it because her sugar is low
It isn’t nice having to watch everything you eat and you can get really despondent and down hearted especially in the first year or so of being diagnosed her gp tried shock tactics on her going into detail about what could happen and she just shrugs it off and says she doesn’t care
She never leaves the house and weighs 24 stone its a real worry but what can you do :(
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Sounds a little like me, okay I don’t drink the Lucozade…. But I don’t eat what I should, but I am so down with the depression and the housing issues that I comfort eat…. And I know I am wrong to do this!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BelaLu @ 26th July 2006 - 2:55 PM) 183416</div>
My dad was diagnosed diabetic at 50. Told to stop smoking. Carried on 2-3 packs a day.
He went into hospital last August to have his leg veins blown out so as not to lose the leg.
It didn't work. His lung collapsed and they couldn't do the anaesthetic for the amputation. Eventually they amputated while he was unconscious and sedated otherwise the leg would have rotted.
Anyway, 3 months in hospital, the stump never healed and he died.
Please, please,please look after yourselves and tell others to do the same.
[/b]
Sorry to hear of your loss, it does make me think I need to get myself sorted…
_________________
I got the results of my HBA1C (this is a regular blood test that is done which gives the average reading of the blood sugar over 3 months) again today and its got up from 7.8 to 8.8 using just the 2000mg of Metformin.
So my GP has now prescribed me Gliclazide 30mg every morning which I’ll start next week, just got to pick up the prescription from the chemist.
My Cholesterol has also gone up to 5.1 which shocked me, although I guess my diet has not been too good recently, been comfort eating with the problems I am having…
I guess I am going to have to really get my a*** into gear now and start taking a bit more care…
I also never use to drink at all, but these past few months I started to drink beer, and now it's vodka.... it's just a few a day but it's too much and all his because of what I am living through....
Why oh why am I doing this to myself... I need to get my health sorted...
hi toots
please dont be too hard on yourself its really easy to go off the rails when you are first told you are diabetic
i went through a phase of eating all of the wrong things and punishing myself
its not too late to get back on track as for your cholesterol its common for it to be high if you are diabetic and probably not your fault at all you can be given medication to help to reduce it but they tend to like to see if you can improve it on your own first
if you are finding it really hard talk to your gp they can help
tommorow is another day and hopefully a better one for you :)
Thanks for your support and words....
I am at least now monitoring my BS again, 3 days on the trot!
I guess there is a lot of us on here who have suffered or who is suffering with Depression living in the environments we are in!
I have suffered with my Depression on and off for over 6 years now but over the past 18 months I have been more concerned it was something more than just simple Depression because of the way I just was up and down all the time.
I was referred 6 weeks ago via my GP to see someone in the Community Mental Health team and I had my first appointment last week. It went well and my second appointment is tomorrow. I felt very comfortable talking with the person I spoke to last week and I am tomorrow going to be more open and actually approach the subject of a condition known as Bipolar.
Has anyone here heard of it?
There is a little information below on it?
Bipolar disorder involves cycles of mania and depression. Over the course of the illness, the person experiences periods of elevated mood, periods of depressed mood, and times when mood is normal. There are four different kinds of mood episodes that occur in bipolar disorder. Manic-depressive illness is often not recognized by the patient, relatives, friends, or even by physicians.
Mania (manic episode)
Mania often begins with a pleasurable sense of heightened energy, creativity, and social ease. However, these feelings quickly progress to full-blown euphoria (extremely elevated mood) or severe irritability. People with mania typically lack insight, deny that anything is wrong, and angrily blame anyone who points out a problem. In a manic episode, the following symptoms are present for at least one week and make it very difficult for the person to function. These include discrete periods of:
• Increased energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts, and rapid talking
• Excessive "high" or euphoric feelings
• Extreme irritability and distractibility
• Decreased need for sleep
• Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
• Uncharacteristically poor judgment
• A sustained period of behaviour that is different from usual
• Increased sexual drive
• Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
• Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behaviour
Hypomania
Hypomania is a milder form of mania that has similar but less severe symptoms and causes less impairment. During a hypomanic episode, the person may have an elevated mood, feel better than usual, and be more productive. These episodes often feel good and the quest for hypomania may even cause some individuals with bipolar disorder to stop their medication. Thus, even when friends and family learn to recognize the mood swings, the individual will often deny that anything is wrong. However, hypomania can rarely be maintained indefinitely, and is often followed by an escalation to mania or a crash to depression.
Depression (major depressive episode)
In a major depressive episode, the following symptoms are present for at least two weeks and make it difficult for the person to function. Signs and symptoms include:
• Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex
• Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or being "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Restlessness or irritability
• Sleep disturbances
• Loss of appetite and weight, or weight gain
• Chronic pain or other persisting bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical disease
• Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempt
Mixed Episode
Perhaps the most disabling episodes are those that involve symptoms of both mania and depression occurring at the same time or alternating frequently during the day. Individuals are excitable or agitated as in mania but also feel irritable and depressed. Owing to the combination of high energy and depression, mixed episodes present the greatest risk of suicide.
When I think back to how I have felt for many years and especially over the past 18 months the more I am convinced I have what is called Rapid Cycling Bipolar – basically my mood is up and down all the time.
I can be having a normal mood average day and just one thing can set me off and plunge me into a low mood and more recently lead to suicidal thoughts.
I did talk in detail last week about this and my up and down, and how it made me angry and how often I would overreact on things then realise that I didn’t need to behave like that.
It may well be possible at my appointment tomorrow after she has looked back at the notes she has took that it comes back as this is possible. To be honest although I caught the woman’s name I am seeing I am not actually sure of her job title, she could be a Community Mental Health Nurse or she could be a Community Mental Health Psychologist.
Why if this is what I have has it not been noticed before, I guess because I have hidden a lot of my feelings from my GP in the past and not actually discussed what was going on. With what I was saying to him meant this was just a case of moderate depression last year when I originally saw him.
I've thought it was a case of Bipolar for some time, but now for some reason I think I have had enough of the constant up and downs (3 times in the past 4 days alone) that I want to know if this is what I have and start to deal with it.....
Hi Toots
Yes I have heard of Bipolar; my cousin has had it for years and takes medication to keep him "level"; every so often he has to go into hospital for a while so that the doctors can re-adjust his medication accordingly.
My cousin was found trying to commit suicide - he had rung the out of hours doctors to find out how many paracetamol and lagers he needed to end it all; luckily they found out who he was and sent the police and ambulance round to him. His elderly mother was sitting in the lounge and knew nothing about what was going on; his wife was out at the time; luckily they caught him in time.
I wanted to find out what it was so when I met my cousin after many many years of not seeing him I would know what to expect. He looked very well.
Perhaps this link will help you
http://www.bipolaraware.co.uk/whatisit.html
I believe that Spike Milligan also suffered with this form of depression throughout his life.
Now that you have sought medical advice about your depressive mood swings; you should now be in safe hands and they will be able to help you through this time.
Don't forget that we are here too and will try to help you when you need us
Take care Toots :friends:
Sparrow
08-08-06, 11:31 PM
Hi Toots
My best friends ex boyfriend was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder a few years ago. He is fine most of the time - he is on medication to help him - im not 100% but i think Bipolar is when you brain doesnt produce enough dopamine(?) and this causes the mood swings and behaviour. I know when my friends boyfriend was ill i got loads of info off the net for her to read to try and get her head round it. The mind site is very good for information. www.mind.org.uk .
Unfortunetly in my friends boyfriends case she found out she was pregnant - told him - he had another child who he doesnt see as the mother very nasty when they split - and this seemed to knock him off balance is the only way i can think to describe it. My friend came home from work to find he had emptied all the food from the kitchen as he thought her and his dad were trying to poison him. There were lots of worrying things he did that night - i had to phone his father in the end to see if he could help - in the end we got the local doctor out and she came out to the house to see him. He refused to go into hospital and in the end had to be sectioned to receive the help he needed. He seems ok now - my friend and him split up a few months after he came out of hospital - he is on regular medication and has got himself a job and seems to be settling down again.
As well as Spike Milliagan i think Kerry Katona (ex atomic kitten singer - she does the iceland food ads!!) is Bipolar. Im sure I read a magazine article about her being bipolar.
I hope you get on ok over the coming months - keep popping in wont you! :thumbs:
Take care
sparrow x
My NFH are both diabetics.
Eat all the wrong foods, eat loads of chips and fry ups and drink at least five days a week lager. She drinks 14 pints in a session and brags about it - he then goes back out for another session.
Her attitude is- if my sugar is high they can increase my medication - ridiculous I am sure if they ate healthier and drank less they probably wouldn't be diabetics.
They also have a fry up and then eat rubbish at night - instead of eating at regular intervals.
I hate it merged this with a topic about Diabetics!
Anyway I had my appointment this morning, the 2nd one and I am going to be refferred over to the hospital now, should have an appointment in a few weeks....