What is diabetes burnout?
This is when a person with diabetes gets tired of managing their condition. Sometimes people just pretend like they do not have diabetes and eat all the carbs they want, and others have a temporary burnout. It can occur when a person experiences too many stressful events, highs and lows, or lack of motivation.
What is a dawn effect?
When a person's glucose reading goes from being under 80 to over 150 in a quick amount of time. (sometimes it takes an hour for the reading to go up and other times it will take half an hour or so)
My Experience:
This week I have noticed that my glucose meter is giving me too much insulin when I eat. After I eat I usually go to class or walk back to my dorm. The walks are short like 5-10 min distances but my glucose reading drops fast. I have been snacking alot before class trying to bring my glucose to a reading over 100, which is not good. Snacking too often is not healthy or helpful for diabetics. This week and last week, I had lots of lows >95 ten min before class. I did what I usually do to treat lows, which is eat snacks or drink fruit juice. I knew I was going to have a dawn effect. I thought that snacking was better than missing class to treat my lows so that is what I have been doing. All of my high and low readings have made me feel very moody, dehydrated, more tired than usual.I have to remind myself that I do not have to participate in every event.
These high and low have affected my physical and mental health. As a college student living with T1D and Mito it is very easy to overwork my body. I tend to sign up for too many events that the campus offers. Everything is new to me and overwhelming. At my old school we did not have as many opportunities. Living in a single dorm has been rough for me, as a result of this I joined 3 clubs and one community service fraternity. This already seems like too much reading about it but I will manage. 2 of the clubs are bi weekly and not mandatory tp go to every meeting.
I have to learn how to put my health first and then school work and social life. This first month was rough because I had very little friends, I ate alone a lot, and I am balancing studying for four classes. Now, I have a few more friends who will reach out to me if there is a problem or if they are concerned about me. I am grateful that everyone here is so nice and helpful. From little act of kindness like skitting outside the library eating snacks with me when my reading was under 70 (I felt shaky, dizzy and dehydrated) to reaching out to me through text to ask me how I am doing. I am so happy I made the decision to transfer.
Hopefully, this diabetes burnout will ware off in a few days, so that my glucose readings will go back to a normal range. I will try to get more sleep this weekend and try to not over plan on my schedule. It is an independent learning experience. One Day at a Time.
Inspirational Song Lyrics
Shawn Mendes; A Little too Much
"Sometimes it all gets a little too much But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up"
Nick Jonas: (My t1d childhood role model, I will write full blog on him)
A Little Bit Longer (a song he wrote when he was diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager)
"Waiting on a cure But none of them are sure A little bit longer and I'll be fine But you don't know what you got till it's gone And you don't know what it's like to feel so low And every time you smile, you laugh, you glow You don't even know, know, know You don't even know, know, know"
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