Trouble with everyday realities of diabetes

Posted by Elizabeth @enska, Jan 24, 2019

Hi everyone, I have type 2 diabetes that appeared about 9 years ago. I've had a really hard time accepting the diagnosis as the years have gone by. I have times where I take good care of it and times where I don't. I was wondering if anyone has tips for keeping up with diabetes every day, including taking blood sugar readings, taking meds regularly, eating right, etc. When I think about doing this every day forever, it frustrates and scares me.

Like I said, I've had a very hard time with this. It seems that just the thought of complications doesn't help. Even actual complications don't scare me into compliance. I think I worry that the complications will happen anyway as I get older. Onset for me was only in my late 20s and I fear that after many years battling this, I'll have complications whether I manage the condition well or not. Does anyone know if that's true?

I also experience severe depression, which I think is the main reason I don't care for myself well enough. It's a tough duo of health concerns to have. Thanks for reading!

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Hello to All in the Diabetes discussion group.

We all know how difficult it is to maintain healthy eating habits when we have diabetes. It seems that great tasting food is all around us, but we always don't pick and choose our foods in a way that produces a healthy blood sugar level. Recently, the idea of intermittent fasting has come to the forefront and I found a video regarding this. As with all changes in eating, please contact your doctor before trying anything new. Here is the link with information about intermittent fasting,

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dieting-mayo-diet-keto-diet-any-suggestions/?pg=3#comment-369655
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@hopeful33250

Hello to All in the Diabetes discussion group.

We all know how difficult it is to maintain healthy eating habits when we have diabetes. It seems that great tasting food is all around us, but we always don't pick and choose our foods in a way that produces a healthy blood sugar level. Recently, the idea of intermittent fasting has come to the forefront and I found a video regarding this. As with all changes in eating, please contact your doctor before trying anything new. Here is the link with information about intermittent fasting,

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dieting-mayo-diet-keto-diet-any-suggestions/?pg=3#comment-369655

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If you have had problems with low blood sugar in your past, as I did years ago before the surprise high blood sugar, you want to be careful about fasting with diabetes. The body prefers to be on a reliable schedule for best performance. I have read that it is good to eat an early dinner and not eat again until morning with 12 hours of fasting and it works well. Some diets recommend the afternoon snack and I find that I do better with skipping it and eating an early dinner. It helps to pay attention to your personal needs. For years I knew I needed to eat by the clock and my husband loved to eat irregularly and late at night. So we had two schedules. He is deceased.
Dorisena

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@dorisena

If you have had problems with low blood sugar in your past, as I did years ago before the surprise high blood sugar, you want to be careful about fasting with diabetes. The body prefers to be on a reliable schedule for best performance. I have read that it is good to eat an early dinner and not eat again until morning with 12 hours of fasting and it works well. Some diets recommend the afternoon snack and I find that I do better with skipping it and eating an early dinner. It helps to pay attention to your personal needs. For years I knew I needed to eat by the clock and my husband loved to eat irregularly and late at night. So we had two schedules. He is deceased.
Dorisena

Jump to this post

@dorisena it sounds as if you have found what works for best for you. It’s always interesting to me that we are each so different in that regard. Twelve hours of fasting between dinner and breakfast is actually pretty easily accomplished. We rarely eat before 7:00 but I don’t generally have breakfast before 8:00. I just never thought of it as fasting but I guess technically it is. I am sitting up in bed and now this conversation has made me hungry!
JK

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I didn’t know of My diabetes home. Thank you!

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