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I think I've got diabetes burnout

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
T

Thomas Southbank

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
A month ago I decided that I have just had my fill of diabetes. I've had diabetes for 14 years and I decided to stop my medication of tablets and insulin at the same time. My glucose levels are running at over 30 mmol/l or higher each day but I have decided I just don't care anymore. I have had enough of injections, taking tablets and ordering prescriptions, watching my diet, and the complications that comes with diabetes, dealing with people such as nurses for your reviews who know nothing about diabetes and the stigma attached diabetes. Also, having to stand my ground with medics to listen to me, especially my GP practice, who will only act on something if you see them at least 3 times for the same thing. And to add to it, I attended a hospital clinic were the registrar told me he won't request a scan because I had one five years ago, and it was normal! The patient is completely forgotten, and it's down to budgets. Therefore enough is enough, I don't see myself restarting my medication sometime soon. At the moment I feel quite relieved that I don't have to do this anymore, and 26,000 finger pricks later I will not be adding to that total. I assume I suffering from burnout, does this last a long time and get better? Or will nature take its course?
 
There aren’t those choices. You need to get to A&E with BGs running so high. If you don’t, you won’t see September out. So, no, it won’t last a long time, and yes, nature will take its course. Your choice.
 
Hello Thomas. I can’t even begin to understand how awfully low (depressed) you must be.
I am afraid and I really mean afraid that unless you get the help you need , for your depression as well as your diabetes, then yes nature will take its course sadly it will neither be pleasant or fast.

Please do as mikeyb says , with numbers like that you do need to go to A&E
It also sounds to me like a change of GP practise is needed. I too hate the the stigma we often have to put up with and it’s not just from jo public either.
I am hoping our helpline will be able to put you in cont@ct with people who can help you through this difficult time
+443451232399
 
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As the above comments suggest Thomas you must get yourself to A +E sooner rather than later. Running bg’s so high you will soon develop ketoacidosis. Surely the effects of not taking your insulin are worse than how low you are feeling. Being ill and seriously ill which you will be very soon cannot be the better option. Get your bg’s sorted at hospital and hopefully they will refer you to the mental health team to deal with your “burnout” feelings. Hope you can get yourself through this horrible episode and back to some kind of normality. Peace, love, and insulin.
 
I have an essay hoping to give insight and warning
I had a rough time about three weeks ago...confusion tiredness and some awful night leg cramps due to higher sugars...any worse and I would have been I don't know where and thats not the most high levels of sugars known out there. Its worth looking after yourself but you need something to look forward to. I am only 28 but can kind of understand in a sense...see as follows.

Be prepared to be bored but hopefully less down.

Alongside long term medicated mental health problems I've had a year of slipped disc, pulmonary embolism, diabetes diagnosis, and am waiting for ultrasound scan on kidney (getting pains/spasms) alongside a long term dodgy ankle that i need to see gp for. Previous years have included DVT, serious gallbladder infection then gallbladder out, physiotherapy traction on neck twice over roughly a year...could go on but won't. But mainly Get Well Soon!!!!
 
Pamela Giddings said:
I have an essay hoping to give insight and warning
I had a rough time about three weeks ago...confusion tiredness and some awful night leg cramps due to higher sugars...any worse and I would have been I don't know where and thats not the most high levels of sugars known out there. Its worth looking after yourself but you need something to look forward to. I am only 28 but can kind of understand in a sense...see as follows.

Be prepared to be bored but hopefully less down.

Alongside long term medicated mental health problems I've had a year of slipped disc, pulmonary embolism, diabetes diagnosis, and am waiting for ultrasound scan on kidney (getting pains/spasms) alongside a long term dodgy ankle that i need to see gp for. Previous years have included DVT, serious gallbladder infection then gallbladder out, physiotherapy traction on neck twice over roughly a year...could go on but won't. But mainly Get Well Soon!!!!
Click to expand...

Geeze Pamela ... admire yr guts! (Maybe you'll say you don't have any choice, but still ... admire yr guts!)

Thomas - Listen to these folks, please!
 
Thomas Southbank said:
A month ago I decided that I have just had my fill of diabetes. I've had diabetes for 14 years and I decided to stop my medication of tablets and insulin at the same time. My glucose levels are running at over 30 mmol/l or higher each day but I have decided I just don't care anymore. I have had enough of injections, taking tablets and ordering prescriptions, watching my diet, and the complications that comes with diabetes, dealing with people such as nurses for your reviews who know nothing about diabetes and the stigma attached diabetes. Also, having to stand my ground with medics to listen to me, especially my GP practice, who will only act on something if you see them at least 3 times for the same thing. And to add to it, I attended a hospital clinic were the registrar told me he won't request a scan because I had one five years ago, and it was normal! The patient is completely forgotten, and it's down to budgets. Therefore enough is enough, I don't see myself restarting my medication sometime soon. At the moment I feel quite relieved that I don't have to do this anymore, and 26,000 finger pricks later I will not be adding to that total. I assume I suffering from burnout, does this last a long time and get better? Or will nature take its course?
Click to expand...
Hi Thomas, it certainly sounds like burnout to me :( Unfortunately, if you are not taking your medication and levels are running so high then this will be affecting your mood. You may feel a temporary relief from not having to do it, but it will be setting you up for some very serious problems. These can be slow to manifest themselves. Without knowing much of your history and treatment it's not possible to say how quickly problems may arise. Certainly, living day-to-day with levels in the 30s will be doing you harm unless you bring things back under control soon.

You've taken the time to join the forum and post how you are feeling here, might it be helpful to talk to someone? The Diabetes UK Helpline service will be able to discuss your concerns with you in confidence, and hopefully help you to find the solutions to the problems you have encountered with your care. The link is here:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/how_we_help/helpline

In addition you can also contact the Samaritans:

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us

Please do seek help, and perhaps give us some background to your diagnosis, how you have dealt with things over the past 14 years, and what it might be in particular that has led to you feeling this way.
 
I never know what to say to posts like this one, we all want to be able to help so much. I wish that I could give away some of my seemingly endless optimism and positivity, I would willingly feel miserable for a few days if it would give you the boost that you need to get through this. The reality is that we can't pretend that we are not diabetic, the world just doesn't work like that unfortunately. The upside is that we are so lucky to live in a time and place where we have effective treatments available to us. Yes they can be a pain in the arse, literally if you are varying your injection sites, but the alternatives are far worse. I really hope that you can take the comments above on board and get yourself sorted. Be assured that there are people here who really care.
 
Eddy Edson said:
Geeze Pamela ... admire yr guts! (Maybe you'll say you don't have any choice, but still ... admire yr guts!)

Thomas - Listen to these folks, please!
Click to expand...

No worries hope it helps to give some insight of some kind... 🙂
 
Oh Thomas I can relate I have just come off my tabs from 6 years of suffering with serious side effect, depression which I still get days of just saying sod the diet . On Wednesday I started insulin I dreaded it really did but when I stabbed my self I’m like ok that’s nothing, but I can soooo relate to everything that you have said . My docs are the same and the lectures about food well I’m a semi good girl lol , but hun please seek help for the depression and like everyone has said your going to die a early age if you don’t go back on your meds it’s not nice I’ve seen two dear friends pass away with diabetes related I’ll ness please I beg you too go back on them , bless you and may you find your way to the right path
 
Thomas if you are reading this please let us know how you are. As others have said please go to A&E. If you don't have your insulin and end up with DKA you will feel beyond awful. Please let us know how we can help.
 
Please get both the help you need with your diabetes and your depression as soon as possible. If Diabetes is a mess it will make you feel so rotten, but the solution to that isn't denial. You ignoring it will only make it all worse. You are correct you have two choices either look after yourself as best as you can and make the most of life, or give yourself no chance and ruin and shorten what could have been a happy healthy life. Please let us know you are okay.
 
Hi Thomas, I can hear that you are really fed up with diabetes and can understand how stopping your medication may help you to feel some relief from these frustrations.

However, having BG levels over 30 mmol/l or higher each day is very dangerous and could have serious consequences to your health. Diabetes can be difficult at times, so I hope that you have spoken to someone over the weekend to support you in bringing your levels down, be that A&E or your healthcare team? Having high levels can also impact your mood, so lowering your BG levels could contribute to helping you in this way as well.

Its also frustrating when you don't feel you are getting the support that you need from your healthcare team, so we're glad that you have found this forum. Many members have felt let down by their healthcare teams at some point, but there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on here and many members will understand the frustrations you are feeling. Hopefully by sharing your concerns here, we can support you with the day-to-day frustrations of diabetes and members can share their own ways of coping with difficult experiences.

Do let us know how you are getting on, and I will try to contact you directly @Thomas Southbank

Best of luck.
 
Well @Thomas Southbank how much support do you need? Your friends and diabetic family are all concerned about how you feel. Please take the advice you have been given and get the help you need, we are all concerned about the way you feel and believe me most if not all would happily throw in the towel and say sod it but what`s the alternative? We would like you to return to the forum and keep us updated on your situation, we are here for you so do not feel you are alone. Please read some of the posts/threads on the forum, you will see you are not alone. Take care mate we are all rooting for you.
 
I hope that the lack of a response may mean that advice has been taken, and Mr Southbank is in the safe care of a hospital, though whether Hannah can determine that I don’t know.
 
KARNAK said:
Well @Thomas Southbank how much support do you need? Your friends and diabetic family are all concerned about how you feel. Please take the advice you have been given and get the help you need, we are all concerned about the way you feel and believe me most if not all would happily throw in the towel and say sod it but what`s the alternative? We would like you to return to the forum and keep us updated on your situation, we are here for you so do not feel you are alone. Please read some of the posts/threads on the forum, you will see you are not alone. Take care mate we are all rooting for you.
Click to expand...
Agree with all of this. There's no alternative. More importantly you are not alone and we are here for you.
 
How is Thomas Southbank? Did the episode we read on here resolve itself! His one and only post was last Saturday, never heard from him since. Curiosity itch needs scratching !
 
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