Anxiety Around Glucose Readings

[JessG123]

Hi everyone,

I hope this is ok to post here. I struggle really badly with hyper / hypo anxiety.

I have Type 2 and since diagnosis in 2022 I've had hyperglycemia anxiety. If I reach 9mmol I start to panic that I'm going to end up having really high readings and end up in hospital with DKA or something.
Obviously I try to keep my readings well below 9 but I'm still learning where my limits are off of my medication and sometimes I end up there.

I've recently started having more low readings though, at around 4pm I can get down to the lower / mid 4mmol mark. Then I start panicking that I'm going to have a full blown hypoglycemic episode (even though I've never had one, lowest I've been is 4.1mmol).

I know I'm being silly, but this is something I'm struggling really badly with. GP has been less than helpful and the only advice they have given me is "stop testing your glucose" which is much easier said than done. I'm wondering if anyone else has faced this and has any kind of advice or information that might help?

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[Inka]

Hi @JessG123 DKA is rare in Type 2s and only happens at much higher numbers. As an example, I was approaching 30 when I was diagnosed with Type 1 and about to go into DKA. You’re miles away from that.

Unless you’re taking hypo-causing medication like insulin or similar, you won’t have a hypo. In people without diabetes, blood sugar can go down to around 3.5 and it’s fine.

Before you were diagnosed with diabetes (years before), your blood sugar would have been moving up and down and not causing you the slightest concern. In people without diabetes, blood sugar can occasionally go up to the 10s. Nothing has changed now - except you’re aware of your blood sugar because you’re testing. Think about it logically.

It’s not silly if it’s causing you anxiety. The only way to deal with it is to get strategies to ‘talk yourself down’. If your anxiety is really bad, it might be worth paying for a few sessions of private counselling.

 

[harbottle]

I think maybe your GP is right. Stop testing if it's causing to much anxiety. You don't have to.

I didn't test for 3 months after diagnosis, I just concentrated on changing my diet and losing weight as I didn't want any more stress. The hba1c will tell you about your progress.