depression -job

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drms

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi All,

I'm a type 2 diabetic and have just joined the forum. I was diagnosed diabetic in 1999 which has been in control, so I have lived with it quite successfully. But recently, I have been finding very difficult to concentrate which is very important for the kind of job I do. I teach in a university and have held important posts, including head of a large department. But now I am dreading going back to work at the start of the term in October. I am feeling quite desperate and feel like going and joining a monastery, but I have a 13 year old daughter and my wife doesn't work.

I am really happy to join the community. I feel that I can share my life with you all with the hope that if anyone has any advice for me.

Thank you!
 
Do you have regular blood tests? or know what your levels run at?
Sugar swings can make us feel like this.

Otherwise we are much more likely to suffer from depression so its worth a trip to your docs.
I know the depressed feeling well and can agree that it is awful.

On a lighter note, welcome to the forum 🙂
 
Hi drms, welcome to the forum 🙂 How long have you been feeling like this, and have you asked your doctor about it? Are you on any medication, for your diabetes or anything else? As Megan suggests, it could be swinging blood sugar levels that are responsible - it's possible that, although your levels are generally good overall, you may be experiencing 'spikes' after eating which can affect your moods and ability to concentrate. Try not to get too stressed about things, as stress can also cause blood sugar levels to rise (easy to say, I know!). Do you get much exercise? Regular exercise will help relieve stress and also help hugely with your blood sugar levels and general well-being.

I hope that things improve for you soon. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
Hi drms, welcome to the forum. As suggested, discuss this with your GP if it persists, and your family who may have noticed an increase in stress levels maybe. maybe a good idea to test your BG levels a bit more often to see if there are any big swings.
 
Welcome to the forum drms 🙂
 
But recently, I have been finding very difficult to concentrate which is very important for the kind of job I do. I teach in a university and have held important posts, including head of a large department. But now I am dreading going back to work at the start of the term in October.
Click to expand...
You're not by any chance on a statin are you?
 
I am really touched by your welcome and advice! I am taking quite a few medicines -- daily dosage of Metaformin (3x500mg), Gliclazide (4x30mg), Sitagliptin (1x100mg), Perindopril (1x8mg), Atorvastatin (1x20mg), Atorvastatin (10x10mg), Clopidogrel (1x75mg)
Metoprolol (1x25mg)

I didn't know about the sugar swings (despite getting a good HbA1C results) and their effect on mood. This may be the reason. I'll start testing my blood sugar more regularly. I find that depression has also distracted me from getting exercise, therefore, a vicious cycle has set in.
 
drms said:
I am really touched by your welcome and advice! I am taking quite a few medicines -- daily dosage of Metaformin (3x500mg), Gliclazide (4x30mg), Sitagliptin (1x100mg), Perindopril (1x8mg), Atorvastatin (1x20mg), Atorvastatin (10x10mg), Clopidogrel (1x75mg)
Metoprolol (1x25mg)

I didn't know about the sugar swings (despite getting a good HbA1C results) and their effect on mood. This may be the reason. I'll start testing my blood sugar more regularly. I find that depression has also distracted me from getting exercise, therefore, a vicious cycle has set in.
Click to expand...

Depression is more likely in Type 2 diabetics ....link below ...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20711716
 
Thanks for the link to the depression article.

Is it a good idea to take some kind of official test for depression? If so, would it undermine my academic career in any way?

Thank you!
 
If I were you I would make an appointment for a chat with your doctor before jumping to any conclusions. You can talk through your feelings which may be alleviated by simply offloading how you feel and getting a little emotional support and understanding. Coupled with some lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, you may feel this helps. I was depressed after having one of my children and had a very responsible and demanding job at the time. I started going to exercise classes (it was so hard as I didn't want to get up/go out let alone exercise!), changed my diet so that I ate better, began to tak to people about how I felt and eventually I began to feel a little better. I think mental health is a tricky issue. People don't want to admit to struggling mentally and this lack of acceptance and avoidance of seeking out help compounded my problems. Once I realised that I wasn't alone, or weak or 'mad' and began to talk about it, I discovered most people have 'down' times in their lives and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I too work in education and know that you are required to declare any mental illness when applying for jobs, BUT it's more important that you are well and it may be that you just need a small helping hand to help you over a hurdle at this moment in time. You may find that you are not depressed at all you may have some other underlying issue - thyroid, anaemia, medication side effect etc. My advice would be to go to your GP and get some advice. Wishing you all the very best. Katie
 
Drms

Lack of concentration and forgetfulness can be side effects of statins and I see you are on quite a high dose of Atorvastatin (Atorvastatin (1x20mg), Atorvastatin (10x10mg), ). I suffered from this when I was on 40mg Simvastatin. I was in a position where I had to write strategic documents and I would get half way through a sentence and be unable to remember a crucial word. I also forgot people's names, sometimes colleagues who I worked with every day. Unless I left reminders everywhere I'd forget what I'd done the day before. I even went to the Dr and underwent a number of blood tests with no result. Eventually I came across an article which named statins as possible cause for this and so I did a bit more googling and found the side effect was common. Fortunately when I stopped taking them things were better,
 
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