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Low mood

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S

Steve H

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all

Looking for a bit of advice or validation if anyone can help.

I am type 2 on metformin and although I have been diagnosed about 3 years I have still not really come to terms with it and my commitment to helping myself is up and down at best as I am struggling to self motivate at times. At the moment I am sneaking around eating c**p, hiding the wrappers and then feeling really guilty for what I am doing to my loved ones by not looking after myself. I am really struggling recently with very low moods, a feeling of being overwhelmed by just about everything especially my health and I just can't get myself motivated. I find myself feeling angry or tearful at the slightest things. Although I do have other things going on in my life my concerns and guilt around my health and the poor attitude I keep taking are my main worries. I just can't seem to shake it off at the moment. Is this a typical feeling and is my diabetes likely to be playing a big part in my moods or do I need to focus more on other possible causes. Interested to hear the groups thoughts on this one.
 
it's perfectly possible for that state of your blood glucose to have an effect on a persons mood - whether the BG is too high or too low, each one of us is different of course and just because it's 'too high' that sends one of us into a temper or despair it could just as easily be 'too low' that sends the next person into a strop or the depths of despond.

Do you have a blood glucose meter in order to see what's happening with your BG whenever you might need to know?

However - have you actually ever 'grieved' properly since you were diagnosed with diabetes? All the things you describe happening are typical after anyone is diagnosed with any chronic condition, and diabetes is just that - chronic in the true medical sense ie for life. There are however ways of lessening the ill effects it can have, or even avoiding them, all of which require action by the person with the diabetes - are you ready for that?
 
I accessed counselling last year through my employer mainly for this reason but I had lots of other things going on so we barely scratched the surface. I felt better afterwards and signed up for the diabetes ul million step challenge. I lost wait, my hba1c came right down and I felt great for a few months which I hoped would keep me on top of things but I have slipped right back. I don't mo motor at the moment so not sure of exactly where I'm at at any given time. I am due a review in z couple of weeks where I expect my hba1c to have gone back up. I hope this will give the push I need as well the chance to speak about my mood.
 
@Steve H sorry to hear. Yes, I think low mood is a part of it and can be a symptom of blood sugar problems. Eating too many of the processed sugary treats can also cause low mood to get worse too. But there is hope. Food can make a difference to mood I believe. Dr chatterejee and rupy have written books around eating rainbow of vegetables, which really can make a difference.https://thedoctorskitchen.com/ also Dr C has some brilliant simple tips for improving mood too. Of course I’m not a doctor & you may need to mention it at your next review if it’s serious. But checking out. Good luck
 
When taking Metformin and Atorvastatin, I was verging on suicidal, and very very emotional.
I was eating the same sort of foods as I do now, and my glucose levels must have been good, so I can't blame them - once I threw out the tablets I felt so much better, a real sense of coming out into fresh air and light, so it could possibly be a side effect of medication. If you can cope on diet alone you might suggest stopping the tablets - even though many doctors expect us to keel over without the supposed benefits of what they prescribe for us - first it might give you the motivation to stick to what you'd like to eat, and there might be other benefits too.
I certainly find that the simple reflection that a poor Hba1c score might give my GP reason to push for me to take Metformin again removes all sorts of temptations.
 
trophywench said:
it's perfectly possible for that state of your blood glucose to have an effect on a persons mood - whether the BG is too high or too low, each one of us is different of course and just because it's 'too high' that sends one of us into a temper or despair it could just as easily be 'too low' that sends the next person into a strop or the depths of despond.

Do you have a blood glucose meter in order to see what's happening with your BG whenever you might need to know?

However - have you actually ever 'grieved' properly since you were diagnosed with diabetes? All the things you describe happening are typical after anyone is diagnosed with any chronic condition, and diabetes is just that - chronic in the true medical sense ie for life. There are however ways of lessening the ill effects it can have, or even avoiding them, all of which require action by the person with the diabetes - are you ready for that?
Click to expand...
Yes my nurse said im grieving for a part of my health I've lost .. Hope things improve with your mood Drummer
 
Hi Steve and so sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. As much as I can also agree with the points made by the others I confess that my first thought was that perhaps you are suffering from anxiety, stress or possibly becoming depressed. I say this mainly because of your feelings of anger and tearfulness at the smallest things. This would also lead to a lack of motivation for anything at all whether that be food, exercise or anything else for that matter. I would gently suggest that you fully discuss how you are feeling with your GP to see if they can pinpoint where your low mood is coming from. I think all of us at some point suffer from periods of feeling low but if you have been feeling like this for some considerable time it is almost impossible to then take charge the big things of controlling your diabetes as well as every other thing that life deals us and from what you say you have had a few hard things to cope with.
I do hope you manage to get some help and it is very encouraging that you have been able to share your thoughts with us as that is surely a huge step forward and acceptance that you need some further help. All the best to you @Steve H , please let us know how you are getting on. Sue
 
So sorry to hear about your low mood @Steve H

Diabetes has a well known association with depression and mental health challenges. High and erratic BG can have a direct impact on mood, and low mood can have a direct impact on your ability to self-care and manage your diabetes. It can be a vicious circle :(

It‘s good that you’ve had an opportunity to get a bit of counselling. It would certainly be worth asking your GP about getting further psychological support.

You matter. You deserve to be happy. And you don’t have to go through this alone.
 
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