Me again… not coping

[EmmaL76]

If you pay, you can guide the sessions more. Lots of counsellors seem to have a method and they’ll approach everyone by working through similar exercises. Mine did that, but I simply asked that we concentrate on X for now and maybe come back to that when we’d worked through X. That’s a polite way of using your money to the best effect as I knew I couldn’t afford endless sessions.

So, in the first session, honestly set out your issues - food, control, whatever - and ask if he/she feels able to help you work through those things. This will also give you a chance to see if the counsellor is the right person for you. It’s important they are.

If you need to starve yourself to control your sugars, that’s not an answer. If your diet is making you feel so rough and tired, that’s not an answer either. Your body needs appropriate nutrition. We have the drugs to help you eat properly if you need them. Did you know before the discovery of insulin, some people with Type 1 could go on for months or even a year or more? Yes, they were ‘controlling their blood sugars’ - they did this by starving themselves. We have absolutely no need to do that now.

Forgive my presumption, but I sense reluctance to address this particular issue because it’s something you don’t want to let go of. As someone who has let go of a similar problem, with hindsight I can tell you that the improvement in my life is massive. It’s like clinging onto a life-raft when you could let go and be picked up by a rescue ship. Yes, it’s hard to let go, and it can be scary, but once you’re on the rescue boat all of that will be forgotten. Take that leap of faith and reach out for the rescue boat. xx

Yes I know I do that, avoid the stuff I don’t want to deal with, change the subject. Thing is I have somebody quite close to me who seems to me to have the starts of an eating disorder. You should hear the advise I give ! So I know what’s right but I feel like I make an exception for myself because I am different… I’m doing what I need to do. The only positive now is that before, I would try and get as skinny as possible… thinner the better, now I hate what I look like and actually want to put on weight. I’m doing ok, we had a huge Easter dinner last night, my extended family and I are sharing 2 large holiday homes in Rock Cornwall, was my turn to cook last night after a few hours dog walking on the beach, the dinner was lovely and I ate lots including some carbs and had a little shot of insulin and it turned out pretty well. Walking from Rock to Polzeath today and I’m actually feeling a bit of energy and enthusiasm to do it. Looks like rain tho

 

[EmmaL76]

Cortisol is usually defined as the stress hormone.

But looking at this from the other end of that telescope: stress is fundamentally bad for D. It causes cortisol response which triggers a release of glucose from the liver or other body reserves. It causes BG elevation, often more frequently than adrenalin does in a normal day.

Well is there such a thing as a cortisol blocker because I need one of those ?

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Well is there such a thing as a cortisol blocker because I need one of those ?

Possibly: remove as much stress from your life as you possibly can, then the cortisol won't play as much with you!

Yes, I know easier said than done. But, after a lot of cynicism I looked into and did some "mindfulness" training and now, whenever I think I'm going to get stressed about something (frequently petty and trivial in the bigger scheme of things) I pause and practice a bit of mindfulness. It helps me.

Loved your thought about the hulk. Of course, since it's a naturally occurring hormone it probably doesn't have the same body building attributes as those products specifically manufactured for body building.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I had no idea cortisol was a steroid !! In that case I should be built like The Hulk !

Nope different kind of steroid 🙂
I take a replacement cortisol (Hydrocortisone) which just replaces what the body does not produce 🙂 If you are producing to much it would make you jittery give you high blood sugars etc., I would have though.
Go back to your endo and ask for another test or ask your GP and take it from there.

 

[Benny G]

I had no idea cortisol was a steroid !! In that case I should be built like The Hulk !

Cortisol, like adrenaline, is a stimulant. These stimulants cause you to access and consume your body's reserves.
Coffee and cigarettes work in a similar way. They damp down appetite and give you a boost, (without eating food)

Stimulants make you lose weight, not gain; but they do affect your emotional state, and you could feel angry like the hulk.