Successful strategies so far in dealing with depression and Diabetes

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SB2015 said:
I hope your appointment went well Steff.

I was doing well until they asked us to come up with a plan for this week.
Do something small that is enjoyable.
The examples they gave were
- go out for a nice meal (I won't know the carbs, so not so relaxing)
- go for a pleasant walk (guaranteed to cause a hypo)
- do something different from normal (so more to work out how to deal with changes)

I had been very positive about the ideas that were put forward, but then it just got too much, as it just emphasised the continuous nature of the job of managing the condition successfully. I crumbled!!

So perhaps this post is not in quite the right place. The leader is going to phone tomorrow and we will talk about whether this is the best support. He weaver I know it is this or wait for a year!
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I do hope the phone call goes well and the leader is empathic and listens to you. Group therapy needs to work for everyone and the plan for the week has to meet your needs as well. If the leader understands your challenges, then I am sure there are examples which would work for you or they could take time to ask you questions which would empower you to create the plan for you.
It is so great you are sharing this with us and sending you loads of support.
 
Sorry to hear that your group session ended badly for you, SB.:(

In a sense, it's positive because it's flagged up a problem that we all have - what's relaxing for non-diabetics is actually more stressful for someone with diabetes - but which is particularly difficult for you. It gives you the opportunity to address the problem and / or come up with activities that you DO find relaxing.

Sorry if this sounds trite. I know exactly how you feel - a friend suggests going out for a vegan meal or Thai or tapas and all I can think is: "How the hell am I going to count the carbs in that?!" The food arrives and I just want to cry while ev1 else is relaxed and smiling...the thing is tho, I spent so many years after dx NOT socializing, NOT seeing my friends, NOT being my usual happy-go-lucky self that in the end I forced myself to grin and bear it cos, frankly, I was sick of not having a life.😱🙂

That's just my experience, SB (I'm not saying you don't have a life!). 🙂
I hope you and the group leader can come up with a solution that works for you.🙂 Keep us posted...
 
I know how difficult it is to motivate myself to do my pottery (other than my classes which give me a boot up the rear!), but I feel so much better when I do. So try to motivate yourself to weave.. and post some pics of your lovely work on here🙂
 
Steff said:
Hi,
Sorry not trying to hijack thread SB.
It went ok got emotional but they seem to want to help me so next appt is in August
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Not a hijack at all. Just a good place to be honest and help each other. If you, or anyone, feel like adding any helpful strategies that would also be lovely.
 
pottersusan said:
I know how difficult it is to motivate myself to do my pottery (other than my classes which give me a boot up the rear!), but I feel so much better when I do. So try to motivate yourself to weave.. and post some pics of your lovely work on here🙂
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Thanks Susan.
Nothing on the loom at present so a useful indicator!! Mind you now it will have to wait until the end of Wimbledon. This is definitely one of the luxuries of retirement is simply being able to choose to sit and watch it.
 
Bloden said:
Sorry to hear that your group session ended badly for you, SB.:(

In a sense, it's positive because it's flagged up a problem that we all have - what's relaxing for non-diabetics is actually more stressful for someone with diabetes - but which is particularly difficult for you. It gives you the opportunity to address the problem and / or come up with activities that you DO find relaxing.

Sorry if this sounds trite. I know exactly how you feel - a friend suggests going out for a vegan meal or Thai or tapas and all I can think is: "How the hell am I going to count the carbs in that?!" The food arrives and I just want to cry while ev1 else is relaxed and smiling...the thing is tho, I spent so many years after dx NOT socializing, NOT seeing my friends, NOT being my usual happy-go-lucky self that in the end I forced myself to grin and bear it cos, frankly, I was sick of not having a life.😱🙂

That's just my experience, SB (I'm not saying you don't have a life!). 🙂
I hope you and the group leader can come up with a solution that works for you.🙂 Keep us posted...
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Thanks Bloden
It is a balancing act. The pleasure of company and giong out, against the hassle of carb counting and the inevitable hypo/ hyper afterwards.

I am, believe it or not, generally a jolly person, which is why this big dip is so weird. However the gaps between the dips are bigger than they were, but once the floodgates open I just cry, and cry, and cry, .... that is why the groups up session is more scary because I feel so out of control once I start.
 
New-journey said:
I do hope the phone call goes well and the leader is empathic and listens to you. Group therapy needs to work for everyone and the plan for the week has to meet your needs as well. If the leader understands your challenges, then I am sure there are examples which would work for you or they could take time to ask you questions which would empower you to create the plan for you.
It is so great you are sharing this with us and sending you loads of support.
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Good to know you are around with al the valuable support.
Thanks New Journey.
 
Just spoken to the leader of the group and we both agreed that I had given it a try and one-to -one would be better for me. Just a 5 month wait as she has backdated referral to first assessment date. Really impressed with her care. Back to the counsellor I have been working with for a while.
 
SB2015 said:
Just spoken to the leader of the group and we both agreed that I had given it a try and one-to -one would be better for me. Just a 5 month wait as she has backdated referral to first assessment date. Really impressed with her care. Back to the counsellor I have been working with for a while.
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Hope the one on one works @SB2015 and you get on with it better . I was asked if I had a preferred preference but said I'd try either or at this stage as it's all new to me so hopefully when I start as it's 3 month wait it'll work ok
 
SB2015 said:
Thanks Bloden
It is a balancing act.
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You're so right, SB...diabetes is one great big frustrating balancing act.🙄 Sorry to hear that you get so upset.:( It sounds like you've found the way fwd tho and are in good hands. Keep on posting, you and Steff. Your experiences and insights are invaluable.

Susan has let the cat out of the bag - have you got any pics of your weaving you can show us?:D
 
@SB2015 - I hope you don't mind me making a practical suggestion to change a suggested pleasant experience into a possibility. This suggestion is intended to help make going out for a walk NOT result in a hypo. If you decide on one or a few local routes, then you will create some fixed points. The variables left are your blood glucose before, insulin on board etc. I'm not a pumping, but from what I've heard, you can reduce your basal for the duration of the walk and some time after. Plus, always have a packet of sweets in pocket of whatever garment (s) you wear. So you can just test blood glucose level, turn down pump rate, have a sweet or two and go. If you need more sweets during / after walk, so be it. Next time, you can adjust your pump rate further.
Hope it's as sunny where you are today as it is in Yorkshire. I'm hopeful for a dry evening orienteering race! 🙂
 
Sorry to hear the group didn't work for you @SB2015 . I hope the one-to-one is more successful x
 
Copepod said:
@SB2015 - I hope you don't mind me making a practical suggestion to change a suggested pleasant experience into a possibility. This suggestion is intended to help make going out for a walk NOT result in a hypo. If you decide on one or a few local routes, then you will create some fixed points. The variables left are your blood glucose before, insulin on board etc. I'm not a pumping, but from what I've heard, you can reduce your basal for the duration of the walk and some time after. Plus, always have a packet of sweets in pocket of whatever garment (s) you wear. So you can just test blood glucose level, turn down pump rate, have a sweet or two and go. If you need more sweets during / after walk, so be it. Next time, you can adjust your pump rate further.
Hope it's as sunny where you are today as it is in Yorkshire. I'm hopeful for a dry evening orienteering race! 🙂
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This would be a good strategy. We do this for our after meal walk, just deciding clockwise or anti clockwise. It is good to have reminders that I know how to manage my diabetes I just need to find a way of accepting that what I am diong is good enough. It is a pity my emotions don't listen to the logic that I know works.
 
hi @SB2015,
Your placemats are beautiful - do you have an Etsy store or something similar?

I have been dipping in and out of your thread as I find it hard to cope sometimes with things and it drives me to even more frustration so your thread is helping me in many ways and for that I thank you.

I had a thought about the eating out part, and I don't know how practical it may be for where you live but might be worth a try. Some of the chain pubs/ restaurants publish on line their menus which often contain more info than the menu cards do when you get there. For instance JD Wetherspoons online menu info does contain the carb counts. (They are supposed to have this info available at site, but not always the case).
Would it be worth having a root at a menu before going out so you know the carb count and can adjust accordingly? This might be safer way of easing back into restaurant life if you have some of the parameters a bit more defined for you at the start?

My mother recently had an accident which damaged to sight in one eye. Whilst healing (slowly) it caused her great frustration understandably in that she said she could not do certain things anymore. We discussed these things and came up with alternate ways to do things. I have been trying to encourage her to think about still doing these things but to try and think that her injury may lead her to find a different way to solve the problem. On the whole she is a stubborn woman who refuses to listen most of the time, but proudly reports time each time she finds an alternate solution.

It is incredibly hard sometimes to find a different way when those pesky voices niggle away at us, but sometimes newthink wins over oldthink and we start to win sometimes the smallest battles.

Will stop rambling now and hope life continues along towards the positive for you.
 
cardinalGT said:
hi @SB2015,
Your placemats are beautiful - do you have an Etsy store or something similar?

I have been dipping in and out of your thread as I find it hard to cope sometimes with things and it drives me to even more frustration so your thread is helping me in many ways and for that I thank you.

I had a thought about the eating out part, and I don't know how practical it may be for where you live but might be worth a try. Some of the chain pubs/ restaurants publish on line their menus which often contain more info than the menu cards do when you get there. For instance JD Wetherspoons online menu info does contain the carb counts. (They are supposed to have this info available at site, but not always the case).
Would it be worth having a root at a menu before going out so you know the carb count and can adjust accordingly? This might be safer way of easing back into restaurant life if you have some of the parameters a bit more defined for you at the start?

My mother recently had an accident which damaged to sight in one eye. Whilst healing (slowly) it caused her great frustration understandably in that she said she could not do certain things anymore. We discussed these things and came up with alternate ways to do things. I have been trying to encourage her to think about still doing these things but to try and think that her injury may lead her to find a different way to solve the problem. On the whole she is a stubborn woman who refuses to listen most of the time, but proudly reports time each time she finds an alternate solution.

It is incredibly hard sometimes to find a different way when those pesky voices niggle away at us, but sometimes newthink wins over oldthink and we start to win sometimes the smallest battles.

Will stop rambling now and hope life continues along towards the positive for you.
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Thank you for your thoughtful post, and useful ideas.
 
SB2015 said:
Our Christmas Place settings, woven with my own dyed yarns.
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They're lovely, SB, really original. :D There's a lot of hidden talent on this forum - maybe we should start a Show and Tell thread.😛
 
Well things are definitely improving for me with regard to my diabetes.

- I now have much more realistic expectations of myself, and I am
better at accepting the impossibility of perfection when dealing
with Diabetes
- Trialling a new insulin (FIASP) is giving me a the motivation
to check ratios and my rates
- My focus has definitely shifted to other aspects of life and put
Diabetes back in its place

So time to try reducing antidepressants, with the continued support of my counsellor available through regular appointments.

Here's hoping things continue on the up.
 
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