America.- Living with diabetes, especially if someone needs insulin to survive, it’s an endless job, which can be potentially lethal if not done right. That constant daily stress can lead to “diabetes wear,” a recent study notes. Diabetess that experience wear and tear are mentally and physically depleted, feel detached from their condition, and are apathetic about their need for self-care. Diabetes wear and tear can last for hours or days, and sometimes weeks, months, and even years, researchers warned.
“Diabetes is a unique disease because self-management requires constant activity, mental energy, and physical energy,” said Felicia Hill-Briggs, former immediate president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association . American Diabetes Association).” You have to take the medications, check your blood sugar, cook healthy food, eat healthily, make sure you do enough physical activity, and make sure you balance all those things,” said Hill-Briggs, who didn’t participate in the study. Even the best-trained and most outstanding athletes collapse at the end of the long career, when they have nothing left to give.” You get to a point where you can only slow down, rest and recover,” Hill-Briggs said.
The new study, led by researcher Samereh Abdoli of the University of Tennessee, included interviews with 11 women and seven men, with an average age of 38, who had type 1 diabetes. Seven people said they were experiencing diabetes wear and tear at the time. Everyone said it had happened to them in the previous year.
A 36-year-old woman commented that “it’s exhausting, it’s exhausting. It really is, taking care of yourself constantly and having to worry about everything you eat, everything you do, every step you take.”
A 22-year-old woman said the same thing. “You’re always tired, physically, you feel old, worn down.” In addition to tiredness, the study identified other topics. Disengagement: Patients described feeling disengaged from their identity as a person with diabetes, self-care, and support systems. “I didn’t want to think about diabetes and I didn’t want to be diabetic anymore,” a 42-year-old man said. A 51-year-old woman said that “I’m tired; I would prefer to face the outcome of the disease.” Other contributing factors: Researchers pointed to factors such as the constant burden of self-care and the failure to achieve goals such as objective blood sugar levels. “Having to measure blood sugar all day while Busy with other things, it’s not what I want to worry about. Wake up at night? Low blood sugar at inconvenient times? It happens over and over again. I think you’re wearing a tear,” explained a 31-year-old man. Recovery Strategies: Participants reported strategies to prevent or overcome diabetes attrition, including supporting friends, family or health care providers, or trying to maintain a positive attitude. “I fight against my wear and tear by remembering what’s most important,” observed a 42-year-old woman. “I’m watching my daughter grow up, I still work and I do the practice that I love, I see and do new things, and I have to remind me, and that’s how I fight it. You have to be grateful for what you have.” Becky Lois is a child and adolescent psychologist at the Hassenfeld Pediatric Hospital in Langone, NYU, New York City. He was not involved in the investigation either.” Wear is almost inevitable,” Lois said. “One did not ask to have diabetes. Sometimes it’s out of your control. And it’s very difficult when everyone seems to be telling you what to do.”
Photo: illustrative.
It’s great, he said, if people can recognize the distrés that precedes wear and tear and work with their health care provider before they get to wear. A simpler regimen could help. Perhaps one of your loved ones can remind you to measure your blood sugar, or stop reminding you constantly. Talking to people about your real support system helps, noted Lois.Hill-Briggs agreed that being proactive is better.” Try to plan ahead how you might cope with wear and tear,” he advised. “Do you want to stop the insulin pump for a week and get injections? Do you want to eat the food that is never allowed? Or have a few days when blood sugar isn’t controlled so strictly?” Hill-Briggs urged patients not to feel guilty. “Relax the feeling of guilt, ” he raised. “Let yourself relax a little. Being perfect is always impossible.” The study appears in the December issue of the American Journal of Nursing.More informationFor more information on diabetes wear and tear, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
