Diabetes Diary, Part 4
I’m sick of waking up each morning and pricking my palm or forearm to do the first of four blood-glucose tests a day. I’m tired of injecting myself with short-acting insulin before breakfast, lunch and dinner—and of having to wait 15 to 20 minutes before I can eat. And I’m so over having to end my days with yet another shot of insulin—the long-acting kind that’s supposed to sustain me for the next 24 hours. I’ve got the blues…the diabetes blues.
In my first blog, I briefly mentioned the diabetes blues, or burnout, as it’s more commonly known. I surmised that my late aunt had suffered from this affliction and been unable to shake it. I also vowed to develop strategies to beat back burnout when it comes my way. But lately, the stresses of being a mother, wife and first-year grad student—and of being severely sleep deprived—have made it hard for me to stay positive about my self-care. In fact, I’ve begun to resent my chronic condition; I even made an emotional outburst about it to my husband the other night: “I H-A-T-E having to do this,” I said. Half asleep, he muttered, “I know.”
Realizing that being mad about having diabetes is no way to beat my blues, I decided to be proactive. Yesterday, I checked the Web for ideas for coping with burnout. Here’s a sampling of what I found:
BOOKS
• Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Take It Anymore, by William H. Polonsky.
• 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes, by Sheri R. Colberg.
• Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, by James S. Hirsch.
WEB SITE ARTICLES
• “Diabetes Burnout: How to Stop the Daily Grind from Bringing You Down,” by Linda Beeney, PhD.
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/conquest/0101-burnout.htm
• “Diabetes Burnout: When to Leave ‘Good Enough’ Alone,” by Linda von Wartburg.
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/04/13/5116.html
• “Avoid Diabetes Burnout,” by Joslin Diabetes Center.
http://www.joslin.org/managing_your_diabetes_596.asp
Until next time,
Nicole Crawford-Tichawonna
Contributing Editor
In my first blog, I briefly mentioned the diabetes blues, or burnout, as it’s more commonly known. I surmised that my late aunt had suffered from this affliction and been unable to shake it. I also vowed to develop strategies to beat back burnout when it comes my way. But lately, the stresses of being a mother, wife and first-year grad student—and of being severely sleep deprived—have made it hard for me to stay positive about my self-care. In fact, I’ve begun to resent my chronic condition; I even made an emotional outburst about it to my husband the other night: “I H-A-T-E having to do this,” I said. Half asleep, he muttered, “I know.”
Realizing that being mad about having diabetes is no way to beat my blues, I decided to be proactive. Yesterday, I checked the Web for ideas for coping with burnout. Here’s a sampling of what I found:
BOOKS
• Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Take It Anymore, by William H. Polonsky.
• 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes, by Sheri R. Colberg.
• Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, by James S. Hirsch.
WEB SITE ARTICLES
• “Diabetes Burnout: How to Stop the Daily Grind from Bringing You Down,” by Linda Beeney, PhD.
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/conquest/0101-burnout.htm
• “Diabetes Burnout: When to Leave ‘Good Enough’ Alone,” by Linda von Wartburg.
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/04/13/5116.html
• “Avoid Diabetes Burnout,” by Joslin Diabetes Center.
http://www.joslin.org/managing_your_diabetes_596.asp
Until next time,
Nicole Crawford-Tichawonna
Contributing Editor
posted by heart&soulmate @ 8:35 PM
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