Daily struggles and unseen challenges of living with diabetes
Living with Diabetes. According to studies, doctors diagnose approximately 700 people with diabetes daily. This figure sums up to 4.7 million people affected by this metabolic disorder.
Whether type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the condition can be life-threatening without the necessary actions to manage and control it. Medications are available. However, just drugs are not enough to handle the situation. Patients must support the treatment with healthy habits and lifestyle choices to prevent the condition from worsening.
Diabetes management can be an overwhelming, complex and lengthy process. From taking daily medications to adapting to new lifestyle rules, it may not look like a cakewalk for all.
Here, we listed some unseen challenges people living with diabetes commonly experience.
Managing the symptoms of diabetes.
A diabetes spike can happen at any time. It could be because of the food you eat during your mealtime or snacking on something with sugar. You must keep your diabetes tool kit handy to respond to these emergencies. This may become a daily challenge and prevent diabetes patients from leading an everyday social life.
Instability of mental health.
Reports show that diabetes can also affect a person’s mental health. Frustration, exhaustion, and a sense of failure are common after initial diagnosis. Most of the time, these feelings can lead to diabetes burnout.
In addition, depression and anxiety are also part of the unseen challenges of living with diabetes. Many studies stated that diabetes patients are twice as likely to experience these mental conditions compared to those undiagnosed. The nature of diabetes and how it affects mental health can be unfathomable.
Diabetes Burnout
Diabetes burnout is a state of mind where you completely stop caring about managing this condition or taking care of yourself as you should. The primary reasons for this condition are:
- Mental fatigue.
- The inability to come to terms with the condition.
- Motivation to face it with courage and positivity.
Note: Many patients intentionally skip their insulin doses or eat sugary/unhealthy food when they experience diabetes burnout. Watch out for these behavioral changes if someone you care for is struggling with diabetes.
Unfortunately, an inability to recognize or take control of this condition can cause medical emergencies and diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA).
Challenges in meeting the diabetes management expenses
“How much does an insulin cost?”- is the most common question that most American with diabetes have asked after their initial diagnosis. After a point, keeping up with the growing expense becomes stressful and financially exhausting.
In the US, the price of insulin can cap at an average of $1,000 per month without private medical insurance or government-funded insurance.
The inability to afford the expenses can compromise an effective treatment. Studies show that many patients ration their insulin usage to stay within their budget.
SOLUTION AND WAY FORWARD
The government and ADA have several plans and programs to support the community emotionally and financially. Recent government policy changes have cut insulin costs in certain parts of the country. It looks like an excellent start to a positive change. However, we have a long way to go to make diabetes treatment accessible to all sections of society.
