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By: Frank Wood
REACTIONS TO BEING DIAGNOSED
PRE DIAGNOSIS
You are tired all the time. You are irritable and
often shout at people for no reason. You itch
in unmentionable places and sometimes you
have difficulty seeing properly because things
seem slightly blurred. You seem to keep bruising
your toenails and yet you can’t remember how.
You’re thirsty all the time but
“Hey it’s summer and it’s h-o-t!”
or “Yeah, but they say you should
drink lots of water.” If that's not bad enough what goes in must go
out so you end up like a rabid
dog in a forest of lamp posts!
You know something’s wrong and at last you go to the doctor. He
will give you a pill and everything will be all right. But he says you
have diabetes and the world stops. This is the depressing scene
that is repeated through all the surgeries in the world. People are
lucky if they get any proper counselling, counselling that
understands what they are going through, not just counselling that
bombards you with a barrage of “musts” and “must nots”. This
series of articles “The Experience of Diabetes” will explore the
psychological and emotional issues of diabetes and how these
affect people’s ability or willingness to stick to a diet and
understand the need to maintain good blood glucose control.
DENIAL
“The tests weren’t done properly. I only read a few days ago
about a hospital that wrongly diagnosed someone with cancer.” It
is difficult too accept that not only is something wrong but this is a
condition that won’t go away. “It’s not that serious. All it needs is a
little tweaking in my diet.”
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Prior knowledge of the condition is an important factor. Those
newly diagnosed who have diabetic friends or relatives are more
likely to accept it and act on any advice received. On the other
hand prior knowledge may mean that they are scared because
they may know or have heard of people who have lost their legs or
gone blind because of complications.
IGNORANCE
Those who are fairly ignorant of it tend not to have any feelings
about the diagnosis and their reaction may in many cases be ‘So
what!’
January Issue: Adjusting to Being Diabetic
REACTIONS AFTER DIAGNOSIS
SHOCK
It is a disease for life, nothing will ever be the same again.
Eating is no longer an activity taken for granted where you
just eat what what you like or even worse shovel it down
robot like while reading a newspaper. Eating becomes a
science or so it seems, where carbohydrates are counted,
the way food affects blood glucose is noted and all the time
at the back of your mind is the fear “Is what I’m eating, good
for me?”
SHOCK
It is a disease for life, nothing will ever be the same again.
Eating is no longer an activity taken for granted where you
just eat what what you like or even worse shovel it down
robot like while reading a newspaper. Eating becomes a
science or so it seems, where carbohydrates are counted,
the way food affects blood glucose is noted and all the time
at the back of your mind is the fear “Is what I’m eating, good
for me?”
RELIEF
For others the diagnosis comes as a relief as partners
or employers may have interpreted fatigue as laziness.
Also it means that symptoms that caused worries are
now explained. “I knew something was wrong!”
For others the diagnosis comes as a relief as partners
or employers may have interpreted fatigue as laziness.
Also it means that symptoms that caused worries are
now explained. “I knew something was wrong!”
BELIEF OF MYTHS
They may feel guilty because they think that they got
diabetes from eating too much sugar. They may worry that
they may pass on their diabetes to their loved ones and
friends. These and other myths can cause worry and
depression unless they are quickly dealt with.
They may feel guilty because they think that they got
diabetes from eating too much sugar. They may worry that
they may pass on their diabetes to their loved ones and
friends. These and other myths can cause worry and
depression unless they are quickly dealt with.
5th Edition - Dec 2005
