How can you stop worrying about complications of diabetes? In my practice as a diabetes educator, some people are almost paralyzed by the fear of developing diabetes complications.
Many of you have had diabetes a long time and are from an era when we didn’t have as many tools, treatments, and the understanding of diabetes that we have today. Education concerning the reduction of modifiable risk factors for the chronic complications of diabetes is an essential goal of diabetes education self-management training today.
You need information about risk factors to make informed decisions in your diabetes care and prevent or reduce complications. Studies such as the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial demonstrate that these complications aren’t inevitable.
Fear of diabetes complications manifests itself in obsessive compulsive behaviors in some people with diabetes. Some examples:
- Constant worrying
- Blood glucose monitoring 20 plus times per day
- Frequent and over correction of blood glucoses and tolerating frequent episodes of low blood glucose
- In severe cases, strained family relations and job loss
Where is the happy medium? It’s so hard to find, but knowing you have good care and control can put a lot of fears to rest.
“Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.”
