Coping with a change in my diabetes treatment
Change is part of life when you have diabetes, but usually the changes are small. Coping with small changes can be annoying, but most people get used to making changes over time.
However, when something major must be changed in your diabetes care plan, such as advancing to insulin from diabetes pills, it can be quite an adjustment. First, you may worry that your diabetes is getting worse. Second, you may feel as though you have failed in your efforts to keep things under control.
It is important to realize that type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. That means that over time, it will probably get worse and cause wear and tear on many of your body systems, even if you do everything right. Most people who have type 2 diabetes – even if they follow their diabetes care plan closely – will eventually need to advance to insulin therapy. When this happens, don’t assume the change has occurred because you did something wrong. The most important thing you can do now is to work on accepting this change in treatment. You can start by learning what you need to know about making insulin a part of your new daily routine.
Ask your doctor or diabetes-care team questions until you are sure you understand what it is you need to do and how to do it. Be sure to ask them for materials you can read at home.
Here are some specific tips that may help you cope in a healthy way with advancing to insulin therapy.
Coping with the stress of change
Making major changes in the way that you manage your diabetes can be a challenge, but you can do it. Remember, you’re not alone. You have your whole diabetes care team standing by to help you make the changes.
Stress can throw off your blood glucose. Many people who have diabetes find that when they are under stress, their blood glucose levels go up – or sometimes down. When you are under stress, you can lose the energy you need to take good care of yourself.
- Accept that change is part of life, especially life with diabetes. Simply acknowledging this fact can help you accept and deal with change in a positive way.
- If the change happened because you got off track with your diabetes care plan, set small, realistic goals to help you get back on track. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Talk to your diabetes-care team about your blood glucose goals. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you do achieve your goals, or even just for effort towards achieving them.
- Join a diabetes support group. Change is usually easier to take when you know you’re not alone. Your diabetes educator or healthcare provider may be able to recommend a local support group or you can call your local American Diabetes Association.
- There are many ways to prevent or relieve stress. Some people find listening to music relaxing. Others enjoy soaking in a hot bath or meditating. Exercise can be a great stress buster! Yoga and tai chi are two activities that can both relax you and burn calories at the same time. Other people enjoy dancing. Getting enough sleep can also help you manage your stress.
Getting comfortable with insulin
When you need to advance to insulin therapy, find out all you can about insulin and what you need to do to make it part of your life.
- You and your healthcare provider will develop your personal insulin plan based on your meal plan and your activity level. There are many different ways you can take insulin. You may begin your therapy with one injection of a long-acting insulin analog. Or perhaps a premixed insulin analog that provides the advantage of working quickly after you eat and provides between meal insulin coverage, might be right for you. You may want to spend some time exploring the insulin section on this site and discuss this information with your healthcare provider.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about prefilled disposable insulin pens as an alternative to using a syringe to inject your insulin. These easy-to-use pens fit into your pocket or purse, and provide a discreet way to inject insulin.
- Consider the first couple of weeks of insulin therapy to be a “trial period.” Each person is different and can react differently to the same treatment. So, when your healthcare provider changes your diabetes care plan, you’ll need to “try it out” for a while to see how it works. Be patient. It may take your body a while to adjust to the insulin before you know how well it is working.
- Be sure to alert your healthcare provider to any problems you are having following your diabetes-care plan. Some of your goals may need to be changed. Or maybe your goals are fine, but your treatment plan needs to change to help you meet them. Your diabetes-care team will work with you to adjust your treatment plan, if necessary.
In summary
Making changes can sometimes be tough, especially when you feel changes are needed because you’ve failed to manage your diabetes. But healthy coping means accepting change as a part of the package when you have diabetes. Over the years, you can expect to have many changes in your diabetes care plan. Some will be welcomed, because they result from improvements in your health due to treatment, a healthier lifestyle, or advances in medication. Others may be more bothersome, because they result from the natural progression of type 2 diabetes. Either way, how you cope with the changes can greatly affect how successfully you manage your diabetes in the long run.
