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For Some, the Greatest Challenge of Diabetes Is Acceptance
The number of people in the U.S. and around the world diagnosed with diabetes is growing at a frightening rate. Experts estimate that there are over 200 million diabetics around the globe. This disease brings with it a list of complications that includes blindness, amputation, liver damage, heart disease, and kidney failure. However, according to feedback from social networks for people with diabetes, the list of complications does not contain the greatest challenge for some.
As one member explained, "I honestly have had very bad control up until a few years ago because I simply was too stubborn to do what I needed to do to stay in good health. I ate and did what I wanted to for years and have paid the price for it now by having many complications."
It seems that for some, simply accepting that they have a chronic disease is extremely difficult. Perhaps it is because controlling diabetes requires a thorough lifestyle change for most who are newly diagnosed. Changing the food you eat, changing when you can eat, learning how to test your blood sugar, being required to read the nutrition facts for everything you put into your mouth, and often needing to begin an exercise routine and establish a weight loss program can easily seem completely overwhelming.
One member offered this insight. "I've only been diagnosed about a month, and I just realized that I was kind of in a state of denial. I was more like a robot, just going through the motions and whatnot. I am getting to the point where I am now realizing that this is for life, and it's not going to go away. I can control it better with diet and exercise, but I will have diabetes until the day I die. That's kind of hard to wrap my brain around."
Another member explained her feelings this way. "I know full well that I've been cursed. I just cannot accept what has been done to me, that my body has betrayed me in such a cruel manner."
According to the National Institute of Health, denial is defined as "a state in which a person is unable or unwilling to see the truth or reality about an issue or situation."
Or as one member of a community explained, "It's a psychological phenomenon that protects people from situations, feelings, facts that are too overwhelming and more than they can reasonably cope with. People can only manage so much stress, so there comes a time when your mind tries to protect you from mental collapse." She went on to share her story about being asked by a psychiatrist as a teenager if it bothered her that she had diabetes. She thought it was a dumb question at the time. But came to realize that her depression was a result of her "anger about having grown up with diabetes."
It is clear that acceptance of the reality of the situation is essential to making the changes necessary to control diabetes. Denial will most certainly lead to complications, pain, and increased healthcare costs. If you feel like you're in denial or if you know someone who may be in denial about diabetes, you should seek the help of a qualified mental health professional right away.
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