These days, we hear a lot of folks talk about invisible injuries or handicaps. While this can refer to a number of different things, it generally refers to instances where someone may be suffering from something that has no outward appearance or that the average person won’t notice. This can include but is not limited to things like PTSD, certain mental health conditions but even certain physical ailments that, while invisible on the outside, can cause great discomfort, pain and inconvenience to the sufferer.
While I wouldn’t necessarily consider Type-1 Diabetes to be an invisible condition, I could see how the average person might believe it to be so. When one considers that, all jokes about obesity meaning one has Diabetes aside, a person would not be able to tell simply by looking at me that I have Diabetes. Of course, if someone is astute enough to spot my insulin pump, it might be a different story. But my focus in today’s post is to consider some of the invisible “symptoms” or Diabetes, even the ones that often smack you in the face but you may not KNOW they’re a symptom.
I should point out that this list is mine and what I’ve noticed over the decades. I’m sure there’s more others could provide, but this is just to give you a bit of idea about three of the main issues that others could potentially attribute to something else. Here we go…
Mood Swings/Temper
Blood sugar fluctuations can also cause changes in one’s emotional state and temperament. For the most part, if my blood sugars rise, I’ll become a cranky, cantankerous asshole. Not to be confused with my everyday crankiness, these moods swings are essentially unavoidable and I have no control over them. While they don’t really happen so much these days, they used to happen quite frequently in my younger years, before I was on pump therapy and before I knew better. I’ll admit I had some ex-girlfriends who may or may not have walked away fully convinced I was just being a dick. In reality, it was blood sugar control that was needed.
This can also occur with extreme low blood sugar. I remember (or rather I was told) about an incident when I was in high school. Somehow, my blood sugars got away on me and I suffered a low. By the time the bell rang and I walked down to get in line for lunch, I was no longer in control of any fine motor function. Oddly enough, my mother had shown up to bring me lunch money and I apparently started yelling at her and told her to get out for the school. It wasn’t until I had eaten and my blood sugar started to level out that one of my friends told me what had happened.
I have no memory of it, at all. The lesson here is that if your fiend or loved one has Type-1 Diabetes and they seem off, emotionally, it’s important to consider they may have fluctuating blood sugars. Or they may just be a dick. I don’t know your friends. Moving on.
Bad Breath
There’s nothing worse than talking to someone who has bad breath. For someone with Diabetes, it can come along naturally or honestly, as this is yet again something that is usually immediately out of our control. There are a couple of reasons that someone with Diabetes will experience bad breath. The main one is that high blood sugars can lead to excess glucose in the saliva, which increases the bacteria in your mouth. As bacteria grow and propagate, it increases the amount of plaque you have, which can lead to bad breath. The bacterial life cycle itself can also cause bad breath.
If a Diabetic person’s breath smells a bit on the fruity side, it could be a sign of uncontrolled blood sugars and ketoacidosis, which is a condition where on’e blood becomes acidic as a result of extreme high blood sugars. In cases you’re not catching the theme here, the majority of these issues are caused by high blood sugars. But in this case, proper teeth brushing, coupled with regular dental visits are critical to maintaining that plaque level and cleanliness. This should be paired with proper monitoring and control of one’s blood sugars.
Fatigue/Apathy
I’ve lost count of how many times in my life I’ve had people call me lazy because my body was physically tired and I had no ability to push myself forward. I’ve had times in school where I was accused of falling asleep in class or people who considered me rude or lazy for refusing to do things or come out because I was tired. Once again, this can be easily attributed to blood sugars being out of whack. Having high blood sugars will make you seem lethargic or apathetic on its own.
Having an extreme low that you’ve treated will make you exhausted once your blood sugars level out because your body was struggling while you were low. You end up exhausted and it isn’t unusual after I’ve treated a low for me to need a short nap to allow my body to recover. To an unknowing person, partner or friend, it could just look like you’re sleeping your day away or are just lazy. I had this one friend back in New Brunswick who had the damndest habit of showing up at my home unannounced to hang out. If I were sleeping, he’d insist on waking me up and getting me out of bed. Boy lucky he didn’t get himself killed. Waking me is a bit like poking a bear. Possible but not advisable.
In the end, the prevention/mitigation of all of these symptoms includes proper blood sugar control, proper diet and proper self-care in general. Sounds easy enough on its face but it very rarely is. And it’s very easy for people to mistake a Diabetic symptom for something else. While not everyone is comfortable discussing their condition with others, the key is solid and open communication so that the people in your life understand. Food for thought… ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 