[SCRN1]

I do believe that stress can be a factor in developing diabetes in some people. I was diagnosed with diabetes two weeks ago and my blood sugars are still mainly in the 300-range even though I have been very compliant with my meds and diet. This has been about the most stressful year of my life. I started a new job this past Spring, working 12-hr nights on a tele floor (new to cardiac), so even though I enjoy it, it was stressful going to a new hospital and new area of nursing. I have two teenagers...which can be stressful enough in itself, LOL! My mother has had me worried all year. She moved a few years ago about 8 hours away and this year, she has had an MI, cholesterol sky high even though she's tiny & eats like a bird, two heart caths with stents, and half the time hasn't told me about being sick until after she's doing better. So, I'm always wondering and worrying about her. October 28th, my youngest brother unexpectedly died and two days after his funeral, my father-in-law, whom I loved as my own dad, died from an infection post-op. My husband was transferred to work an hour away this year and already works 12-14 hours a day as it is, so he's not around much to help dicipline the kids. So yeah, I could say I've had plenty of stress this year. I did have a grandmother with diabetes, but none of her 6 children or 10 grandchildren (except me now) have had it. No one on the other side of the family has ever been diagnosed with it. I could stand to lose some weight, although I'm not obese, but I do have an obese cousin without diabetes and my sister is a lot bigger than me. I admit my diet hasn't been the best in the world and is probably the main reason, but I do think that the stress played a big role in it too. My blood glucose was checked earlier in the year and was WNL.

[Hoozdo]

Originally Posted by SCRN1

I do believe that stress can be a factor in developing

A big AMEN to that. During the week of finals in my last semester of nursing school, I developed DKA. My diabetes was well controlled with 70/30 insulin. Imagine my suprise when I went a couple of days without checking my glucose and it came back in the 600 range

It is a well known fact that stress causes glucose increases. It can be mental or physical stress.

[Myxel67]

Originally Posted by huladancer

There is this belief among the Hispanic community (and perhaps other sections of the population) that diabetes is caused by a susto (scare) or coraje (anger). I’ve heard time a time again from friends and relatives “so and so got diabetes when he got in that car accident” (scare) or “so and so got diabetes when she found out her husband was cheating” (anger).
I try to explain that diabetes is not caused by these events. Usually these events (car accident), lead to the detection of DM the person already had and didn’t know it.

I know there are plenty of myths out there, but I was just wondering if this myth is just prevalent in the Hispanic community or have you heard this from other people too?

Many Hispanic patients of mine often say they have emotional diabetes. The stress of certain situations often makes blood glucose values higher--but of course, the diabetes was there even before the emotional stress. The stress just exaccerbated the condition.

Some people with type 1 DM develop if after a trauma (car accident in the case of my sister in law) or a viral infection. The theory is that the person has a genetic predisposition for type 1, and the viral infection triggers the abnormal immune response that destroys the beta cells.

The most common misconception I see is that the DM was caused by eating sugar. This thought seems to exist across all ethnic backgrounds.

[HeatherB-SST]

Just a little observation, and a pet peeve of mine. I recently moved to the south, and I noticed that many older southern folks refer to diabetes as "THE diabetes", "the sugar diabetes", or just "the sugar". As in, "I can't eat dessert, I have the diabetes/the sugar diabetes/the sugar." I find it very annoying, but oddly charming at the same time...

[Spidey's mom]

Originally Posted by CSTwannabe

Just a little observation, and a pet peeve of mine. I recently moved to the south, and I noticed that many older southern folks refer to diabetes as "THE diabetes", "the sugar diabetes", or just "the sugar". As in, "I can't eat dessert, I have the diabetes/the sugar diabetes/the sugar." I find it very annoying, but oddly charming at the same time...

I think it is an elderly thing . . . they say it here in Northern CA too. I find it charming and a bit annoying.

We have a large Indian population here too. Almost all very overweight. Diabetic. Many of the men have alcohol problems.

steph

[NTPinky]

When I was doing gestational diabetes education with mostly Spanish-speaking patients, many of them asked me if stress caused their diabetes. I also had a couple of patients whose mothers told them to drink sweet juices to help "clear out" the sugar from their bodies! I've also heard of some being told to drink their own urine (I heard this among both Latinas and Middle Eastern women).