[Diabetes Worries] Fear of Insulin Injections... How to Cope When You Can't Measure Blood Glucose and Mental Care
When it comes to diabetes, the first thing that comes to mind is insulin injections.
And, something that cannot be avoided is blood glucose measurement.
For my daughter, these two things are "essential, yet scary" parts of her life.
Since you are piercing your body with a needle, there is naturally pain.
This time, I will talk about "how to face the pain" that my daughter experienced.
Is it true that insulin injections "don't hurt"?
My mother also lived with diabetes for many years.
She was diagnosed in her 30s and continued injections until she passed away.
I watched my mother pierce her abdomen with a needle many times.
One time, I asked her casually,
"Does it not hurt?"
My mother laughed and said this:
"It doesn't hurt at all, something like this."
——And now, my daughter has diabetes, and those words came back to me.
"She said it doesn't hurt, so it must be okay."
I was so shallow for thinking that.
My daughter is extremely timid.
She even hyperventilates during blood draws.
My daughter has to pierce herself with a needle.
It was truly an "ordeal."
"It's scary, I can't do it..."
She looks up at my face with tears in her eyes.
If she bleeds after pulling out the needle, she cries, saying it hurts.
If the insulin stings, she cries again.
In bad cases, she hyperventilates, and I have to give her medicine and rub her back...
Only after she calms down can she finally inject the insulin.
All I could do was keep making diabetic meals.
"Measuring again...?" Blood glucose measurement that the heart cannot keep up with
What was even more difficult than insulin was blood glucose measurement.
It is required twice a day, but this was also "pure terror" for my daughter.
Disinfect the finger and apply the needle.
But her hand shaking the button cannot find the strength.
If she fails twice or three times, she reaches her limit.
"Ugh... I can't do it. It's scary, I can't..."
I still cannot forget the look on my daughter's face at that time.
"Should I do it for you?"
When I suggested that, my daughter shook her head.
"If you did that, I wouldn't be able to trust people anymore..."
I certainly understand that feeling.
In the end, my daughter pressed the button herself while crying.
The blood glucose level that came out was on the high side.
However, I praised my daughter first.
"You did a great job! You're amazing!"
For my daughter with autism spectrum disorder, this is a huge challenge.
It is not an easy thing.
A "reward effect" with character bandages? Ways to overcome the pain
In this day and age, if you open social media, you can meet people with the same worries.
My daughter also joined a diabetes community and was asking for advice.
One day, my daughter bought expensive bandages with characters on them.
"What is this? We have regular bandages, don't we?"
"This is a 'reward'!"
Applying a reward bandage to herself for enduring the pain.
That was my daughter's way of creating motivation.
"If I think I can put this on if I can endure the pain, I can do my best."
It might seem like a childish method at first glance.
But my daughter was serious.
When I asked, "What about the type of monitor you stick on?", the answer came back immediately:
"That's no good because it feels uncomfortable all the time. My friends with autism spectrum disorder said so."
It seems to be due to the sensory hypersensitivity of autism spectrum disorder.
Decorating your monitor with your "favorites"! Tricks to ease the fear
Eventually, stickers were placed on everything, including the monitor and the needle case.
It's filled with my daughter's favorite characters.
It might look like a little child's toy box.
But if that eases the pain and fear, then it's a huge success.
As for me, I consulted the hospital and also asked my AI "brother."
The advice that came back was the same.
Warming your finger eases the pain
Pricking the "side" of your finger hurts less
I actually tried these, but the effect was subtle.
Then, my daughter made this suggestion:
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I cooled it down, like when getting a piercing?"
Apparently, when getting a piercing, you cool it until the sensation goes away, and she wanted to try that.
When we tried it, the pain did seem to decrease.
…but,
"If I use an ice pack every time, my finger will die lol"
And for that reason, it ended quite easily (laughs).
The "way to live with the pain" that my daughter found
After trying various things, this is the method my daughter arrived at.
Taking deep breaths
→ Calms you mentally. Eases the fear.Pricking the side of the finger
→ It's a bit easier because there are fewer pain receptors there.Creating motivation with cute items
→ Character bandages, stickers, etc.
When things look cute, it calms the heart.
Insulin injections are almost the same.
Regulate your breathing
If it hurts, change to a different site
Change your pouch and tools to your favorites
When injecting, have someone you trust watch over you
Is it true that "pain changes with your mind"? The connection between science and the mind
Thank you for reading this far.
Finally, there is something I really want to tell you.
It is—
Pain changes depending on your state of mind
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Everyone's Mental Health Portal Site https://www.mhlw.go.jp/kokoro/
This seems to be true.
After experiencing it, I felt like, "I see..."
When I asked my AI "older brother," this is the answer I got back.
The impact of mental state on pain:
When you have anxiety or fear, you feel pain more intensely
When you feel a sense of security, pain is reduced (the brain releases endorphins)
Effective coping methods:
Touch care (having someone gently stroke you) → releases oxytocin
Having someone listen to you → feeling that your pain is "understood"
Distraction → forgetting pain through movies, conversation, music, etc.
Medical evidence:
Placebo effect
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Mindfulness (breathing, meditation)
As written on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website,
"It's not just in your head. Pain changes with your mind."
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Kokoro no Mimi" Mental Health Portal Site https://kokoro.mhlw.go.jp/
That is what it means.