Stress

[Tricia452008]

Ok so I just got a new job about 4 or 5 months ago where i am a Health Manager. I mainly took the job cause i needed the experience and it promised good health insurance. So i am enjoying the experience i am getting, but i have one problem. I cant handle the stress and drama that goes with the job. I work for low income families and i need their childrens updated information. So about a month after i started I got verbually threatened by a woman and it got me upset and scared the daylights out of me. After that my sugars went off the wall and it took me almost 2 days to control them again..And again last week i got yelled at and screamed at by another familiy ::the families are mad cause i will not let their children into the program without the proper paperwork:: but anyway yet ata my sugars skyrocketed.

Are my sugars alo being this bad because of the stress i am feeling from tis job? And do you think it is really worth it to stay here? I just dont know anymore. I need the insurance but with these sugars i just dont know..Any suggestions?

[JediSkipdogg]

You can find insurance at alot of jobs out there. I've had no problem getting a job with insurance. It just takes a little more effort than one without.

As for the BGs....yes, stress can play a huge effect on them. And with a job of that type, you are going to have quite a few. There's really not much you can do about it if you stick with that job.

[spike]

Yes, stress can cause your bg's to elevate. Long term stress can cause bg's to elevate accordingly. Is YOUR job worth the stress? Only YOU can determine that. You might be stressed less elsewhere, but hard for anyone but you to determine that. Are you a generally nervous person? There are certain situations I know would stress me. For example, I once temped answering phones. Drove me nuts. I lasted one day! (this from a guy who ran his own business with little stress, for 8 years!).

[2high]

Geeez Tricia! You poor thing!
I find that stress shoots my sugars out of whack as well, so I try to find a quiet place to have a breather before they shoot too high. I used to work for a high-profile muti-national bank with lots of rich arroant and sometimes downright nasty client, and would often go home with sky-high bgls, so I learned to just take a deep breath and think "happy thoughts" while I dealt with the nasties... either that or imagine them being hit by a tram as they left the bank... It usually helped keep the stress levels down and the bgls with it.

Hope you dont have to leave your job, maybe just try some relaxation techniques for a while and see how you go, but i no good, then you need to make sure your health comes first.

Keep smiling,

Katie

[Tokyo Cate]

In my experience, stress has a huge impact on blood sugar and different kinds of stress impact blood sugar differently. If you know that you will respond to certain kinds of stress in a somewhat consistent way, you could change your basal insulin, but that can go horribly wrong if you don't monitor your blood sugar really closely. When I was under significant stress this summer, I increased my Lantus by 20%, but when my stress level changed, I crashed quite suddenly. It is a difficult thing to mess with.

Can you find healthy ways of coping with the stress or responding to the irate families? Do you have a supervisor you can approach for advice on handling interactions like that so that you can stay with the job? Is counseling covered through your insurance? If so, maybe you can get some coaching on how to handle those situations and deal with the resulting stress.

[TenderVittleS]

Tell them it's not your fault they don't have the right paperwork, it's not your fault if they can't read. Just get tough when you have too and you'll feel alot better.:deal:

[am1977]

Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am starting a new job soon... & I'm already stressed out :banghead:... I guess it's fear of the unknown- for me, that's the worst :(.

If you enjoy your job & want to stay- I think Cate gave you great suggestions. I would see if there is a better way to deal with the stress... I find working out helps me a lot. But talking to someone about what you are dealing with is also useful most times too. Counseling might be beneficial.

Good luck with your decision- keep us posted :)

[Tricia452008]

thank you all for your suggestions......unfortunally there is not counseling at my job and no matter who i beg the loud cranky parents will still be yelling...but i did find out that blasting rock music at your desk does seem to make me feel a little better :tee:

[Cyborg]

Stress always raises my bg.

I know insurance is very valuable. Definately find another job with insurance before quiting, if that's what you intend to do.

[lgvincent]

Stress has always put me into insulin shock.

I'm not sure what to say about the job. Having one is much better than being unemployed but if you're unhappy with it, I see no harm in looking for another one while still working. Perhaps in time you'll learn an effective way to deal with the unpleasant people you sometimes encounter.

[Cyborg]

Insulin shock? Does your bg drop when you get stressed?

[lgvincent]

Insulin shock? Does your bg drop when you get stressed?


Yes, I certainly do. Whenever I'm in a stressful situation, my blood sugar drops extremely fast, and often.

[modbom]

I notice that many people have posted that stress raises their BG. One person said it lowers theirs. It also lowers mine. I just had a very heavy week at work and I ate tube of sweettarts almost every day keeping my BG up. So my question to everyone is, does stress push you up or down???

[GregGolden]

Stress? Not a problem! Knock a few beers back, or some some marijuana.

[labob]

For me it depends on the kind of stress. If it's the "god I hate this, I'm beginning to go insane, prison has got to be better than this" kind of stress, my glucose levels go up. But if it's the grief-filled, life-changing, nothing you can do about it but it's personal and it hurts kind of stress, then my glucose levels have gone through the floor (fortunately I've only experienced this once since diagnosis, though it did last for a few days).

[smaj611]

my bg's go down when i'm stressed

[Keezheekoni]

Mine goes up when I'm under stress.

As for the OP, I don't work outside the home, though I volunteer. I run a Clothing Bank for the kids in my school district. We have requirements as to who can get clothing from us (we provide new underwear and new socks, as well as gently used clothing)...they must be K-12 ages, they must live in our school district, they must have a valid address within our school district (like their medical coupon and ID must be for an address in our district), etc. A lot of people don't read on our form that they must present their child's ID in order to get clothing from us...their medical coupon or reduced/free lunch letter can be used as ID. People will yell at me if they are the ones who don't read that they need to bring all that ID...

So, I'm very diplomatic about it, but I firmly tell them that there's no way that I can help them until I have proof that their child is in my school district. I need the information updated every three months because people move around like crazy here... If they don't have it, then I tell them to come back the following week when we're open, but until then they get nothing. It's sad, but they do understand. I've had people threaten me, tell me that their kids will be naked if I don't help them, etc. Oh please...Unless your house caught fire last night and you're wearing pajamas to my clothing bank, I don't believe you...I also know who to refer these people to. There's a Red Cross office down the street, if they have a little money, there's a Good Will two blocks away and a Wal-Mart relatively close as well (in case they are lying through their teeth). I've become a little jaded while running this place, can you tell?

Anyhow, be firm, don't let them get to you! :D