Psychological challenges associated with considering new technology
Diabetes technology has the potential to significantly improve quality of life for those with Type 1 Diabetes. However, as with anything, it is not always a ‘bed of roses’ and in this section we summarise some of the possible difficulties of using diabetes technology and it’s impact upon emotional wellbeing.
People with t1 diabetes share their experiences with technology and diabetes:
Click on each item for more information:
Technology can sometimes be portrayed as the “gold standard” of diabetes management, and people with diabetes may feel pressure from others (e.g., family, the wider diabetes community, healthcare professionals) to start using it – even when they are not ready or do not want to.
Remember only you can decide what available systems of diabetes self-management are best for you and your lifestyle.
Most types of diabetes technology have numerous functions which can feel overwhelming and confusing at first.
All of these feelings are understandable and natural. However, the vast majority of people do find that, in time, they build confidence in working with their technology and come to see it as an ally in their day-to-day activities.
- People can find wearing a sensor or pump difficult because they may not like the look of it or want a continuous (visible) reminder of having diabetes.
- Some may be worried about showing others they have diabetes or facing questions/comments if others see devices.
- People can be concerned about how wearing technology such as pumps might affect body image, clothing choices, engagement in certain activities (e.g., sport), or physical intimacy.
- Some people find it helpful to have some stock responses ready for questions about diabetes technology that you can use according to the situation.
- It can be helpful to talk to other people who use diabetes technology about how they’ve adapted to certain situations. If you don’t know anyone else using the same technology as you the online Type 1 Diabetes community can be an option (see The Diabetes Community section – here).
- It can be helpful to talk openly with your diabetes team about your particular concerns to find out about the various ways other people with Type 1 Diabetes they work with might have managed similar concerns.
If you decide to move forward with diabetes technology it can be really important to work with your diabetes team to decide together what information and functions are the most useful to look at and use, and what you can disregard at the beginning.
If you recognise that dissatisfaction with the data will be a source of distress for you then it may be worth working your way through the Diabetes Distress and Burnout section.
Talk to your team about your worries to learn about the likelihood of these difficulties and various ways other people with Type 1 Diabetes manage them.
You may need to interact with technology company representatives or your diabetes team to help get these problems resolved, however the helplines provided by the companies are usually very helpful and responsive to your needs.
If you wish to share your data with others, choose people in your network who are supportive. Talk together about what you'd like them to do with this data eg give them some direction about how to use it to support you and also be clear with them about what you would find unhelpful.
Talk with your team about how you would like to review your data together in your clinic appointments so that it is helpful to you.
Go to ‘Diabetes technology and emotional wellbeing’ to return to the main topic page, or choose another section.
Definitely a challange
challenge
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Having constant access to glucose levels can often mean I over compensate when high or low. I’m too quick to react. It drives me mad! But I keep doing it.
However in my defence my diabetes does not behave like the textbook versions .
There is always going to be challenges associated with new technology whatever the reason for using it is.