Is explosive rage connected in any way to being pre-diabetic?

[LiberalEsto]

Folks, I am having a very hard time at home.

My husband has been having terrifying outbursts of rage lately over any kind of stress or frustration. He yells, screams, pounds the walls and scares the wits out of me. I am afraid he is going to give himself a stroke or heart attack.

In recent months our family doctor has told him he is pre-diabetic and needs to go on a diabetic diet. I am trying to make the necessary changes in cooking, but I have no way of knowing what he eats while at work. He recently admitted to me that he spends a lot of money on candy at work, but claims he stopped.

There has been a lot of stress recently. His father died last month, and he changed jobs, and filling out the zillions of forms for the new job has definitely been frustrating for him. But I've never seen him get this crazy angry, or get angry this often.

I hope someone here is familiar with this and can help me, because it's making me a wreck.
Thanks, LE

[In_The_Wind]

1. It was for me.

It's something about being diabetic that can be controlled with the right food.

[sarge43]

2. Can't speak to the physical effects of diabetes on the brain,

but it sounds like your husband is frighten, understandably so. Diabetes is manageable, but it's still unsettling to realize so much of your life has to change.

Can you talk to his doctor about this? This can't be an unique reaction.

and good thoughts.

[MiddleFingerMom]

3. I went through a time in the early years of this century where I had, not rage, but immense levels..

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... of frustration and repressed anger... and I'm POSITIVE it had a lot to do with my
health concerns now.
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The rage your husband is experiencing is a different story. You need to try to get
him to talk to his doctor about that... it may be something the doctor can help him
with and, if not... point him to where he can GET help.
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He NEEDS help for this.
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.
.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. It sounds like life is just piling up on him right now. Can you convince him that he needs to

talk to his doctor about this? He needs some help with the stress he's under.

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. A parent dying can be a very stressful time.

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Especially if they were close.

My father passed away at the age of 95 in 2007 - I had a pretty hard time for years dealing with that.

A job change is also stressful,

Moving from one dwelling to another is also stressful.

I have had numerous physical reactions to this (stress), two requiring ambulance trips to the hospital.

About myself, I know my body often responds to stress in different and unpredictable ways.

I do not have any chronic illness, - just much stress lately.

This I know, so am resistant for the docs trying to treat me for something else.

I sit back, stay home, enjoy my outdoors, and mostly let my body relax - seems to be working.

No idea of what your lifestyle is, but if he has a hobby he enjoys, especially if it is outdoors - I would encourage him, and participate along with him if he is willing.

Doctors are not gods - they misdiagnose constantly.

that ain't news . . . .

CC

[nolabear]

6. Have him see a doctor. Work from the inside out, body work, then help with his stressors.

The body and the mind are not separate. In my experience a thorough, sympathetic, wholistic approach without judgment and with sympathy for what might be his own internal judgment gives the best potential for dealing with whatever is going on. If he is eating candy in order to feel better, he might respond to having a good, non-reactive source of snacks. Beef jerky, fruit, a little cheese, popcorn, hummus and chips...they're not perfect and have carbs but adding protein and fiber will slow down the blood sugar swings. But I think it's a combination of things and he can feel better just knowing you care and respect him and are interested in helping, and so are others.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Pointed something out to my nephew who suffered from PTSD post Iraq....

Snacks. Hunger causes the body to flood the system with adrenaline and testosterone. It is a response learned from thousands of years by our hunter/gatherer ancestors. When hungry, the system wants relief and the anthropological respons to that is to kill something and eat it.

Often, bouts of rage can occur when someone forgets to eat.

Pre-diabetes exacerbates this, because blood sugar can fluctuate much more rapidly in diabetics than in those without the condition. This adds jittery feelings that are often not understood for what they truly are, the body's reaction to simple hunger.

The "You're not yourself" Snickers commercials have basis in reality. Sometimes, all a person needs is a snack to calm them down.

[MH1]

10. Good point. The snacks should be higher in protein and lower in sugar,

for a longer positive effect without further aggravating the blood sugar.

I agree with the Snickers concept but always suspected it'd spike the blood sugar and do more harm than good for me. (Luckily I've never been a Snickers fan). Greek yogurt or a bowl of a decent cereal is probably a good choice.

[struggle4progress]

8. poor blood sugar control can lead to severe mood swings

that's actually how i found out i had blood sugar problems: my mood swings were causing me real distress

[MH1]

9. Everything everyone else said, but also make sure he is sleeping.

It might be hard with everything else going on, but do everything possible to give him the environment he needs to get good sleep.

I don't know if the blood sugar is causing it or aggravating it, and certainly all the other stress isn't helping. But getting a good night's sleep several nights in a row can make a world of difference in someone who is sleep-deprived.

I've found that a very dark room and "white noise" (actually in my case a radio turned very low) have done wonders for my sleep - including the ability to fall asleep in the first place - which in turn has done wonders for my ability to get through a difficult day without wanting to choke the living shit out of certain people. I also have discovered that, contrary to the common idea that adults need less sleep than kids, some of us still need a solid 8 hours (or more) to be at our best.

This might not solve it if it is strongly caused by other issues, but it can't hurt.

[LiberalEsto]

11. Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions!

I suspect the blood sugar levels are definitely causing mood swings. I talked with him earlier tonight about eating a little something every couple of hours. like a whole grain cracker and a piece of cheese, etc. to keep his blood sugar steady.

The lack of enough sleep is definitely a factor; he put in a 15-hour day the other day and only got 5 hours' sleep. He took a nap when he got home, and seems calmer now.

Someone also suggested getting his thyroid levels checked; he's going to call the family doctor about that next week.

Can anyone recommend a good book on diabetes?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. I'm glad he was able to listen to you, my dear LiberalEsto...

I was afraid he'd get all defensive.

I would recommend Wikipedia for diabetes references.

Hang in there!

[Joe Shlabotnik]

12. My dad is a diabetic, and has serious rage outbursts.

He's always had rage outbursts, but then again we don't know how long he's been diabetic. He's also had a stroke, and heart attacks, and recently quintuple bypass surgery, but since he doesn't take his diabetes seriously, its hard for us to get an accurate take on things. I can empathize with you.

[OriginalGeek]

14. I never thought of it but my doc told me I'm pre-diabetic about two years ago.

In the last 5 years I've lost my dad, my grandma, my Uncle (Dad's brother) and my mother. I've noticed my wife comments that I'm a lot grumpier than normal and I admit there are times when I get ridiculously angry about dumb shit and it passes within minutes and I have no idea why I was mad. And I get some road rage out of my system by yelling in my car.

Just last week my doctor switched me from metformin to something else (glimersomething or other)...I should keep an eye on all that... see if I can match up bad mood swings with times when I'm ignoring my diet and pills...

[Hula Popper]

15. Huge mood swings,

huge number differences when she takes her numbers...My wife has brittle diabetes. Numbers can go from 40 to 200 in 20 minutes. absolutely uncontrollable. When numbers low, heart goes to fib, vision blurs and then she tires . She has eaten correctly for 7 years.
After a 2 or 4 hour nap she awakens takes her blood again and then eats . Always thirsty , sleeps poorly.
Diabetes is hell.

[MrsBrady]

16. 3 major stresses at once

finding out you have a serious health condition, your parent dies, and you just changed jobs....
all three of those things alone would be sources of stress....but at the same time, wow...that would be hard even without the health issues.

You know, you can try to help him, but he really has to want to do it on his own....
see if he will talk to his doctor or maybe he needs grief counseling or whatever kind of counseling.

and since you asked...I would suggest that you let him know that while you appreciate that he is having a difficult time,
it is NOT ok that he is acting this way at home and he needs to do something about it. You have a right to live in peace too.

Blessings to you both. xoxo

[handmade34]

17. diabetes

certainly affects moods... and stress exacerbates it all... get help for your husband and yourself.

my late husband had diabetes and if his blood sugar level was way off he got crazy... he was a veteran and sometimes if he hadn't been careful of what he ate, he would have nightmares (flashbacks) and I was very fearful of what he might do... I kept mace by the bed just in case

[Iggo]

18. It goddam better well not be or I'll be fucking pissed!

[marzipanni]

19. When he goes to the doctor next week

he should ask the doc about vitamin B-complex. People under stress need more, and many people have deficiencies in their diet.

http://experiencelife.com/article/all-about-b-vitamins/