Dissociation, forgetting to eat, blood sugar crashes

[MsLillian]

Due to dissociation, I forget to eat for large chunks of the day. My blood sugar crashes, leading to all sorts of associated symptoms including anxiety, overwhelm, confusion.

Due to the dissociation, I don't notice/ understand that I've forgotten to eat and that my blood sugar has crashed, which is why I'm feeling so bad.

So I continue not to eat, feeling awful and stuck in dissociation.

This pattern has been going on since childhood and started in childhood because of neglect and only having access to food at sporadic times during the day and going long stretches without food.

I've always been used to going without food - it doesn't even really bother me.

i can totally relate to this. i also have an eating disorder going back to childhood that exacerbates/ is exacerbated by my CPTSD dissociation. eating enough has always been a problem for me.

 

[Freddyt]

When I'm really affected I use my calendar to remind me. I have serious problems with time blindness when things are bad and it can go either way, compressed or expanded.
I trained well for this at my old job doing scheduled maintenance. When its scheduled - do it.

 

[MsLillian]

When I'm really affected I use my calendar to remind me. I have serious problems with time blindness when things are bad and it can go either way, compressed or expanded.
I trained well for this at my old job doing scheduled maintenance. When its scheduled - do it.

that’s a good idea. as long as i don’t ignore / avoid my calendar. thank you.

 

[jessME]

Due to dissociation, I forget to eat for large chunks of the day. My blood sugar crashes, leading to all sorts of associated symptoms including anxiety, overwhelm, confusion.

Due to the dissociation, I don't notice/ understand that I've forgotten to eat and that my blood sugar has crashed, which is why I'm feeling so bad.

So I continue not to eat, feeling awful and stuck in dissociation.

This pattern has been going on since childhood and started in childhood because of neglect and only having access to food at sporadic times during the day and going long stretches without food.

I've always been used to going without food - it doesn't even really bother me.

The symptoms of the blood sugar crashes seem to be almost all mental/ psychological in my case - I can't tell the difference between anxiety, depression and low blood sugar.

The only time I "get" it is when I eat something and suddenly, I no longer feel suicidally awful. Then I'm like "Ohhhh, I wasn't actually suicidal, it was my blood sugar being super low."

It's so bad that I worry that I may literally suicide during a blood sugar crash, one day. When my blood sugar is low, I feel so desperate and so awful, that I've been close to taking action on suicidal feelings in the past.

I'm seeing my pdoc and a diabetes specialist on Thursday. I hope they can help me figure out how to handle this.

Today, for the first time, I made sure to eat a small snack once every hour.

I do the same thing. Always happens more frequently on my days off. When I was very hungry as a kid I would try to sleep or swallow ice cubes to stave off the hunger. I don't do these actions anymore but most times I don't even think to feed myself. Food can just be a trigger in and of itself.

 

[Freddyt]

that’s a good idea. as long as i don’t ignore / avoid my calendar. thank you.

My Google Home is my friend too. It can announce when its time.....

 

[Maa]

I had similar issue with food. I would overcome it by always preparing some food up front, having it near me and putting alarm clock to ring every two hours to remind me to eat a little (alarm could not be too loud, because it was giving me a little "heart attacks"). In time I started to automatically eat more regulary, but still I have periods where I completely forget to eat for long hours, and start to feel bad. It takes me long time to anayze what is happening and to understand that I feel bad, because I haven't eat. I never thought though that it's PTSD, but my psychiatrist told me I have it, and now it makes sense. Shortly after a very traumatic event for me, I start to often feel kind of detached from my body and its needs. It used to be something automatical for me, to know what I want, but now I have to analys such a simple things like is it the time to go to restroom. I'm only aware of what I need when it's soo bad, that I feel strong pain. I feel like I need to learn it all over again, like a baby...