Controlling your fears of diabetes

You don’t necessarily need to conquer your fears in order to be successful. You just need to control them so that they don’t control you. They may still be alive, and linger forever, but as long as they don’t prevent you from taking action, it’s okay that they’re there.

What I find is that many people with diabetes, even those who know that they need an eye exam every year, have many reasons why they don’t get one. Something keeps them back. What keeps you back? Perhaps you are afraid of finding out you that diabetes may have affected your eyes. Maybe it is inconvenient for you to go to the eye doctor. Maybe you worry about the cost. In any event, you may have a list of reasons why you don’t go in for your eye exam. These are valid concerns. However, if these concerns end up leading to blindness, that’s a problem.

There are two basic motivators in life—pain and pleasure. We try to avoid pain and we seek pleasure. We have fears associated with both of these. We fear pain, and we fear the loss of pleasure. Often the choices we make are based upon this fundamental drive to avoid pain and to seek pleasure. This drive helps us survive as individuals and as a species. But sometimes, the signals can get crossed.

With diabetic eye disease, I find that if you are avoiding getting the care you need, it is usually because you are focused on the wrong fears. You are very aware of the inconvenience (the “pain”) associated with visiting the doctor, but you don’t think much about the inconvenience of being blind. Or you are focused on the side effects of treatment, but not the devastating effects of not receiving treatment. So part of maintaining your vision, your motivation to get the care you need, is to shift your focus to the right fears.

The first step in controlling your fear is to identify it. What pain or inconvenience do you associate with eye care? What fears do you have about it? Here are some of the more common concerns my patients share with me.

– Inconvenience of going to the appointment – it takes time

– Inconvenience of arranging transportation to get to the appointment

– Fear of the cost of the exam or treatment

– Fear of eye drops

– Fear of the doctor finding a problem

– Far of knowing there is a problem

– Fear of worrying about the problem

– Fear of laser or surgery or any needed treatment

These are all very real fears and concerns. Do you have any of them? Do you have others? If they are preventing you from getting the care you need, you need to shift your focus. If you keep focusing on these fears and concerns, you may end up staying home, quietly going blind. It’s like just giving up.

You need to shift your attention to another list. It’s also a list of fears and concerns. But it’s a more powerful, more compelling list. Let me ask you, what fears do you have about blindness? What pain or inconvenience would be associated with losing your vision? What things would you miss seeing? What things would you miss doing? Here are some of the things my patients have shared with me.

– I miss seeing the faces of my loved ones.

– I miss seeing my food on my plate.

– I miss being able to drive.

– I miss reading.

– I get embarrassed when people wave at me, and I don’t know who it is.

– I miss cooking for myself.

– I miss seeing the sunset.

– I miss being able to play with my kids.

– I miss my independence.

These too, are real concerns experienced by real people. This is the list to think about. This is the list of fears to focus on. Don’t focus on the fears that keep you from getting the care you need. Instead, focus on the pain that would come as a result of losing your vision, and the pleasure you would lose if your vision was gone. Focus on these. Think about them deeply. Keep them in the forefront of your mind. Think of your loved ones, and how their lives would be different if you could not see. And remember, the inconvenience of blindness is more than the inconvenience of the care.

Aside from shifting your focus, many of the practical fears can be addressed. For example, many offices help remove any barriers to care. Cost is certainly one of those barriers. Our office, and many others, can provide financial assistance to help you with the expenses associated with your diabetic eye care and treatment. Most eye specialists don’t want cost to stand between you and the care you need. If you have fears, even ones of a practical nature, talk to your doctor. They can often help with a solution.

Get your diabetic eye exam today. It’s a sign of your power over the fear.

[I](David Khorram, MD is a board certified ophthalmologist and director of Marianas Eye Institute. Comments and questions are welcome. Call 235-9090 or email him through www.MarianasEye.com, or leave comments at www.MarianasEye.blogspot.com.Copyright © 2008 David Khorram)[/I]