title: Manoeuvring between anxiety and control: patients' experience of learning to live with diabetes: a lifeworld phenomenological study.
abstract: Research shows that people with diabetes want their lives to proceed as normally as possible, but some patients experience difficulty in reaching their desired goals with treatment. The learning process is a complex phenomenon interwoven into every facet of life. Patients and healthcare providers often have different perspectives in care which gives different expectations on what the patients need to learn and cope with. The aim of this study, therefore, is to describe the experience of learning to live with diabetes. Interviews were conducted with 12 patients afflicted with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The interviews were then analysed with reference to the reflective lifeworld research approach. The analysis shows that when the afflicted realize that their bodies undergo changes and that blood sugar levels are not always balanced as earlier in life, they can adjust to their new conditions early. The afflicted must take responsibility for balancing their blood sugar levels and incorporating the illness into their lives. Achieving such goals necessitates knowledge. The search for knowledge and sensitivity to changes are constant requirements for people with diabetes. Learning is driven by the tension caused by the need for and dependence on safe blood sugar control, the fear of losing such control, and the fear of future complications. The most important responsibilities for these patients are aspiring to understand their bodies as lived bodies, ensuring safety and security, and acquiring the knowledge essential to making conscious choices.
authors: Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.|Department of Administration/Primary Care, Region Kronoberg County Council, Växjö, Sweden; karin.johansson@kronoberg.se.
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: Johansson
authors: Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.
authors: Sofia Almerud
authors: SA
authors: Österberg
authors: School of Health and Social Sciences, University Dalarna, Falun, Sweden.|Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Janeth
authors: J
authors: Leksell
authors: School of Health and Education, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden.
authors: Mia
authors: M
authors: Berglund
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Diabetes; existence; interviews; learning; lifeworld; phenomenology