Type 2 newly diagnosed and scared out my wits

charli2708

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i have recently been diagnosed with type 2 and i am going out my mind with worry. i have small children and i am terrified im going to die and not see them grow up. ive now started to worry about heart disease as ive read so many worrying things on the internet. i feel like i have been handed a death sentence.
 

Scandichic

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,708
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Michael Gove and his insane educational? policies!
Welcome to the club! I remember feeling the same. All I can suggest is choose a diet and stick to it. There are several to choose from. Your doc will probably refer you to your diabetic nurse who will give you the standard NHS healthy plate. Limited carbs with every meal and portion control. Some of us do not like this advice and we low carb. There are several variants. I prefer LCHF. Www.dietdoctor.com explains what this is and the rationale behind it. It is written by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt , a swedish doc specialising in obesity and diabetes. Works for me. Halved blood sugar and lost 1 stone 12lbs. In less than 3 months. Good luck and take carex
 
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Gudrun

Well-Known Member
Messages
279
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Hmmm.. probably a lot less than stuff I like
Charli2708, please, please do not worry too much. However horrible a disease diabetes can be, it does not have to be like this. What you have read about people dying young, or having heart disease is often a sign of diabetes not being kept under control. You have got type 2, which is the milder form and one that can be controlled with diet, lifestyle change and/or medication. It is NOT a death sentence.

Many people on this forum have had diabetes for a long time and live healthy and fulfilled lives. True, they can't eat everything they want to eat, but this is something that we all get used to.

A new diagnosis is scary, I understand that. But tell us a little bit more about what the doctors said (how high your blood sugar is) and we can give you better advice.

For now, the best thing you can do is to educate yourself about how to live with diabetes. Read the forum, read as many posts as you are able to now and you will see that there is a lot of wisdom and knowledge contained in the forum.

I don't know if any moderator is still online now to reply to your post now, but check out the posts under Newly Diagnosed and I am sure they will put your mind at ease.

Keep strong, and keep in touch. Make as much use of this forum as you have time to. We are all here to help.
 
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Andy12345

Expert
Messages
6,342
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Doctors
hi, welcome

when i was first diagnosed i did the usual google thing and scared the **** outta myself, it all sounded exactly like a death sentence, i wasnt sure id make through the night, well here i am lol, take a deep breath, smile, read alot on this forum, its not all complications i promise, with some simple if frustrating lifestyle changes diabetes can be a positive thing, its really not that bad! your not going to die, so relax, we know its hard to take it all in but in time you will find a way to deal with it all, we are here to help when you need us, so read and ask questions


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
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runner2009

Well-Known Member
Messages
333
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Diabetes
Hi Charli2708

I can imagine how scary it is, I felt the same way. I was so freaked out especially about all the complications - which I had some.
Now after going towards a year, I feel better than ever, I'm healthier, eating is under control and I am back to my younger self. I believe that in the end the disease will add years to my life since it has forced me to be discipline in my life style

Just remember that the bad things are not going to happen overnight and you are in a marathon race not a sprint so you can work slowly at making the needed changes so that you can sustain them over a life time.

And the people here are awesome

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
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Lizzy5172

Well-Known Member
Messages
119
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi charli and welcome.
Yep as everyone is saying it's pretty darned scary at first! Just take your time, try to relax and read all the good positive posts on this site. You are in the right place for some great advice and support.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Charli and welcome to the forum:)

I hope you feel reassured now by the many members who have answered you. The more you know about Diabetes Type 2 the better you will feel. It's not as bad as you think especially if you look after yourself well. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope it will help you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 70,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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DavideB

Well-Known Member
Messages
149
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diabetes
Hello and welcome: First thing you have come to the right place, this forum is great and has great support: I was in the same boat I was diagnosed while living in Italy and was so scared. I went home and could not sleep, reading the internet and looking at all the negative sides. I then found this forum and I have to say the support was great: I now look at this diabetes on the positive side; It gave me a kick up the backside... I have lost weight (put a bit back on as I have stopped smoking) feel better and eat better.

I know this can be a bad illness only (in my opinion) if you let it be. Since I was diagnosed I have never felt better. I am not out of breath my wife says I am a new man. I can now go for long walks and bike rides without stopping.

I was so fat that the council wanted to hire me as a mobile roundabout....

My only bit of advice I would say is. Any question that you have does not matter how stupid you may feel it is ASK IT ON HERE and you will get help
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. The scary things you've read on the web are the result of people not controlling their blood sugar adequately over many years. If you take control you may never have any of the symptoms you've read about. Yes, go for a low-carb diet. You don't have to do High-Fat but have enough protein and fat to keep you happy and give you the calories you need. Yes, ignore any NHS diet advice to follow the Eat-well Plate, have carbs with every meal etc; unless you want to grow fat, have high blood sugar and have long-term problems. That advice is not based on any scientific evidence. Look at the many posts on this forum and I think you will work out the best way forward. Do get hold of a meter and that will tell you what foods affect your blood sugar most.
 
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