Scared

[CharlotteS]

Hi, I was diagnosed on Tuesday and until today I've been fine, really positive. I went to see the nurse and was given my information etc and I was really focused on being positive. The thing is that today I've totally crashed. I know I can live a long and fully active life but this is always going to be here. It;s always seemed quite normal to be around diabetes - my mum, sister and brother have it - but now it's happening to me too and I'm scared, although I don't really know why. I'm only 42 but suddenly I feel old. Is this a normal reaction to a diagnosis?

 

[Andy12345]

hi, welcome, yes its normal to go through all kinds of emotions, try not to stress too much although thts easy to say, allow your self to go through these stages, its ok not to be ok

best of luck, ask questions if you have any

 

[mo1905]

Shock, denial, anger etc are are perfectly normal initial reactions to diagnosis but knowledge and education quickly alleviates these emotions. Ask questions and trawl through the forum and you'll soon discover it's not the end of the world and many actually find a positive out of it. Good luck !
Mo


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[RosieDred]

Hi Charlotte. I was diagnosed in November and felt exactly the same, and I still do sometimes. You have every right to feel scared or angry or upset. Whether it's in the family or not its still bound to be a shock, which will lessen over time.

I come on this forum every day and read everything on here. It has helped me immensely and I definitely don't feel as scared anymore. I have found that people on here appear to be quick to help and will be more than willing to answer any questions you will have and offer as much support as you need. It's been my lifeline.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Totto]

I Charlotte! I was diagnosed last Wednesday and although I had expected it it was still quite a shock .

I think a blood glucose monitor is the first step in getting on top of this. Were you given one? If not, insist and keep on till you get one and test strips to match.

What you need to do is to test your bg before and after meals, again and again to see what different foods do.

I want to know the post-meal spike so I test at 45-60 min after a meal while you are usually advised to test at two hours after but by that time your levels are going down again.

I had to threaten not to eat a single carb ever again before I got a meter so I got one. I haven't got a lot of test strips on prescription as yet, only 100, this might change though.

I find grain of all kinds spikes my bg so I avoid them. That includes bread, cereal, rice, porridge, corn flakes, corn-on-the-cob, whatever is grain-related. I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs - a lot, we keep chickens - bacon, vegetables but not many roots, mostly celeriac and a few more. I usually have a an extra piece of butter or coconut oil when hubby has potatoes. Look at the low-carb section and test your bg is my advice.

I was given a book to note things down in and I do, and note food as well, more for my DSNs benefit than for my own though. I plan to make risotto on Sunday for the benefit of my DSN to read the outcome.

My dad was diabetic along with all his siblings. His mother and all her siblings were diabetics. A lot of my cousins are diabetics and probably my brother but he has a phobia of health care so keeps to "healthy diet" of lots of carbs and low-fat but is very thirsty and peeing a lot. Hope I am included in his will.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Yes, we've all been thru it. Remind yourself that there are many, many other diabetics out there so you are not alone. Over time you will come to terms with it and at least you have family members who have or have had it so you can share thoughts

 

[mrs gimli]

Hi I'm not long diagnosed and everything you say seems normal its rotter and unfair and life changing in some ways but not all..give yourself time to get used to it and read all you can

 

[xyzzy]

Hi it's entirely normal to feel as you do. As you get back in control of things you'll feel better. The key is to get control so get a meter to test your bgs as that way you can see what foods are good and bad for you. Many of us found at least halving your intake of rice pasta potatoes bread cereals and flour based things plus avoiding as much sugar as you can will quickly begin to normalise your blood sugars so good luck and just keep asking questions.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[CharlotteS]

Thank you all for your support. I really appreciate it. Bit calmer now and had a long chat with my husband about how it's made me feel. Might take the advice to get a bg monitor to get to know how certain foods affect me. It's just all a bit bewildering! Will also trawl the forum for advice and info. Still absolutely determined to try to reverse it if at all possible. Thanks again.

 

[Totto]

It is absolutely possible to keep it under control I think but to do so a monitor is vital. Eat to your meter is a common advice on this forum. regardless of what kind of diet your choose. My meter says all grain give high readings so I will stay off grain. My aim is to stay low and stable bg wise so for the time being I will do LCHF with the occasional adventure into "normal" eating for my DSNs benefit.

Walks and other forms of exercise are said to beneficial too.

 

[peacetrain]

I know how you feel Charlotte. It is a big thing to come to terms with. I used to be fit and healthy but dealing with life meant I turned to eating far too much and I've had bouts of depression. Now, I'm looking upon my diagnosis as a chance to turn my life around. I know everyone's story is different but, in my case, I believe my lifestyle is the reason I now have diabetes and I feel very guilty about that. Whilst I can't reverse the diagnosis I can try to control it and so that's my aim now.

This is a great site for advice and I'm sure you'll use it and begin to feel better about everything soon.

Take care and good luck.

 

[Yorksman]

Yes it's normal and the health care professionals have a lot to answer for. Some of them are proper misery merchants and thick with it. My DSN felt very proud to tell me that she had an A Level in Biology, implying that she knew all about diabetes. I know that in practice, she has learned the life cycyle of the buttercup. I'll just give you a couple of quotes from the actual researchers into diabetes, the people who do know what they are talking about:

A researcher's view into the health care professionals:
"It must be recorded that many individuals expressed frustration at the routine manner in which their doctor, nurse or dietitian regarded the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. This conflicted with the cataclysmic blow which they personally felt. They were told that the diagnosis was clear and therefore the guidelines will be rolled out. Lose some weight and take this metformin. Get used to it."

A researcher's view into the treatment:
"In individuals strongly motivated to regain normal health, substantial weight loss is entirely possible by decreasing food consumption. This information should be made available to all people with type 2 diabetes, even though with present methods of changing eating habits, it is unlikely that weight loss can be achieved in those not strongly motivated to escape from diabetes."

I don't think I have ever read a post here where a newly dignosed type 2 was encouraged to have a serious go at losing weight first. Everyone seems to be told to be quiet and take the pills.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask any questions you still need to and you will get many more answers.



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 blood glucose 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.

 

[noblehead]

Is this a normal reaction to a diagnosis?

Absolutely yes and I'm sure your other family members went through the very same emotions. Part of keeping well with diabetes is to stay positive and not let things get you down, diabetes is a condition that you can live a full & active life and many on here are testament to that , for now there's is no cure but that's not to say there won't be in the near future.

btw, welcome to the forum Charlotte