Type 2 Period of denial

UKMancs

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I'm new to this site. Has anyone else experienced going through a period of denial - over a year! - about their diabetes? I was diagnosed with the condition quite some time ago and was put on Metformin. However, I found myself unable to accept this and did not fill the prescription and did not attend any follow-up diabetic clinics. I realise now that this was linked to the fact that I had incredibly low self-esteem, and that admitting to diabetes seemed just another negative that I had to deal with, and exacerbating feeling out of control - and all in the context of unemployment after joining the exodus out of the teaching profession. However, I did make some quite radical changes to my diet (very slowly) and did take-up regular exercise (very, very slowly) and absolutely and utterly convinced myself that I had completely reversed the condition.

It took a blood spot test during a medical for a job (10.5) to jolt me back into reality and force me back to my GP and diabetic nurse. Anyone else had a similar experience? I am aghast when I look back and seriously think that I wasn't exactly mentally stable in relation to my diabetes . . . . or am I being overly dramatic?
 

AM1874

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,383
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Not much
Hi @UKMancs .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here .. and a period of denial is no real surprise. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like you, I was a bit shell-shocked with no information and no idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

The key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ...
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 (you don't pay VAT) or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them. Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Not dramatic in the least. Just human like the rest of us. It is not the easiest thing to come terms with a life changing diagnosis, far easier to block it out. When my gp gave me the news I laughed in his face. To be honest there is still a small part of me that thinks someone took their eye off the ball and mixed me up with someone else.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@UKMancs

Hello UKMancs and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 245,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

mo53

Expert
Messages
7,869
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@UKMancs hello and welcome. You've already had lots of really useful information. I wonder if your diabetes was actually affecting you before you left the teaching profession? Perhaps it played a part. I taught for 40 years and realise the stresses and strains you were under but once I had retired and been diagnosed it was only when I got my blood sugar under some control that I realised the extreme tiredness that it had caused. I blamed work but perhaps the diabetes was to some extent to blame. Have you managed to find another job? Good luck with your journey. We all try to deny to some extent.
 

Chook

Expert
Messages
5,095
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People who think they know everything.
Hello @UKMancs and a very big welcome to the forum.

You are definitely not alone on this - I've had two periods of denial - the first lasted for about three years and the second was (thankfully) only seven months. We're only human and we will always make mistakes.

My experience has been that I didn't look on either the diagnosis or what I had to do to reduce my BG to acceptable numbers to be permanent. I sort of looked at it like I looked at every other diet I've ever done in my live - something to be endured and then finished with - whereas what we need to do to control our BG is for life.

Like a lot of the other forumites, I've found that a low carb diet gives me the best results and my BG is now below diabetes level or even pre-diabetes level. The important thing for me is to keep it that way.

.
 

statler

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
salad
Think it's perfectly normal phase to go through. Having been diagnosed 18 months ago I've been through a general cycle believing any carb will kill me to my readings are fine so go binge for a few weeks till my head's got things back in order. It's a lot like giving up smoking sorting your diet out. You will fall of the horse many times just remember to get back on again. It's a marathon not a sprint.