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Anxiety T2

B

bluejay567

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hey, I'm new here
and feel a bit nervous about posting


I'm 22 and I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in November of last year and take Metformin SR to manage it. I am overweight but actively trying to lose weight. My blood sugars and blood pressure have been high but it is slowly coming down and I am working out what works for me best.

However I have had awful health anxiety even before the diagnosis and I've just been feeling an ever-growing sense of impending doom. I think I feel a lot of guilt and worry that I've maybe damaged myself beyond repair, my mind is in overdrive most of the time lol.

I was wondering if anyone has ever felt the same way with their diabetes and if so, what do you do to help manage those feelings? Any advice is welcome.

Also, I'm sorry for the long post.
 
Hi, I'm recently diagnosed T2 also and am going through exactly the same...i also am terrified and could use support. You got an ally
 
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I have felt the exact opposite, I'm afraid.
During the times I have been pushed to eat a 'healthy' high carb diet I have felt really down and unwell, struggling even to find the energy for everyday living.
As soon as I was given the diagnosis of type two I returned to low carb eating and in a day or so felt much better, though I was then badly effected by the statin and Metformin prescribed. I stopped the tablets and went on getting better. I was no longer in the diabetic range in 80 days and back to normal in 6 months. I have lost weight and become stronger.
With all the information we are given about the foods we ought to eat it is not surprising that so many people are being diagnosed, and find it hard to get back to normal when we are awash with starch and sugar.
 
Hello and welcome to you both,

You have found a great place to get to know others who can really empathise with how you are feeling.

Yes shame and sadness and a million other negative emotions can accompany a diagnosis of diabetes particularly type 2. I was like that- I think itv took me more than 2 weeks before I didn't cry every single day and I'm a ;to older than either of you. I'm now about 0 months in- I've lost weight without really trying for the first time every, my blood sugar levels are under control and I've gained a community of amazing people. Seriously the people here are wonderful and helpful and supportive.

First thing- you didn't cause it- that it correct- you didn't cause it. May people are overweight our eat lots of junk food and never become diabetic so you do not have to feel ashamed. That of course is easier said than done.

The second thing is- you really need a meter and you really need to test regularly. This is contrary to the advice many- myself included receive but it is true. If you don't test you have no way of knowing what is happening with your blood sugar levels- that means you can't make decisions to help them.

Having got a meter you need to test before meals and 2 hours after the start of the meal. if the rise is more than 2 then the meal had too many carbs.

The third thing is to read around. @JoKalsbeek has a great link to some useful information. Read it- is a very good summary which will get you started.

If you are not von any medication that lowers your blood sugar levels (metformin doesn't) then my recommendation is to go very low carb. That will bring your levels down,. Once they stabilise you can increase them testing frequently to see how many carbs your body can tolerate.

You are most welcome- read around,. ask questions and vent- we really do empathise and want to help.
 
Hello, both of you,

When I was diagnosed I already had a lot of issues. Diabetes seemed to be just another box to tick, but it felt different. Mainly because I'd seen, up close, what diabetic complications could lead to. So yes, I was scared. I cried. I thought I had one foot in the grave. And then I started learning.

What I learned, was that I had a metabolic condition, which is hereditary, unless brought on by medication-use. That I was not exactly to blame for what happened to me, because I didn't know my metabolism didn't work properly. (One of my specialists knew, he just didn't bother to tell me! And my GP thought she'd already gone over it with me, so never brought it up either). That I didn't know that the "fats are bad" mantra was untrue, and it was the carbs that were the problem. With the diabetes diagnosis also came high cholesterol, morbid obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And once I knew what the problem was, namely, my inability to process carbs, I could tackle ALL of that. Just by changing my diet. My blood sugars are in the normal range without medication and I am complication-free. I was able to ditch the statins for my cholesterol, which was good because the side effects were murder. My hard, painful liver? Works perfectly fine now. Most people who have these issues (under the Metabolic Syndrome umbrella) also have high blood pressure, but thankfully, I avoided that. Oh, and I lost weight. Lots of it.

Knowledge is power. Now you know you have diabetes. Now you can do something about it, as well. It's easy once you know how.

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- as good a place to start as any. There's links and suggestions for reads there as well, but it'll tide you over for now, I hope.

It gets better. I had no life to speak of when I was diagnosed. I was always exhausted, had muscle weakness and pain. Depression and anxiety, both of which get worse with high blood sugars, were unrelenting. I repeat: it gets better. Immeasurably so.

Good luck,
Jo
 
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Hey! Nice to meet you and thank you for your kind words and helpful advice.

My diabetic nurse provided me with a meter pretty much as soon as I was diagnosed so I test 4 times a day 4 days a week.

I've also been sticking to a balanced diet recommended by my dietician, I tend to stick to the serving sizes of carbs and stick to the wholegrain/wholemeal version.
My body seems to react well at the minute but I will consider trying some low carb meals sometimes! I struggle with my relationship with food so further restrictions can be hard.

Again thank you, your advice has definitely helped!
 
Hey! Thank you for sharing your experience. I am so happy you are feeling good!

As for myself, my dietician and I discussed low carb and decided that a well balanced diet would work better for me, sticking to wholemeal/wholegrain versions of starchy carbs and also to serving sizes. Sometimes I do have less and replace with veggies! My body seems to respond well to this.

I remember doing low carb before and I felt so ill like I had no energy even though I was eating enough. It's funny how it effects people differently! Although I'm glad it worked out for you and I'll definitely consider trying out some low carb meals in the future!

I couldn't agree more about misinformation surrounding food, it can be so confusing! I think it really depends on how you feel and how your body is responding individually to a diet.

Again, thank you for your advice! It is greatly appreciated.
 
Sorry to butt in, but when you go low carb, coming from a high carb diet especially, you can experience carb flu. (Or keto flu. Same thing really). It really does feel like the flu. No energy whatsoever, everything aches, from muscles and joints to your head, and basically everything's miserable. That's because of two things: your body is dehydrated, as carbs hold on to water, and when you lose the carbs, you lose the water... And with it, you lose electrolytes. Hence the aches and pains. Takes amoment for your body to find a new equilibrium. Also, your body goes through withdrawal, as carbs are actually addictive, so that's no fun either. It takes up to a week or two for your body to adjust.

On top of that, check the carb content on your wholemeal/brown options compared to the "white" ones... You might find that the difference isn't really all that great.

If you have issues with food; there's people here with intolerances, eating disorders, allergies... They eat around the carbs as far as it is possible for them to do so, if they choose the low carb path. In the end though, people on here can go stand on their heads, if something doesn't work for your particular life, you have to find what does. We can advise, but that's it.
Jo
 
As you have a meter you must check before and after eating, before first mouthful and 2 hours after. Look at the spike, if any, that the meal had given you. More than a rise of 2 means the food you are eating are spiking your blood sugar. Ultimately, this is the only way to control the roller coaster of blood sugar rise and fall which is part of why you may have felt so awful before diagnosis. Any carbs, whatever colour is going to cause a spike and I know if I've eaten carbs now from the horrible hangover feeling I get if I eat too many.

It's only advice, but I'd do a little more digging into the benefits of low carb high(er) fat eating. I surprised the diabetic nurse so much by my hba1c 6 months after diagnosis she had to ring me up to congratulate me. I also lost 2 stone in that time and its staying off.

This is a great place for advice and asking questions.
 
Hi BlueJay, I was diagnosed T2 about a year ago and it was only 2months ago that I started to come to terms and get to grips with things. I joined this forum and started finding out so much about the condition. This gave me the knowledge about the Nutrition/diet needed and what Carbs are actually doing to me! It also filled me with lot's of hope and I started to feel more positive about things. Loads of really great success stories on here.

As wisely mentioned above- KNOWLEDGE IS POWER - the more you find out about the condition the more interesting it becomes. Trialing new foods and baking items to see what impacts the BG becomes a sort of game. Record the results and you'll soon find a good menu of items to choose from. I got myself a Freestyle Libre sensor that has really changed things for me. Seeing the results through the day becomes a challenge to keep improving things through diet and meds if needed.

The best Positive I have found recently is now I'm eating healthy wholefoods, I no longer crave the cookies, cakes and puddings to name a few. You start craving the healthy stuff and feel better for it, then why stop there? Next I'm going to focus on some more exercise- the small walk after dinner helps reduce the spike of BG but looking forward to the golf opening back up.
 
Join the club I feel the same .....
 
Dm.you
 
Hi very positive motivational message
if you don't mind me asking what was you hbac1 when you were first diagnosed ?
 
Hello another newbie if metformin 3 x a day dm does not bring down bs levels I am bit confused when I was diagnosed march 20 had hbac1 96 ...I have changed my diet drastically and walk every day 1hr my fasting bs since April 20 are 4.5 to max 5.5 and evening max 6 2hrs after eating so are this relatively low bs levels due to changes I have made diet and exercise just want to know i am on right track thanks
 
Here for you wherever u need positivity etc dm me
 
Thanks
 
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