I'm really anxious and scared

[walnut_face]

I'm so scared to eat. At the moment I'm so upset I'm forcing myself to eat, can I have a banana? Yesterday I managed a banana,rice cake, a bit of bacon and 2 eggs which I struggled to get down. Please help

Take a deep breath and re-read daisy1 's post. It will take a while to sink in, but it is worth it. Personally I would give the banana a miss. As others have said your numbers are not too bad. I do not know how tall you are but you might benefit from trying to shift some weight. Overweight people don't become (T2) diabetic, but (T2) diabetic people become overweight. look for the positives, there are plenty of them.

 

[JRTwalker]

Rosiegough - I think what you are facing is a difficult time but my advice would be to stay positive and tell yourself that diagnosis is the start of a journey of self control and beating your condition into remission.
The first thing I did was to really take note of the natural sugar and carbohydrate content in all food and to try to get my intake as low as is reasonably possible. A cheap Carbs & Cals pocket counter book from Amazon was a starter. Now tell yourself that from herein that you are allergic to Carbs - just like some people have nut allergies, you have an aversion to carb content in food.
Try really hard to remove and replace all bread, rice, pasta, cereals, root vegetables (but not celeriac) and be really careful with fruit. (I am now not eating Banana because my book tells me that a medium sized has 17g of carbohydrate alone) Tell yourself that you too have been brain-washed so far in terms of what was a healthy balanced diet and move on.
If you're like me, you soon find that you no longer have the desire to eat so much and when you do eat, you fill up much sooner than before.

 

[Freema]

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

welcome here Rosiegough

you have really come to the right place, if you just do what many in here does ; go low carb ... then you´ll get control especially if you take it seriously right from this start... many in here have lowered their blood glucose so much that it is almost every day in the normal area like non diabetics, and then I think one is not more in risk than most other persons in society for all the adding diseases... but essential take it seriously right fro the start...

also you´ll get so much support in this forum if you are figthing with some troubles and worries conserning diabetes or sometimes other stuff...
please do believe carbs has to be lowered really a lot even while nurses and doctors say otherwise , low carb is the way to go if one do want normal blood glucose and exercise of cause.. exercise is also good agains depressions and stress...
don´t eat fruit now here in the beginning... untill you gt control and your numbers down...
a little rasberries is really not that bad especially eaten with whipped cream or other fats... berries are the best for type 2 diabetics... today I myself am going to eat strwberries with cream mixed with a little rasberries

I was in shock too and didn´t sleep for 3 days initially, then decided all I could do is my best...so decided to do that...

and buy a meter and tjeck every day...the you are in control and that feels much better..no matter if they tell you you don´t need to test... the problem with not testing is that then the blood glucose in most people slide slowly upwards and people do fall back slowly to their old eating styles and then as time goes by get some adding condition which make most regret they didn´t take control from the start.

 

[Rosiegough_]

Take a deep breath and re-read daisy1 's post. It will take a while to sink in, but it is worth it. Personally I would give the banana a miss. As others have said your numbers are not too bad. I do not know how tall you are but you might benefit from trying to shift some weight. Overweight people don't become (T2) diabetic, but (T2) diabetic people become overweight. look for the positives, there are plenty of them.

I'm 5ft3

 

[Parisemo]

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

Look whatever the outcome you cannot change it. Face it full on diabetes is not a death sentance unless you do not take care of yourself. Ok your not sure if its type1 or 2, but either way this is the right site to join. There are cookery books not just for you, but your whole family and help and advice from experts as well as us lol. I've had type 1 since the age of 2 i'm 61 this year ! Thank god its just diabetes and not terminal cancer.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

A HbA1C of 54 is not too bad. Mine was 99 when I was diagnosed and 59 three months later. I am hoping to get under 48 at my next test in May.

You just need to avoid sugar and carbs such as breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and avoid fruit juice. Fruit can have a lot of sugar, especially bananas although strawberries and blueberries are not too bad. You can eat more fat such as cheese, butter, full fat yoghurt, cream, avocados, nuts etc.

If you get a blood sugar meter you can see what your blood sugar levels are and which foods spike them. Ideally you want a level 4-7 before you eat and not more than 8.5 afterwards. I found that porridge make my sugar go up to 10 two hours after eating it, so I stopped eating it. Some people find that it does not effect them. If you want some chocolate then Lindt 90% Cocoa is low sugar.

 

[Hightower]

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

Hi Rosie, firstly Welcome Just to put your mind at rest your HbA1c is not too bad at all.......lots of people with Diabetes would be delighted with that. If you have an appt this Thursday I wouldn't worry at all. Try and eat just a normal healthy diet. Fruit is always good. Just watch the bread, cereals, rice, pasta and make sure you just eat a normal portion size. Obviously the cakes, biscuits, sweets etc will need to be kept to a minimum but not cut out completely. Everything in moderation. Good luck on Thursday.

 

[Rosiegough_]

Hi Rosie, firstly Welcome Just to put your mind at rest your HbA1c is not too bad at all.......lots of people with Diabetes would be delighted with that. If you have an appt this Thursday I wouldn't worry at all. Try and eat just a normal healthy diet. Fruit is always good. Just watch the bread, cereals, rice, pasta and make sure you just eat a normal portion size. Obviously the cakes, biscuits, sweets etc will need to be kept to a minimum but not cut out completely. Everything in moderation. Good luck on Thursday.

Thankyou so much

 

[Rosiegough_]

Thankyou to everyone who has replied I really really appreciate it xxxx
Tonight I managed homemade chicken casserole with purple sprouting, sprouts (which I love) carrots and a 1/4 of a roasted potato and gravy x
Is this quite good?

 

[milesrf]

hi
Last Thursday I found out from my Hb1ac blood test (54/56) I have diabetes. I spoke to the dr on the phone and asked him for the numbers. I have a 20 minute app this Thursday (the earliest they could do). It was a bit scary and over the last few days I have felt more and more anxious (sick and horrible in tummy and sweaty)and thinking morbid thoughts(I suffer with bouts of depression/anxiousness over many years but well controlled and under active thyroid for about 5yrs) since that short time I've stopped sugary drinks which I drank loads of and pure fruit juice. I've thought of what I'm eating but I am totally confused with online advice. I love and ate bananas, raspberries, plums etc I eat very few if any puddings,sweets or chocolate. I love crisps but since last thurs have been too scared to eat. It's all so frightening and scary. By the way I only went for a smear test with the nurse when she weighed me (16 st) and suggests I have blood tests etc Please I need some kind of positive advice.
I am 57 very very happily married with 2 daughters xx

Note that most types of fruit juice have a significant amount of sugar added, and many also contain natural sugar from the fruit. You'd better check the ingredients list if there is one.

You could also check this database for information on the natural amount of sugar:

USDA Food Composition Databases
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/

Also note that most starches digest into the same simple sugars that table sugar does, and about as fast. Therefore, a low carb diet tend to work better than the old low fat, no sugar diet, even though it will make you hungrier for a while first.

For chocolate, note that darker chocolates tend to contain less sugar than milk chocolate. However, baking chocolate is dark but contains so little sugar that most people find it too bitter to eat.

For fruits, I'd suggest limiting the bananas. They contain a lot of sugar and starch. You could look up the amount of sugars in raspberries and plums before deciding if you need to limit them also.

 

[Rosiegough_]

Help does anyone on here suffer with depression as well, I am so struggling with this diagnosis ❤ I mean really struggling

 

[Rosiegough_]

Hi Rosie, firstly Welcome Just to put your mind at rest your HbA1c is not too bad at all.......lots of people with Diabetes would be delighted with that. If you have an appt this Thursday I wouldn't worry at all. Try and eat just a normal healthy diet. Fruit is always good. Just watch the bread, cereals, rice, pasta and make sure you just eat a normal portion size. Obviously the cakes, biscuits, sweets etc will need to be kept to a minimum but not cut out completely. Everything in moderation. Good luck on Thursday.

Thankyou

 

[Chook]

Help does anyone on here suffer with depression as well, I am so struggling with this diagnosis ❤ I mean really struggling

Yes, Rosie, I do. I've had recurring bouts of depression all my life - but you must not let it stop you from taking care of yourself. I know it's easy to say that and much, much harder to do it but being 'in control' is actually really good for your mental AND physical health.

About the diagnosis: the way I look at it is that I would rather have the diagnosis and grab the opportunity to make changes that will keep me healthy rather than carry on as I was feeling more and more rubbish every day.

The best way forward is to treat the diagnosis as a big loud wake up call and do a lot of research in to what you can do to improve your diet and health (kinda looked on it like a project).

Over the years I've come to believe that us diabetics have an intolerance to carbs - almost like an allergy to them - so you need to eat as few as you can.

Yes, I also agree that low carbing is the best way to reduce blood sugars. It also helps to get a blood sugars meter so you cab see how what you are eating is affecting you.

 

[Prem51]

Help does anyone on here suffer with depression as well, I am so struggling with this diagnosis ❤ I mean really struggling

Hi @Rosiegough. Many of us on here also cope with depression too. Depression and diabetes seem to often go hand in hand.
I have had episodes of depression for over 50 years. Being diagnosed with diabetes did scare me badly, but having found this forum I have learnt to control my diabetes. In a way the diabetes helped me with the depression because I was focussing on controlling the diabetes which took my mind off the depression.
I do take anti-depressant medication (fluoxetine) permanently now. Before I used to stop taking it once I started feeling better. But it takes 6-8 weeks for it to build up in my system each time I had to start taking it again, so I have decided to stay on it.
Are you receiving any treatment for your depression. Counselling and/or medication can help to cope with it.

 

[Rosiegough_]

Hi @Rosiegough. Many of us on here also cope with depression too. Depression and diabetes seem to often go hand in hand.
I have had episodes of depression for over 50 years. Being diagnosed with diabetes did scare me badly, but having found this forum I have learnt to control my diabetes. In a way the diabetes helped me with the depression because I was focussing on controlling the diabetes which took my mind off the depression.
I do take anti-depressant medication (fluoxetine) permanently now. Before I used to stop taking it once I started feeling better. But it takes 6-8 weeks for it to build up in my system each time I had to start taking it again, so I have decided to stay on it.
Are you receiving any treatment for your depression. Counselling and/or medication can help to cope with it.

Yes I am on antidepressants already (have been for years)and tablets for a underactive thyroid xx