Just Diagnosed and Devastated

Hi, I had a blood test on the 11th March that came back with my levels at 58, they wanted a repeat blood test two weeks later that also came back at 58 (how they explained it to me was that the sugar sticks and it's a snap shot of the past 3 months so if my blood tests were that close together wouldn't that mean the results would come back the same anyway?)

So after this latest blood test the nurse phoned me on Monday and told me that I'm Diabetic. I'm devastated, so so upset, down, can't stop crying. Life was **** enough anyway and full of stress and now this is just the final straw, I don't even have food to enjoy anymore which is all I had anyway.

I've just been put on blood pressure medication a month ago for high blood pressure, Amlodipine. The nurse offered medication for this but I said I wanted to try without. Plus I can't afford the prescription anyway.

I'm overweight which I know is bad since Covid hit I'm in the house all the time mostly which hasn't helped either. I don't drink or smoke. I do have a sweet tooth and have comfort ate for most of my life. I also was drinking a lot of cola the past few years. My diet was full of chocolate and sweet things, loads of carbs, too big portion sizes etc. The nurse said if I cut out all that my levels should fall. I really want to be under 41 which they say is normal. I don't want this, I can't cope with this.

My mum has just been diagnosed as well with Diabetes, but she's bed/chair bound with MS.

I feel I can't eat anything now, but then I'm told to not go long periods without eating. This morning I've been sat here trying to get some carrots down me with some Houmous. I haven't managed much, since I was told I just feel sick all the time. I'm scared, I don't want health problems. They told me to go for a walk every day but even getting dressed and going out of the house is too much, it takes such a lot and I have no energy, I'm tired all the time.

My partner has also just had a blood test and his results should be back this week.

KK123 said:

Hi @Luna21, just wanted to say welcome and DO hang around. Many others will be along soon to answer your questions and concerns and believe me, you will be surprised at people's stories (similar to yours) and their successes. All WITHOUT any sense of deprivation. There is a whole new way of life heading your way, sorry to sound dramatic but health wise it really can be that good. xx

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Thank you. It's just such a huge shock and isn't something that I ever wanted to hear either. I'm having a hard time dealing with it right now, but I will stick around here thank you.

Juliarolo said:

I remember that feeling when I was diagnosed 7 years ago. It’s a big deal and you are in shock. I promise you that life is worth living and food can be enjoyable again. But you need to take the diagnosis seriously as the effects of poorly managed diabetes could seriously impact on your quality of life in the future. I follow a low carb diet and am steadily losing weight and in the last few months have reversed my diagnosis. I’m now medication free but it’s a life long commitment so I needed to find low carb alternatives to the treats we love. I have biscuits and cake, but homemade low carb varieties. And in moderation. 85% dark chocolate is low carb and gives you that ‘hit’ but again limit the quantity. I’ve found an excellent low carb bread that is tasty available in supermarkets. Less successful at making my own.. that’s a work in progress.
Honestly I’ve stuck to this diet a year and not once fell off the wagon. I’m sure it’s because I don’t have to deny myself treats. be positive and see this as an opportunity to change things for yourself to be healthier. Ask if you can attend a diabetic course. I did and it changed my thinking a lot. Rise to the challenge and do it for you.

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I think that I'm so scared about this because I worked in an end of life nursing home with a lot of unstable diabetics as well so I know the effects and I can't stop being scared of that. Plus reading so much online it's all fueling the fear as well. I'm trying to do the low carb diet too not easy when I used to eat a lot of carbs and sweets but fear motivates, it's just so depressing. I really hope that you continue to do so well. And it's good to know that treats and nice foods can still be eaten even if the low carb kind mostly, right now I'm thinking of a life of eating nothing but salad and nuts which is such a depressing thought. Thank you I will ask about that.

Jonnyjmc said:

Hey I know how you feel. It will get better for you, it takes time to adjust and think what this all means and what you can do about it. I posted about my first 6 months yesterday if you want to have a read? Maybe it might be encouraging? Good luck and use the resource of this site as so many on here will know exactly what you're going through

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Thank you for your reply as well. I really hope things will get better because right now they seem so bad. I have just read your story and going from 116 to 39 is amazing, and I really hope that you continue doing so well which I'm sure that you will. I just find the thought of keto really hard, it's so hard making radical changes to diet overnight after all my life of eating a certain way. I'm just so scared and reading online doesn't help either. The nurse that phoned me wasn't of much help either, she wanted me to go on medication right away but I said no I'll try to do it by diet. I have to go back for another blood test in 3 months.

Daibell said:

Hi and welcome. First, don't panic; we've all been through it. It is very likely that if you adopt a low-carb lifestyle your 3 monthly blood sugar (HBA1C) will drop and there's a good chance it will go below the 46 mmol level. As a diabetic you are entitled to all your prescriptions to be free; just ask the surgery for an exemption form. There is a diabetes drug Metformin that many of us have which helps reduce BS a bit and it's very safe. You may be offered it at you next appointment. Also, many of us test our BP at home using our own testing kit. That way you can do it properly when calm and do several tests. My nurse takes my figures and averages them. I have found that my results are lower than the surgery ones due to the 'white-coat' effect and the rush when you go to the surgery. If your BP numbers still need some pills just have the minimum the nurse agrees with. You will get used to a change of foods. You can have 85% dark Chocolate, eggs and bacon for breakfast, proteins and fats, veg and non-tropical fruit. Nothing is banned but just keep the daily carb total down with the occasional celebration event. Keeping daily carbs below 150gm is one good target but it's your choice.

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Thank you. I've basically stopped eating all sugar, drinking no fizzy drinks now, and cut down on carbs as well, it's so hard to do when I've eaten a certain way forever, but I really want my levels to be normal. The first nurse said they don't normally diagnose diabetes on blood test without fasting glucose etc, but the hospital aren't doing those tests right now. I have to go back to have another blood test in 3 months. I get really nervous when going to the doctors. I will look at getting a testing kit thank you. I'm really trying to not eat many carbs per day, my partner says I need some. The nurse wanted me to go on tablets but I said I wanted to try with diet first. I'm already on blood pressure medication and still trying to get my blood pressure down, could my blood pressure be higher because my blood sugar is higher? I just hate having to think about all this, I wake up now and it hits me in the face the moment I'm awake and I'm wanting to cry again.

theoldfunker said:

You in a good place here, plenty of information and advice. Diabetes can be controled but it is a learning curve and after 8 years I can still learn something new.
Take time to ask questions and read, the many people are all in the same boat fron the first day they were told to the years after leading a new life style of reading labels on your food choices and adopting a better diat. Believe me I still crave chocolate and icecream but I'm an adult and I know it's bad for me but in saying that I do have a treat now and then if I know I can walk it off or burn it off.
Walking becomes a habit and it will help to keep those numbers under control.
Keep an eye on these pages as I said theres a whole load of advice here.

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Thank you for that. I'm just really scared to have it and know the things that can happen and reading onlineis so scary as well, I don't want complications, I don't want to die early. The exercise as well is hard for me right now, I'm just so exhausted and depressed, I will try and start that next week. I will and thank you again.

VashtiB said:

Hello and welcome,

I also felt devastated when I was diagnosed used- it was at least 2 weeks before I didn't cry every day about it.

The good news is that you have found this site. This site is filled with some amazing people who have been where you are now and want to help you.

Please read the links below as they provide a lot of information in an easy to ready format.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/

Good luck- read around and know there are many here who are happy to listen offer advice and provide support.

Welcome

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Thank you for your reply. I hate waking up right now, I just want to cry all the time, life wasn't great before but now this on top is just another thing to stress and be down about. And thank you for those links I will read them in a moment.

thepolly said:

I found it like a wake up call that means you can be proactive and take your health into your own hands. There is a huge amount of advice and debate on this site and it's brilliant. I initially did the 800 calorie blood sugar diet and quickly found that I wasn't really that hungry. It's possible to distract yourself when hungry anyway and upping drinking water helps a lot too. I'm lapsed and need to find my way back to a healthier bs level as it's been bad for a few years again.

Just know that it is in your control and can be looked at as a new start

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Thank you for that and the advice. I just wish I hadn't needed it to get to this, I wish it was just pre-diabetes even, I wish I didn't have to think about all this. I don't drink enough water I know that which I need to. I hope that you get your levels back to where you want them again. Just thinking this way of eating is for life is so hard, but I really want my levels back to normal so badly. Thank you, it hopefully is a new start to me feeling better as I've been feeling worse and worse over the past few years.

Mike d said:

Nought to add @luna1 .... 58 is easily recoverable. Good luck

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Thank you for that it's encouraging, I really hope that I can recover from it and get back to normal levels. I was told that below 41 is normal, the nurse said to aim for 48 but I want it to be normal.

I just hate waking up at the moment, it hits me again the moment I wake up. And I'm none stop reading online, and it's scary, I don't want complications, I don't want anything bad to happen or to have a shorter life.

I'm scared to eat anything right now for fear of doing something wrong.

I'm in the house all the time right now and have been for over a year now. I'm tired all the time. I feel sick off and on. I have bad acid reflux, I even have to sleep elevated on my pillow or I wake up and there's evidence of it on my pillow.

Myself and my partner were trying for a baby and now I'm scared that this will ruin that, I don't want it to make it worse, I don't want any complications.

I have had majorly high anxiety all my life now, so being in a constant state of anxiety isn't good either, and now all this is just stressing me out all the more. I've got enough stress anyway, my mum being ill, one of my dogs falling down the stairs last year and is still recovering, my other dog last year had major eye problems leading to him needing to have one eye removed and is now on constant drops for the other one for lens luxation. Money is a constant worry. I just want to have a happy life.

I have to do next weeks menu today to go shopping later and I haven't a clue what to put on it. Since I was told on Monday I've been hungry since then, I've eaten my main meal and some scrambled eggs here and there but nothing much else, well everything else in the house I can't eat anymore.

I used to work nights in an end of life nursing home and one of the nurses there did a finger prick blood test on me one night as I drank a lot of fizzy drinks and she was amazed it showed my bloods were okay, so this has all happened in the past three years and I'm so annoyed with myself that I didn't have regular tests so that I might have caught it before it got to this. This is all I can think about and it's driving me insane.

I have had a bad headache since yesterday morning, my partner thinks it's sugar withdrawal. I've known for a ages that I needed to change my life and weight, I've struggled with it all my life, comfort eating and the anxiety and depression. Now whenever I see anything regarding food it's just a reminder of what I can't have and my limits. I really hope that when I get my levels down then my body will start to work properly again without all the sugar and carbs in the mix. I'm just scared all the time right now.

Daphne917 said:

@Luna21 it's not as bad as it first appears and I think many of us felt as you do when first diagnosed. 58 is not too high and you should be able to reduce it. The best advice I can give is to get yourself a blood glucose monitor although your medical team will tell you there's no need and use it to test your reaction to food particularly those higher in carbs such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes as this will enable you to know what you can, and should not, eat. Re the prescriptions - if you are a diabetic on medication you are entitled to free prescriptions, not just for the diabetes, so you would not have to pay for them. It will be a long journey but you'll get there in the end - ask any questions and somebody will know the answer.

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Thank you, and for saying 58 isn't too high, I was mortified when she told me. I am going to look on here at what blood glucose monitors are best and cheapest as money is an issue right now.

I'm due to pick up my blood pressure medication this afternoon, I'm guessing that if I'm not on medication for the diabetes that I still have to pay for the blood pressure tablets. I'm not working at the moment apart from what I can make online which isn't much and I'm not getting benefits. I am struggling to pay for that prescription anyway, what with my partner being on blood pressure medication too and my dogs monthly prescription too.

Everyone has been very nice here which is really nice as the place I'm in right now isn't a good one mentally or physically.