Newly Diagnosed and Trying to Stay Positive

[fieldsing]

Hi, I'm a 25 year old who was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had a gut feeling that I had it since my mom was prediabetic (she doesn't have it whoop!) and my Dad is Type 2 diabetic with my aunt from my dad's side is also Type 2 diabetic , and I had been eating unhealthy and been physically inactive which resulted me gaining 30 pounds heavier (I'm 5'6 and 160 pounds). Now I just have to accept my consequences.

I've already starting cutting of junk food and carbs and starting to eat a low carb diet. I started walking up for a mile.

Sometimes it's difficult having Type 2 Diabetes, I thought it would never happen to me, but my pride got the best of me. (I had a health scare). I have the same disease as Paula Deen, the chef who made donut burgers with bacon. Im scared no one will date me with Type 2 Diabetes. Plus, it would be selfish to pass this on to my future children, and if I were to get pregnant it would be high risk. I can't even travel.

I just have to accept it as a part of my life.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Outlier]

You aren't that much overweight, and once you get your blood glucose and diet sorted (can you tell us your readings?) your weight should drop without any extra effort. If you have children in the future, you can bring them up to eat healthily and sensibly. Anyone who doesn't date you because you are diabetic isn't worth dating anyway.

You are in a great place to read and research on here, and we are a friendly group with a lot of first-hand experience to share.

 

[EllieM]

Sorry for the long post.

Welcome to the forums and no need to be sorry for the (not particularly) long post. As well as sharing advice these forums are also well suited to giving moral support.

Though I appreciate that you are probably now feeling upset and devastated let me stress that diabetes is not a reason for not travelling, not dating or not having children. And it's not your fault that you have a genetic susceptibility to developing T2 when exposed to carbohydrates in the quantities pushed in modern diets. Weight gain can be a symptom rather than a cause of the condition and I agree with @Outlier that you aren't that much overweight and if someone doesn't want to date you because you have T2 then they aren't worth dating.

(I've been T1 and on insulin since I was 8 and travel, have a partner and two now adult children).

Once more, welcome, and congratulations on taking the first steps to improving your health.

 

[valann]

I've already starting cutting of junk food and carbs and starting to eat a low carb diet. I started walking up for a mile.

Sometimes it's difficult having Type 2 Diabetes, I thought it would never happen to me, but my pride got the best of me. (I had a health scare). I have the same disease as Paula Deen, the chef who made donut burgers with bacon. Im scared no one will date me with Type 2 Diabetes. Plus, it would be selfish to pass this on to my future children, and if I were to get pregnant it would be high risk. I can't even travel.

I just have to accept it as a part of my life.

Sorry for the long post.

Hi fieldsing,

Firstly welcome to the forums.

So you are already cutting out junk foods and carbs and walking, well done you that is a great start.

I have to agree with the others, if someone doesn't want to date you simply because you are diabetic then they don't deserve you and aren't worth bothering about. No one asks for diabetes, you certainly didn't nor did we, so we just have to deal with the hand we are given and you are making a great start in that, so please stop beating yourself up over it.

As diabetics most of us lead a perfectly normal life, going out, meeting people maybe dancing, singing, visiting new places etc there is nothing really to stop you from traveling if that's what you want to do. Yes you do have to shop around for travel insurance but it can be found, even annual cover.
The main things that have to change is our eating habits and exercise.

May I ask do you have a blood glucose testing machine? If not then I recommend you get one, that way you can see which foods you are ok with and which ones you are not.

Looking forward to reading more of your posts.

 

[fieldsing]

Thank you for the supportive comments. I haven't gotten a glucose machine yet, I need to check with my insurance. It gets sad that I can't eat carbs anymore. I wish that I can eat fries once in a while, but I don't want to face any health problems. I love eating healthier though. It feels like walking on eggshells.

I still feel embarrassed about being a statistic of Type 2 Diabetes. I just want to cry. There aren't people in my age that has Type 2.

 

[sue512]

I believe there are many undiagnosed diabetics out there that may present in the future, but you’ve caught yours earlier with all the advantages that offers you to put it in to remission

 

[fieldsing]

I still am taking it day by day, and I sometimes wish I was dead. It's hard being a Type 2 Diabetic, and having to be part of whats wrong with America and the Diabetes epidemic. I'm going to see a therapist.

 

[catinahat]

I still am taking it day by day, and I sometimes wish I was dead. It's hard being a Type 2 Diabetic, and having to be part of whats wrong with America and the Diabetes epidemic. I'm going to see a therapist.

Give yourself some time, I understand it must be difficult for someone as young as you. Diagnosis of any illness is upsetting for everyone no matter what age.

I think the first thing you need to do is to be kind to yourself, it is not your fault. I don't care what you have read or seen in the media you did not cause your diabetes.

Was your diet any different to other people's, you say there are no other people you know of your age who have T2. Do they eat pizza, fries, burgers, chocolate, are they all a perfect healthy weight?
You are not to blame for the global (not just America) rise in diabetes

Being T2 is only as hard as you want to make it, it's much easier than coping with many other illnesses.
All you need to do is cut out as many carbohydrates as possible and maybe get a little more exercise. There is absolutely no reason why you can't have a family, travel or do anything else.

Show yourself and you body some love and kindness, look after yourself and eat right, in 6 months you will look and feel fantastic.

 

[fieldsing]

Hi it's me again. Im trying to take it one step at a time. It still gets embarrasing that I have this condition, hopefully I'll snap out of it and embrace it. I look at so many celebrities with type 2 like Paula Deen, makes me even more embarassed. Typing this won't help.

 

[Outlier]

No need to feel embarrassed. Being ill is not a matter of embarrassment.

 

[plantae]

I wish I was dead right now.

I'm not an expert, but I believe you can beat this. Read back on my comments... I got very down as well after my diagnosis and that's probably just part of being human. I still get down. I hate having 4 or more needles a day (I know you don't have to have them, just putting it out there). It sounds like you're doing all the right things. I don't understand why you think you can't have a partner or travel. As others have said there's nothing stopping you doing those things, that I know of. I also reckon there's nothing wrong with you having chips once in a while either if you like them (maybe not every day though). Get a meter though. You don't know how chips even effect you at the moment. They barely effect me at all -- not my blood sugar anyway. Not saying you should eat them everyday and everybody responds differently, but, how can you know without a meter? Personally I wouldn't wait for the insurance, I'd just go out and get one. Worry about the cost of the test strips later if you have to

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi, I'm a 25 year old who was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had a gut feeling that I had it since my mom was prediabetic (she doesn't have it whoop!) and my Dad is Type 2 diabetic with my aunt from my dad's side is also Type 2 diabetic , and I had been eating unhealthy and been physically inactive which resulted me gaining 30 pounds heavier (I'm 5'6 and 160 pounds). Now I just have to accept my consequences.

I've already starting cutting of junk food and carbs and starting to eat a low carb diet. I started walking up for a mile.

Sometimes it's difficult having Type 2 Diabetes, I thought it would never happen to me, but my pride got the best of me. (I had a health scare). I have the same disease as Paula Deen, the chef who made donut burgers with bacon. Im scared no one will date me with Type 2 Diabetes. Plus, it would be selfish to pass this on to my future children, and if I were to get pregnant it would be high risk. I can't even travel.

I just have to accept it as a part of my life.

Sorry for the long post.

Hi @fieldsing,

It's a kick in the head, isn't it? And it feels, for a while at least, as if your world is ending. It's not, though... Others here have already asked: why would this stop you doing whatever you please? Diabetics are everywhere, it's a global condition, a global pandemic.... So it's not like you're about to go somewhere where they'll say, "Nope, you're not welcome here, we don't do diabetics. Shoo!". I'm in the Netherlands, and it takes as much effort here to tell a restaurant to change the fries to extra veg or salad as it does in the UK, Italy, or Canada. And believe me, they'll happily do it if it means not throwing perfectly good food in the bin. We're everywhere, of all types and ages. I don't have kids, partly because I have a plethora of other hereditary conditions that would mean a world of pain for my child, but if I only had diabetes? I don't think it would've stopped me. Simply because I have the knowledge I need to pass on a healthier life to my potential offspring. (Bit late now, at almost 44, but you get the point). And you keep going back to Paula Deen. Have you looked up any atheletes with diabetes? Because there's a lot of them. Nikita Kuzmin is an amazing prize winning dancer who travels the world, and he's a Type 1 diabetic... Which to me, is a tad more complicated than being a diet-controlled T2. If he can travel, why can't you? (Ironically enough, if Paula had just stuck to the bacon rather than the carbs coating her deep fried sticks of butter, she would've probably been fine. )

It's a steep learning curve, but you're already on it and well on your way. Get yourself a meter. Probably won't get it through your insurance, and if costs are a problem, just keep telling yourself it's to find out right now what your blood sugars respond to. I only test when something's off now, like when I have the flu or ate something I'm not particularly familliar with. You won't be going through test strips like there's no tomorrow forever. What foods are okay, which aren't, it's important stuff to know. (Hint, the carby ones usually aren't. Mind you, I can steal an odd fry off my husband. Oh, yes, I'm married, and I had conditions a lot worse than diabetes when we met, and he still picked me. There's someone for everyone!).

"I wish I was dead". Well, yeah. That's one of the things I've lived with all my life, being clinically depressed. And still I managed to fight T2 into remission. If I can manage that, then so can you. Maybe not right this minute though. Maybe right now what you need is to just breathe, and stop kicking yourself around for the genes you've been dealt. Or to get a meter and see what a difference your food choices can make already. Or....? Find out what you need right now. For me it was a meter and a whole stack of books, to learn about what it is I was stuck with all of a sudden. Gain some control over this thing. You can do this, even if it doesn't feel like it. I have every faith in you.

Hugs,
Jo

 

[Tony B007]

Loving the positivity on this forum. I was diagnosed with Type II over Christmas (thanks, Santa) and it hit me like a proverbial brick between the eyes. Trying to stay positive although I am beating myself up because I was warned...lose the weight, do more exercise. I thought (ha!) that as I was a tee-total non smoker with a moderate sweet tooth I was flying well below the radar. How wrong. At least I'm now on a sustained health kick and my wife is right behind me. Trying to stay upbeat.

I'm also trying to stay off the diabetes health pages. I was reading so much bad stuff I gave myself a panic attack last night. Quite the welcome to a brand new world.

 

[KennyA]

I wish I was dead right now.

Hi and welcome both to the forums and the world of diabetes. I wouldn't blame yourself. It does very little good. From your account, looks like you have a genetic predisposition and it might have got you eventually, whatever you did. In my case, I exercised, ate healthily (as I then thought) and I got it.

The good news is there is a lot you can do for yourself. You do need will-power. Only you can make the changes you need, nobody else can or will do it for you. The other thing is that there is no one "correct" way to this. We are all different and respond to different things. You need to find what works for you, which could be miles away from what works for me. Of course it feels shocking and terrible right now. Most of us felt that way too. You can either give in, or take control.

It might help to see what someone else does - low-carb eating works very well for me and for many others here - you can read about that in the "Success Stories" part of the forum. I no longer have rice, bread, pasta, beer, most fruit, root vegetables, or sugar. Doesn't matter whether it's brown or white, it's all carbs.

I use a glucose meter and check the impact theat foods have on my blood glucose. Anything that sends it too high I cut out.

I eat meat, fish, dairy, green veg. Some beans and legumes. I aim for around 20g carbs/day/

I ignore anything like GI, which seems to have no impact on me one way or the other.

I now eat one meal a day, and probably go 12-18 hours without eating most of the time, without effort. I think the eating smaller frequent meals encourages snacking and snacking generally means carbs. I'm never hungry and have tons of energy. I've also lost 60lbs so far without trying, which has been a nice bonus.

And anyone shallow enough not to date you because you have diabetes isn't worth a moment of your time, in my opinion.

This forum is a great source of advice, opinion, and information. Ask questions, read around, and look after yourself.

 

[fieldsing]

Having Type 2 Diabetes is a blessing in disguise because it helped me realize that I had to change my lifestyle. I didn't have a healthy diet and didn't exercise, and now I have to live with the consequences of having diabetes. But I am happy I have Diabetes because it gives me a reality check to stop eating so unhealthy.

I am taking it day by day to have a long life and cut out all of the carbs potatoes, pasta, and fast food. I am going to start Keto and have a positive attitude.

 

[Resurgam]

Type 2 diabetes is my superpower.

 

[Outlier]

Diagnosis is a shock, professional help very variable, and while this forum is the most wonderful supportive and wise group, the outside world can be much less helpful. Rising to meet the challenge has actually put a lot of determination in me to defy the miserygutses and maintain good health in the slightly altered form of T2. I'd just as soon have done without diabetes, but as I have it, I have every intention of doing my best for my body.

Most other people have their own health challenges, it's just that we don't know about them. Considering the many and varied other options, I think at least we can do something about our own illness even if not returning to an ideal of dazzling health.

 

[fieldsing]

I want to set an example for my younger siblings so they will not share my fate. I pray that they won't have it. They are so **** lucky they don't have the fat people disease. I do not wish this on my enemies. My future children will be so lucky not getting it because I will teach them healthier eating habits.

Type 2 Diabetes is preventable with diet change and exercise. Once you have Type 2, you have it for life. You can put it in remission or reverse it, however if you go back to your old ways you will get complications.

 

[Goonergal]

I want to set an example for my younger siblings so they will not share my fate. I pray that they won't have it.

Then please don’t call it this:

the fat people disease

it’s not accurate - many with type 2 are not overweight - and it’s judgemental and only contributes to ignorance and stigma in the wider population.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I want to set an example for my younger siblings so they will not share my fate. I pray that they won't have it. They are so **** lucky they don't have the fat people disease. I do not wish this on my enemies. My future children will be so lucky not getting it because I will teach them healthier eating habits.

Type 2 Diabetes is preventable with diet change and exercise. Once you have Type 2, you have it for life. You can put it in remission or reverse it, however if you go back to your old ways you will get complications.

On one hand, I'm right here cheering you on with the new gusto you've found. It'll help you go a long way.

On the other hard... Fat people disease? Gee, thanks, great way to appreciate the people who are trying to help you. Like @Goonergal said, not all T2's are overweight. And it's often the insulin resistance that's *already there*, that starts piling on the weight when they are. It's not "being fat" that gave me diabetes, it's the insulin resistance that both ran in my family and I got doubly blessed with due to an ovarian cyst. I didn't start out morbidly obese, I had a regular BMI until I was about 27. I did everything right, I thought. Even went to see the hospital's dietician when I did start getting big, who told me to load up on massive amounts of carbs. When I just got bigger on what she prescribed, I was either a liar, not following her diet, or, when I insisted I wasn't talking out of my ***, I just was "one of those people who can't lose weight, so learn to accept you're going to be huge for the rest of your life". I wasn't always big. My metabolism just doesn't work properly, and I can't eat what a lot of other people can, without gaining unwanted kilo's. Low fat high carb just made things that much worse. I wasn't lazy, I didn't overeat, didn't fit the general, *very wrong*, ideas about what a T2 was... I just ate the wrong things for someone with my condition, which I didn't know I had, and was advised to eat by people who actually studied food.

Fat people disease... You've come a long way, in just a couple of days, but that is one thing you really, really need to change your mindset on, because it can creep back up with the self-blame, shaming of yourself (and others), and just, you know.... It's a pitfall. Fat people disease as a term, radiates disgust and loathing, blame and what have you... It just doesn't work like that. You can't paint everyone, including yourself, -no, especially yourself-, with the same brush. Not if you want to tackle this properly, not if you want to teach people around you how to avoid this without them hiding from you in shame when they do have to deal with diabetes, and not if you don't want to fall back into the dark thoughts you had just recently. Ditch the blame. You know better now, know what to do to handle this. Make it your superpower, not a stick to bludgeon people with. Don't talk yourself back into a hole you just got out of. You didn't do this to yourself. But you can get yourself back to good. There's empowerment here, grab it.

You've got this.
Hugs,
Jo