Nobody told me that! I just shelled out for a prepay certificate.
See if you can cancel it
The GP should have told you (nobody told me either, when I was diagnosed)
Seems you're not getting the right information from your healthcare professionals
Well, since this is all new to you and you're probably wondering what it is all about, I'd suggest setting aside a bit of time and reading
Maggie Davey's letter, which will give you a good overview. I'd also recommend getting a copy of the excellent
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which will help to guide you through these early months. With these you should begin to understand what it all entails and how you can tackle it. It's a serious condition, but the good news is that it is manageable and you can lead a full and healthy life with it as long as you stick to some basic principles
🙂 Ideally, I'd suggest getting a blood glucose meter so you can monitor the effects of your food choices on your blood sugar levels. You are unlikely to be prescribed one by the nurse or GP as many see them as unnecessary, but in reality they are just looking for short term savings in their budgets - the long term benefits of knowing what you can safely include in your diet and what you may need to reduce or exclude are worth far more to you and the NHS than any short term penny-pinching
🙂 Have a read of
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how it all works
🙂 If you do decide to get a meter, then the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50 (substantially less than the £25-£30 you might pay for most brands on the High St, and perfectly adequate for the job!
🙂 ).
Another important thing is to start doing some regular exercise, if you don't already do so
🙂 You don't need to go mad and hit the gym - find something you enjoy and can stick with. For some that can be as straightforward as a brisk daily walk - whatever you can do will really help with your blood sugar levels, as well as improving your overall general health and feeling of well-being
🙂 Many people find that the adaptations they make to diet and activity levels result in them feeling much happier and healthier than they have for some time - it's a shame you didn't know about your diagnosis earlier because you could have started all this years ago!
🙄 Ah well, lok forward, not back
🙂
Let us know if you have any other questions and we will be more than happy to help
🙂
