Hello everyone

[KatieH8]

Hi everyone,

My name is Katie and I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes! To say I’m angry about it would be an understatement
I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I exercise 6 times a week, my diet is healthy majority of the time. I was 40 at Christmas and yes I had a lot of sugar and bad food. People keep saying it’s due to my mum and grandmother having type 2 but I can’t help but feel I have done something wrong!
Am I wrong to feel angry?
Just wanted to say hello to all of you and see if anyone else has been in a similar position?
Have a good day all x

 

[Lucyr]

Diabetes can be genetic and anyone can get diabetes, it’s not all about the stereotypes. If both your mother and grandmother have type 2 then it could be you have genetic predisposition to t2, or it could even be MODY which is a specific form of genetic diabetes.

 

[KatieH8]

Thank you for your reply! I have not heard about MODY so this is most helpful, I will be looking in to that.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @KatieH8

It isn’t at all unusual to get a pretty strong emotional response to a diagnosis with diabetes, including all the feelings you describe. It can feel as though your body has ‘betrayed you’, and many people feel a sense of guilt and blame (unfortunately not helped by the media and even some HCPs).

Some people liken it to a form of grieving, with the chaotic jumble of emotional states and stages that can be part of that experience - anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Sometimes all on the same day!

Nobody deliberately goes about aiming to get a diagnosis with diabetes, and it’s a complex condition with many components that combine to firm an individual’s risk. Plus, as @Lucyr says, there are many types of diabetes, and also sub-types of T2 - so in time you may discover you have a more niche and fancy version

What matters really, is how you react to the challenge of it. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy.

It’s often best to make changes to your menu gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels are harder on the fine blood vessels, and changing things more gently will give your body time to adapt.

Good luck, keep venting your emotions and letting off steam here, and let us know how you are getting on 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
It does come as a shock to some people as they feel they have a healthy lifestyle but it can often explain symptoms they may have had but brushed off and it then can be a relief to find out the reason.
Unfortunately foods that may be thought of as healthy (wholemeal bread, pasta, brown rice, some cereals and potatoes) are not so if diabetic where the body struggles with all carbohydrates not just cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks which everybody thinks of as the problem.
Keeping a food diary with an estimate of the total carbs of everything you eat and drink may help identify where some savings can be made to reduce your carb intake. It is suggested that no more than 130g per day total carbs is a good starting place.