Hello. I’m overwhelmed.

[Katetype2]

Edit; Thank you to everyone who has responded to my post. Apologies I haven’t replied to everyone personally yet - I will. Apologies for my delayed response - I’ve been in a bit of a daze with it all. Getting my head around it all and coming down from the initial shock - I’ve had a lot of rapid thoughts over the last few days, but this is dying down and I’m thinking a bit more clearly. I intend to throw everything at this and be as close to a model patient as I can get. My mom has said it could be the making of me - and she’s a wise old bird, so I will take her advice and give this my all. I won’t let this define me.

Again, thanks for the support. It means so much.

—————

Hello.

My name is Kate, I’m 44 years old and I found out that I have type 2 diabetes this morning.
I have been dealing with morbid obesity and pre-diabetes for a few years now. But to be quite honest, I’ve not taken care of my health for a couple of years. After a recent high blood pressure reading I decided I wanted to finally make some lifestyle changes, so I contacted my gp to start the ball rolling for a referral to a weight loss service. However, when I spoke to my gp this morning it turns out that a blood test I had in March this year showed that I was indeed diabetic - but they didn’t tell me!

So, I’m in a little bit of shock. Although I suspected I may be diabetic, it is still shocking to be told.

I have to have a fasting blood test next Friday, which should confirm things. Then I will possibly be on mounjaro and whatever else they throw at me.

I’m feeling a great deal of shame at allowing this to happen. Frustrated at not being told about my diagnosis in March. Generally very overwhelmed with a million things running through my head.

I am not OK. But, I am prepared to work on this and get in to remission if possible for me.

 

[CoolShot44]

Welcome to the forum Kate , to be overwhelmed is perfectly natural i've been there so your not alone . Please have a look in the learning zone and it doesn't take long to get through and you can learn so much from going through the sessions .Somethings that help is keeping a diary of meals that are consumed during the day , then look into ways to make them better just little tweaks to them or have a look on the freshwell low carb site for ideas .
Anyway welcome aboard and hope your fasting blood test goes ok for you .

 

[Lucyr]

I’m feeling a great deal of shame at allowing this to happen.

It’s not your fault. Yes there’s things that you could have done to reduce your risk, and that you can now do to improve things. But, it’s not solely caused by lifestyle. There will be heavier people than you without diabetes, loads of them, there’s an element of bad luck in all this regardless of what the media might have you believe.

 

[pjgtech]

Hi, as mentioned above the Freshwell site is well worth a look as well as the learning zone on here.
Do you finger prick to test BG levels? as information is power.
What was your Hb1Ac reading?
Ask your GP about the Newcastle diet (also known as the T2D pathway to remission), which promotes fast weight loss as a way to remission. I'm half way through it now and its helping me.
As I've learnt from this forum, everyone's relationship with Diabetes is different, what works for one person, may not work for you, so a lot of it is finding what works for you.
There are things you can do, diet, exercise, etc, you can make positive changes. Good luck with it.

 

[LieB]

Welcome to the forum Kate - i was diagnosis in May and like you wrote was overwhelmed with what to do/not do/could do - made worse by the worst possible GP experience (diagnosed by text and zero conversation in the 6 months since).

Thankfully most people do have a good experience and i found this forum to be really useful in advice and tips. Remission is possible - I went from 84 hba1c at diagnosis to 41 (just about in remission) in October with zero meds, just diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. It takes time so please dont feel a need to rush, take the time needed to come to terms, ask questions and remember this is a life change so it’s not a sprint. IT doesnt take much to move the needle on your blood sugar (no pun intended).

I wish you all the best in your journey to come.

 

[Leadinglights]

If you hadn't been told about your result then you can't be expected to take action but now you do there is plenty you can do.
If the blood test is an HbA1C then it doesn't need to be fasting but if other tests are also included like cholesterol then it might be requested as such.
The Freshwell program is a low carb approach which many have found successful in losing weight and reducing blood glucose, it is based on the suggested starting point of no more than 130g carbohydrates not just sugar per day. this is the link https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
There are other regimes people have also found works for them, low calorie, shakes and soups 12 week programs to give them a kick start which can be prescribed by the GP.
It is a manageable condition and important to make a start now to avoid unpleasant complications of high blood glucose.

 

[Vonny]

Please don't feel ashamed, we have all been there!
"Overwhelmed" is perhaps the single best word to describe diagnosis. And bereft. I realised I had to do something about the obesity and diabetes and knew I had to cut out or reduce carbs significantly.
Obviously, we all deal with diagnosis in our own individual way, but I personally found the best way forward was to take one day at a time. If I'd looked up at the mountain I had to climb I don't know if I could have done it. I just chipped away at it and eventually I was back in size 10 (I was size 20 at diagnosis) and had "normal" blood sugars. Since then I've been a bit up and down but have managed to mostly stay on top of it.
Trust me, if this morbidly obese carb-head could do it, you can too! This forum is amazingly positive and helpful.
Wishing you all the best x

 

[goodybags]

Hi @Katetype2 welcome to the forum
and the club none of us really wanted to join

you won’t be overwhelmed for long
this forum is great there’s loads of us that can share how we coped
and I’m sure you will make the necessary changes as needed

as I started reading your post I also thought your GP might speak to you about Mounjaro
there’s quite a few of us that this med has helped

maybe back in May you were possibly (pre) rather than Diabetic
but obviously your GP has confirmed you now are T2

Once you’ve had your bloods examined they will tell you what your Hba1c number is
don’t be concerned if it’s quite high
as others have posted it can be sometimes but it will come down, with lifestyle changes and Meds as required

I never felt shamed myself at being Diabetic for about the first 25 years (back then I didn’t really care 😱)
but once I understood more kind of did, and over the last few years
really since finding this marvellous forum have kind of got things under control, like many others

One more thing to add… if I may, none of this is Your Fault
TC

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis @Katetype2

And how overwhelming you have found it. You aren’t alone! Many people find their diagnosis with diabetes brings on a form of grieving, with all the intense jumble of emotions and feelings that can involve - anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and ultimately a form of acceptance.

Many on the forum later reflect that their diabetes became a sort of catalyst to finally get around to focussing on their health. Some say they haven’t felt so healthy for years! Plus various niggles and ailments seem to reduce or disappear as people make positive changes to improve their glucose management.

Good luck with finding a diabetes-management toolkit of approaches and strategies that works for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all system. Everyone here is just muddling through, trying to find out what works for them 🙂

 

[Zaraah]

Hello Kate just joined forum few moment ago and posted my first post too.

Starting to read through posts and saw yours first and I wanted to say I am 44 years old too and diagnosed today and I am so overwhelmed. Also had information overload today with GP having been at A&E last night.

Hopefully we can both make improvements! ❤️

 

[silver minion]

Hello @Katetype2 and welcome to the club nobody wants to join. There is no need to feel shame about your diagnosis. Now you are aware of it you can make changes in your life to help manage your blood sugars which will help with possible complications. Finding this forum is a good start. Wishing you well on your journey. There is a lot of support and information on here to help you.

 

[Drummer]

I have lost a lot of weight and volume since diagnosis as I was constantly pressured to eat carbs for decades, and just got heavier and heavier each time I gave in to the GP or nurse.
To have normal blood glucose I need to eat very few carbs - but the results do not lie.
Now I am planning a whole new set of clothes as I just can't keep on altering what is left in my wardrobe.
High glucose was flagged up 10 years before diagnosis, but dealt with by stopping testing and staying schtum about the flag.
A lot of things come right on low carb - even my thyroid has begun to work a bit better so my Thyroxine dose has been reduced

 

[Maz2]

Hello.

My name is Kate, I’m 44 years old and I found out that I have type 2 diabetes this morning.
I have been dealing with morbid obesity and pre-diabetes for a few years now. But to be quite honest, I’ve not taken care of my health for a couple of years. After a recent high blood pressure reading I decided I wanted to finally make some lifestyle changes, so I contacted my gp to start the ball rolling for a referral to a weight loss service. However, when I spoke to my gp this morning it turns out that a blood test I had in March this year showed that I was indeed diabetic - but they didn’t tell me!

So, I’m in a little bit of shock. Although I suspected I may be diabetic, it is still shocking to be told.

I have to have a fasting blood test next Friday, which should confirm things. Then I will possibly be on mounjaro and whatever else they throw at me.

I’m feeling a great deal of shame at allowing this to happen. Frustrated at not being told about my diagnosis in March. Generally very overwhelmed with a million things running through my head.

I am not OK. But, I am prepared to work on this and get in to remission if possible for me.

It is not always about weight. I was pre-diabetic without being overweight. Lost weight and ended up underweight and it still did not go down and my GP said it was not weight related and to stop the weight loss. He thought it might be increased insulin resistance with age.

I got back to normal but it has crept back to pre-diabetic again.

My friend's husband is diabetic and underweight and my friend is obese and has no problems with her blood sugars or cholesterol. As someone else has said despite what the media say it is not your fault and is not always to do with weight.

 

[BobbyBee]

Hi Kate.

I got my diagnosis about a month ago. I am in my late 50s and, apart from very briefly, never been above a 34" waist in my life, still joined the club. So don't batter yourself thinking this is all just about your weight.

Welcome to the rest of your life, where you're going to make some brilliant changes and be fantastic for them.

Go get 'em

 

[Katetype2]

Hello.

My name is Kate, I’m 44 years old and I found out that I have type 2 diabetes this morning.
I have been dealing with morbid obesity and pre-diabetes for a few years now. But to be quite honest, I’ve not taken care of my health for a couple of years. After a recent high blood pressure reading I decided I wanted to finally make some lifestyle changes, so I contacted my gp to start the ball rolling for a referral to a weight loss service. However, when I spoke to my gp this morning it turns out that a blood test I had in March this year showed that I was indeed diabetic - but they didn’t tell me!

So, I’m in a little bit of shock. Although I suspected I may be diabetic, it is still shocking to be told.

I have to have a fasting blood test next Friday, which should confirm things. Then I will possibly be on mounjaro and whatever else they throw at me.

I’m feeling a great deal of shame at allowing this to happen. Frustrated at not being told about my diagnosis in March. Generally very overwhelmed with a million things running through my head.

I am not OK. But, I am prepared to work on this and get in to remission if possible for me.

Welcome to the forum Kate , to be overwhelmed is perfectly natural i've been there so your not alone . Please have a look in the learning zone and it doesn't take long to get through and you can learn so much from going through the sessions .Somethings that help is keeping a diary of meals that are consumed during the day , then look into ways to make them better just little tweaks to them or have a look on the freshwell low carb site for ideas .
Anyway welcome aboard and hope your fasting blood test goes ok for you .

 

[Katetype2]

Thank you for your reply. Apologies for my delayed response - I’ve been in a bit of a daze with it all.
I will definitely have a good look at the learning zone - I intend to learn as much as I can. Thank you for the tips.

 

[Katetype2]

It’s not your fault. Yes there’s things that you could have done to reduce your risk, and that you can now do to improve things. But, it’s not solely caused by lifestyle. There will be heavier people than you without diabetes, loads of them, there’s an element of bad luck in all this regardless of what the media might have you believe.

 

[Katetype2]

Hi Lucy. Thank you for your reply. Apologies for my delayed response - I’ve been in a bit of a daze with it all.
Thank you for these words - they have been a great comfort over the last few days.

 

[Katetype2]

Hi, as mentioned above the Freshwell site is well worth a look as well as the learning zone on here.
Do you finger prick to test BG levels? as information is power.
What was your Hb1Ac reading?
Ask your GP about the Newcastle diet (also known as the T2D pathway to remission), which promotes fast weight loss as a way to remission. I'm half way through it now and its helping me.
As I've learnt from this forum, everyone's relationship with Diabetes is different, what works for one person, may not work for you, so a lot of it is finding what works for you.
There are things you can do, diet, exercise, etc, you can make positive changes. Good luck with it.

Hi. Thank you for your reply. Apologies for my delayed response - I’ve been in a bit of a daze with it all.
I will definitely look at the freshwell site. Not taking readings yet. Waiting to be advised on what I need to do once I have had my blood test. But, whatever they advised I will do - I’m going to be their best patient!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hello Kate just joined forum few moment ago and posted my first post too.

Starting to read through posts and saw yours first and I wanted to say I am 44 years old too and diagnosed today and I am so overwhelmed. Also had information overload today with GP having been at A&E last night.

Hopefully we can both make improvements! ❤️

Welcome to the forum @Zaraah 🙂