Hey Laura,
sorry for the late reply - work and commute means I can only check in at weekends. I hope you are feeling a little better these days. I'd also like to re-emphasise that you should not beat yourself up! Anyone can get diabetes. And in your case it may be even hereditary like in my case. I'd also like to back what Northener said. Don't let the doctors just blindly decide what type you are, but try to get them to do C-Peptide and/or GAD antibody testing. I went to the nurse today for my FREE flu jab (one of the upsides of diabetes is those 'freebies'). I asked her to look into these tests and get some info whether their labs are doing it. And if not, she will look to refer me to someone who does!
It's a bit annoying that you as the patient have to tell the doctors what to do?rather than them knowing what testing/tools are out there. But let's not get there?that's why we have this forum to exchange knowledge.
Now, I hope I don't come across as bossy (I'm German-Thai mixed?so I'm bossy by nature hehe), but by no means skip your meals. Quite the opposite: Try to stick to fixed meals at fixed times. One thing, I believe, that can falsify or worsen the sugar levels is when you eat irregularly. If you can, have more than 3 but smaller meals. our body needs the routine - it needs managing. And equally important, drink enough water during the day and ESPECIALLY WITH your meals. It helps you to feel full-up quicker and hopefully for longer. Sometimes our body confuses thirst with hunger, so always have a pint of water first before or while you eat and see how you get on.
Right, I hope the following food tips don't sound too patronising. I don't know what your diet is like, and by no means do I possess all the knowledge or wisdom. I do love my food, but I was also lucky enough that I always loved vegg, pulses, fruits. I am not a vegetarian by any means and love my meats and fish too. The occasional cake. But a vegetarian day or two a week and you may feel much better and more energetic perhaps? There are vegetarian meals where you do not miss the meat on your plate. Lentils, beans, mushrooms?they are so meaty in texture, and especially lentils are said to have blood sugar reducing effects, as they are very fibrous. In fact, IF reducing carbs work for you, then you may want to try to avoid the vegetables that are starchy like swedes, but try to stick to eating fibrous vegg. And if you use e.g. swedes potatoes rice etc., soaking them well in water and rinsing well may help to reduce the starch/carbs.
However, these are only advices that I have come across. And I am also just developing my learning curve. It's all trial and error as mentioned before, but you may feel that you don't need to change much at all, but may just have to adjust your recipes a little. 🙂
Maybe this book will help you a little:
Reader's Digest "Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar". I know 'Magic foods' sounds a bit OTT, but the good thing about this books seems to be that it's not exclusively aiming at people with diabetes. It rather gives you a better overview of what foods have what kinds of effects on your body.
Apologies for the length of this post, I tend to write novels?and apologies if I repeat what has been maybe said before...Havent read all replies 😉
but if it helps your question, I was diagnosed at 35 and there are a few others on this forums diagnosed Type 2 in their early 30's and some in their 20's.