Hi Em, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but try not to worry - diabetes is a serious condition, but it can be managed well and there's no reason why you can't get on top of it so it doesn't stop you doing anything you wish
🙂 The worries are natural, because you probably don't really know what it all means. I'd suggest having a read of
Jennifer's Advice and
Maggie Davey's letter for starters, and get a copy of
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - a book which really ought to be given to every newly-diagnosed person!
Your low moods and anxiety are more than likely related to high or fluctuating blood sugar levels, so hopefully as you learn to manage your levels things will improve and you will begin to feel stronger and happier
🙂
The main things to watch out for are carbohydrates - bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, plus, of course, sugary items like cakes, sweets and biscuits. It's a little known fact generally, but white bread can actually have a bigger impact on your blood sugar levels than table sugar! It's worth starting a food diary and recording the amount of carbs in everything you eat and drink for a couple of weeks. Getting good control of your levels won't happen overnight, so try not to get overwhelmed and feel as though you need to make lots of radical changes overnight. You need to learn what your diet really is (hence the diary) and then look for areas where it might be improved. You can have a healthy, varied diet, it just takes planning and a bit of compromise here and there. Nothing is forbidden, but common sense needs to be applied for 'treats'!
The GL Diet for Dummies is a very good introduction to the 'Glycaemic Load' approach to selecting and combining foods so that they have a slow, steady impact on blood glucose levels, so worth a read.
Have you been given a blood glucose meter and test strips so you can monitor the effects of food on your levels? If not, it would be worth getting one. If your GP won't give you one (many won't) then it is worth getting your own whilst you learn more about how well (or otherwise!) you tolerate different foods. Have a look at
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand what this means. If you do need to get your own meter then the cheapest option we have come across is the
SD Codefree Meter which has
test strips at around £8 for 50. It's an investment worth making if you have to, and once you have found out what elelments of your diet you tolerate well and what you should avoid, you won't need to test anywhere near as often.
Please let s know if you have any concerns or questions and we will be very happy to help!
🙂
