Hello DIZZYBINT22 and welcome to the Forum! ...... and the Club that no-one wants to join!
I'm not going to give you too much detailed information, that is well covered elsewhere, rather a few general comments that I hope will reassure you
It is quite normal to be confused, anxious, and worried when you are first diagnosed, so try not to be worried about being worried
As you learn more, and as you get the symptoms under control that sort of feeling becomes very much reduced - honest! - and you feel more confident & capable
Here's a basic simple explanation of diabetes which I hope will help you to understand what's going on -
The simplest sugar molecule is glucose, and that can be joined up to form long chains, and if enough of them are joined up that becomes starch
The starch is broken down in the digestive system back into glucose, which then passes into the blood to be carried into the cells for further use
The hormone insulin is made by the pancreas and that is also carried around the body by blood, and enables the glucose to pass into the cells
Sometimes we don't make enough insulin, so the glucose accumulates in the blood, and it is this accumulation that produces the symptoms & problems that we call diabetes
We can control diabetes with medication, but the best way is to not consume the sugar & carbs in the first place
It is important to understand and realise that with diabetes we should reduce our consumption of all carbohydrates, not just sugar itself
So that means cutting down or removing starchy foods like pasta, spuds, both sweet & savoury pastry, pies, rice, as well as the obviously sweet things like cakes, sugared fizzy drinks, biscuits, and so on
This might sound difficult, but as you progress it becomes easier, and just a different way of eating & living
In fact many people take the diagnosis of The Dreaded D as the motivation to cut out processed & junk food, eat more veg, do more exercise, lose weight, and all the rest of the healthy stuff we hear about
Have a look at -
Living With Diabetes on the Home Page of Diabetes UK
Learning Zone, the red tab at the top of this page
Previous Threads on this Forum, especially Newbies, Food & Carbs, and Weight Loss if necessary
Yes, you do need a Blood Glucose Meter! there are recommendations on this Forum
Finally, don't be shy! Ask any sort of questions you feel like, nothing is too silly!
