Hello Carolynn and welcome to the Forum
Yes, a diagnosis is a bit of a shock, and can be confusing. Perhaps a simple biology lesson would help........
The simplest sugar you can get is glucose. If you join them up together you get larger, more complicated sugars, and if you join up enough of them, eventually they form larger molecules of carbohydrate and starch
When we eat carbohydrates they are broken down in the gut back into glucose, which then passes through the gut wall and is carried around the body by the bloodstream, and into our cells for further use
The transfer of glucose from the blood into the cells is carried out by the hormone insulin, which is made in the pancreas.
If we do not make enough insulin the glucose accumulates in the blood, and it is this accumulation that causes the problems we call diabetes
These problems include tiredness, thirst, and damage to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves
That's the reason we test our blood regularly for the glucose content
You can take medication to treat diabetes, but the best way to reduce the level of glucose in the blood is not to eat it in the first place
It is important to realise that all carbohydrates will cause higher levels of blood glucose, and not just the obviously sweet things
So that means we must reduce our consumption of bread, pies, pasta, rice, potatoes, as well as sweets, cakes & biscuits
Once you understand that, the changes & restrictions in the diet fall into place
It is confusing at first, but if you follow the meal plans & recipes on this forum/website and elsewhere, you'll get the hang of it, and it gets easier
Although there will be some advice from doctors, nurses and so on, you really need to do most of the control and management yourself
Nothing in the body happens in isolation, and various things are all connected - diabetes, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular problems etc
Many people take a diagnosis as the motivation to change a few things - cutting out carbs obviously, but also a lot of fat, junk food, processed foods & meat, get more exercise, and so on; and increase the consumption of veg, oily fish, olive oil - all the healthy stuff we hear about!
In fact some people say they feel better with diabetes than before
A lot of this will work together; not eating a pizza, a pie, or a convenience meal will reduce the carb/pastry consumption, and also salt, sugar, and fat