Hi Jean,
I can't say for sure how to cope with the sudden news that you're type 2 diabetic. It gets easier, but it takes time. I'll try to explain how it happened to me, in the hope that it helps, if only a little.
I've been diagnosed just over a year and like you, it came to me as a massive shock. I didn't have a GP because i was never ill, so i went along to a minor injuries and ailments service at my local hospital (where i conviently work) with what i thought was a urinary tract infection, coz i was drinking and weeing every hour on the hour, for Britain. The nurse gave me a couple of tests, including a finger test and a urine dipstick test and asked me if i was pregnant or had diabetes...the answer to both at the time was "no!".
To cut a fairly long story short, i ended up on the ward being asked how long i'd been diabetic for.
I've got two grandparents with diabetes, and at least two of my great-grandparents were also diabetic. I'm overwieght and to be honest, not the most sporty person in the world by a long way, and boy did i love chocolate. I figured it would happen to me eventually, probably when i retired, like what happened to my grandma, but not the week after my 32nd birthday.
Needless to say, it scared the bejezzus out of me, suddenly people were talking about blindness and heart attacks and strokes and kidney failure. I figured i'd have to give up my sweet and junk food loving ways and all the things i'd enjoyed.
It took me at least two weeks to beleive that it wasn't all my fault. I think that's a good place to start, people get diabetes for a whole varity of reasons, and really, my lifestyle wasn't any better or worse than anybody else my age. Then for a few months I'd have trouble admitting i was diabetic to myself, i'd think "I'm diabetic" but it seemed too surreal to be true.
Then i stopped getting angry and annoyed whenever somebody mentioned chocolate or cakes, most of the time (i have my moments). Then i managed not to personally offended when somebody said something stupid or ignorant about diabetes (most of the time). Somedays it all comes flooding back, and i'm grumpy as hell. Somedays i'll still get annoyed that people don't think. people yell "Rachel, there's chocolates over here if you want one!" and i'm thinking "cheers mate, i was managing to ignore that massive box of quality streets until you decided to point them out to me". But those days get further and further apart.
By the way, you don't have to give up chocolate, i just thought that trying to reduce my intake would be bound to lead to disater in my case, so i got on the wagon and gave the stuff up completely, except at christmas and my birthday. I grabbed the "must reduce sugar intake" bull by the horns, its's working, thankfully. My HbA1c is low (in the upper 4s last time it got checked), the Metformin has stopped giving me the runs (although sometimes it will come back to haunt you) and i've realised that being diabetic doesn't stop me from having a drink or two or having a treat occassionally. According to one of the hospital's diabetes specialist nurses, the only thing it will stop me from doing is driving a cab or being a airline pilot (I'm not even sure about that, one of the guys who posts on here drives a bus.) But neither of those are at the top, or even on my to do list anyway.
Diabetes is a rotten disease, it can depress you, it makes you feel strange and different from other people, but the good news is that in many cases it can be controlled. Living a generally healthy lifestyle, or in my case, trying to live a healthier lifestyle, is something you can do to slow down the progression of the disease. There are many different drug treatment options for type 2 diabetics and more are being developed all the time. So if you do struggle with one particular drug, there are other options.
This website is invaluble, i think that one of the things that is missing in my area,maybe nationally, is emotional support for diabetics of all varities. Here you can complain, rant, moan and whine, you can ask questions and get practical answers from the people who know, because they live with it too, without jargon or endless ammounts of medical waffle. It's been a godsend to me, i've posted when i'm down and somebody always posts a supportive message back (usually Steff or HelenP, but loads of people, most of whom i've never met, i've been lucky to meet some of them recently and it was amazing, i learnt so much). It's great because some days i'm positive and trying to help out (like today) and you never know, tomorrow i might be back in a "oh woe is me, i'm diabetic" strop. And because everybody has bad days and good days, people understand.
Sorry, that's got a bit out of hand, i didn't mean to type so much.
Rachel
