Struggling with diagnosis

[Jimste0905]

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed with T2 last week and am really struggling to process it.

I spent 13 years in the military and was super fit and through my 30s and 40s I've just given up.

I feel ashamed that my lifestyle has got me into this position. Did anyone else feel like this and what did you do to help?

Thanks.

Jim

 

[Allywales]

Hello Jim,
I was told a week ago that I was T2... I cried all day. Decided to change what I can but I'm not going to let it beat me. Work is going to be my biggest problem as no time to eat properly. I will be asking for reasonable adjustments to be made, but I can see me leaving the profession if I'm honest due to the stress factor.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Jimste0905 🙂 A diabetes diagnosis is always a big shock and it can take sometime to process. You might feel upset, angry - anything really. My advice is to think about what you can change and do that in a positive way, thinking about your general health as well as the diabetes.

Do you know what your HbA1C was (the blood test that diagnosed you)? Are you on any meds for the diabetes?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear you got a D diagnosis but at least you qualify to join our merry band here as a result. 😉 Yes I felt guilty and ashamed when I got my diagnosis. I was a sugar addict pre diagnosis and was carrying a couple of stones too much and felt like I had brought this on myself. It is what you do with those feelings which is important though and I used them to motivate me to change things. I used them to make me determined that I was going to beat this and quit my sugar habit and lose weight and get fitter and manage this condition to the very best of my ability and that is what I have done. Sadly I wasn't able to put it into remission like some people because it turned out that I have Type 1 diabetes rather than Type 2 as they initially thought but I still went ahead with the lifestyle changes and I feel a lot better for them and my health and fitness is now far better than it was before and I even feel younger, so there have been far more positives from my diagnosis than negatives and I feel like this kick up the backside of a diagnosis has probably prolonged my lifespan as well as improving the quality of life. I hope you are able to find a similar determination and focus to turn things around.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hello Jim,
I was told a week ago that I was T2... I cried all day. Decided to change what I can but I'm not going to let it beat me. Work is going to be my biggest problem as no time to eat properly. I will be asking for reasonable adjustments to be made, but I can see me leaving the profession if I'm honest due to the stress factor.

Giving up work, retiring at 68, was the thing that tipped me over from prediabetes into the diabetes zone because I had a very active job, so my exercise level dropped, the piece of cake with the afternoon cuppa became routine. Whereas at work I often had no time for lunch and certainly no snacking in between meals. I always had breakfast, most times lunch which was generally salad and cheese or cooked meat and then dinner.
You should be entitled to breaks, and time to eat. Making sure you take something suitable with you will help.

 

[Jimste0905]

Thank you all for the kind welcome and words of encouragement. I k ow its still really early as said, I need to process this to build a plan and get to the best me I can be.

At the moment though I feel a fuc*ING failure. I'll push through that though as I am determined to improve my life.

Thank you all.

Jim

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you all for the kind welcome and words of encouragement. I k ow its still really early as said, I need to process this to build a plan and get to the best me I can be.

At the moment though I feel a fuc*ING failure. I'll push through that though as I am determined to improve my life.

Thank you all.

Jim

It is often a shock to get a diabetes diagnosis but sometimes it can be a relief as it can explain symptoms you may have been having and once you tackle the changes you need to make then you will feel so much better, you may be justified in your feeling of failure if you do not take the opportunity to do something about it.
Getting a better understanding of the condition will help you in the things you need to do, how much you need to do depends on how far into the diabetes zone you are, if not too far then you may be given opportunity to make some life style changes but if your HbA1C is very high then medication would most likely have been prescribed.
Many find a low carbohydrate approach is successful and this link may help you find some ideas for modifying your diet.
https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Low carb is suggested as being no more than 130g total carbs per day but that can depend on what meds you may be on. Low carb is definitely not NO carb but making good choices of the carbs you have.
Other people find low calorie or shakes-based regime can give them a kick start, but whatever you choose has to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Jimste0905

Glad you have found us, but sorry you have to be here.

It’s not at all unusual to get a strong emotional reaction to a diagnosis with diabetes. Especially because of the level of (entirely unfair) stigma which circulates in society and the media.

No one intentionally sets out to get a T2 diagnosis, and two people living exactly the same lifestyle can have very different outcomes, one getting a diagnosis, and the other escaping unscathed. There’s a lot more to it than many news stories claim.

But it’s great to hear that you are determined to use this as a catalyst to make some positive changes. Hopefully you can channel the strength of feeling you have into action!

Looking forward to watching your progress towards the best you that you can be 🙂

 

[MissB]

Hello Jim. I was diagnosed in August and although it wasn't entirely unexpected, I did feel like it was an acknowledgement that I could do better. So I've been trying my best to do better and have already seen improvements.
There is so much to take in at first, but you will soon learn what works best for you. Don't be too hard on yourself - it is possible that you might have ended up with diabetes regardless of your lifestyle.
Good luck.

 

[bulkbiker]

Did anyone else feel like this and what did you do to help?

I was morbidly obese and very sick when diagnosed.
I decided it was time to get healthy.
Went ultra low carb lost a shedload of weight and put several conditions into remission T2 included.
Sleep apnea, acid reflux, obesity, inability to walk far and constant peeing all disappeared.

HbA1c of 87 when diagnosed and for last 7 years have been mostly sub 30 mmol/m

Have eaten loads of great food and not felt in the slightest bit deprived.

It was a wake up call for me that it was time to take control of my own health and I now look upon it as a positive.

 

[bulkbiker]

For transparency this is what I looked like in 2015 when diagnosed.

 

[trophywench]

Well y'know, I reckon any adult that tell you they've never made a mistake in their life, is lying through their teeth. Most ****-ups don't need to adversely affect your entire lifespan though! Instead LEARN from what you did ie don't do that again - and then resolve to learn how to make better choices going forwards - and you've already started that cos you've joined this forum!

 

[Blue25]

Hello Jim,

I was diagnosed just over 4 weeks ago and it came as a shock and my emotions were all over the place and that's very normal. I have been in a discovery phase for the last 4 weeks. I have learnt so much but have so much more to learn. My advice to you is... Do not worry, take control. You can start to do this immediately. Don't wait until you have all the facts you are no doubt looking for and start making small changes today.

A good place to start is by reading Maggie Davey's letter This is from the useful links for people new to diabetes thread.

I am sure you will find it very informative. I hope things settle down for you very soon.

 

[Drummer]

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed with T2 last week and am really struggling to process it.

I spent 13 years in the military and was super fit and through my 30s and 40s I've just given up.

I feel ashamed that my lifestyle has got me into this position. Did anyone else feel like this and what did you do to help?

Thanks.

Jim

It is only like discovering that you've been putting the wrong fuel into a vehicle and having to deal with the consequences.
My lifestyle has not altered from pre diagnosis to now - but back then I was full on diabetic and now I am not.
It is all about what to eat.
I have two meals a day, lots of meat and fish, all the eggs and cheese I can eat and full fat dairy, cream in my coffee. I have stirfries, stews and casseroles, and am doing quite well considering I'll hit 72 in April.
Once in a while I eat a few more carbs - but just because I can cope with the glucose doesn't mean that I will not gain weight just as easily as I used to do - so I remain cautious as I know I can resist anything but temptation.

 

[42istheanswer]

Hi Jim, I was pretty shocked when I got my diagnosis 5 months ago from a routine health check. I wouldn't have been shocked to be told I was pre-diabetic because I knew I wasn't eating healthily - way too much chocolate and processed food and more calories than I needed - but I wasn't expecting that I would have gone all the way to diabetic given my previous HbA1c (about 2019, done at my request) was normal.

My HbA1c at diagnosis was 54 so I asked to try diet control (with an eye to potentially reversing diabetes via weight loss having read about Roy Taylor's Direct/"Newcastle" study between being told over the phone that I was diabetic and having the appointment with the nurse to discuss it). I have gone for the "low carb" but not ultra low carb route, aiming to have below 130g carbs per day, and also aiming to restrict calories (I have gone for longer term aiming at 1200 calories rather than the short term 800 calorie diet used in the study). I now mostly have egg-based breakfasts (mostly mini-frittatas/crustless quiches as I can bake a batch then take a few each day to work) and salad or soup for lunch, with usually a small carb side e.g. a handful of cheesy crackers or a slice of toast or a couple of rice cakes, then salad or vegetables with some protein and again maybe a small carb side for tea. I haven't cut out chocolate completely, but I have reduced the amount and don't have it every day! Weighing out portions before I start eating has worked well for me so far, for the crackers I weigh the pack into small portion size bags (those tiny bags from the covid testing kits are coming in useful finally!) when I first open the pack, so they stay crispy even if it's several days before I eat all the portions.

I have lost a lot of weight after many years gradually gaining it, though I haven't yet lost enough to dip below the "obese" markers for either waist or BMI, and brought my average blood sugars and therefore HbA1c down to non-diabetic levels which I'm feeling pretty happy with. I hope that however you decide to manage your diabetes, you manage to lower your HbA1c and reduce the risks for yourself.