Type 2, Terrified and Ranting!

[I_am_me]

What just happened? So I get a call from the practice nurse on Friday. Very calmly she tells me I have type 2 diabetes. That was unexpected! Shocked, horrified, stunned, numb... just a few emotions.
I didn’t know what to say or ask, she gave me some advise, most of it now forgotten, you know when the information goes in one ear and out the other. I do remember her saying to look on Diabetes Uk Website, so after two and a half days of letting it all sink in, here I am. I haven’t told my family yet, I’m still coming to terms with it. I have an appointment on Wednesday for my feet! Bloody hell, I’ll have to shave my winter legs now! Apparently I’ll be managing it all with diet, but I’ve suddenly become scared of food. What is that all about? I don’t know what I can and can’t eat. I’ve tried to read about type 2 diabetes and all I’m doing is giving myself nightmares.
Apparently my life span is now reduced by about 10 years... Thanks for that!
How do I come to terms with this diagnosis?

 

[aparsonsmoore]

Hello - so this sounds very similar to me. Started peeing and drinking a lot! Lost a load of weight that friends joked could be cancer. Went for tests and got a call at 2.00am in the morning to tell me I had type 2 diabetes. No checks to see who I was, simply you have diabetes. Wife was away and left on my own to figure this out....

 

[Drummer]

Ah - it can't be very bad - bad diabetics do not have hairy legs.
I knew that little snippet would come in handy one day.
Fear not - you have come to the right place.
The good news is that you can eat steak, roast chicken, salmon or trout, pork chops - in fact any meat or fish. Eggs and cheese are just fine, so is salad or stirfry, roast veges - as long as you pick the lower carb options.
Greek yoghurt is on the list, and sugar free jelly, lower carb fruit, the ones called berry, and cream or real custard (the egg and cream one) so it isn't all bad.

 

[aparsonsmoore]

So a few days later got a blood glucose meter and prescribed Metformin. My stomach must be strong though as had no side effects of the Metfartin kind! No introduction to the forum at that time, so ditched sugar in it simplest form i.e. cakes, sweets, sugar in drinks etc...

 

[aparsonsmoore]

Then started exercising - easy for me as this was a determination to pick up a sport (cycling) that I had previously enjoyed, However, it did require the mindset to understand that this would be painful and require perseverance.

 

[aparsonsmoore]

Have I read the 10 years knocked off life - off course I have and I sh... myself, I have a 3 year old daughter and the thought that I may not see her married etc is frightening. Can I prolong my life through being healthier - off course I a can. I have two best friends - one died of a heart attack, the other has terminal cancer. So my lot isn't so bad....

 

[aparsonsmoore]

Just come back from an eye test and at this moment in time, no risk of blindness. Not sure about my feet, but will wait for that request to come through. Be safe, be strong, your family love you and you will come through this, It doesn't mean you can't feel vulnerable - I do. But also be strong, you are in control!

 

[Drummer]

So many assume that once diagnosed with type two it is a downward spiral, but if anything my health has improved, and at the age of 69 I feel that I can hope to see my grandchildren grow up, even though the last one (he promises its the last) was only born this year.
I really do feel that by sticking to the diet I know makes me feel at my best, I have many more years to come. I do not take any tablets, as I reacted badly - and if it means fewer year out in the world and active, I'll take that rather than a decade or more staring out at the care home garden. Just saying though - I don't plan to shuffle off this mortal coil any time soon but when I go I hope it will be at the end of a dance - I'd hate to let the side down.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @I_am_me , welcome to the forum.
Firstly , Don’t panic ok, with the right info and some work by yourself, Diabetes is a manageable condition.

It’s perfectly normal to be shocked, upset and worried when first diagnosed. You have done well in joining this forum as you will get info , help and cyber support from people who live with this condition

Please don’t be afraid to eat ! Not one of us lives on salad leaves and fresh air, we enjoy good tasty food and snacks. Much of which will surprise you, so don’t get throwing out things (if you eat them) like dairy , meat, eggs and fish (so long as it’s not in batter or breadcrumbs) because they are not our enemy, neither are good fats .

Their is also an awful lot of misinformation out there , so it’s great that you have found us, ask us all the questions you need to about diabetes, no question is considered silly it’s just a question that needs to be answered, ok.

A little more info will help us give you the most appropriate advise.
Can you remember the number you were given for your Hb1ac blood test , personally I doubt it was very high as they seem to want you to try without medication first, which is good.

The only food group our bodies have trouble handling is carbohydrates (no not calories) Esp the fast acting starchy carbs, sugar is just another simple fast acting carb, which is already included in the carb content on the nutritional label in the back of packets and tins, most of us totally ignore the traffic light system on the front, as it contains none of the info we need.

Obviously I don’t know if you are a carnivore, vegetarian or vegan , I am neither of the last two.
Just to get you started A good breakfast for us would be , scrambled eggs or an omelette with or without your own choice of additions ie cheese, mushrooms, bacon etc, some prefer to have Greek yogurt and add anything with berry as part of its name to it

I am 68 years old now ,I was diagnosed when I was 42 , there is an awful lot if misinformation out there , with well controlled diabetes we can and do live long productive lives, sadly life even without any chronic conditions comes with no guarantees, we could nip down the road for something and get run over .

So deep breath, learn as much as you can from us .

 

[MARIGOLD]

Thank you that sounds very positive. I am 70 and newly diagnosed but only at 48 whatever that means. I was at 52 a month ago but tried to lose weight and lost half stone so it came down a lot. Not on medication or anything but main thing is I have had this ulcer near my ankle for two or three months now and it is so painful and keeping me awake at night. Any advice would be good. I am seeing the nurse and she is dressing it. It has become better but now on the surface and hurting more.

 

[grovesy]

48 is the cut off point for the diagnosis of Diabetes, it is a HBA1C.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

It is all overwhelming at first and hard to take everything in and so much conflicting information but the members here will help you make sense of it and find your way forward and hopefully become happier and healthier than you ever were before diagnosis.... but a lot of that is in your hands.

I am another who is now far fitter and healthier and slimmer than I was 20 months ago at diagnosis. I knew that I was carrying too much weight and aspects of my diet were bad but it took my diagnosis to give me the kick up the pants I needed to get my act together. At 56yrs old, I feel better than I have for 20, maybe even 30 years and I can now get into clothes that I bought in my 20s.... favourite dresses that I couldn't bear to part with etc and my leather trousers. I am not saying it has been easy but I feel great for it and I have a new appreciation for food that, with hindsight, I had mostly lost.
I enjoy my diet because the odd treat is now really a treat to be savoured whereas before it had become too easy to have one treat after the next until it almost became meaningless.

I usually start my day with a coffee with double cream and often end it with a small glass of red and a chunk of my favourite cheese. Both these treats are low carb and therefore don't effect my BG levels and it is hard to feel deprived on such a diet. I have given up other things that I enjoyed like bread, and potatoes and pasta and cheese scones and hot chocolate and milk chocolate and sweets (If it wasn't for the pandemic and others now consuming my quota, Cadbury's and Haribo probably would have gone out of business 😳) but I have found other low carb things to replace them which I also enjoy. The amazing thing is that I no longer crave those things I used to love and it doesn't bother me if people eat them in front of me or even offer me them. It is just not difficult to refuse.... that is the bit that really blows my mind more than anything and gives me hope that I will be able to maintain this way of eating for the rest of my life.
As an added bonus, I no longer suffer migraines since changing my diet and they were a chronic and severe problem and my joint pain has almost totally gone. I walk/run pretty much every day and I feel fit as a butcher's dog! I am almost in the best shape of my life at 56.... just got another inch to come off my waist to get there dimensions wise and absolutely would not be here if it wasn't for my diabetes diagnosis..... "every cloud has a silver lining" as they say!

I hope you find the forum as beneficial as I have and you are able to look back in 20 months, like I can and feel like you will likely live 20 years longer as a result of the changes in lifestyle you have made, rather than worrying about possibly losing 10 years.

Good luck with your diabetes journey and shout up if you need any advice or support.

 

[Spoon]

Hello! It is overwhelming - I've done my fair share of crying in the car when a GP appointment has not gone the way I want it to - but eventually things settle down and you take it in your stride. But it's normal to feel totally terrified. DOn't be afriad to ask for help and use the services offered to you! Big hug 🙂

 

[KARNAK]

Welcome to the forum @I_am_me.

Thankyou for joining our incredible community a real positive step on your
Diabetes journey we are here to help you, take care.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @I_am_me

Sorry about your diagnosis. Is there any diabetes in your family?

It’s perfectly natural to feel overhwelmed and shocked in the beginning. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, as others are saying many forum members later reflect that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy.

Tales of long term complications and reductions in life expectancy can be very distressing, but these are not certainties or individual predictions. Diabetes can respond very directly to the self-management strategies of each individual, and there is a lot you can do to reduce your risks of long-term complications.

If you’d like some background reading, members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as good starting points.

 

[I_am_me]

Today has been a challenge. First day back at work after diagnosis. Still not met the diabetes nurse as he is off sick, probably sick of newly diagnosed menopausal women with type 2! So I still feel a little lost with a head full of questions. I had a moment of really feeling sorry for myself this afternoon and I admit I had a snivelling snotty session. But then I got a grip and pulled myself together. I read Maggie Davies letter; Thank you @everydayupsanddowns for the recommendation, before I mourned the loss of biscuits with my coffee and I then I cheered myself up with a little online retail therapy and purchased Gretchen Becker’s book, because “information and education is power!” I await the Amazon delivery with bated breath and optimism.
Now I have to make a choice, like the traveller who comes upon the fork in the road. Do I take the path well travelled, the one named Denial with the temptations on every corner that I cannot decline: Chocolate, cake and biscuits, or do I accept the challenge and take the road less travelled, the one they call Embrace, the one with the ruts and the trip hazards, but the one that will give me the challenges and a sense of achievement?
I embark on this journey that has been set before me, I will need you, I will need all the help I can get on the road they call Embrace.
Thank you x

 

[Drummer]

The only thing which could be a bit of downside of taking control and stopping high carbs is the ever shrinking body. I really do not care what I weigh, but I am becoming stronger - even coming up to 70 years old, and every time I swap my wardrobe around I find that I have shrunk out of my clothes. I make most of my clothes, I like fabrics which have become quite expensive such as wool and linen, even silk, so - once again I am remaking clothes in a smaller size.
At least I seem to stay cheerful as well as staying healthy.

 

[Toucan]

take the road less travelled, the one they call Embrace

That's the one to take @I_am_me !
I know very well what you are going through right now, as do many others on the forum. It is a shock, but it is also a 'wake up' call. Diabetes is a serious disease but you can do a lot to help yourself.

You have already been given some good pointers and there is a lot of information and help available. That in itself can be confusing. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' and it is worth taking the time to find what works for you and is sustainable.

The rewards will be high, much higher than that chocolate biscuits that just gives a few minutes pleasure followed by a lot of guilt.
I certainly now feel much healthier, have more energy and more zest for life than I have had for years.
Good luck on your journey - and we are all here to help.
Just keep read around and keep posting and ask any questions - someone will know the answer.

 

[aparsonsmoore]

Having Diabetes has been an eye opener for me. For years, I thought I need to get fitter, but always had a reason not to engage, despite having been a keen cyclist. Then it happened, I was diagnosed with diabetes and the decision was made for me. Overnight I gave up sugar, biscuits, cake chocolates etc. That was the first step and it proved to be painful at first, but now I'm used to it. Occasionally I stray - a few too many drinks and I'll have some chocolate (happens about once a month). I've now started to look at lowering my carbs. I also feel I have a better relationship with food, instead of an instant coffee with 2 spoons of sugar, I now have a Nespresso and enjoy the taste (that's about as sophisticated as I get).

Now the positives - I had six suits that sat in the wardrobe that I can now wear. So gone is the expense of having to buy new work clothes. I've also gone from nearly 16 stone to 13 stone and consequently feel healthier. As for cycling, it has reawakened my passion for this sport. In 2017 I tried cycling to work and Strava recorded my time as 1 hour 8 minutes for 13.5 miles. I can remember the ride as thoroughly miserable - hot, out of breathe and exhausted. Some 3 months after my diagnosis and the same ride took me 44 minutes 32 seconds. Hot, out of breath but feeling elated.