Just Learned You Have Diabetes? Feeling Overwhelmed?
Good tools can ease your adjustment
I talk with many people who have just been diagnosed with diabetes. Their reactions range from denial to despair, with most people taking it pretty hard. I often hear words like “shocked” and “overwhelmed” used to describe initial reactions. It's my job to help people who feel that way.
Where does it hurt?
To do my job I ask questions to find out “where it hurts” – what it is about having diabetes that's most upsetting to the particular person I'm caring for at the time. Once I have the answer, coming up with the right “medicine” is much easier. Naturally, this works best when we are talking face to face, but I will try to show you here how the conversation goes.
What is bothering you most about having diabetes? Take a moment and try to identify your personal diabetes “hot spot.” If your answer is “lots of things,” try to come up with the one thing that bothers you most of all, the thing you would most like to be free of.
People respond to this question with a wide range of answers, but most personal diabetes hot spots fall into one of two broad categories: worries about the present (how to make the adjustments a life with diabetes seems to require) and worries about the future, especially the fear of complications and their consequences.
Soothing worries about the present
Developing diabetes does change your life. Suddenly eating healthy, getting more active, and losing weight aren't just recommendations, they seem to be requirements for keeping your diabetes under control. On top of that, you have to start monitoring your blood glucose level, and you might be taking diabetes medication as well. It is a lot to deal with.
I can't tell you that it will ever be easy, but I promise it will become easier. Soon, tasks like checking your blood sugar and figuring how many calories are in a bowl of cereal will take less time and cause less stress.
Good tools can also ease your adjustment. Treatment options grow every year, including some that make diabetes care easier and more effective at the same time. Consider pills that help control blood glucose levels, for example. We now have pills to treat each different cause of high blood glucose; yes, there are different causes. You can now take the pill or combination of pills that's best for you, the one that helps keep your glucose levels down without the lows that are more common with the older diabetes pills.
My sister Mary Sue has had diabetes since 1959, and my son Stefan has had it since 1979. When they first developed diabetes we had to check their urine to estimate blood sugar levels. I can assure you this was not an easy thing to do. Today Mary Sue and Stefan depend on their small, fast, accurate blood glucose monitors to help them stay in control. The monitors make checking easy, which encourages them to check regularly and make little adjustments throughout the day to keep their levels as close to normal as possible. That keeps them feeling good today and healthy tomorrow.
If you are taking insulin, be sure to ask your health care provider about alternative delivery systems, such as insulin pens; almost everyone I know prefers the convenience of these devices to a vial and syringe. Some people (my sister and son among them) get their insulin from insulin pumps they carry in their pockets. These devices also offer many people a more convenient, flexible approach to taking insulin.
Small changes can make a big difference
If you are feeling overwhelmed because you think having diabetes means you have to make monumental changes in your lifestyle, read on.
Research has proven the health benefits of weight loss for people who are overweight. And it is true that the best way to lose weight is to increase your activity level and cut the calories (especially fat calories) in your diet. But, and this is a big but, some of the same research tells us that small changes can bring big health benefits. People with type 2 diabetes who lost 10 pounds had better blood sugar control, and their blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved as well.
Even if you need to lose more weight to be healthy, focus on that first 10 pounds first and get the help you need to reach your goal. When you get there, you can always set another goal, and you will have already done something wonderful for yourself.
Cut your risk of diabetes complications in half
If you worry about diabetes complications and their consequences, there is a very encouraging study I'd like to tell you about.
Researchers in Denmark tested a treatment designed to protect people with Type 2 diabetes from heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with diabetes. The treatment included pills to keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels as close to normal as possible, a modest “heart-healthy” diet (low in saturated fat and high in fiber) and an exercise prescription (walk for 30 minutes three to five times a week). The study lasted almost eight years. Results show that patients who received this treatment had fewer than half the cases of heart disease compared with patients who received standard treatment. And the heart-healthy treatment also reduced other diabetes complications, including eye, nerve and kidney damage, by half as well.
The results of this study reinforce the point that small changes can make a big difference. People in the Danish study heart-healthy group made fairly modest changes in their behavior (taking pills, eating a bit healthier, walking a bit more). As a reward they got a tremendous benefit – more years of life without diabetes complications.
With help and support you can make some of these same changes. Your health care provider can prescribe the medications and other tools that best fit your needs. A dietitian can help find a meal plan you can live with, one that keeps you healthy and satisfied. Believe it or not, such a plan does exist, and a good dietitian is just the person to help you find it. Ask your health care provider for a referral.
If you feel really down and think you might be depressed, talk to your health care provider. If you are depressed, seeing a counselor or taking antidepressant medication could really help.
If you need information or help concerning other aspects of self-care, check for education classes at local hospitals, or contact the American Diabetes Association (800 676-4065; www.diabetes.org ), or the American Association of Diabetes Educators (800 338-3633; www.aadenet.org ).
To work through the shock of being diagnosed with diabetes, try to figure out where it hurts and what you need to make it better. Then look for help; it is there.
