Now what? You’ve just been told you have Diabetes

Over 20 million people in this country have diabetes and about 1/3 of them don’t even know it. At 31 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (adult onset). Over 15 years ago when I was diagonsed I didn’t even know anyone that was a diabetic. Today diabetes is well known and its very likely that you or someone you know has it.

Every day, everywhere you go we are there. Over 60 Million Americans have sugar issues! Thats 1 out of every 14 people in this country! In addition to diabetics, there are other problems that sugar causes for people today. 20% of us have these other problems.

Adult onset diabetes is something that you have more control over than you think and weight is a one of the most common issues putting you at risk. Also known as type 2 diabetes, the symptoms are not always immediately noticeable. When I was diagnosed I was 60 lbs. overweight my symptoms were severe:

Rapid unplanned weight loss ” I lost 20 lbs. in 2 weeks

Unquenchable thirst ” I was drinking 1-2 gallons of fluid a day

Frequent urination ” I guess this happens when you drink so much

Always tired ” Id take a nap at 2PM and wake up at 6AM the next day

Most people dont have severe symptoms like this, type 2 usually comes on much more slowly. A simple 5 second finger prick blood test can tell you and your Dr. if you are pre-diabetic or diabetic.

Your body is designed to deliver insulin to your blood when you eat food. As you eat and your body breaks the food down it converts it to sugar and releases this energy into your blood. It is the job of insulin to convert that sugar to fat. Type 2 diabetes occurs when you dont produce enough insulin or your fat cells become resistant to the insulin.

Controlling type 2 diabetes is possible and there are plenty of ways you can do this. Next visit you have to your Dr. ask for the finger prick test. They should all have hand held meters. If your blood sugar reading is over 100 (a prediabetes level) or 120 (diabetes level) you should retest fasting or have a test called the HBA1C. This test checks your blood sugar over the life of your blood cells (4-6 months). If your blood sugar is 325 like mine was immediate action is necessary. For me that was insulin.

If your HBA1C says that your blood sugar is between 5% and 6% of your blood you are fine. You may still have issues to look into and you should locate an Endocrinologist (Diabetes specialist) who can help you manage your life as a diabetic. I recommend an Endocrinologist because there is a lot of information out there and when it comes to diabetes, this is the specialist that focuses on the problem.

I never thought at 47 I’d be happy I became diabetic (I’m not) but I do have more control over my health than ever before. I see my Endocrinologist quarterly and alway track my HBA1C and daily blood sugar results.