I’m not going to give you too many facts on diabetes, other than it is life threatening and can harm your body, not to mention your mental state.

I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in August of 2009. I knew something was wrong but was so afraid to go to the doctor. I became dizzy a lot of the time. I was weak and had no energy. I had a thirst I could not quench. It seemed the more water I drank the more I wanted. I couldn’t get enough to eat; therefore I gained a lot of weight. Which I did not need because I was already overweight.

I would go to the grocery store and could not stand the noise. I was so irate to people. I yelled at a mother with a screaming child. I am not like that. I stopped right then and there and said to myself something is terribly wrong. When you know your body, it speaks to you. I just ignored the signs, thinking it was old age creeping up on me. I just couldn’t get anything going in my life.

I didn’t think I was depressed, I’ve been down that road. My husband finally talked me into going to the doctor. As we never had health insurance, we finally had it. So I went. Please don’t let that stop you. I did and it cost me.What a shock I received when the doctor told me I had diabetes. Nothing had ever been wrong with me. I was usually in good health most of my life. I sat there in his office for about 10 minutes and cried. I was scared, very scared.

I have never been so scared in my life. I have friends that have Type II diabetes, and I felt sorry for them. Not really knowing much about the disease, I didn’t know what to do. My emotions ran from being scared to being in shock. My whole body went into distress mode. Why? What happened to my body?

Being adopted I did not know my health history. I did find out and my natural father had diabetes and died from it. Boy did that wake me up. I then told my doctor let’s do what needs to be done. He was wonderful. He got me on the right pills and I am now getting better. My blood sugar is down, as well as my blood pressure and have lost 83 pounds. Thank you Lord and my doctor.

Start exercising, now! Eat your veggies and fruits. Learn to enjoy eating all over again, this time the right way. Take your medicines. You can do it. I did and am glad I did.

So if you have any of the symptoms, run don’t walk to your doctor. Have them run the tests you need and get on medication. Please don’t wait, it could kill you, it almost did me. Talk to him and get educated. Look it up on the internet. There is a wealth of information. Education on diabetes is your best form of keeping alive and living a good life. Good luck to you.

Having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes does not mean you need to let it control your life! Why don’t you control this condition by first acknowledging it is real, it is here and here to stay. You will need to lose weight; always watch your weight. It will always be there in your life but it does not need to be the chief executive officer. You are the one with the power, not your diabetes.

Are these the stages you are going through You aren’t weird, it’s just difficult to accept even if you had obvious signs when you were first diagnosed.

1. Shock. Were you shocked when you were first told you were pre-diabetic or had diabetes Did you feel numb This is a protection we put in place when we are given bad news.

2. Disbelief. Despite the blood results you ask yourself: “How can I have type 2 diabetes” Maybe you didn’t know you had this in your gene pool. And you didn’t know some illness, eg. pancreatitis, could lead to this condition. And you really don’t want to think about giving up your favorite foods. Then the next step could be:

3. Denial. That’s easier to do than thinking about changing the world as you know it. Even being told you are pre-diabetic helps you to deny, you can tell yourself it’s not really diabetes. But it stops you from really helping yourself, it’s not a mistake, it’s really there. Maybe you will then start to become:

4. Angry. This happens as you really start questioning all your thoughts about whether or not you really do have type 2 diabetes. You also become concerned about the complications, eg. neuropathy, retinopathy, and how they could affect your life. But now it really has your attention. Maybe you will feel sad because you think this new lifestyle creates too many problems, and this will then become:

5. Depression. You may feel these concerns are too large to overcome. If you feel this way talk to your health care provider so he can help you with your diagnosis. He will explain the benefits of lifestyle change; how this will reduce your blood sugar levels and how you will then feel the best you have in years.

We all use these stages as coping mechanisms to deal with unexpected issues in our lives. The goal is to reach acceptance as soon as possible. Although type 2 diabetes will be part of your life forever, a positive attitude will bring the changes to help you control this condition.