Scared & In Denial of Type 2

I am scared, ashamed and in denial of my type 2 diagnosis 3 ½ yrs ago at age 60, HBA1c 6.5. Managed since then by diet and exercise, but with very little GP monitoring, mostly my fault. The 6 month follow-up reviews have slipped to 12 months, nobody reminds me if I miss one, which suits my denial, I know it’s stupid but I’m almost trying to pretend it isn’t there.

I was put on the short Intro to Diabetes course and a 4 part dietetic course, simply focused on losing weight. Llittle about management of diabetes diet, which is different to just losing weight! I lost 8kg but then lost motivation. Sadly with conveyor belt 8-10mins GP / nurse appointments, I just feel a nuisance, feels like they are clock watching!

My latest glucose reading is 7.2 but I know it could be better if I both managed it and fully accepted what I have, BMI now shows 26.7. The GP wants to review in 3mths for Metformin which terrifies me, it seems to have so many side effects! But I don’t really know how to manage my diabetes, what and how to eat, there is so much confusing/conflicting advice out there.

I swim energetically 4 times a week and my diet and meals are mostly sensible, until late evening, extreme fatigue and hunger so the ‘easy’ fix is to eat to relieve it, not go to bed. So the good dieting is easily undone. I know nothing about hypo’s or hyper’s, all confusing.  Doesn’t help that they say there isn’t a specific diabetic’s diet! But I beg to differ, of course there has to be, not special foods but a specific dietary approach. Low, slow-release carbs, protein, the right fruit & veg, avoid high sugars, small well-spaced meals etc. And that’s just the little I have grasped, is it correct?

I always thought that if anything big like this happened I would be open with myself and others. But I feel like those people on Embarrassing Bodies who can’t tell the GP or their nearest but can open up to 8m people! The overly PC hands-off approach doesn’t help either when the clinicians won’t spell out exactly what you are getting in to. How can they let overweight patients pass through their surgery for decades without spelling out the risks, then say …….  “Oh, by the way, you’re diabetic”?

I’m not a Blog person and there is so much opinion and is the info reliable? I followed the thread here from poor barbara26695, worried sick with a sugar level of 9.5 reading and fearing a T2 diagnosis. After 70 replies and much opinion and advice; she was pronounced clear with a 4.5 normal sugar level.

Please don’t scare me with too much info and also who am I talking to? Someone with a lot more knowledge than me, coz mine is very little? 

Can anyone help me please? Thank you.

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