Another good article I want to save & share. This one is from Everyday Health DOT com. Article located on their website at THIS LINK.
Type 2 Diabetes: Coping With Your Diagnosis
Living with diabetes means accepting the diagnosis and making the necessary changes to your life.
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
"Depressed" and "disappointed" are the words used by New Orleans resident Gary Davis to describe his feelings when he received his type 2 diabetes diagnosis two years ago.
“I am a nurse, so I knew what was happening, what was coming,” recalls the 51-year-old, referring to the long-term damage diabetes can wreak on a person’s health and body. Davis admits that initially, he didn’t want to try to make the changes that would improve his health. “At one time, I didn’t even try, but I try now. Every day I try harder,” he says.
Type 2 Diabetes: Avoid Denial
Receiving a diabetes diagnosis can stop you in your tracks. But for many people, hearing the news is the wake-up call they need to start healthy habits.
A Yale study of 20,221 overweight or obese adults under the age of 75 showed that people who receive a diagnosis of diabetes are more motivated to lose weight than their peers, dropping, on average, three pounds more with their diet plan.
“The big thing is to avoid denial. It’s so easy to deny,” says Paul Robertson, MD, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association.
Many times doctors are part of this pattern of denial, says Dr. Robertson, especially when they tell patients that their blood sugar is a "little high, but we’ll just watch it." Robertson emphasizes, "That’s the time to jump on it! Don’t deny it — watch your weight, watch what you eat."
Related: Ease Your Insulin Needle Fears
Type 2 Diabetes: Make Changes
Two years after getting the news, Davis confesses, “I’m still confused about what I can and can’t eat.”
And, he adds, there are some foods, like white rice, that he can’t give up. Living in the capital of gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans, all of which are accompanied by white rice, this challenge may be understandable. But although Davis takes insulin to control his blood sugar, he is also taking steps to tackle diabetes by changing his diet and increasing exercise.
Based on his experience, Davis offers the following tips for coping with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis:
“It’s hard because you have your certain lifestyle for so many years — I had mine for 49 years — and then someone is telling you [that you] have to completely change it,” says Davis.
Related: Eight Celebrities With Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes: Get Educated
Still, there is a wealth of good information out there about how to be healthy with type 2 diabetes, notes Davis. “Take advantage of the research projects. Take advantage of the literature. It’s really all about education,” he says.
Good resources for information on type 2 diabetes include your nurse, a diabetes educator, or a dietitian, all of whom can help you develop a plan for lifestyle change that will help control your blood sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes: Cope With Depression
If you find that you have a hard time getting motivated or you are continuing to feel sad or anxious many weeks after your diabetes diagnosis, consider talking to your doctor or a mental health professional about your concerns.
Not everyone who receives a diagnosis of diabetes experiences depression. But those who do may have a harder time taking steps to manage their disease. A study of 2,902 Native American adults showed that while depression does not make a person more likely to have diabetes, it does make it more difficult for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. Treating depression is a necessary step towards blood sugar control.
“It won’t happen overnight,” says Davis. “But if you keep trying, you can succeed.”
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