first day of being a diabetic

You can indeed control your diabetes without drugs. Diet (which includes getting to a normal weight) and exercise can control type 2 diabetes. But until you get your diabetes under control, it's best to take one of the drugs that will more quickly help you control it. For most people and their doctors the drug of choice is metformin. The standard for diabetes control is the A1C test, which measures your blood glucose over the previous 2 or 3 months and needs to be below 6.0%. You may want to read my articles here at http://www.diabetescentral.com/diabetes/c/17 and on my website at http://www.mendosa.com.

Best regards,

David Mendosa 

Hi Chrissy!

Talk about overwhelming, eh? I have Type 1 but I think what can be applied to both kinds of diabetes and any kind of chronic illness really, is this:

1. Take it day by day. Some days are going to be really hard and you can't seem to get yourself to eat right, for example. Some days, though, will be easier and you'll think, "Ohh, this isn't so bad. I'm lucky to have this instead of (anything else goes here)." Patience is KEY! Diabetes is a disease that has a lot of variables and ever-changing things to learn. Try to be patient with your body, with your ability to learn it all and with the time it takes to feel a little less overwhelmed. You can't be perfect all the time, but you can try your best most of the time (nobody ever lived their whole life without eating ice cream...right?).

2. Exercise and educate yourself on healthy eating! Making exercise a very regular part of my every day has changed my diabetes in so many ways (so many that I have yet to really fully write about yet, actually). And while you may not be someone who ever enjoyed exercise, try making yourself stick to it for a few weeks and eventually you might find that you really, really love the way it makes you feel. I'd also suggest investing in a personal trainer, even if it's just for a few sessions. You don't have to run monotonously on a tredmill to lose weight. Find something you enjoy!

3. Keep it all in perspective. Diabetes is do-able. It's really hard...but it's do-able. There is so much help out there for all of us and so many people to talk to about the challenges of diabetes. I've found that the more attention I pay to my diabetes the less it gets in the way of my life. The more often I take thirty seconds to check my blood sugar, the less often I'm dealing with feeling sick from being too high or too low. And in the end, especially in terms of Type 2, remember that this is about adapting and developing a healthy lifestyle. It's not about just eating "good foods" today, but about trying to teach yourself to live healthfully every day (and yes, that does include an ocassional bowl of ice cream!).

And hey, you're already on here looking for support so you've got the right attitude!

Keep in touch!

Ginger :)

Hi Chrissyalley,

Welcome to Health Central! You've found a wonderful resource on the web for information about diabetes and other conditions. While nothing takes the place of your doctor's advice, there is information here that will help you make sure you ask all the right questions when you see your doctor. Only you and your doctor know what is best for managing your health care.

You might already have this information but it never hurts to review some of this especially as you are beginning to manage your care. Here is the Diabetes overview database that tells you exactly what diabetes is, how it affects your body and some changes you consider making in your lifestyle. Specifically, here is information about Type II Diabetes.

Finding out about any medications you might be prescribed. At some point you might be prescribed medications to help you manage your care. Here you can check your symptoms to determine if you are having adverse symptoms as a result of the diabetes or some other cause.

Treatment varies from person to person and you can see the latest in diabetes treatment here.

There are also resident experts here on the site who are very informative to read, and they lend a different perspective on having diabetes and dealing with the disease.

You have already been in touch with David Mendosa, who has posted many articles discussing and mythbusting the latest news and technologies available for treating Diabetes. You can read his articles here. One of the things that David has been a good resource for is the glycemic index. It's a great tool to use when planning meals. You can read more about the glycemic index in this article called "David Mendosa's Advice for Newbies."

Dr Bill Quick authors one of the Internet's oldest and most respected diabetes websites with his wife Stephanie, is an endocrinologist and also has diabetes himself. As a resident expert, Dr Quick gives alot of great advice about dealing with diabetes first hand here in his posts.

Gretchen Becker reminds us to laugh despite the situation and how bleak it seems. I always get a laugh and a smile out of her perspective on life. You can read Gretchen's postings here.

Also remember, there are alot of folks online here just like you and me. If you are having a good day, then let us know! If you have found a trick that works for you, share that with others. But you are having a particularly challenging day, let us know that as well. There might be someone here who has been where you are and they might have some insight that will help. It's all about community!

Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M

I don't like to do self-promotion, but I'd suggest you get a copy of my book The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes (I'm assuming you're type 2 as you said you don't need to take injections). The book starts with Day 1 and walks you through learning about this disease step by step.