Many people fear that a diagnosis of diabetes means that life is changed forever.
Well in a sense it is.
Certain things have to be done.
In the first instance, your diabetes may be controlled by diet alone.
One may feel that this is a big enough change in itself, let alone the possibility of oral medication or injections of insulin four times a day.
And therein lies the start of the problem, the mental approach.
However one's insulin is managed, and whatever routine one has to adopt, it's the mental approach that's crucial.
To be tough here, adopting a "poor me" attitude helps no one, least of all the patient.
It has also been found that stress increases blood sugar levels.
Making oneself worry about what might never happen only serves to make the condition worse.
Yes, the long term potential consequences of diabetes are foot amputations, blindness and renal failure, which are pretty horrendous to contemplate, but these are all entirely avoidable if one monitors one's blood glucose levels regularly and takes the medicine as prescribed.
When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008, it came as a shock, yes, but I have had to deal with many shocks over the years.
One thing my doctor said to me which I grabbed hold of was this: "Think of it as an opportunity to really improve your health".
At first I thought he was joking.
How could I improve my health when I'd just been diagnosed with a chronic disease that has no cure? But then I understood, and it's some of the best advice I've ever been given.
The fact is, diabetes, types 1 or 2 is incurable, period.
However, it's a fact that most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
I was no exception.
I was also suffering from high blood pressure and raised (bad) cholesterol.
With type 2 diabetes, I now had to monitor my blood glucose levels several times a day.
To maintain stable blood glucose levels, you have to be careful what you eat.
Further, to avoid future health complications, a small but regular amount of exercise should be taken.
The point is, to keep feeling well, all the above actions not only serve to keep your diabetes under control, they also form a pattern for life that makes you fitter, and above all, makes you feel good about yourself.
It is an irony that diabetes can actually make you healthier than you have ever been, as long as you maintain a tight control over your blood glucose levels.
Well in a sense it is.
Certain things have to be done.
In the first instance, your diabetes may be controlled by diet alone.
One may feel that this is a big enough change in itself, let alone the possibility of oral medication or injections of insulin four times a day.
And therein lies the start of the problem, the mental approach.
However one's insulin is managed, and whatever routine one has to adopt, it's the mental approach that's crucial.
To be tough here, adopting a "poor me" attitude helps no one, least of all the patient.
It has also been found that stress increases blood sugar levels.
Making oneself worry about what might never happen only serves to make the condition worse.
Yes, the long term potential consequences of diabetes are foot amputations, blindness and renal failure, which are pretty horrendous to contemplate, but these are all entirely avoidable if one monitors one's blood glucose levels regularly and takes the medicine as prescribed.
When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008, it came as a shock, yes, but I have had to deal with many shocks over the years.
One thing my doctor said to me which I grabbed hold of was this: "Think of it as an opportunity to really improve your health".
At first I thought he was joking.
How could I improve my health when I'd just been diagnosed with a chronic disease that has no cure? But then I understood, and it's some of the best advice I've ever been given.
The fact is, diabetes, types 1 or 2 is incurable, period.
However, it's a fact that most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
I was no exception.
I was also suffering from high blood pressure and raised (bad) cholesterol.
With type 2 diabetes, I now had to monitor my blood glucose levels several times a day.
To maintain stable blood glucose levels, you have to be careful what you eat.
Further, to avoid future health complications, a small but regular amount of exercise should be taken.
The point is, to keep feeling well, all the above actions not only serve to keep your diabetes under control, they also form a pattern for life that makes you fitter, and above all, makes you feel good about yourself.
It is an irony that diabetes can actually make you healthier than you have ever been, as long as you maintain a tight control over your blood glucose levels.