 Just Diagnosed With Diabetes
Four words can ease the fears that might overcome any person who has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Four words can help to allay concerns about the degree to which a diagnosis of diabetes could dictate the direction and scope of plans for the future. These are those four words: “You are not alone.”
Statistics from the United States indicate that 798,000 Americans hear each year that they have been diagnosed with diabetes If you are one of those 798,000, or if you are one of the many diabetics living outside the U.S., then you need to know how best to follow-up on the startling news that you have diabetes.
The fact that you are reading this article suggests that you have already begun step one of an educated response to realization that one has diabetes. That first step calls for the initiation of efforts to learn as much as possible about diabetes. A diabetic should learn how to decipher myths from facts.
Many people think that diabetics can not eat anything containing sugar. In fact, the food types that should be of greatest concern to a diabetic are foods that contain fat and cholesterol. Fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream can cause a sharp rise in a person’s blood pressure. Diabetics must be careful to prevent any marked increase in their blood pressure. Diabetics must also control the amount of glucose in their bloodstream.
Many factors can alter the level of a person’s blood sugar. The eating of too many carbohydrates, in combination with an absence of regular exercise can cause a rise in the blood sugar. Stress can also cause a rise in the blood sugar. A diabetic should seek to approach control of his or her condition in a calm and educated manner.
By reading about diabetes, a diabetic should manage to handle step two of the recommended process for dealing with a diagnosis of diabetes. That second step cautions against the abandonment of past hopes and dreams. A diabetic should feel free to go after any hopes and dreams. Nicole Johnson, the Miss America of 1999, is a diabetic. She did not let her diabetes diminish her determination to enter and win a beauty contest.
A diabetic does need to make some changes in his or her life, but they do not need to be big changes. That advice applies to every aspect of the diabetic’s life, including his or her diet. By making small changes in his or her diet, a diabetic can better handle those changes. When a diabetic can handle changes, then he or she becomes less stressed.
A diabetic, and those who prepare meals for a diabetic, need to take part in careful meal planning. Still, a diagnosis of diabetes does not mean a life devoid of satisfying and tasty meals. A person who hears that he or she has diabetes should not feel that such a diagnosis necessitates future adherence to a highly restrictive diet. A diabetic should eat healthful but satisfying meals.
Some people have this thought when they get a diagnosis of diabetes: “I can no longer have an occasional drink.” A diabetic must realize that the “good feeling” he or she might gain from alcohol can not make up for the damage that ingested alcohol will do to his or her body.
Some people shrink from the news that they have diabetes because they do not feel ready to undertake any form of regular exercise. Too often, people equate the term exercise with a workout in a gym or a jog around the track. Those are good forms of exercise, but other types of exercise do just as much to lower the level of blood glucose in the body.
A person diagnosed with diabetes might have a hobby or passion that can help him or her to get more exercise. Perhaps the newly diagnosed diabetic likes to garden. Maybe the newly diagnosed diabetic harbors a secret desire to try some sport or activity. A diagnosis of diabetes might, for example, give someone an excellent excuse to try an activity such as sailing or kayaking.
Some people see a diagnosis of diabetes as a warning that they will receive many medical and hospital bills in the future. Some people resent spending money on the testing supplies that diabetics need to use. When diabetics refrain from buying alcohol they save money. When they plan healthful meals, meals that include more fresh fruits and vegetables, they can often plan more low-cost meals.
A diagnosis or diabetes should never be seen as a directive to refrain from the enjoyment of life. The issuance of such a directive would certainly be stressful, and a diabetic should seek to avoid stress. A diabetic does not need to be a “Pollyanna,” but he or she should look closely at the positive aspects of any changes introduced by the diagnosis of diabetes.
A diabetic who has chosen to take daily walks might find that he or she meets new people and makes new friends. A diabetic who has started going to a small green grocery might suddenly discover something special about that neighborhood, something that he or she had earlier overlooked. A person with diabetes can also discover a hidden potential within him or her.
In the past, diabetics noticed the need for better ways of testing the blood glucose level. They then invented the testing equipment that diabetics use today. What would prevent a present-day diabetic from developing even better testing equipment?
If a diabetic is not an inventor, maybe he or she has the ability to become a writer or an artist. Today, our bookstores contain man books about different medical conditions. A diabetic might want to write or illustrate a new book about diabetes. A diabetic might feel compelled to present talks about diabetes.
There are many ways in which a diagnosis of diabetes can add to the richness of someone’s life. A diabetic has good reason to look forward to an enjoyable life. | 
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