Getting any diagnosis can be overwhelming. While grappling with the new diagnosis, you’re probably dealing with a range of emotions and wondering what’s next and how your life will change. During these times it can help to turn to family and friends for advice, but how do you do this when you don’t know exactly where to begin?
“There’s a stigma attached to type 2 diabetes,” says Camilla Levister, NP, a certified diabetes care and education specialist in the division of endocrinology, metabolism, and bone disease at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “A lot of patients I speak to have guilt or shame, or they’re worried they’ll be judged by family members,” Levister tells SELF.
Whether you want to talk to your loved ones about your condition for support or keep your family knowledgeable so they can take charge of their own health, it helps to have a plan in place. Here are some tips for talking to your loved ones about your type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
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Hold off until you’re comfortable.
Talking to your loved ones as soon as you receive a diagnosis may not always be best. In some cases, it may actually be more helpful to delay telling your loved ones about your diagnosis until you are more knowledgeable and comfortable about the condition, according to SELF.
This may include taking the time to actually learn about the condition, building your care team and learning the best ways to treat and manage it.
Need some additional help wrapping your head around type 2 diabetes?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and American Diabetes Association have lifestyle guides and resources for people who’ve just been diagnosed.
These resources may come in handy if your loved ones ask any tough questions—or offer off-base suggestions.
A primary care doctor can also help you connect with the perfect diabetes care team, SELF notes. This includes a diabetes specialist, endocrinologist, or a registered dietician or pharmacist who is also a certified diabetes educator.
If you’re up for it Alison Ward, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Washington Medicine’s Diabetes Institute at South Lake Union suggests trying a diabetes self-management course—a program that helps you learn to