Diabetes in the Closet

Receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis can be hard to handle for many people. What was your first reaction to your diagnosis? Were you okay with it or did you keep your diabetes diagnosis locked in the closet to keep away from others?

The initial diagnosis

I was officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with an A1c of 8.6%. I didn't really know how to handle it, nor did I know anything about it other than my mother and an aunt on my dad's side of the family had it.

My first reaction was: how am I gonna take care of this and what am I going to do for work since I cannot drive a truck (which is my full-time occupation) with high blood sugar? I couldn't ask my mom about it because she had already passed away from lung cancer. She was a trucker too.

I didn't tell anyone, not even my wife and kids, until the next day. I just needed the day to process everything. It was a lot for me to take in.

Telling people you have type 2 diabetes

After taking the day to process this, I told everyone I knew. It was embarrassing and felt like I had let myself down for making poor choices with food and living a sedentary life since coming into truck driving.

I felt like by telling everyone I knew, it would hold me accountable. It was not for attention or pity. My attitude with this was the same as my personality - I just took the bull by the horns. With everyone knowing, I didn't have to hide it and I'm not one to hide anything to start with.

I didn't really care what people thought of me. I only cared about what I was going to do about my diabetes and started doing tons and tons of research.

Research is important

In doing my own research, I learned about the general in's and out's of type 2 diabetes and what it is. You have to know what it is and how it affects you before you can really know how to manage it.

I started walking after every meal, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. My walking consisted of walking laps around my house. I reduced portion sizes and made lower carb choices, after learning about carbs of course.

After the 1st week, I dropped 10 pounds and this got me excited. From there, I gradually progressed to full-on physical fitness. I shared my A1c with friends and family to further hold myself accountable instead of hiding it.

Why do some keep it a secret?

I know a few people who have only let a handful of others know about their type 2 diabetes condition because they were embarrassed. So they tend to keep their diabetes in the closet.

People have their reasons to not let anyone know about it. It could be all the stereotyping, feeling like a failure, or just wanting to keep it private.

My experience telling other people

I feel that by letting others know, it sets you free from holding it in. You may get more support than you realize. If not, educate them on what diabetes is and that it's not just caused by living a crappy life.

By opening up, you might find out that others have it too but didn't tell you. I feel it's important to have support for it and be self-supportive and not worry about what others think of you.