Diabetes is a common disease. There are about 18.8 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes and about 7 million that have the disease that have not been diagnosed. Having the disease without knowing it puts you at risk to develop severe problems without knowing the cause. If either or both of your parents had Type II diabetes, you should get tested by your doctor. Carrying excess weight puts you at risk for diabetes, too. It is a simple blood test--don't panic.
Treatment may mean making some changes in how and what you eat, adding exercise to your daily schedule, and medication by mouth or injection, but you can do this. Most people who are diagnosed as adults do not require insulin, but medication by mouth will controlled the blood sugar sufficiently to prevent high readings.
You don't even have to swear off candy and desserts forever. You do have to eat small portions of sweets and be respoonsible for your own eating behavior.
You may be able to lose weight and add exercise to help your situation. Losing weight increases the efficiency of the insulin producing cells. The insulin you make has less territory to cover when you lose weight.
Exercise helps the efficiency too. Begin with walking, cycling, or swimming. You don't have to be a jock, just use your energy to build muscle not fat. When I was first diagnosed, I began using a stationary bike and eating more vegetables and lost about 20 to 30 pounds. It was several years before I required any medication to control the blood sugar. For more information see the entries on diabetes under Health and Illness Stuff on this site.
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