Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year - An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (Patient-expert Guides)

"We bought this and 'Diabetes for Dummies' when my husband was diagnosed with Type 2. Between the pair of them, these books have been utterly invaluable in educating us about how to cope with the condition, and how reduce the damage caused by diabetes. From near hospitalisation some four months ago, following the medical advice and leaning heavily on Gretchen's understandings and knowledge, his blood glucose is now firmly under control and his level of risk has dropped dramatically.

Gretchen's approach is to give you bites of information in chunks that you can absorb and understand -- a little on each area to start with, becoming more in depth as you become familiar with the terms and how your condition affects you.

It's a very different approach to the textbook style, and it means you don't get overloaded with technical info too early on.
She's very good at giving real life examples, and it helps to know that the author herself has written the book from her own personal experience. Many doctors and nurses have theoretical knowledge -- but Gretchen's viewpoint is from a fellow diabetic, and it is very insightful.

Where you may find it tricky is that you can feel a bit lectured now and then. There's also quite a lot of time spent discussing depression, foods you can't eat, and so on -- this may be helpful for you but for us it was overkill at times! (Does anyone really test 20 times a day, or get up at 2am to test?!)

Overall, however, The First Year has given us masses of information and plenty of encouragement. It dismisses many myths and expensive options which are dead-ends, and targetted our efforts towards diet, exercise and understanding.

If you've just been diagnosed then this is a must-have for your shelf.
It falls just short of the five-star category -- there are sections which you won't find useful or which may actually discourage you! -- but it is generally easy to read, written by a real person and applicable to real people.

A diagnosis is only a beginning, and this book will certainly help you with the journey...
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~ Written on 2007-05-18

"My husband has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The shock and panic - 'what do we do next' has been alleviated by this excellent book. It gives answers or advice to all your questions plus more. There is a very useful chapter dedicated to diabetes and the NHS with a lot of stuff we didn't know about. "
~ Written on 2007-05-08

"My mum has found this book to be invaluable, it has helped her with the roller coaster of emotions, Gretchin has written in clear and easy to understand way with a little humour here and there to help you through being diagnosed. My mum and myself would highly recommended this book to anyone who has just been diagnosed."
~ Written on 2007-04-03

"My husband was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes - I can't remember when he last visited a doctor before all this kicked off so it came as an enormous shock to find he was ill and would need to adjust 50 odd year old habits for the rest of our lives. This amazing "bible" gives you answers to all your questions and worries. No matter what you're wondering , somewhere in the pages of this book you will find an answer! It currently sits on our coffee table and is frequently browsed through by one or the other of us each day to add to our data base!! If you need a book to help you through this confusing time buy this one - it's worth every penny."
~ Written on 2006-11-16

"Quite a helpful book as it explains a lot about diabetes and is written plain language. Worth a look at."
~ Written on 2005-06-05