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Hello, and Welcome, Fellow Diabetic,

if you've just discovered you might be a diabetic, the first thing you need to do is to find out what it is is exactly, how you control it and the health risks you may have because of it.

• The bad news: it is a life-long condition that can be life-threatening. At the moment there is no easily applied 'cure'.
• The good news: it is controllable and, when properly controlled, should not prevent you from leading a normal life. And there have been great inroads to understanding the condition and how to cope with it.

People are becoming more aware of diabetes – and you may have come across it before now, especially as it is reckoned to be increasing at an alarming rate. The majority of cases diagnosed are type 2 and, if you've just been diagnosed, there's a high probability that is the type you have. If a child is diagnosed with the condition it is, more often than not, type 1.

The most worrying aspect of this disease – especially if it isn't properly controlled – is the other health problems it can lead to; such as heart and kidney problems, which can be life-threatening. These risks can be minimized with good control.

An important part of the control you must have is your diet. Medical opinion about eating plans for blood sugar control has changed a great deal since the early 1980s (when I was diagnosed). Because creating a healthy eating plan is the norm for most families these days, it is not as difficult to control your blood sugar levels as it used to be.

When you are newly diagnosed it can be very scary. Knowing what other people have experienced and what they discovered can be a comfort and inspiration. You can find these on the Diabetes Stories page.

What this Site Contains

On this site you'll find a collection of informative publications/articles; stories; case studies; success stories of famous people - who have achieved in spite of being a diabetic (as anyone can); information on how to care for yourself or your diabetic relative; products that may help with testing or control; diabetes alert jewelry and other useful accessories.

I've also gathered some tasty recipes for you to try. Recipes that take into account your diabetic dietary needs. Visit the Diabetes Recipes page for a large selection of free diabetic recipes - and yes, there are some treats for those of us who still have a sweet-tooth! If you like cheesecake - look for my favorite 'pineapple cheesecake for diabetics' recipe!

This site is 'live'; what I mean by that is it will grow as I add more information – especially news on the research that is happening all over the globe. So do bookmark this site in your favorites or use the orange RSS/XML buttons on the left to add my mini-blog to your news reader. Or you can add it toyour My Yahoo, My MSN or Google page.

Explore what this web site contains now and do come back to check it out regularly.

The Small Print...

Well, it's not really the small-print - I'm not going to make you squint to read it!

But there is one thing you do need to know... this collection of tips is purely information I've gathered for easy access. I am not a qualified medical professional - like you (or your loved one) I am simply a diabetic - so please, before you follow any advice or use any information you find on this site do check with your diabetic medical team, especially if you have any concerns.

You see, it's not practical for me to test every bit of 'know-how' or advice I find, although I've researched as much as I can. At the end of the day I cannot endorse anything or take any responsibility for the results you may or may not get by using the information you find on or linked to this site.

Having said that - I do sincerely hope you find this web site interesting, informative and enlightening and that it does help you - even if only in a small way - to understand and live with your diabetes.

Kind regards

Carol Ann

P.S. If you are interested in 'my story' about being diagnosed as having Type 2 diabetes Click here