What Do YOU Tell A Diabetes "Newbie?"

Listen Newbie - This is your life - this is your life with diabetes.

And this is me punching you in the crouch~

It seems like almost everyday I meet, or receive an email from, someone who (or who's love one has) been recently been diagnosed with diabetes.

I do my best to be supportive and talk honestly, and use humor when ever I can.

I wax poetic about the Diabetes On-line Community, the importance of finding a great Endo & encourage them to work closely with a Certified Diabetes Educator. I tell them of my love of pump therapy and reinforce that testing blood sugars are a must.

I explain to them about "The Diabetes Dark Ages", and how times have changed for the better.

I tell Diabetes Newbies that it's much better to own their diabetes instead of their diabetes owning them, and I find away to make positives out of their diabetes negatives.

But it's not all about what I tell them, because here's a SHOCKER -It's not all about me!

It's about what WE tell them - every single person out there living the diabetes life.

So my friends, what do you tell a Diabetes Newbie?

Or

When you were a newbie PWD, what advice did you receive that REALLY allowed you to start owning your diabetes?

And keep it clean folks! No advice/stories involving crouch punching!