Scarlet's post asking if anyone else was diagnosed shortly after the hpv shot got me wondering about what vast life situations others may have been going through at their time of diagnosis and if others believe that their situations had affected the timing of their diagnosis.
My friends mother was diagnosed at 52, and he blames her diagnosis on his brother because the brother ran away for a week and his mom was stressed because she thought he was dead. When the brother returned home, the mother was diagnosed.
I blame my teenage drug use for triggering it, when I was diagnosed I remember the worst part about being in the hospital was withdrawing in their wretched beds.
Some researchers believe that type 1 diabetes is genetic and its onset
can be triggered by environmental factors.
There probably isn't any correlation between our life situations and diabetes (fate always gets ya in the end), but disregarding that, if you could blame something, what do you 'blame'?
I have heard there is a correllation between viruses/infections and diagnosis. It is a possibility that the immune system overreacts to infection and will kill the beta cells as well as the illness. I personally had Strep throat at the time of diagnosis, and as a younger teen attended diabetes camp. We did a show of hands and at least 35 of the 45 kids in the room had an illness at the time of diagnosis.
I was diagnosed after I had a cold/hip inflammation caused by a virus, so that was likely my trigger. But I'm sure that even if I hadn't gotten sick at that time, eventually something would have triggered diabetes. The most logical thing to blame would be your parents, but even that makes no sense because it's not as if they could control their genes and know that their child would get diabetes. So I don't really blame anything, I've just come to accept it for what it is and get on with the rest of my life.
I was apparently really sick with the flu(I was 4 at the time and had to be admitted to the hospital for a few days) about a year before I was diagnosed, the doctors told my mom that was probably when it was triggered. do i blame the flu? No.
It happened, whether it was fate, "an act of god"(which I call bullshit on cuz I don't believe in "god"), karma or it was triggered by the flu virus.
What good is it going to do anyone blaming something/someone for their diagnosis? Will it cure their diabetes? Will it make it easier to deal with? No. It's just waste of energy.
I think that in order to cure diabetes, we first have to find out what triggers it and how to stop that, but I don't think we should go looking for something to blame just to try and make ourselves feel better or find "closure" for our diagnosis.
I feel very sad for your friend's little brother. I can't imagine how that kid feels having his own family member blame him for their mother's diagnosis.
I always think that I could have done a lot of things different to prevent or prolong my son's diagnosis. I kinda think that the medication I was on to prevent him from being born too early could have caused it.
The weird thing is that he got sick for the first time ever when he was nine months old. I also had a miscarriage when he was nine months old. He was diagnosed at 12 months old. I believe that he actually got diabetes when he was 9 months old and that's why I had the miscarriage. It's the silver lining on the dark cloud. (I know it's off topic.)
I just had the luck of the straw draw I guess! I know my Great Grandmother when she died at 85, they discovered she had diabetes, but it wasn't the cause of her dying. Maybe it's changed now, but back in my days, they said diabetes skipped every generation, so I guess my number was picked since no one else in my family has it (and I hope they never do).
From some of the medical dudes I talked to back in October when I attended the IDF Congress here in Montreal (5 days of glorious info - like being in a candy shop <lol>) - they admitted it's still really up in the air as to what causes Type 1.
So, I guess when I really think hard (notice the lights dimming in your neck of the woods at 11:30 p.m. EST)? I'd blame it on my Mum's side of the family. Besides diabetes, I have rosacea (skin condition), now having gum problems (my Mum had it really bad, all her teeth had to be removed in her early 30's), I'm slightly OCD (according to my endo I worry too much about perfect blood glucose readings <lol>) - these are all things I inherited from my Mum's side of the tree of life <lol>. My sense of humour from dealing with long term diabetes - thanks Papa - oh and watching Benny Hilland Monty
Python Flying Circus!
That is what I was always told growing up as well - that T1 skips a generation. It made sense to me, since my grandfather had it. He died of kidney failure (among other D-related complications) before my mom was even a teenager, and I'm the only other person in the family to get it. I sometimes wonder, if at some point, someone else on that side of the family will develop it as well - but I'll be very thankful if that thought never becomes reality.
I don't lay any blame. I'm not thankful for having it, but D has shaped me into who I am now - in every way - and for that, I am thankful. I like me!
I definately think genetics has alot to do with type 1 diabetes. Both my half sister and I were both diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and there is diabetes on both sides of my family, although most are type 2.
Enviormental factors is a big question in my town everyone says some things in the water ! In my town there is 15 +girls my age (15) all who have gotten diagnosied around the same time . Both sides of my family my grandparents have had it :0 but I think it just happens my family say I had it in my last life and I didnt tajke care of myself .... when I was sick and before I was diagnosied I asked my mom if I had to test my blood sugar every 2 hrs I never had a to check my blood sugar how'd I know that I also said I don't want to put insulin needles in my tummy weird hey
I was sick for a long time before being diagnosed. At the beginning it felt just like a cold that didn't go away. There is nothing I can really pin my diagnoses to. I have no family history of diabetes. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs (and never have). I shower regularly lol. I don't know, just random I suppose.
I don't know what to think. There is no one in my family with diabetes. Not my aunts, cousins, grandparents, great grandparents etc. No one. Not even type 2. And I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 16!
i don't play the blame game, even i wanted to i have nothing to point a finger at. no one in my family has t1. my parents and sister were genetically tested and none of them the genetic marker for t1. i was the lucky one. i hope to keep it that way. i find looking for something to blame or point a finger at creates stress and sometimes anger. it was over 20 years ago, what would be the point in trying to find my trigger now? then, once you think you've found the trigger, you start playing the "what if" game, which is equally as depressing. it still wouldn't change the fact i have diabetes. even if my parents did have the genes to bring about my diabetes, it wouldn't exactly make them feel good about themselves to know they passed it along to me.
Even though there is alot of diabetes in my family, i wouldnt blame genetics for getting this disease. Theres nothing that can be pinpointed down to the exact cause. Its better to just to accept that fact that it happened and try and make the best of the situation.
I have heard of a theory where some kind of injury or jolt to the system can trigger it. Maybe. When I was in the Marines they always told us not to lock our knees when at attention or parade rest because it could cause you to pass out. I guess one time I did and did indeed pass out and landed on my chin on the cement and had to have a few stitches. I did start to feel the symptoms shorty thereafter. Like within a month. I was diagnosed about 3 months later. So I have sometimes wondered about that. But could just be a coincidence.
Kim, I can tell you from personal experience that the skip generation thing is myth.
Kim, I can tell you from personal experience that the skip generation thing is myth.
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Yes, DDM, it is a myth. That is why I used past tense: made sense, not makes sense. :) I guess I should have elaborated further on what I meant by that.
Back when I was diagnosed in the 80s, my parents were told that type 1 skips a generation. My mother's father was diabetic, she didn't have it, but I got it. I also had a high fever shortly before I was diagnosed.
I considered these things to be factors, but I never blamed my grandfather or my mom. It is what is and I believe I am this way for a reason. Perhaps I'll never know why, but I may get lucky and find out! :)