Hello, new to the site and recently diagnosed a T1. Have been T2 for 20 years and used insulin most of that time and been on a pump most of the time since 2008. Of course, I was diagnosed with T1 just before losing my health insurance, there is no state medical coverage for adults here. So I have to manage until my new health insurance kicks in, about 4 months from now. I know T1 is treated differently than T2, for one, no more “pump holidays”. I need to find out about losing weight while on the pump. I know now weight loss will never “cure” my diabetes, as touted by the weightloss “experts”, but it will greatly improve my diabetes control. Hoping to find others that first had T2 and have later been diagnosed with T1, What changed did you have to make?
Hi Christopher @cyarber, did you really HAVE type 2 for 20 years or did you have TypeOne which is commonly misdiagnosed by ‘medical doctors’ because they get a peek at birth certificates? Diagnosing an adult as T2 is the simple and easy way - but at least you were properly treated by beginning you on insulin.
I’ve never been told to loose weight so I can’t help there much; in the months before I was diagnosed on my 16th birthday I dropped about 25 pounds - at 5’ 10" I went down to 120 - and have struggled to keep weight on in my 60+ years living with diabetes. I suggest that you find a good, medicinally aware, nutritionist / dietitian who will analyze your body, not just diabetes, your activities and full nutrition needs and working with your doctor set a goal for you. It may be simple changes for you or it might mean a complete change in your well-established habits. For me, eating is as much a habit as anything else but over the years I’ve been more active than many of my counter-persons and have done just about everything in life - it helps that my wife of more than 50 years feeds me well and that she is a good cook.
Good luck with T1D travels, and now that you have been on this site for a couple of hours, a Warm Welcome to TypeOneNation!
Dennis, I’ve been told a few different scenarios are possible:
Scenario 1, misdiagnosed although, as my mother was diabetic, with the other medical issues I had I was tested regularly for diabetes, prediabetic at 13, then not tested for several years.
Scenario 2: misdiagnosed again. When I finally got out on my own and got my own insurance, I was tested again, and again told type 2, however, over the years, moving, changing doctors etc, I know I was not properly tested by the new doctors, so it is possible I have been type 1 much longer, you can be type 2 and develope type 1 diabetes over the years if not properly controlled or treated. Fortunately, I could not tolerate metformin, it made me violently ill, so they had to put me on insulin.
Scenario 3: Correctly diagnosed as type 2 and developed type 1 from medication such as Victoza and other underlying medical issues. This is the one that I think is more likely. I think my pancreas was already taxed with poor control of diabetes and other issues, and when we added Victoza for 2 years, it finally gave out.
Thanks for the welcome. I know this is going to be a lifelong journey, but as I’ve always said: I have diabetes, diabetes does NOT have me.
You’re so right Christopher @cyarbera lifelong journey and learning experience without any holidays; as I have said, we life with it 24/L.
I had never heard that any of the varieties of T2 could cause TypeOne - but I suppose everything is possible; one T2 that could do that might be the “Agent Orange” diabetes - were you heavily exposed to agent orange?. In order for T2 to “cause” T1, the T2 would need to somehow take over the immune/autoimmune system of a body. I’ll bounce your theorem off a research scientist when I’m next with her.
Hi Christopher. My hubby was also T2 for about 20 years before becoming T1. As a T2 he took glyberide and metformin for more than a decade before starting to supplement with insulin. Eventually, the T2 meds stopped working for him. By then he already had celiac disease, and additional testing showed he now had T1 as well.
I’m also T1, and we’re both pumpers with cgm’s. We’ve both gained weight, and find it nearly impossible to take any off. For me, diet is more effective than heavy exercise. I’ve lost a little weight eating plant based, but not enough to put me in the healthy range. At my next appointment I’m going to ask about the new drug that may help with weight loss as shown in tv ads.
I was not exposed to it, but my father was exposed to agent orange in Korea. But this is a case where T2 was either misdiagnosed, or the medication (Victoza) caused it. I do know that my T2 was a result of autoimmune system attacking the body. I have Chronic Inflammation Syndrome, “unknown cause” Heart, Kidneys, joints, God knows what else, all affected.
Once I have insurance again, I am going to try weight loss program and surgery again. As long as they will do the surgery I want or some new form of it. I am not going to ruin my stomach, or re-arrange my insides, when I know it will never cure my diabetes. Plus every single person I have seen do the current “gold standard” Ruen-Y (I call the “ruined why”) has suffered pretty serious side effects Some that could kill a diabetic. Whereas, yes, the lap-band still carries some risks, but, it can be adjusted, without more surgery. It can be easily removed if there are serious complications and not a major surgery. And, it has proven a great aid in the control of diabetes.