So...for the first time in about 10 months in weight watchers i talked about diabetes. I had a bad week, and my insulin levls were up a bit so i gained weight this week, and i heard from 5 people that their husbands had diabetes. I am sorry that they do, but this is why i try not to bring it up. I told them staight out that if i lost the weight i wanted to i would still have diabetes and i have had it since i was a child. Someone acually told me they know of a way for diabetics to lose a ton of weight easily....dont take medicine. Ummmm...i told her i would rather be overweight that unheathly!!! It really must look so easy from the outside!!! It is really hard to lose weight but i had some really good break thoughs in the past few months!! But it ( T1) will not go away...and my health is a priority...which is hard for people to understand!!!
I am so with you; I can't stand it! How about when you tell people you are a diabetic and they say ohh you aren't overweight and it's like duhhh because my diabetes has absolutely nothing to do with my weight. I want to scream. I want people to know that the only thing that type 1 and type 2 have in common is that diabetes is attached to both. Its so frustrating; it makes having this condition so much harder because its even so much more misunderstand and people think it's just about being overweight and it's something you can control getting and that maybe if you lose weight you can make it go away; when in fact this is the complete opposite! Diabetes, Type 1 is the oldest disease/condition with no cure or prevention!
I TOTALLY AGREE!!!! I hate when people find out I'm diabetic and they say things like "But you're not fat" or "Oh, you must have eaten too much sugar". I guess if I wasn't diabetic, I might say the same incorrect statements, but it's so frustrating!! I wish Type 2 and Type 1 were called two totally different things, so people wouldn't get so confused. Type 2's basically have to take a pill, and we're the one who have to constantly check our blood sugar, take shots, etc. It's not fair to even put those in the same category!
I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU ALL!
I hate saying I'm diabetic because people assume I have T2.
I also hate the fact that everything related to diabetes is for T2!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
The oldest record of diabetes is found in 1552 BC in Egypt. Did any of you know it was recognized that long ago? If you Google diabetes, 1552 BC you can read all about it.
[quote user="Sarah"]
Type 2's basically have to take a pill, and we're the one who have to constantly check our blood sugar, take shots, etc. It's not fair to even put those in the same category!
[/quote]Both T1 and T2 (and LADA and gestational, for that matter) have insulin problems. T2's have to check blood sugars, too (though, if they are not taking insulin, they don't see as much fluctuation). Some T2's take shots, and some even wear insulin pumps. Some people with T2 aren't overweight; they actually led really healthy lives before diagnosis. I know it's easy to do, but let's not lump all T2's into one category. Some of them "get it", too - but in a different way.
And, to be the devil's advocate, the T2's could easily view it the opposite way: "Type 1's basically just take insulin for whatever they want to eat, and we're the ones who constantly have to exercise and stick to a strict diet."
[quote user="Kim"]
Some people with T2 aren't overweight; they actually led really healthy lives before diagnosis. I know it's easy to do, but let's not lump all T2's into one category. Some of them "get it", too - but in a different way.
[/quote]
Great point Kim. Actually, we've long been supporters of the American Diabetes Association because Type 2 runs in my family. My grandpa's parents both died young (50's) of complications of type 2. And my grandfather, who was at one time overweight but got that under control, was type 2 and insulin dependent from somewhere around age 40 I think. He lived to be nearly 90, and it was always his fear that my sister or I would be afflicted so he was constantly encouraging my parents to make sure we ate well and exercised. Kind of ironic that his great-granddaughter ended up with type 1.
[quote user="Kim"]
And, to be the devil's advocate, the T2's could easily view it the opposite way: "Type 1's basically just take insulin for whatever they want to eat, and we're the ones who constantly have to exercise and stick to a strict diet."
[/quote]
That's a great point! I never bothered to think of how they view us.
I agree the sterotypes are annoying, especially when people argue with me about why I have it..ugh..
It is true that a T1 could have it easier if they werent overweight in the eyes of a T2. To also go with that point, my husband always tries to make me feel better saying many T2 make a little insulin or are just reistant, and it must be hard to judge how much insulin/medication they need cause their bodies are unreliable, where at least I know I don't make any insulin and whatever I take, i know it is the only insulin in my body. Its a long shot...but?? Unfortunatley I am a litlle overweight, and now in my 30's, I always get assumed to be T2, so i just don't like people thinking this is all my fault and I should just deal with it and lose weight! Thats the way I felt when I was talking that day because "their" husbands had diabetes (T2) and dont understand how they could continue to eat knowing that they wouldn't have it if they could just control themselves. Just bothered me that probebly assumed I could get rid of it also.
[quote user="Cynthia"]
Someone acually told me they know of a way for diabetics to lose a ton of weight easily....dont take medicine. Ummmm...i told her i would rather be overweight that unheathly!!!
[/quote]
Wow, I'm surprised someone said that! Good for you for explaining it wasn't a healthy option. Diabulimia is an extremely serious illness, so it really scares me that someone is going around suggesting it. Wow, wow, and wow. Disturbing!
Do you always know if you're T1 or T2? I know some situations are obvious. If you can control your sugar strictly through diet and some oral medications - then it's easy to say T2. But if you're insulin dependent could you be diagnosed as T1 when you're really T2 or vice versa? I was diagnosed as T1 when I was 3 but my endo swears that I'm still producing insulin b/c I need such a small amount for my weight and every so often my insulin requirement will half itself. So I'm 150lb 36 year old female that takes between 20 - 10 units total daily. I think there are probably T2's out there that require about the same amount of insulin. I've never had a c-peptide performed so isn't it possible that I could be an insulin dependent T2? Or is 3 years old too young to be T2?
Do endocrinologist now perform c-peptide tests prior to diagnosing diabetics? Or do they see an elevated blood sugar and spontaneously give insulin which then voids the c-peptide result? And if a newly diagnosed T1 is still on their honeymoon (producing some insulin) but also injecting is a c-peptide taken at a later date to confirm that they are truly T1 not insulin dependent T2 (this would require that you allow all injected insulin to run out of your system prior to taking the test)?
Either way I'm still insulin dependent. It's just something I've always wondered.
I have started to tell people that they are 2 completely different conditions/diseases, but produce similar symptoms, which is probably why they are named the same. The end result of both is the body doesn't get the sugar out of the blood correctly, most people just have no idea what the difference is, but pretend like they do, which is eternally irritating.
[quote user="jaco1199"]Do endocrinologist now perform c-peptide tests prior to diagnosing diabetics? Or do they see an elevated blood sugar and spontaneously give insulin which then voids the c-peptide result?[/quote]
I don't think they'd ever give insulin to a brand new diabetic until they've drawn the blood for necessary tests.
In my experience, my doctor ran a lab that came up with high BG, and she called me back in to retest my BG plus how much insulin was in my system (is that the c-peptide test?) and some other things I don't recall. She said that my body was producing a very, very low amount of insulin, which is how she knew I was type 1. Type 2 diabetics usually have very elevated levels of insulin, because their primary issue (until very far into their disease) is insulin RESISTANCE. Their pancreases try and create more and more insulin to make up for that (which is how their pancreases get worn out).
You know, my point in sharing "my experience" with diagnosis: I was (and still am) honeymooning, but they won't have to go back and retest me because the very fact that I'm producing so little insulin is how they know I'm T1....
But thinking about your comment some more reminded me of something my mom told me when I was just diagnosed:
My mom (a nurse) talked to the diabetes educator where she works. She said that there have been some very rare occasions where a T2 person was diagnosed as T1 because of low insulin levels, but it's just a result of their pancreas wearing out that much before diagnosis (normally, that takes a very long time to happen)... but in cases where the pancreas has worn out that quickly, it can kick back in after insulin injections give a rest... to the point where the insulin needs become little to none.
So, actually jaco.... yeah! You're right! That has happened!!! My brain just blanked on that whole conversation with my mom. I think I've probably intentionally forgotten it because I don't want to get my hopes up that I'd somehow be one of those very rare cases. :(
It seems like maybe testing for the antibodies would be a more fool-proof way of distinguishing between the two, when insulin levels are very low. I know they didn't test me for them. I wonder how commonly the test is run?