[genie86333]

Mom was insulin-dependent type 2.

Also, I live a fairly sedentary lifestyle due both to sitting all day on the phone/computer at work & pain from childhood injuries (despite being overweight even then, I was a very active kid - riding (and getting bucked off) horses, gymnastics & a couple nasty bike-riding accidents, plus I got hit by a car while walking across the street when I was 14.)

[Amelie]

Many of my relatives on my mom's side of the family have type 2. My mother was diagnosed as prediabetic 10 years ago, and although her self-monitoring now shows her blood sugar is in the diabetic range, she still considers herself prediabetic because she hasn't been back to the doctor and received an official diagnosis of diabetes. So anyway, there's definitely a genetic factor.

I am also obese, which likely brought it on. I've always had the tendency to be fat ever since I was a little girl, in spite of healthy habits. Recently I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which runs on my dad's side of the family. That likely contributed to my weight problem. I've found it easier to lose weight since going on thyroid medication.

[Rad Warrier]

Originally Posted by Diabetican

My question is what was the reason you got diabetes?

Weight?

Family history?

Weight? No

Family history? Yes

But I would say I don't know.

Like most others, I thought I was invincible. For fifty three years I ate what I liked. And did not bother about the quantity. For the past three years, I continue to eat pretty much what I like. But only moderately. I now realize that I had been eating much more than what my body needed. Hopefully, I am now eating just what my body needs.

Regards,
Rad

[enigmalady777]

Family history of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in my case. Also weight for me.

I have a friend whose son was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at the age of 5. She said that her doctor told her it was because he had the chicken pox as a baby (he was 6 months old at the time).

[Rad Warrier]

Originally Posted by enigmalady777

Family history of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in my case. Also weight for me.

I have a friend whose son was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at the age of 5. She said that her doctor told her it was because he had the chicken pox as a baby (he was 6 months old at the time).

I had chicken pox in June 2005. I had a blood test in October 2005 and my fasting blood sugar was 7.6 mmol/L (137 mg/dL). The doctor ordered another blood test and the result was 7.4 mmol/L (133 mg/dL). I was diagnosed as diabetic then. But no time later the fasting blood sugar exceeded 7 mmol/L (126 mg/dL).

Insulin resistance might have been creeping up on me for a long time before I was diagnosed, and my pancreas might have been producing larger and larger quantities of insulin to overcome the insulin resistance. The chicken pox might have given a jolt to the pancreas and for some time thereafter it might have been unable to produce the needed quantity of insulin. Hence the higher than normal readings of 7.6 and 7.4. It might have recovered somewhat later and so I am not seeing these higher numbers now. Just one of the several possibile scenarios.

Regard,
Rad

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by enigmalady777

Family history of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in my case. Also weight for me.

I have a friend whose son was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at the age of 5. She said that her doctor told her it was because he had the chicken pox as a baby (he was 6 months old at the time).

I know I had chicken pox at some point as a child but so did my 5 siblings. They also had the same vaccinations, same genetics, same upbringing & diet. I'm the only only one with diabetes. Also diagnosed long after chicken pox!

[enigmalady777]

Originally Posted by poodlebone

I know I had chicken pox at some point as a child but so did my 5 siblings. They also had the same vaccinations, same genetics, same upbringing & diet. I'm the only only one with diabetes. Also diagnosed long after chicken pox!

When my friend told me about her son and the chickenpox, I had never heard of it causing diabetes before.

She explained that the doctor told her that because her son had it as a baby, particularly a baby under one year of age, his system was still developing and the chickenpox virus attacked his pancreas at a time when vital growth and development was still taking place.

This made some sense, but I still had never heard of this happening before.