My story

[Tony]

I have type 1 diabetes for 8 years now. up until a year ago i thought had type 2. Change of dr. is what change that thought. My first said i had type 2

I'm now on the insulin pump i take 30 to 40 units a day.
My last hba1c was 8.7, tring to lower that.

Tony

[rainbow]

What type of diabetes you have depends on whether or not your body makes insulin. If it makes no insulin at all, you have type I. If it makes insulin but your body can't use it, you have type II.

Doctors are trying to get away from the old terms "juvenile" and "adult onset" diabetes because younger and younger people are getting type II.

[Tony]

And how do we know if your boby makes insulin? Is this when the pills don't work for you any more?

[rainbow]

If the pills ever worked for you at all, in your entire life, you do not have type I. If you have type I, pills do not work. Never, ever. Pills only work if there is insulin in your body.

If the pills worked at one time but do not work any more, that does not mean you started out with Type II but then changed to type I. It just means that for whatever reason, the pancreas got pooped out and stopped making insulin, or that the pills just didn't do the job and you needed insulin injections because the pancreas didn't make enough insulin to do the job. Not being an endocrinologist, I can't say what type a person has with exact certainty.

Type I comes on very suddenly. Type II develops gradually.

How can you tell if you have insulin in your body? That I do not know. I assume there is some sort of test for it, a blood test of some sort.

Sometimes I wonder if there is some sort of intermediate type of diabetes that has some characteristics of both Type I and Type II!

[Tony]

Sometimes I wonder if there is some sort of intermediate type of diabetes that has some characteristics of both Type I and Type II!



I did here something about that at one time. But i forgot the name of it.

[Tony]

Diabetesforums will tell us in time which type of diabetes is more popular, 1 or 2.

Hello, this is my very first time in a message board . :-) I am a Type 1 diabetic for 34 years. I started out on insulin but in the last year and a half have been on a pump. I LOVE IT. My A1c tests for the year and a half have been between 5.3 and 5.8.

I wonder about Type I and Type II diabetes--they say Type II is caused from being overweight but I know A LOT of people who are pencil thin but older and have type II and then on the other hand, I know a lot of people who are obese who do not have diabetes, so not sure exactly what happens. (I have always been very petite and short)

They are looking into germs and thinking maybe something in childhood causes diabetes but that is only a theory at this point. Like measles or chicken pox....and why do a lot of women get diabetes in the last 3 months of pregnancy?????

I also have 3 friends who were not diabetic and all three were in different car wrecks and all three now have diabetes (after the wreck)--what happens to the pancreas or body in shock or trama or is it just a coincidence.

Thank you very much...Suzie

[rainbow]

Type I is an autoimmune condition. Mine was caused by a virus, not by vaccines.

The thing about Type II and weight gain is that insulin resistence causes weight gain. So it's really the opposite way from what most people think. Insulin resistence causes weight gain, and most people with Type II have insulin resistence, so Type II causes weight gain, not weight gain causes Type II.

And Type II is genetic, so anyone with a family history of Type II is likely to get it, overweight or not.

That's interesting information--thank you for the info. ~Suzie

[Rebecca]

I am new here, but I have read some of the posts here, and I saw the question, on how do they know if your body produces insulin or not. There is a blood test that can determine if your body is producing any insulin or how much. it is called a C-PEPTIDE and that can determine if and how much insulin that the beta cells in your pancreas is producing

Rebecca

[padir]

:D hello all,

i am a type 1 diabetic since oct 97, i am nearly 21 years old and live in ireland, unfortunately in ireland we are well behind in diabetes technology. there is no sign of a pump becomming the norm yet.

i am taking 4 injections a day and my last hba1c was 7.6 (pretty ok for me i can tell you)

is the pump as good as they say ?? or is it just something new

Hi Rebecca & Welcome

I'm learning alot here and have had this disease 34 years ;-). I knew I didn't produce any insulin but never thought to ask any doctor how he knew. Happy to know about the peptides.
Thank you for the information.
Suzie

Welcome. Wow -you take a lot of shots. I took shots for 33 years and for the last year and a half have been on an insulin pump--I LOVE it. I am sorry you do not have the technology in Ireland. I hope some day you may. It is a lifesavor for me. I didn't have trouble with my diabetes until my late 40's.
I started dropping in my sleep every other night and would go into seizures. then I would have blood sugars of 300 and an hour later would drop to 30. This was almost every day. No amount of shots would help. My doctor tried different types and I still dropped. I'm suprised my brain is still working but hubby says that is debatable :-)
The pump is great YES. I am on a MiniMed pump-You can go to the site http://www.mimimed.com and see about it. What I like is you set the pump to your lifestyle and you have a steady flow of insulin going thru your body and you don't have the rise and fall of insulin peaks....and when you eat you add more insulin to match the carbohydrates in your food by a touch of a button.
If I over exercise or do too much I do drop but it is not like it was before. Also, my food digests better and I like that. For the year and a half my A1c tests have been between 5.3 and 5.8.
I wish you the best.
Suzie

[Gina]

Hello everyone...
Im gina a 26 old type 1 diabetic...I have been having problems getting onto this site ...but finally am here ...yaaaay:D Anyway I was diagnosed last year...November 25th 2000...a day I will never forget...At first I was very depressed about having diabetes...for almost 8 months i was in some sort of depression...the diabetes was really controlling my life...actually it was the first endo i had that was making me crazy ...he was telling me i should be able to handle having diabetes after only having it two months...blah blah ...so i dumped him like a hot potato and got a new doctor who changed my life....any way a year later almost to the day November 27th...I started pump therapy and totally love it!!! I wish everyone who has type 1 would be on it ...it makes you almost have a normal life...not that its not normal but i guess maybe just easier...Im so happy to have found this site...to exchange ideas with other people dealing with the same things I am ....
Hello again
~gina

Glad you are doing much better and hope you do well on the pump. Living with diabetes is not easy but the pump does make life alot better. The only thing I don't like about the pump is, if it stops in the night or you possible do not get the carbo right and your blood sugar rises--you get or at least i do --get ketones fast. but it is easy to get my sugar down with the bolus.
One thing does strike me as odd. I count my insulin and carbos different then most everyone. If anyone else does it this way--please let me know. This is how my doctor and MiniMed prescribed it for me-but it may be this way because I had such radical highs and lows.
The amount of basal is based on the amount of insulin I took daily with shots.I have four different basal rates. I count the carbos I eat for my bolusfor food, Say I have 40 carbos for breakfast. I divide that number by 20--ALWAYS use 20 for dividing carbos ---no matter what the number. So I 40 divided by 20 is 2. for my meal. Now --my sugar ratio is 80 to 140 but I am allowed to go to 170 at night because I still drop in my sleep but not too low now. That means my level of sugar when I test should be between 80 and 140 during the day. At night It can go to 170 and will be OK. If at any time it is over these amounts --say I do a finger stick before a meal and it is 220-I subtract 120 from 220 which gives me 100. Then I divide 100 by 65 which is 1.5 but I bolus 1. to cover the high sugar. Then bolus my regular carbo count for lunch by 20. Say 60 divided by 20 is 3. It sounds confusing but works great.
Most everyone I know divides like tony said in his post.
Thanks
Suzie

[Tony]

Well you did kind of lose me.

I also have a slinding scale where if my bg is high then i take extra, depending what is on my chart. Or if the bg is lower then i would take less.

[Gina]

Suzie....
I think that maybe? we have the same procedure of carb to insulin ratio..Im so horrible in math...This is how i do it!! Since my carb to insulin ratio is 1:15 (for every 15 carbs I eat I use one unit of insulin..for those who dont know!) then lets say before i eat ..my sugar is 200...Now my target range to be in is 130....so I subtract 200 from 130 and get 70 ..therefore I am 70 units over what my target level is suppose to be...Now my correction scale is a 1:25 (for every unit over 130 ) now its starting to get a little confusing but this is what i do ..The 70 units i am over...I divide it by 25 and get my correction bolus ...So now i divide 70 into 25 and get 2.8 and 2.8 is the bolus...See how easy even I can do it without being a mathematician :D
Now for nighttime...my target range is 150 so if i am less than 150 i cut back .1 units on my basal scale so i will not go low during the night and if its above 200 i add .1 units...Pumping is it exciting !!!

[Wedge]

Hello to everyone I finally got through. For the person from Ireland You dont have to have the pump to be in good diabetic control. I dont use the pump. I use a needles injector. My hbac are 5.8 to 5.2. The main reason I dont use the pump is because im a fireman and i dont think the meter could take the Heat of a fire. Im also a very active nut. I scuba,Karate,weightlifting,sky dive,ride motorcycles and race cars. My hole point to all this is that for me is seems the pump would get in my way. If not the heat of a fire then a good roundhouse kick to the meter or the water pres at 80 feet would probably break it if it was even water proof. Dont get me wrong I think and know its a great tool but just not for everyone. In fact my sister uses it. Until I get off my adrenelin rushes im going to keep using the injector. I know I have way to many hobbies but there like drugs to me I love them all. Im also very big into nutrition and would help anyone if they were having any trouble. Ok dont blast me now but I dont fallow the typical Diabetic diet. In my OPINION startches are nothing but poisen to a Diabetic. Pastas,breads,crackers,milk are nothing more then sugar-sugar-sugar. I have been eating like this for 10 years im 31 and had type one when I was 11. Before this eating style my hbac were terrible in the 8.0 to 10.0 and I felt terrible. I also had slight kidney damage. All of this stopped 6 months after changing how I ate and stopped following the diaticion diet. My Kidneys are back to normal no other side effects. My only other real serius problem is I dont feel low blood sugar either like I used to. Could be the switch to Humilin or the 10 years of eating like a jerk. We all know how dangerous this can be so I do check myself often with my blood meter. What I have learned at least for me is that a higher protein diet will not hurt kidneys. The higher blood sugar is the main problem. Remember I already had damaged my Kidneys but reversed the Damage by following a low carbohydrate eating plan. Sorry im not trying to preach But I feal realy strongly about this and get upset when so many Diabetics are totaly mislead. Everyone thought I was nuts and now even my doctor is suprised by my hbac and my Kidney function. If you guys think im nuts read Dr. Bernstein Diabetic solutions ACOMPLETE GUIDE TO NORMAL BLOOD SUGARS AND with that less side effects. This man is a Doctor and a Diabetic so he knows what were feeling and going through. Take care all of you and lets keep in touch. RUBBER DOWN Wedge.(sorry i cant spell very well):cool:

WEDGE__I totally agree with you-I am SOooooooo glad you took control of you and did something .I have Dr. Bernsteins book too-and YES --I think there is WAY too many carbohydrates on the ADA diabetic diet . I have NOT eaten that many carbs for a long time, but protein for some strange reason HOLDS the sugar in my body and I have to be careful how much of that I eat but if I eat SMALL amounts of SOME carbos I seem to do better and I exercise like crazy and actually have more muscles in my legs (and mouth--oops from talking) then my hubby LOL
I think each and every diabetic needs to try and retry to find what will work for you---a doctor can't do it-but nutricians can but most of the ones I have found have said--if you don't stick to this you will get very sick--etc etc--I have this theory that if something does not work --you don't keep doing it or eating it-you try something else-I would love to be a mad scientist. ;-)
Glad you are doing well with your glucose--sounds great to me and I agree with you--if what you are doing is working then don't change-you have to live your life for you. I am very happy for you and good luck.
Suzie

Dear Gina.
YES we do it the same way--glad to see someone does it like this too-there is another way to do it but it boggles my brain and all the ones here were taught different except me adn I thought I was goofy. You divide by 15 for your bolus with carbos-i divide by 20. for your correction bolus you divide by 25--I divide by 65. It is working great so far. :-)
thanks
Suzie

[Wedge]

Dream artist the reason sometimes the sugar goes up from to much protein is because the liver starts to make glucose. This isnt bad just meens the liver is doing its job to break the protein down.RUBBER DOWN Wedge:cool:

Thanks Wedge~Thumbs Up Suzie

[teacher2000]

Hi all.

Wedge,

Thanks for the info on the diet and book. Do you think this low carb diet would be good for a growing young child? I will get the book and check it out. I don't like how much her blood sugar fluctuates from so low to so high all the time. I can't believe that doesn't cause some damage. Whenever I call her team with concerns they say, welcome to the world of diabetes. I can't believe that's the answer.

[Gina]

I dont think a low carb diet would be good for a child....because of the fact that they are very active and burn up the carbs faster than an adult....and as for the problem you had with her with highs and lows...when you have a child its harder to control their blood sugars ....maybe you should talk to your doctor about easing up on her insulin a little bit???...im not sure but it sounds to me that she has a low and then you may give her too much carbohydrates to correct the low...that would result in highs...im not a doctor so i cant really tell plus i dont know her medication or stuff like how active she is!! im just making an educated guess...How many shots does she take during the day!! when giving your child some sugar to correct a low it really depends on how low your low is like if its 40 maybe try giving her 30 carbs for correction i dont know if they told you this but mabye try giving her juice boxes i know the ones for kids are 15 carbs in each box..
~GINA

[Mick]

Hi, all! I got an e-mail from Tony a week or so ago about this new site and finally came over to check it out--it seems like there are more and more people logging on. That's great. Us type 1's need all the support we can get!

My name is Michael, and I've been type 1 since 1965, when I went into a DKA coma at age 12, with a sugar level in the 900's, a ruptured appendix and septic shock. I almost didn't make it (coma for 4 days), but 'they' didn't want me then and sent me back! I've been very happy ever since just to be alive, diabetic or not. When I got home from the hospital after diagnosis, they gave me a glass syringe with a needle so thick it looked like a 10-penny nail--I had to boil it on the stove before every injection. A few months after that, I got a new glass syringe which used the new disposible needles, so even though I still had to boil the syringe, I got a sharp needle for each shot--that was a big improvement! The advancements seemed to stop there for about the next 20 years, until they invented the HgA1c test, home glucose meters, insulin pens and pumps. Human insulin seemed like a good idea at the time, but caused hypoglycemic unawareness. Since going off it and on to the analog insulins (Humalog & Lantus), my awareness of hypos has returned and I have defused the walking time bomb I used to be! I take 4 shots a day, test 5-6 times a day and otherwise go my merry way. I count carbs, watch what I eat, exercise very regularly and have no major complications... yet. Unless you want to count the heart attack 2 years ago (mabe it had something to do with the diabetes, maybe not...) That resulted in a triple by-pass, and a diet so low in fat that I have little left in my diet that I CAN eat--but, that hasn't affected my appetite any, and I feel great again.

Hope to go another 37 years with diabetes, just to prove I can!

Michael

[Wedge]

Gina is correct for a child u want some more carbs but like only a 40-Protein--30%carbs--30% fat. Most kids eat a 80% carb diet at least. Remember carbs in excess just turn into fat. Hence the increase in childhood Diabetes. America is the only country that eats like this and we have the highest diabetes ratio then anyone else.Hope this helps would never give u bad info especially when it comes to kids. Take Care. :cool:

[Jon]

I have been looking in to having my son get an insulin pump. He is 11 years old. I have heard so many great things about them, but the doctor doesnt think he is ready because he does not have good math skills. After reading the last post, I can understand why that is important. My son is also afraid to try it because he is very active and is afraid that it will get in the way. We have never actually seen a pump, or how it attaches to the body. He is worried that it would catch on something and hurt him when it ripped out.

Dear Jon,
It is normal to be worried and concerned. I am the worst person on the planet with math. I started with a calculator and now I can do the bolus in my head. It actually helped my math skills.
I am not sure about all the pumps but MiniMed teaches "all " about the pump from step to step and at first it seems overwhelming but after each session, you gain confidence. and they are VERY understanding.
As for active. that is no problem. There is a sports guard that protects the pump in say football, sports or swimming. It does great. He can lead a perfectly normal life with the pump. I have pulled my set out in my sleep and hit the infusion set on my desk and knocked it out but it didn't hurt that bad. I just redid it and went all was well.
I wish that 34 years ago I would have started on the pump. I LOVE it. (I am 51 years old)
Good luck to you all.

[Mick]

Jon--I've read a couple of your posts about your son. I also have an 11 year old son, and I agree that he is too young for a pump just yet. I'd say 13 or so would be minimum--the math skills are only part of it, it's also responsibility and maturity. My oldest (now 19) begged for contact lenses when she was that age, and when we gave in it turned into a disaster. She just didn't have the responsibility to take their "care & feeding" seriously enough. We gave it another go 2 years later and she handled it fine. I'd say age 13 is probably a good age to shoot for with a pump as well--the transition to teenager makes a kid sit up and take notice of their potential. The physical care of it is another thing--boys that age tend to wreck everything with their physical hijinks without even knowing what they are doing. Sports, tree-climbing, bike riding, skateboarding and just plain horseplay all some of the potential hazards at this point.

I developed diabetes myself at age 12, in 1965. I also had a little bit of that attitude you spoke of in another post, of your son--why bother planning for a future when I'm not going to grow up to see one anyway? But back then, that was actually a pretty realistic view--few diabetics lived 25+ years with it--at least not with their kidneys, eyes and all their limbs intact. Today it is a very different world, and your son will undoubtedly live healthy until a cure is found, and believe me, I'm not a big believer in "the cure". I just think he's young enough that if he takes good care, he can go easily the 37 years I have--and that should be plenty of time for medicine to finally get to this fabled cure. I managed to finish college, get married, work a quarter century in a rewarding career, raise 2 kids, and am now planning my retirement--all under this shadow of diabetes. It does not ever get any easier, but with a positive outlook and serious care a childhood diabetic can live as good a life as anyone. I testify to being the living proof of that.

Michael

[hera]

minimed also has a child proof case. that way a young child can not play with it if he/she has a pump. they also make a small backpack that just hold the pump that might be good for a child.
i would advise you to check mini med website and look at all the different cases that are available.