Type 1 Diabetes Info Required

[shot caller]

Hi there. Just signed up but I've been thru the forums since a while. I know this great girl who's type 1. she's been type 1 since the past 7 yrs (she's 23) and it so happens that i like her a lot. from what i know, her hba1c is 6.8 and she uses novorapid 3 times and lantus 1 prior to bedtime. i've done a lot of research and i'm honestly confused coz there are opinions ranging from optimistic to downright pessimistic. this is a bit long but i was wondering if anyone could help me with the following:

1. as long as the bg is under control, what are the chances of complications developing later in life? also, since it was diagnosed @ 17, does it make a difference?
2. i read that having kids is not a problem. all it requires is more care and ensuring that the bg doesn't flucutuate out of normal ranges. i want to know if there is a chance of the child having type 1 at birth/later in life or type2 later in life. her father has type 2.
3. other than diet plus the bg testing and the medical checkups every 6 months or year, what else may come in our relationship? i know that hypos/hypers are inevitable but is there anything else i need to know.

there are other things that i need to know but i guess it will do for now. thanks.

[Stuboy]

I guess the best thing for you to know, is how to treat a hypo, or what to do in an emergancy.

You are doing the right thing researching, but remember that many informational website always give you the worst case senario.

If the BG is kepts under control then the chances of complications are reduced significantly.

Be aware than fluctuating BG's can cause mood swings (as if women didn't have enough already lol), so you need to understand that, in some people, diabetes can cause depression too... but not always. Everyone is different, so dont beleive everything you read and take it as fact, because we all react to situations, stress, food, medications, etc differently.

Are you actually with this girl? or do you just like her? Only ask because you mentioned about kids... bit early to think about that if you're not dating isn't it? lol... just curious :D

[GrammyByer]

Hi there! Of course there are always possible complications later in life, but with good control, these chances a fewer. I am an old timer with diabetes - 36 years. I use a pump and I would suggest this to everyone. My only situation at this time in my life is some peripheral neuropathy in my feet which is causing some bone structure deterioration. My podiatrist and I work hard at keeping this at a slow pace. I wear orthodic type inserts with a amsll brace in my sneakers. At present I do have a few stress fractures in one foot and it is in a cast for a few weeks. BUT - my eyes are fine, my kidney function is good and my cardiologist tells me that my heart iw working very well. Sooooooooo, there are many worse things than a relationship with someone who is diabetic. Linda

[LancetChick]

1. as long as the bg is under control, what are the chances of complications developing later in life? also, since it was diagnosed @ 17, does it make a difference?


I developed retinopathy and frozen shoulder with A1c's in the mid to low 6's. Since lowering my A1c to the low 5's, I've reversed those complications. My lab's range of A1c's for non-diabetics is something like 4.2 - 5.5, so even though the ADA recommends maintaining an A1c of less than 7%, it's a good idea to get it much lower than 7%, if you can do so without increasing the episodes of hypoglycemia.

[am1977]

I think it's really great that you are so interested in learning abou her condition~ I'm sure that means a lot to her.

I would suggest asking her these questions (if you are comfortable enough)... I think she would really appreciate that you care.

Good luck :)

[Stuboy]

but at the same time, try not to make her feel like you think she's "fragile" or "delicate" because of her diabetes... there's nothing worse than "over-caring" people... well there, is, there's ignorant people... who think you can't eat anything but salad, people who feel the need to tell you "you can't eat that" and "are you allowed to have that?"

UGH! lol

[shot caller]

thanks for the help, really appreciate it. to answer stuboy's question, marriage is on the cards so the kids issue was something i needed to know. grammy byer, ure type 1 or type 2? require some more info so please bear with me:

1. is there anything that i'd need to do to help her out (other than severe hypos) and other than the diet and bg testing, is there anything else that may come in the way of our relationship?
2. do u have to extra care when ure ill, ie more bg testing, a change in the doses of insuiln, etc. i also read that infection rates are higher and time it takes to cure the infection is longer. don't know why this happens so if anyone can shed some light on it, would be great. also, for routine operations such as appedicitis, etc does the doc need to take extra precautions?
3. i travel a lot sometimes to remote places where medical care is pretty basic. i freak out at the thought of anything happening to her when we're there. is insulin readily available at medical stores or do u need a prescription? plus, does travelling or flying mean more bg testing due to the change in time zones, food, etc and is it a problem with foreign customs carrying insulin injections, bg kits, etc ?
4. how big is the pump and how does it work ? also, is there any advantage as opposed to insulin shots? also, is it noticeable when worn?
5. what is the outlook 5-10 yrs from now in terms of insulin types, insulin delivery techniques, lifestyle, treatment of complications (i'm not from the us but inhaled insulin will be released here 6 months from now), pump types and dare i say, maybe even a cure. i know there's a lot of research to find a cure but.....
6. are there any websites that provide info that is reliable?

[JediSkipdogg]

1. is there anything that i'd need to do to help her out (other than severe hypos) and other than the diet and bg testing, is there anything else that may come in the way of our relationship?

One thing, don't push her at all. At least in my case that drives me totally insane. By that I mean don't make her dinner one night and make it totally healthy. Don't change her eating habits or do something that you think she should do but she really doesn't. And if she forgets to test before a meal, don't bug her till she tests. Basically, stuff like that.

2. do u have to extra care when ure ill, ie more bg testing, a change in the doses of insuiln, etc. i also read that infection rates are higher and time it takes to cure the infection is longer. don't know why this happens so if anyone can shed some light on it, would be great. also, for routine operations such as appedicitis, etc does the doc need to take extra precautions?

When a diabetic is sick alot is out of wack. Then you add medications and those generally don't help as they can make the diabetes part more out of wack at times. I'm not saying she shouldn't take medications, just that when one is sick, everything changes, and it's impossible to say which way they will change.

And with infections, it all depends on how well she is under control. If the control is perfect at that time, the infection will heal faster and smoother. If she's not under great control at the time a permanent scar may be left. I have one on my hand from an operation 10 years ago when my control wasn't so great.

With general surgery, that the surgeon will know about and advice how to handle. For some surgeries they want no drugs in the body or no food, so that messes up the norm but you have to handle it at that time.

3. i travel a lot sometimes to remote places where medical care is pretty basic. i freak out at the thought of anything happening to her when we're there. is insulin readily available at medical stores or do u need a prescription? plus, does travelling or flying mean more bg testing due to the change in time zones, food, etc and is it a problem with foreign customs carrying insulin injections, bg kits, etc ?

For pork based insulins (pretty much pre-year 2000, although still made) you don't need a prescription. For synthetic insulins (Lantus, Novolog, Humalog, etc.) you need a prescription.

In regards to time zones there will be slightly more testing depending upon how many zones one changes. For example, if one flies 12 hours into the past and is on Lantus (which is a 24 hour insulin) then there is going to be a period of overlap for the Lantus unless they take it the same time in their original time zone.

4. how big is the pump and how does it work ? also, is there any advantage as opposed to insulin shots? also, is it noticeable when worn?

The pump is about the size of a cell phone, maybe slightly bigger than some new phones out there. It is connected 24/7 through an infusion set put into the skin every 3 days.

The main advantage is the user is totally in control of their insulin needs. With Lantus one can't change how much they need by the hour of the day. With an insulin pump, I can go all day without eating and my pump can change the amount of insulin by the 30 minutes. Much more customizable. Also, the other main advantage is that I can give a bolus (similar to a shot) of insulin whenever I need it. Say I want to have a fancy dinner but am not sure about dessert. On shots, one would give one shot for dinner then a second for dessert if they didn't give dessert in the first shot. On the pump, it's just pushing a few more buttons, but not needing to "insert" a needle at all.

I wear mine on my hip and most think it's a fancy pager. It's noticable, but not like it stands out and says "hey, I'm diabetic."

5. what is the outlook 5-10 yrs from now in terms of insulin types, insulin delivery techniques, lifestyle, treatment of complications (i'm not from the us but inhaled insulin will be released here 6 months from now), pump types and dare i say, maybe even a cure. i know there's a lot of research to find a cure but.....

I've had diabetes for 24 years now. I am 100% complication free so far and I have only used a pump for 4 years. So 20 years I was on 2 shots a day (a very very old and now bad treatment method.) In terms of where we will be in 5-10 years I don't think anyone can answer that. If you asked 10 years ago if people would be wearing insulin pumps I think the general answer would be no. If you asked 5 years ago would people today be able to wear a CGMS and get glucose readings every 5 minutes I think they'd say no then as well.

Inhaled insulin isn't all that it's talked up to be. The problem currently is the dosing is not as accurate as shots and nothing compared to a pump. Although there are about a handful of companies working on new inhaled insulins with more precise dosing. Another problem is there is no knowledge of what long term complications there are to the teeth (one is inhaling a powder that will brush across the teeth possibly damaging the enamel) and no idea what complications if any to the lungs from inhaling all the time. The last major problem with inhaled insulin is if one thinks giving a shot in public or using a pump is obvious, then wait till they pull a decice the size of a 20oz pop bottle out and start inhaling from that. Can we say bong and marijuana?

6. are there any websites that provide info that is reliable?

Yup, right here. It depends on what info you want. The problem is depending on where you go is how reliable the info is. Also, sometimes sites give ONLY their opinion. At least on this site you will find many different opinions and different ideas to try. We will also tell you the good and bad of different treatment methods where most places only say the good.

Welcome to the site and maybe you can get your partner to join. :hello:

[LancetChick]

are there any websites that provide info that is reliable?

Websites: 1. http://community.diabetes.org/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=amdiabetesz&nav=index

2. Diabetes and Insulin Pump Therapy for adults and children with diabetes (http://www.insulin-pumpers.org/) (this is for people who pump, or who are interested in doing so. You have to sign up to read the messages, but there are some good links available if you don't)

3. Using Insulin by John Walsh is an excellent book which does a good job of taking the mystery out of insulin management.

[ProudNanaof5]

Welcome to DF, shot caller...:hello: It would be great if you get your girl to join us, too. It's great you are trying to help her...

[BriOnH]

Let her worry about these things. I hope no girl I date/dated ever had these types of thoughts about me. I'd probably dump her if she did.

[shot caller]

brionh, since we might marry, it is my job to worry about these things. i believe that a good relationship works if each partner can support the other. i'm not saying that diabetes is a major issue but it is certainly one that needs to be addressed.

thanks for all the info. few more questions while u guys are at it:

1. her morning fasting is 80-110 and it's between 110-140 2 hrs after lunch. is this within normal ranges? she takes abt. 4-6 units of novorapid for breakfast, lunch and dinner and 10 units of lantus at night.
2. is there a degree of the severity of the condition, ie some people cannot control their sugar levels whereas others can or is it more or less the same across the board? it may sound dumb but it's not easy to get info on the net that is straight and simple
3. i read a posting on the ada forum about a guy who might go blind because he can't control his bg level. i'm assuming that her bg level is stable from the info i've git (her ha1bc is 6.8) but is there a chance of this going the other way anytime in the future, ie she struggles to maintain her bg levels. if so, what could be the reasons?

plus, if anyone could shed some light on whether type 1 is genetic or not, ie whether kids could develop type 1, it would be great

[It Ain't Over]

Let her worry about these things. I hope no girl I date/dated ever had these types of thoughts about me. I'd probably dump her if she did.

I don' t know BriOnH, I mean I understand that we all do not want someone running our lives, it is hard enough as it is without that.
But when I married 27 years back my wife knew of course that I was a type 1 diabetic, what I did not realize was just how uniformed she was back then.
I recall waking one morning all disoriented with very low bg. She panicked because she had never seen that. For me it was no big deal. She kept trying to talk me into taking a shot of regular. Thank God I had enough of my wits to refuse that offer.
I started to educate her after that, she went from naive to almost over the top. Still after all the years she does not get some of the stuff we would take for granted.

[Angelique]

I think it is great you are trying to get educated on her disease. One thing to remember is that a diabetic...or at least I can say being diabetic I don't like anyone telling me what I need to be doing to take care of myself, I know what I need to do. I think you should be educated in the event something should happen to her like a low bg or high bg. Never ask what her blood sugar is...I hated to be asked. I don't mind sharing but I hated for others to ask...except maybe my mom. When I first started dating my dh he would ask me all kinds of things about my disease and I told him all about it. He never asked me about my sugars or pestered me about taking medicine. The only time he stepped in was when I was low and he had to help me drink juice or eat something but that was b/c I was so out of it. He hasn't had to do much for me, I'm self sufficient as I'm sure your gf is, sounds like she takes great care of herself. Understand that having a diabetic wife...if you marry can get expensive for supplies and you have to check into insurance coverage. With my dh he looks at jobs as to what type of coverage they offer and if it's not good then he passes up the job. I told him before we got married that it was not going to be easy being married to a diabetic but that never scared him off. There may complications but one never knows this, just as you may come down with a disease in your lifetime. Take each day as it comes and that's the most you can do.

[shot caller]

thanks for the info. how much does insulin, bg testing kits, etc cost anyway? i don't have any insurance so... it's gonna come out of my pockets

[shot caller]

hey guys. need some help on getting more info quickly. came across this site after 4 months of research (which helped me quite a bit but left a lot of questions unanswered). plus, what's your opinion of jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation). i went to their australian chapter's website and they portray a completely negative picture of diabetes. as mentioned before, thanks to whoever chipped in with info

[princesslinda]

Hi SC:
I think it's great that you're so enthused about learning all you can about your girlfriend's diabetes....even though i'm T2, I can tell you having a supportive spouse is invaluable.

You mentioned children and potential risks for developing or being born with diabetes....i'd suggest having her ask her endocrinologist or gynecologist for the name of a reputable genetics counselor. I've had friends who have done this (not for diabetes) and found it very helpful in alleviating concerns.

In my own family, my sister (our mother and maternal grandparents all had T2 diabetes) married a man who had 2 brothers with T1 diabetes, a brother who now has T2 and a mother with T2. Brother-in-law developed T2 about 15 years ago. They have 3 children, all of whom have shown no signs of diabetes (ages 17, 13 and 6) His brother has a child that's a teen now and is diabetes free.

I remember when my sister was planning to get married, I mentioned the fact that with diabetes on both sides so strongly, did she plan on having children. Her response was "Diabetes is not going to run my life. I am going to have children just like everyone else and handle whatever happens."

For myself, after seeing such a strong diabetic history in my family, my husband and I elected not to have children, as we married a bit later in life and the risks of even non-diabetic complications made our decision easier. This has to be a personal choice, but don't let the idea of what "might" happen keep you from having the life you want.

[LancetChick]

Statistics are always going to paint a grim picture, but that's because they include the countless type 1's who, for all sorts of reasons, have varying degrees of poor control. I'm newly arrived at this message board, but I've been on the ADA board for a long time, and I've seen an awful lot of people say they thought they had good control until they started getting a little more perspective from others in the same situation. In fact, I was one of those people. Information can do an awful lot to re-calculate the statistics for your girlfriend.

[FrankDr]

The primary thing I would look at is how serious she is about managing her treatment. If she is mature and dilligent in her approach, it shouldn't be a problem. Here's how I explain it to people.

1- I am smart enough to know what to do
2- I am mature enough to *do* what I have to
3- Stuff happens, even when you do everything right - and I might need someone else's help.

About kids - I was diagnosed after I had my two kids. If I knew about my having Diabetes prior, I wouldn't have done anything differently. I know it's possible for them to develop Diabetes, so I know what to watch for. Of course, there are no other T1's in my family, so family history has only a small influence on what might happen. And .. I was 36 before it hit me, so you never know when it could happen.

I would marry and have children with another diabetic - no questions, but I know what it's like, so there's not the fear, uncertainty and doubt that non-diabetics might have.

So, it's going to be a bit rough sometimes, but if you both really love each other and work at it, life should be just fine.

[Mama Belle]

I think is is great that you are taking an interest in her diabetes; it is important for you to know about diabetes if you plan on spending your life with this person. I would also recommend that you do as others have suggested and not focus too much on her diabetes. I do not have diabetes, so I can't really speak from experience. But I can speak form the mindset of a person who has a loved one with diabetes, as I have a daughter and a father with Type 1. One thing they hate more than anything is when people try to tell them how to take care of themselves. My daughter is young and still needs quite a bit of guidance from me. But she absolutely hates it when the school nurse tells her to do something different than her typical standard of care. She is eight years old and she knows how best to treat a low or a high, so remember that your 23 year old ladyfriend also knows what is best for her.

Definitely inform yourself, but make sure that you don't try to take over her care. Know how to treat a low blood sugar and what to expect if one happens, but don't tell her when to check her BG or tell her to switch to the pump. Be encouraging and supportive, but don't baby her or make her feel less than capable.

As far as your questions go, I would recommend checking out this online book (http://www.uchsc.edu/misc/diabetes/ud11.html), written by Dr. Peter Chase from the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. Keep in mind that this book is written for parents of kids diagnosed with diabetes. Some of the information you can ignore as it doesn't pertain to your situation, but it gives wonderful, understandable answers to many of the questions about diabetes (including info about sick day management, traveling, etc.). Otherwise here is my take on some of your questions:

Kids and Genetics - Researchers believe there is a genetic component to Type 1. But genetics isn't everything. My dad is Type 1 and my daughter is Type 1, but I am not. My dad clearly passed the genes on to me and I passed them along to my daughter, but I do not have diabetes. If you are concerned, see a genetic counselor (as previously mentioned by another poster).

Illness - As mentioned before, illness can wreak havoc for a person with diabetes. This is especially true with a fever or stomach flu. I would educate yourself about the early signs and symptoms of Ketoacidosis, which can happen if a person with diabetes has prolonged vomiting. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but educate yourself and remember to be a little bit more watchful when she is really sick. Also, she probably will need to check her BG more often and take more or less (depending upon the illness and her BGs) insulin. Any good surgeon should always be aware of diabetes and should take extra precautions during surgery. With respect to your question about healing, this is mainly due to damage to small blood vessels, which can be a complication of diabetes.

Complications - they say the longer you have the disease, the better the chances for complications. However, I think a lot of this has to do with control. If she is in generally good control then her chances of complications go down.

Traveling - YES, You must have a prescription. It is best to travel with extra insulin and supplies plus a hard copy of the actual prescription from the doctor. She should also get a letter (on the doctor's letterhead) explaining her diabetes and her need to carry supplies for testing and injections. My dad just traveled abroad and had no problems with customs. Look to her to make decisions about adjusting her care regimen when traveling, she had lived with this for 7 years and she should be able to make the decision herself. If she asks for advice help her by having an open dialog about her options.

Pump - the pump has advantages and disadvantages. Some people hate always being connected to something. Most people achieve better control on the pump, but that is not always the case. Some people think the pump gives them more freedom -- they can eat when and where they want. The obvious advantage is fewer needle pokes. It sounds like she is doing 4 per day right now, that would be more like one every 2-3 days on the pump.

[shot caller]

let me ask you this, is it easy to switch from the pump to regular injections. i came across a guy who introduced himself as a diabetes specialist. according to him, i'd be bringing her condition into my life. she won't be able to drive (she has a licence but is scared to drive because of an incident not related to her condition), complications can arise any time even a year from now, there's a good chance her kids may get type 1,etc. in short, he painted a very negative picture. honestly speaking, i'm torn between opinions coz it would be very painful if we went ahead and consequently something happened to her however i can't imagine being with anyone else right now. at the same time, i have a cousin who's been type 1 for the past 15 years (she's 26 now) and she used to drive 1.5 hours to work, travelled to places i've never even thought of going to, doesn't have any complications. i'm close to breaking point over this.

[REDLAN]

I don't use a pump, but if you look through the forum there are plenty of people who strongly advocate it's use.

hereditary links - there is an inherited component to type 1 but it is very weak and can not be considered a significant cause of diabetes - for normal parents the risk of the child developing type 1 diabetes is 1% to 2% - if the mother has diabetes that risk rises to between 2% and 4% - which is only a small increased risk - to put it into perspective your girlfriend would have to have 23 children for there to be 50:50 chance of just ONE of those children having diabetes.

Complications - yes it is true that some very unfortunate individuals can develop complications quickly, but this isn't the rule for the majority - for most of us it takes a long time to develop complications, and some very lucky individuals may not develop complications at all.

I think the reason complications become such a talking/worrying point, is because the medical profession are obsessed with them, followed with the moral discourse of being a "good" and a "bad" diabetic and then when they are talked about people seem to forget that we are all going to die some day of SOMETHING.

The difference between me and someone who is "normal" is that I have a better idea what will finish me off...

let's look at it another way - as we get older our bodies start to wear out - our hearts don't work as well, our arteries get clogged up and we have heart attacks, our arteries harden and we get strokes, the DNA in our cells get damaged and so we get cancers. Having diabetes wears out particular parts of our bodies faster - eyes, kidneys, peripheral nerves, small blood vessels. Keeping good control slows down the damage, but it still occurs just the same. In the meantime I can still have a good and long life, and I do have a good life.

As I age and start to suffer from complications is this any different than the countless people whose lives are affected because they get arthritis, suffer from angina, or get senile dementia as they get older?

[REDLAN]

I just realised why that specialist had the view he did about diabetes being very likely...

You are 2 times more likely to have a child with type 1 if one of the parents is also a type 1 than children born to normal parents -

say he sees 20 patients with normal parents, then we know that the incidence is twice as high for families where one parent also has diabetes, so on average he will see 40 patients who have at least one parent who also has type 1 diabetes.

from his preselected sample he believes that the risk of having a diabetic child is 66% and not the actual 3% - he has overestimated the level of risk by 22 times. QED

<sorry this is nonsense I haven't allowed for the incidence of type 1 diabetics in the general population - please ignore>

[LancetChick]

As I age and start to suffer from complications is this any different than the countless people whose lives are affected because they get arthritis, suffer from angina, or get senile dementia as they get older?

Yes! It is different because diabetic complications are preventable if you maintain blood sugars in the non-diabetic range. It's being done more and more as people are learning to demand more of themselves, which is not to say that we are all capable of doing so. I know of several people who've had type 1 for over 30 years, and who have maintained non-diabetic blood sugar levels since they came out with glucometers, and oddly enough, they don't even have minor complications. I've actually reversed complications by doing that, so it isn't just a matter of luck, or good genes.

[johgn]

Yes! It is different because diabetic complications are preventable if you maintain blood sugars in the non-diabetic range. .

Good luck NEVER going out of range.

[LancetChick]

I do go out of range, of course....... I've never heard of a diabetic who didn't, but my control is much tighter than it was, and I dumped the retinopathy and frozen shoulder. Perfection in anything is rare, if not impossible, but that's no reason not to aim for better.

[johgn]

I do go out of range, of course....... I've never heard of a diabetic who didn't, but my control is much tighter than it was, and I dumped the retinopathy and frozen shoulder. Perfection in anything is rare, if not impossible, but that's no reason not to aim for better.

I think you're A1C was 5 right? I'm sure all us would like to get that low, especially if we can avoid hypo unawareness and/or bad hypos but it's REALLY hard. (Good job BTW).
This thread really gives me the creeps though, I mean you either trust someone or you don't.

[shot caller]

johngn. this thread gives u the creeps coz u don't know who to trust or who not to. well that is the dilemma i'm in right now. spoke to someone yesterday who said that cuts or wounds take a long time to heal and in some cases, they don't heal. if you're shaving for example, you have to take a lot of care. i know that u have to take care of the feet but don't know why. can anyone shed some light on this?

plus, i didn't get any info on these questions so if anyone could shed some light on them, it'd be great:

1. is there a degree of the severity of the condition, ie some people cannot control their sugar levels whereas others can or is it more or less the same across the board? it may sound dumb but it's not easy to get info on the net that is straight and simple
2. i read a posting on the ada forum about a guy who might go blind because he can't control his bg level. i'm assuming that her bg level is stable from the info i've git (her ha1bc is 6.8) but is there a chance of this going the other way anytime in the future, ie she struggles to maintain her bg levels. if so, what could be the reasons?
3. what's your opinion of jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation). i went to their australian chapter's website and they portray a completely negative picture of diabetes. as mentioned before, thanks to whoever chipped in with info

[shot caller]

hey guys. need some clarifications on my questions quickly. bit of an urgent situation here. once again, appreciate all the answers that have been posted. it's cleared up a lot of issues.

[karen]

Lancet Chick,

I know this is away from the subject a bit, but how do you achieve an A1C of 5, that is wonderful.

Do you eat carbs? Do you eat? ;) What is your menu for a day?

Just Curious.

Karen

[sbigelow]

1. is there a degree of the severity of the condition, ie some people cannot control their sugar levels whereas others can or is it more or less the same across the board? it may sound dumb but it's not easy to get info on the net that is straight and simple
2. i read a posting on the ada forum about a guy who might go blind because he can't control his bg level. i'm assuming that her bg level is stable from the info i've git (her ha1bc is 6.8) but is there a chance of this going the other way anytime in the future, ie she struggles to maintain her bg levels. if so, what could be the reasons?
3. what's your opinion of jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation). i went to their australian chapter's website and they portray a completely negative picture of diabetes. as mentioned before, thanks to whoever chipped in with info
1. Yes, some people have a very hard time controlling their sugar levels. Others can control it easily. We are fortunate to live in a time where diabetes care is so good. 30-50 years ago, finding out you had diabetes was a slow death sentence. Now, a person can live a normal life and never have any complications.
2. Yes, you can go blind because of poor bg control. However, if you are proactive and have yearly check-ups with an Ophthalmologist you need not worry. Most individuals who go blind ignore the warning signs and fail to go get a simple exam (I am seeing my eye doctor Tuesday for my yearly check-up).
3. Don't know to much about the jdrf.

My advise, if you love this girl don't let a disease control your life. You never know what is going to happen. My mom recently died this year. She never had any problems what so ever. She went in to the Dr. because her stomach was hurting. Three weeks later she was dead from cancer. My point, eventually somethings going to get you (not meant to sound morbid). Have you ever watched Dead Poets Society (1989)? Carpe diem........ seize the day! Good luck.

[LancetChick]

Hi Karen, I just PM'd you.

[Mama Belle]

2. i read a posting on the ada forum about a guy who might go blind because he can't control his bg level. i'm assuming that her bg level is stable from the info i've git (her ha1bc is 6.8) but is there a chance of this going the other way anytime in the future, ie she struggles to maintain her bg levels. if so, what could be the reasons?
3. what's your opinion of jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation). i went to their australian chapter's website and they portray a completely negative picture of diabetes. as mentioned before, thanks to whoever chipped in with info

I have a theory about this. I think a lot of time organizations like the ADA and JDRF intentionally paint a more negative picture of the disease because they get a better response with fundraising efforts. If a person reads that diabetes can cause loss of eyesight, or limbs, organ failure,and death, then that person may be more inclined to donate to these organizations. They are trying to do everything they can to cure this disease which they cannot do without funding. Painting a negative outlook for diabetes raises the urgency for funding to find a cure.

Here, however, you have a whole bunch of people who are telling you the same thing ... Yes, you can get complications at any point, but the risk goes way down if you are serious about taking care of yourself.

[shot caller]

mama belle, i derstand your point about complications but can one expect to have uncontrolled diabetes in the future even if it is under good control now? also, if anyone could shed some light on cuts and wounds whether they heal slowly or in some cases, do not heal at all. also, does one have to bemore careful when shaving? not that this relates to the girl in mind, lol but it wouldn't help to know more

[HelenM]

I agree with Mama Belle that charities have to paint a negative picture in order to raise funds but having looked at the site I can see what has caused so much concern to shot-caller. I have to say that if I had read the info on their as an adolescent with diabetes it would probably have caused me to stop trying to control my BS since the outcome was so pessimistic.
Certainly some of the information given is frightening and misleading making broad statements . I compared the figures with another document http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/Type1Diabetes.pdf

JDFR
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20-74 years old.
Among people with type 1 diabetes, 24% will develop retinopathy after 5 years, almost 60% after 10 years and 100% after 20 years.
compare this with National Institutes of Health USA
Blindness from diabetic retinopathy was responsible for about 20 percent of new cases of blindness between the ages of 45 and 74......With timely laser surgery and appropriate follow-up care, people with advanced diabetic retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 90 percent
JDRF
Over 40% of people with type 1 diabetes develop severe kidney disease by the age of 50.
NIH
After 20 years of annual increases from 5 to 10 percent, rates for new kidney failure cases have leveled off. The most encouraging trend is in diabetes, where rates for new cases in whites under age 40 are the lowest in 20 years. Improved control of glucose and blood pressure and the use of specific antihypertensive drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs prevent or delay the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure. With good care, fewer than 10 percent of people with diabetes develop kidney failure

I could give several other examples where the data is clearly out of date.
There are no references/dates given for any of the statistics used and I suspect many of them are from quite old studies that don't take into account modern methods of diabetes contol nor distinguish between type 1 and 2 diabetes
Sadly, there are also large numbers of people who do not control their diabetes so there will always large numbers with complications.

However shot-caller, you seem to be looking for cast iron guarantees, these are not possible for anyone whether or not they have diabetes. Life is far too unpredictable for that According to one JDFR site you don't get type 1 diabetes after the age of 25, well I got it at 52 !
There is a website with 50 diabetic lifestories, some people diagnosed in the early days of insulin, others much later. Although some people have developed complications I find their stories very positive.Welcome to Diabetes Stories (http://www.diabetes-stories.co.uk/index.asp)

Lastly I'll leave it for someone else to talk about healing and neuropathy, at the moment I run and sometimes get blisters they heal normally.

[Stuboy]

One thing you have to remember is that EVERYONE is different, no treatment/doses will be exactly the same from one person to the next. This is why it's important to let her control her own diabetes, but it's a good thing that you want to learn about it and understand it.

[REDLAN]

The 100% after 20 years statistic is misleading - and is due to improved screening.

In the old days eye screening was done with atropine eye drops, and the physician using an opthalmascope - under this method you got about 50% show some signs of retinopathy after 20 years

now they typically use a camera instead, to take a high resolution picture of the back of the retina, its then sent off and some guy/gal pours over it with a magnifying glass, and counts all the tiny anomolies, and hence you have the 100% after 20 years statistic.

this is what my consultant told me on my last appointment when I turned up 1 microaneurysm on my eye exam. He said it was 95% after 20 years, and he wasn't concerned. He actually said that my result wasn't unexpected and was pretty good for 24 years of diabetes.

[shot caller]

HelenM, you have a point about me seeking iron-clad guarantees. It's just that I have received some negative feedback from some doctors who say that complications are just a matter of time and some who make it sound like a time-bomb waiting to go off, ie anything can happen such as organ failure, severe hypos, etc inspite of good sugar control. At from what I've been reading on this forum, it doesn't seem be as bad but who am I to dispute a doc. Redlan, I didn't get that bit about your consultant stating 95% after 20 years. Do you mean it in a good or bad way? Plus, is there anyone who has any info on how long wounds take to heal and whether minor cuts, be it on the face (shaving cuts for example) or a cut on the feet are a cause for concern

[shot caller]

one more thing. what's an insulin resistance test? i heard that it's to determine whether your type 1 is genetic or not. in short, it gives you good idea of how likely your offspring will get type 1 or not. don't know if type 1 or type 2 have a genetic link, ie the offspring do not get type 1 but there is a higher risk of developing type 2 later in their lives.

[shot caller]

btw, i'm from dubai. guessing that most of u have heard of it so although this might be straying from the topic, feel free to ask anything about it.

[JediSkipdogg]

HelenM, you have a point about me seeking iron-clad guarantees. It's just that I have received some negative feedback from some doctors who say that complications are just a matter of time and some who make it sound like a time-bomb waiting to go off, ie anything can happen such as organ failure, severe hypos, etc inspite of good sugar control. At from what I've been reading on this forum, it doesn't seem be as bad but who am I to dispute a doc. Redlan, I didn't get that bit about your consultant stating 95% after 20 years. Do you mean it in a good or bad way? Plus, is there anyone who has any info on how long wounds take to heal and whether minor cuts, be it on the face (shaving cuts for example) or a cut on the feet are a cause for concern

There are members on here with diabetes over 40 years and zero complications. I even know a diabetic that had it for over 60 years and had no complications. Pretty much complications are how much time you want to put into your control and care about yourself. Some say all this new technology will help, but it's not all int he toys. They are just assisters in helping oneself. Keep in mind, 40 years ago they didn't have home glucose meters or insulin pumps, yet there are thousands that have had diabetes since then with no complications. Why? They take care of themselves in general.

As for the wounds....most heal in no problem at all. I have had hundreds of cuts (I like to live on the edge and do some crazy tasks) and have only one major scar and that's from a small operation on my hand. And they aren't even sure the scar is from diabetes but just hte operation in general.

one more thing. what's an insulin resistance test? i heard that it's to determine whether your type 1 is genetic or not. in short, it gives you good idea of how likely your offspring will get type 1 or not. don't know if type 1 or type 2 have a genetic link, ie the offspring do not get type 1 but there is a higher risk of developing type 2 later in their lives.

There is no test to determine if your offspring will be a diabetic or not. At least not until they are born and they are tested about every year or so for diabetes. Till then it's a shot in the dark. The general rule of thumb is that if the male half has diabetes the child has a 6% change of becoming diabetic SOMETIME in life (that's unknown if at 3 months old or 30 years old) and if the female half has diabetes then a 3% chance exists. If both parties are, then it's greater than 9% but I'm not sure how high since studies in that area are very slim.

[REDLAN]

quote:

Redlan, I didn't get that bit about your consultant stating 95% after 20 years. Do you mean it in a good or bad way?

<sorry can't figure out how to do quotes>

I didn't mean it in a particular way...

my consultant said that after 20 years 95% of diabetics will show some changes in their eyes, but it's not normally significant, it's just that the screening has become so much better.

I think this has ding donged back and forth for too long - the bottom line is this...

diabetes can lead to complications, and some of them sound very scary. However the better your control, the healthier you will be, and you can significantly reduce your risk of complications, by keeping your Hba1c below 7.0, and your girlfriends is what 6.8? Sounds to me that she is taking good care of herself.

Over an entire life time of diabetes it is NOT inevitable that you will get complications, but it is very likely that you will get some.

I did some digging...

on average diabetics live about 10 years less than your average jo - and yes that does include type 2s who may have gone for many years undiagnosed, and type 1s with poor control - so it's difficult to say how many years you can cross off if you have good control.

for comparison smokers live about 10 years less than non-smokers - and here is REDLAN's thought for the day...

One Shot Caller, if your girlfriend was a smoker do you think that you would be driving yourself insane with worry that she was likely to drop down dead with a heart attack or lung cancer?

And why, oh why are you asking us, instead of your girlfriend? If she isn't bothered than neither should you be.

Having diabetes is NOT and I repeat not all about COMPLICATIONS - I do not get up every morning worrying whether my kidneys will rot off, my feet will fall off, or my eyeballs will explode...

I get up in the morning test my blood sugars, take some insulin and get on with my life.

Stop reading the horror stories - we've all gotta die some day, and for those that take good care of ourselves that day is still a long long way away.

[LancetChick]

btw, i'm from dubai. guessing that most of u have heard of it so although this might be straying from the topic, feel free to ask anything about it.

Most of my ex-husband's family is from Dubai and Sharjah. Small world, huh? There are hundreds in that family, and they've all visited me in California at some point, and after a few hours, they forgot to notice that I was diabetic. I really think your girlfriend is in greater danger of air-conditioner failure in that hot climate than of her life being compromised by diabetic complications. Seriously. Dubai in the summer is unliveable without AC.

[Erin]

Shot Caller,

If you love this woman, go for it! Nothing we can tell you is going to change the reality of being with her.

Some people live with diabetes for years and years and get very few or no complications, some people get complications early, some people have no trouble controlling their blood sugars, some people can't. Things change from day to day and from year to year, even within the same individual. There are no guarantees.

I wonder, however, if you are looking for a reason to bail out of the relationship. Life, relationships, and marriage aren't easy (or so I've heard) wether you've got D or not.

It is natural to wonder about these things, especially if you're thinking about marriage, but I'll reiterate what others have wondered... why aren't you asking your girlfriend these questions?

We can't give you a guarantee that your girlfriend will live a long healthy life, bear you healthy children, and die an old woman warm in her bed... it sounds like she is doing all of the right things to keep herself on that track... but there are no guarantees.

I wish you both the best of luck.

[shot caller]

To answer your questions, yes i have asked her everything but she said it would be a good idea to get a non-biased view. I'm not looking for a reason to bail out on the relationship. Far from it, I want to be as knowledgeable as possible and be ready for anything (and I hope and pray that nothing does happen) and not have second thoughts if we decide to go for it. So if anyone has anything else to contribute, it would be much appreciated.

Lancetchick, I can attest to dubai being awful in the summer withut an A/c. was born and raised here but i guess the camel instincts in me have given me some sort of an edge in dealing with it. lol.

[princesslinda]

I can understand why you're so concerned...you're young, have your whole life ahead of you and the thought of marriage in and of itself is scary....add a disease you're not familiar with and i'm sure it's more stressful. I applaud you for trying to find out all you can about something that will affect your life if you marry this person....just as anything that happens to YOU will affect HER life.

What you have to resolve in your mind is this: You marry someone because you love them, and you are there for them whatever happens (you know the vow "..in sickness and in health, etc") (Period) If you're not prepared to be with someone...and the health problems all will eventually face, then you should get married yet.

Working in the medical field, i've seen seemingly perfectly healthy people, young and old, suddenly be diagnosed with an incurable disease and be dead in a matter of weeks. If we live long enough, death is 100% for all of us....whether from diabetes or something else.

You'll get no guarantee about diabetes....or any other disease for that matter. You just live the life you're given, do the best you can and hope you have someone around who loves you, warts and all.

Now on to your other question, that of non-healing cuts, etc. I have seen that when blood sugars are very high or out of control, cuts and scratches do tend to take longer to heal. The feet are often what you hear a lot about, as they veins in the feet are smaller than in other places in the body and when circulation is compromised, the smaller the vein, the less circulation there. There are many people who have the same type of problems due to peripheral vascular disease when they are older, and don't even suffer with diabetes.

Also, a nosy question, does your girlfriend read your questions and our answers? I think it would be helpful for her to look at the forum and all it's information.

[shot caller]

don't think she'd want to come to the sites. don't know her reason for it but i don;t think she would. one more thing, is it easy to swtich from injections to the pump and vice-vera, ie can u use one method one day and the other on the next day? plus, can someone tell what's a bolus among other pump terminology?

[shot caller]

don't think she'd want to come to the sites. don't know her reason for it but i don;t think she would. one more thing, is it easy to swtich from injections to the pump and vice-vera, ie can u use one method one day and the other on the next day? plus, can someone tell what's a bolus among other pump terminology? heard it's use is recommended during pregnancy as well.