Infections prior to diagnosis?

[Madalina]

Greetings, my fellow D friends!

I was dx'd with type 1 just over a month ago with a reading of 285. I am dealing with all the changes and challenges that comes with this diagnosis pretty well (I think). Just curious, did anybody here have any bad infections/ flu etc right before diagnosis? For me, I had a really bad UTI infection and itchy skin and of course the usual thirst, visiting the bathroom ALOT and constant hunger.

Also does anyone know the average time it takes for all your insulin cells to kick the bucket completely? Months/ years?

Look foward to getting to know everyone!
Madalina
x

[NoraWI]

Glad you are accepting and dealing with your diagnosis so well, Madalina. Yes, an infection of some sort frequently precedes a diagnosis of T1. The thirst and frequent urination are pretty usual, too. As to how long it takes for beta cells to die off completely, it all depends. A "honeymoon" period can take quite a while... sometimes several months with varying amounts of insulin production. A c-peptide test is used to determine how much insulin your pancreas are producing.

There is also what is called LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults). It is a slow onset diabetes that can affect people over the age of 30 and can take months or even years to progress to the point of total beta cell depletion.

I was diagnosed with LADA at age 62. The estimate is that about 20% of older adults originally diagnosed as T2 are actually LADA. They tend to be of normal weight, have normal blood pressure and lipids. The cause of their diabetes is autoimmunity just like T1, while T2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance (IR).

[kgm0612]

Hi Madalina & Welcome.

Prior to being dx'd, I had yeast infections month after month due to unkown high blood sugars. I also had itchy skin, weight loss, blurry vision, and a lot more symptoms.

Karen

[sarahspins]

I had a bit of a head cold/sinus issue going on, but I don't think it was related at all - I was pregnant though, and I do think that contributed to the speed of onset, as I went from checking out fine, to having a BG over 500 just 6 weeks later. The ONLY symptom I had was being thirsty, but I get super thirsty whenever I have a cold so I didn't make the connection that anything was wrong.

I wasn't confirmed as a T1 until quite a while later though.

[foxl]

Yeasts and UTIs are probably from high sugar concentraion in tissues.

Viral infections however, have been implicating as possibly CAUSING D ... either by affecting beta cells directly, or via immune response to them.

I was asked about such prior viral infections, by several MDs ...

[Patient254]

I had repeated thrush

[pands45]

I had the worst UTI of my life. Couldn't sit for a week. Was on 2 doses of antibiotics but Nothing helped!!! Antibiotics is tough for me because I am allergic to most of them. Dr. finally suggested a urine and blood test. Dx was followed shortly thereafter.

[Jan B]

I had viral pneumonia shortly before diagnosis. About 3 years later, a first cousin was diagnosed Type 1. I don't think she was ill beforehand.

[Caren]

I was D in March '09. The entire month of January and half of February I was sick with bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis. I had three steriod shots within a three week perios. Two weeks after the last shot I had BS levels of 472 when I went to ER.

I had ALL the symptons you have talked about. I couldn't get enough to drink, I was up every hour during the night going to the bathroom, I was having blurry vision, couldn't get rid of a yeast infection and was all around MISERABLE.

Since about two weeks after D my bs levels haven't been over 160ish. I had some lows and had to come off of Amaryl and since then my lows run in the 70's.

I think my severe numbers had to do with the steriod shots. I have no doubt I am a Diabetic but I don't think I was as bad as originally thought.

[mollyrose]

Hello Madalina,
I too had infections...5 bladder infections in 6 months, and a thurst I couldn't quench...My nurse told me one of the top problems women have prior to diabetes is bladder infections.
Prior to that (nine months) a chest infection that I was treated with many bottles of prednesone. They say I have steriod induced, have you used any prior to diag.?
That's all I know since I am so new to this too.

Mollyrose :)

[sugardumplin]

I had unquenchable thirst and frequent urination. Was already on a daily antibiotic for UTI's but had a UTI that I couldnt get rid of by doubling up on my antibiotic.

I couldnt take a lot of antibiotics without getting yeast infections but my urologist suggested a sulfer drug that usually doesnt cause yeast infections - and he was right. I stopped having uti's while on it and it wouldnt cause a yeast infection.

[sugardumplin]

Hello Madalina,
I too had infections...5 bladder infections in 6 months, and a thurst I couldn't quench...My nurse told me one of the top problems women have prior to diabetes is bladder infections.
Prior to that (nine months) a chest infection that I was treated with many bottles of prednesone. They say I have steriod induced, have you used any prior to diag.?
That's all I know since I am so new to this too.

Mollyrose :) Someone else said that they think that their diabetes was steroid induced. Thats crazy. very possible. just crazy to think about all the people being induced by medication prescribed by their doctor.

[mollyrose]

Hi Sugardumplin,
I know it sounds crazy and I've had many professionals say they didn't think the dr. would never admit it but he did. (Dr. said "I cured your lungs but I gave you diabetes"). No one in my family has ever had it. I think it should be pulled and only use in life and death situations.

Mollyrose

[Beckernj]

I had no energy at all and I threw up, drank alot/urined alot before I was diagnosed.....not fun always going to the bathroom every 50mins or so

[jenb]

I had bronchitis, then a nasty unshakable sinus infection for several months prior to diagnosis. I attributed my exhaustion to that. And, of course, I was fuzzy brained enough not to realize that all the fluid intake and urination was related. (Don't ask me what I though it was....)

One morning I stood at the fridge and drank a quart of Gatorade in about 5 minutes, then spent a couple of hours worshipping the porcelain god, and finally decided I has having heart trouble (racing pulse, sweating, back ache). My husband dragged me to the ER, and guess what? Yep...DKA, with an a1c of 15(!). Needless to say, the sinus and chest stuff cleared up as soon as my BG was under control. Bye, bye pancreas.....

Jen

[foxl]

Someone else said that they think that their diabetes was steroid induced. Thats crazy. very possible. just crazy to think about all the people being induced by medication prescribed by their doctor.

Well since cats cnanot take non-steroidal antinflammatories, steroids are most frequently used in them. So, there are a LOT of steroid-induced diabetic cats, walking around ... :(

It is one of those tradeoff decisions on the MD's part, to prescribe steroids. Many medical decisions are a tradeoff, unfortunately.