[hope_full]

And whats sad, if ppl walked more, ate right an watched their lifestyle choices, many would never develop diabetes. What a shame. They all want a pill to make it better instead of losing wt. etc.

That may be true in many cases, but it's easy for healthy people to develop a kind of "health snobbery" and look down their nose at people who struggle with illness and physical limitations.

Some folks have stronger constitutions then others and while I'm big on personal responsibility and making wise decisions, I also know that some people just seem to have more health problems than others.

I was married to a man who consumed vast amounts of ice cream and cake and red meat and deep-fried foods. This was in addition to smoking cigarettes and drinking lots of beer. His favorite treat was a couple bowls of ice cream and fudge sauce before he went to bed at midnight. Now, even at the age of 55, he still eats and drinks and smokes and is the healthiest man I have ever met.

I'm just saying that health is not always intimately connected to lifestyle. Some people just have sounder constitutions and better metabolisms.

[joelcolorado]

At 55 he is set for a big one. His arteries will be blocked no matter what you say. Has he had a stress test and other blockage tests? If not, you best run to the doctor TODAY.

YEs some ppl are predisposed for bad health but I find that MOST ppl are their own worst enemies. I had to modify my own lifestyle and its not easy with the fast food and other temptations out there. I just decided that I would never eat bad things again. That way I am not tempted by doing so.

I eat off of an 8 inch plate now and half is veggies which I eat first. That way I fill up on good stuff. No fried, no chips, no candy no eating out. Just cant afford it health wise.

If you stay obese, you will develop diabetes as you burn out your beta cells as they cannot keep up with that much tissue.

[chakra]

My daughter is a type 1 diabetic. There are no cases of diabetes in either of our families. She is only 4 years old, and did nothing to deserve or acquire her state.

She basically got a flu when she was 2 and the flu was particularly bad and it destroyed her insulin producing cells. So now she's placed in this state from basically playing in the park or going near someone who had a bad flu. We have no idea where she caught the flu, but every kid does.

They've been producing insulin for many years though, and it's actually not very expensive. The expensive part is all the accessories that make diabetes more manageable, such as pumps and blood test equipment.

Basically all a diabetic needs to stay alive is insulin and a needle. Today though, people do blood tests multiple times a day, and have automated insulin delivery systems. The cost to check your blood is many times more expensive then to administer the actual medicine. So basically you can inject yourself with insulin for pennies a day by reusing a needle a few times, but it ends up costing 10 dollars or more a day because of all the other products that make a diabetics life much easier.

What you are describing is by far my biggest fear. Not being able to provide my daughter with insulin is one of the most scary problems I can think of.

[joelcolorado]

Have yu tried Byetta or symlin with the insulin. Wife a doc and they are having huge success with that. Extends insulin and balances out the day. Less shots, etc.

[frankthetank]

I may have it. Last time i had blood work done my sugar level was over 100 and that was after fasting. They told me to have it check again down the road. I'm very thin, active, and have always thought i ate healthy. My grandpa on my mom's side had it. First discovered it when he was 40 (I'm nearing 30). Might still be alive today but didn't want his foot taken off...

[FoxV]

I was diagnosed with borderline diabetes, which probably the majority of North Americans have because most of our food chain is total crap. Even foods considered healthy are loaded down with processed starch and sugars. I can keep my blood sugar even just by a proper diet (pretty much South Beach btw) and avoiding particular foods (all breads except Multi-grain, Sourdough, and pumpernickel, and pretty much all cereals, although Frosted Flakes is ok for some reason)

I'm going to suspect that the incident of Diabetes in our society will decrease as people won't be able to afford to eat excessively anymore. This means that the drop in diabetes cases is just going to be replaced by rising malnutrition. But hey, its a die-off world, if all you have to complain about is malnutrition, you'll be doing better than most.

edit---
frank' you probably fall into my catagory. Read up on some diabetic diets. This was the book recommended to me
The Low GI Diet Revolution
and far more importantly
The New Glucose Revolution Shopper's Guide
Best $8 you'll ever spend

[frankthetank]

I pretty much am on an Atkins diet right now. I eat mostly veggies, meat, fruit. Lots of apples and peanut butter (no sugar, no transfat). I've cut ALL processed foods out of my diet. I rarely eat anything with wheat anymore.

Thanks for the tips. I'll probably get a book.

[Wren]

And whats sad, if ppl walked more, ate right an watched their lifestyle choices, many would never develop diabetes. What a shame. They all want a pill to make it better instead of losing wt. etc.

That may be true in many cases, but it's easy for healthy people to develop a kind of "health snobbery" and look down their nose at people who struggle with illness and physical limitations.

Some folks have stronger constitutions then others and while I'm big on personal responsibility and making wise decisions, I also know that some people just seem to have more health problems than others.

I was married to a man who consumed vast amounts of ice cream and cake and red meat and deep-fried foods. This was in addition to smoking cigarettes and drinking lots of beer. His favorite treat was a couple bowls of ice cream and fudge sauce before he went to bed at midnight. Now, even at the age of 55, he still eats and drinks and smokes and is the healthiest man I have ever met.

I'm just saying that health is not always intimately connected to lifestyle. Some people just have sounder constitutions and better metabolisms.

He is not the healthiest man you've ever met. (Or at least I hope not! That would make everyone else around you deathly ill.) You just can't see what's going on with him on the inside. His body is freaking out in many ways, rest assured of that. If what you said is true, then he's a mess, and I can say that without even looking at him.
Joelcolorado is right, most people have REALLY bad lifestyle choices. Not all, certainly not four year old children. There is always an exception to any rule, but, if you eat well and exercise REGULARLY, for more than just a week or two, or a month or two, you will enjoy a higher level of functionality and overall health. Period.

[joelcolorado]

I think type I is heriditary or caused by something outside and type II more lifestyle choices.

[Pops]

Yea, Type I results from partial or total destruction of the islets in the pancreas that produce insulin, and like chakra said results from an autoimune response, I think usually initiated by an infection - earaches are a common instigator. Heredity does play a role in predisposition to Type I.

Type II is either from an insufficient insulin production amount to accommodate body mass due to obesity or simple old age or insufficient uptake of insulin by the cells I don't now what role heredity plays.

I'm no expert but just like Chakra, our daughter developed type I at age four, she died last year at 31.

She was a freebird and at one point in her teen years as she lay in a hospital bed recuperating from keto acidosis I told her if she didn't start taking care of herself she wouldn't make it to thirty. In her late twenties as I drove her to have some more laser work done on her eyes she told me she guessed I had been right.

But as usual she did her damnedest to prove me wrong.

I would guess in the PO sense, the best thing one can instill in someone with Type I is to listen to their body, think of their blood sugar first when something feels off and to try to stick to a routine as much as possible in both eating and activity but aside from that to do any and everything they want.


Contact me anytime you care to Chakra.

[frankthetank]

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 DiabetesDevelopment of Type 2 diabetes seems to be multi-factorial...that is, there are a number of issues to blame. Genetic predisposition seems to be the strongest factor. Obesity and high caloric intake seem to be another. Twenty percent of people with this Type 2 Diabetes have antibodies to their islet cells which are detectable in their blood resulting in the expected low levels of insulin, suggesting the possibility of incomplete islet cell destruction (see discussion about autoimmune diabetes in the Type 1 diabetes section). These patients often tend to respond early to oral drugs to lower blood sugar but may need insulin at some point.

[mlukew]

Yea, Type I results from partial or total destruction of the islets in the pancreas that produce insulin, and like chakra said results from an autoimune response, I think usually initiated by an infection - earaches are a common instigator. Heredity does play a role in predisposition to Type I.

Type II is either from an insufficient insulin production amount to accommodate body mass due to obesity or simple old age or insufficient uptake of insulin by the cells I don't now what role heredity plays.

I'm no expert but just like Chakra, our daughter developed type I at age four, she died last year at 31.

She was a freebird and at one point in her teen years as she lay in a hospital bed recuperating from keto acidosis I told her if she didn't start taking care of herself she wouldn't make it to thirty. In her late twenties as I drove her to have some more laser work done on her eyes she told me she guessed I had been right.

But as usual she did her damnedest to prove me wrong.

I would guess in the PO sense, the best thing one can instill in someone with Type I is to listen to their body, think of their blood sugar first when something feels off and to try to stick to a routine as much as possible in both eating and activity but aside from that to do any and everything they want.


Contact me anytime you care to Chakra.

I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. My wife is Type I, diagnosed at 17. She's 25 now and lives an unhealthy lifestyle despite my pleas. This makes me very sad.

[Pops]

I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. My wife is Type I, diagnosed at 17. She's 25 now and lives an unhealthy lifestyle despite my pleas. This makes me very sad.

Thank you ml. I guess the thing you might hang on to - from my perspective anyway, is most folks grow up somewhere between 25 and 35.

I'd guess the best thing you could do is just the things you feel she should do.

Another thing to remember is a young child producing no insulin (Type I) is very "brittle" with regard to glucose and insulin levels because of a small body mass where any small fluctuation can make a big difference. Someone with more mass at 17 is not as prone to shock or ketosis I'd guess.

The upshot being damage to organs is much less I would think in an older person over the same time frame.

Again I only know what I've read and infer; you should research these things yourself.


Speaking of which; what is the link for the quote you posted Frank?

[killJOY]

My daughter is a type 1 diabetic. There are no cases of diabetes in either of our families. She is only 4 years old, and did nothing to deserve or acquire her state.

She basically got a flu when she was 2 and the flu was particularly bad and it destroyed her insulin producing cells. So now she's placed in this state from basically playing in the park or going near someone who had a bad flu. We have no idea where she caught the flu, but every kid does.

They've been producing insulin for many years though, and it's actually not very expensive. The expensive part is all the accessories that make diabetes more manageable, such as pumps and blood test equipment.

Basically all a diabetic needs to stay alive is insulin and a needle. Today though, people do blood tests multiple times a day, and have automated insulin delivery systems. The cost to check your blood is many times more expensive then to administer the actual medicine. So basically you can inject yourself with insulin for pennies a day by reusing a needle a few times, but it ends up costing 10 dollars or more a day because of all the other products that make a diabetics life much easier.

What you are describing is by far my biggest fear. Not being able to provide my daughter with insulin is one of the most scary problems I can think of.

Very moving post.

A little pep story for you:

My partner developed diabetes at 19 (year, 1972). Like your daughter, its onset was totally unexpected, given his family's history. Possibly, a prescription for steroids (to combat acne) triggered it.

He has faithfully eaten square meals every day, never misses his shot, and is so in touch with his health that he doesn't test his sugar except if it's clearly too low. He carries jellybeans with him instead of glucose tablets and abstains from drugs and alcohol.

He is now 55 years old, skinny as a rail, healthy as an ox. Complications: ZERO.





And Pops, my sincere condolences as well. Life is so unfair sometimes.

[Pops]

Complications: ZERO.

Right On.

It can be done.

[Homesteader]

My wife is a type 1 diabetic since the age of 6 due to mumps and measles (best guess) within the same year. She is 41 now and has been hyper-vigilant for decades. Even with tight control we have to deal with insulin shocks every month or so and big blood sugar swings all the time. She has had multiple laser surgeries etc. . . .Life isn't fair. She is a great lady and as tough as they come. We take it one day at a time and plan as best we can.

[killJOY]

She has had multiple laser surgeries etc. . . .

Yeah. stay vigilant with those eye and dental exams.

[Pops]

My wife is a type 1 diabetic since the age of 6 due to mumps and measles (best guess) within the same year.

Poor Auntie Darla.

Charlotte (our daughter) swore for years when she was little that Auntie Darla's chicken diner gave her diabetes!

She had an earache and a touch of the flu a week or two before we went to dinner at aunties house but the next day is when we decided she should go to the doc due to lethargy, thirst, urination, etc.


I'd bet Char had that chicken in the back of her head her whole life.

[Pops]

She still liked to ride Aunty's horse though...

[killJOY]

Don and I both dig the pic, Pops. Pretty girl!