Survival and Health - Diabetes

[Saltyag2010]

This National Diabetes Month, take steps to improve diabetes outcomes

Type 1 diabetes is huge in my family. I grew up not knowing that all older people can't eat sweets. When I was probably 14 I learned about type 2 diabetes.

Have you seen someone having an incident? It's terrifying. I've seen my neighbors and family members not being able to talk or walk. They shake and go in and out of consciousness and fight you when you help them. But type 2 is preventable, why would you give yourself a disease?

I'm going to try my best to keep the people around me from developing type 2. Being healthy is the best preparation you and your family can make for the future.

Im asking the members here to get into shape and stay that way and encourage others on the same path.

Thanks for for reading my 2000th post.

 

[rsayloriii]

Type II is more preventable, but not totally. While the majority that get type II from being overweight, it's not the only cause. My ex - wife got it from a tumor on her pancreas. The tumor was causing her pancreas to not produce the proper amount of insulin. If they could have removed it by itself, she would have been fine. However, they had to remove a good portion of her pancreas so she'll be type II for the rest of her life now.

 

[jrbfishn]

My brother was diagnosed borderline diabetic last year. Has to watch what he eats now real close.


Sent by a idjit coffeeholic

 

[Saltyag2010]

Type II is more preventable, but not totally. While the majority that get type II from being overweight, it's not the only cause. My ex - wife got it from a tumor on her pancreas. The tumor was causing her pancreas to not produce the proper amount of insulin. If they could have removed it by itself, she would have been fine. However, they had to remove a good portion of her pancreas so she'll be type II for the rest of her life now.

True there are some things that are out of our control. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Major Kong]

Type II is more preventable, but not totally. While the majority that get type II from being overweight, it's not the only cause. My ex - wife got it from a tumor on her pancreas. The tumor was causing her pancreas to not produce the proper amount of insulin. If they could have removed it by itself, she would have been fine. However, they had to remove a good portion of her pancreas so she'll be type II for the rest of her life now.

Encourage her to get on an insulin pump.

I was diagnosed Type 1 in 2008. No history in my family, but I guess it has to start somewhere. I am 5'11" and 180 pounds which is hardly obese.

Getting on the pump was the best thing in the world. Just test your sugar levels, estimate the amount of carbs, push a few buttons and the right amount of insulin is delivered. It has significantly reduced my highs, and more importantly my lows.

MK

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Type II like Type I is far from fully understood and its causes are manny. For me it was Agent Orange...I remember it well, we believed they were spraying for mosquitoes and we would stand in it as they sprayed to get it on us...

That said, its and can be controlled. Keep your weight down, stay active eat healthy.

Meat: Eat lean and if you can find it stick with grass fed Wild game, my wife an I eat mostly Wild Hog, Venison, Elk, Bison. Eat fish such as wild caught salmon and local caught, Bass, Perch, Trout etc. AVOID Tilapia. There are hundreds versions of this almost wholly farmed fish, most from China and other countries, don't touch it!

Veggies: Don't buy canned, waste of money and chewing effort: Stick with Raw or frozen

Grains: Just say NO, skip the wheat, corn, soy etc. All grains are new to our diets only about 5000 years have we been eating grains, eat lightly

Organics: Don't waste your money, grow them or or get in a community farm that grows them otherwise chances of you getting real organics are slim to none

Lastly do not repeat eat: NOTHING is off limits, love Pecan pie or butter cake, makes not diff you can eat. If you buy a pie or cake. at one sitting eat all you want, take the rest and toss. You will find if you satisfy your craving for a pie and you eat all you want, you don't wake up the next morning craving it. DO NOT fool yourself into thinking I will have a small slice tonight and one tomorrow till its gone...now you have eaten the entire pie and never satisfied your cravings


Make those changes and be amazed as the weight drops off you and you never had to give up a single thing to do it....enjoy

 

[Texasjack]

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Your body attacks the cells that make insulin and kill them off. Usually - but not always - this happens at a young age.

Type 2 diabetes is a GENETIC disease. You do not get it by eating too many Twinkies. Those with T2 develop "insulin resistance", where the parts of the cells that receive glucose via insulin become so few in number that it takes a lot of insulin to make things work. Eventually, the pancreas sort of wears out from trying to keep up. T2 can result in terrible health effects, as it destroys the circulatory system. Blindness, kidney failure, cardiac failure (having T2 is the equivalent of already having one heart attack in terms of heart attack risk), peripheral nerve damage, and even loss of limbs. Generally it doesn't get diagnosed until the symptoms of damage start showing up, so it's thought of as a old persons disease.

Because of the high blood glucose in Type 2s, it is very easy for them to gain weight. In ancient times when food supplies were not consistent, people with Type 2 could pack on weight quickly when food was abundant and thus survive times when food was short.

You cannot cure Type 2, but you CAN manage it. Diet (low-carb), exercise (which lowers insulin resistance), and medications can usually keep it under control IF THE PATIENT WORKS AT CONTROL CONSISTENTLY.

I highly recommend the American Diabetes Association's web site. If you or a loved one have diabetes, they have great forums where you can find support from people who have been going through the exact same problem.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 about 9 years ago. For 7 years, I was able to manage the disease and do pretty well. Then I came down with pancreatic cancer and most of my pancreas was removed. I have to take insulin now, but because of the insulin resistance, I still have to watch diet and exercise. (FYI, pancreatic cancer is bad stuff. Survival rates are between 3 to 6%, depending on when it gets diagnosed.)

If diabetes runs in your family, or your doctor points out that your blood glucose is high or your A1c is high (A1c indicates glucose levels over the last 6 months), then please take it seriously and get busy managing it. It isn't that hard, even though it takes daily work. Losing your eyesight or your leg is serious and irreversible - and unnecessary.

 

[rsayloriii]

Encourage her to get on an insulin pump.

I was diagnosed Type 1 in 2008. No history in my family, but I guess it has to start somewhere. I am 5'11" and 180 pounds which is hardly obese.

Getting on the pump was the best thing in the world. Just test your sugar levels, estimate the amount of carbs, push a few buttons and the right amount of insulin is delivered. It has significantly reduced my highs, and more importantly my lows.

MK

Ex ... so no contact.

However, mom is a type I. After she got on the pump several years back, it's been a lot more stable. Before, it was closer to a roller coaster at times.

Best advice I can give is to find an endocrinologist. Do NOT let your primary care doctor treat it. While some might be ok, they are the reason why mom was on a roller coaster. The doctor thought he knew what was he was doing, but didn't. Endocrinologist has the right training to properly treat it.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Type 2 Diabetes: While Genetics seems to play a stronger role than in Type 1 environmental factors also play a major role. This can mean exposure to Agent Orange which has a proven linkage to Type 2 diabetes to being overweight and not active. I am 6'2, 190 lbs and active albeit I stopped running several years ago when reality finally set in that running was not doing me any good except pain. So lose some weight and get active....

Here is what the American Diabetes Assoc has to say:

"Type 2 diabetes has a stronger link to family history and lineage than type 1, although it too depends on environmental factors.
Studies of twins have shown that genetics play a very strong role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Lifestyle also influences the development of type 2 diabetes. Obesity tends to run in families, and families tend to have similar eating and exercise habits.
If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, it may be difficult to figure out whether your diabetes is due to lifestyle factors or genetic susceptibility. Most likely it is due to both. However, don’t lose heart. Studies show that it is possible to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes by exercising and losing weight."
- See more at: Genetics of Diabetes: American Diabetes Association®

 

[Dragunov]

I was diagnosed with type 2 last year. Put on metformin, and I eat what I want...... IN MODERATION! My weight isn't an issue. My blood sugar, and BP are stable.

My great grandmother died from diabetic complications at the age of 92. My maternal grandmother, likewise.

"Native" Americans are susceptible to type2. My maternal grandmother is full blooded Cherokee. Both my paternal grandparents are full blooded Iroquois. My parents don't have diabetes, but I ended up with it mildly, and my sister (about 100 pounds soaking wet) is pre-diabetic.

 

[Texasjack]

"Prediabetes" doesn't really exist. It's just a stage of Type 2 diabetes. Doctors tell people they have prediabetes so they won't panic. Sometimes they'll even tell them if they lose weight they might not get full blown diabetes. It's a lie.

Unfortunately, most people deal with T2 from a very negative aspect. Yeah, untreated it can blind, cripple, and even kill you. (Two of my classmates from high school have died from complications of diabetes.)

HOWEVER, the disease CAN be MANAGED. And the sooner you start, the more you can push off the damage to your circulatory system and the rest of your body.

If you or a loved one is diagnosed, or if you just have a lot of it in the family, I urge you to visit the American Diabetes Association forums and check out the Type 2 section. Tons of good information from others going through the same problems who are successfully managing the disease.