[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

CramCycle

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

Cramcycle, have you heard much about brittle diabetes in your research?

I have heard the phrase but never encountered it before(or so I thought until I skimmed a few papers), it would appear that the definitions of who has it are pretty varied from someone with no control through their own doing (maybe forced through other issues) to those who cannot control their sugars regardless. I presume you got your data from a quick google but I would warn you to be careful.

From the few papers I have glanced over, the causes are various from person to person but identifiable in the majority of cases. Go into Google scholar (not google, that will lead to alot of americans with blogs blabbing on about something they know little about) for a clearer picture.

What you should focus on in my opinion, is identifying the underlying issue, be it psycological, issues with absorption, abnormal insulin resistance, overdosing insulin, overcompensating etc.

Personally, the only reason I imagine alot of people do not get diagnosed with it is because they hide it well (I remember people making up results to fill their book before going into the clinic as a child, myself included on a few occasions).

Diabetics are quite prone to mental health issues, particularly when their bloods are not running well, wether the hen or the egg came first is a discussion for another time.

I have anecdotal evidence galore but am tired at the moment (concidentally from high blood sugars that cannot be explained) so I will leave that alone, that and I am a scientist and anecdotes are a dangerous thing.

http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/11/839.full.pdf+html

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/8/1/12.full.pdf+html

Haven't read through the above but the abstracts looked promising.

tbh

my friends dad had brittle diabetes, he was the first person I talked to after I was diagnosed. In his case, the term "brittle" referred to the unpredictability of it - for me, for example, 10g CHO causes my BS to rise by about 2, and is accounted for with 2 units of insulin, give or take, every time. 1 Unit of insulin will cause my BS to fall by about 2 units, give or take, every time.

for him, 10g CHO could cause his sugars to rise by up to seven or eight, or not at all. Sometimes he could have a meal, take 3 units and be high as a kite, or he could have the same meal, take 3 units, and collapse from a hypo.

Sounds like a nightmare tbh.

BlackEdelweiss

tbh wrote: »

for him, 10g CHO could cause his sugars to rise by up to seven or eight, or not at all. Sometimes he could have a meal, take 3 units and be high as a kite, or he could have the same meal, take 3 units, and collapse from a hypo.

Sounds like a nightmare tbh.

That sounds like me alright. Last week I had a ham salad sandwich for my dinner, I wasent very hungry so I reduced my dose to 6 units instead of 8, still thought it was bit high but I was going to monitor it in case I dropped quickly. 2 hours later I was feeling a bit strange, checked my blood, I was 21.4. The last 2 days has been similar, low enough at breakfast, 2 hours later in the high teens. Not sure what is going on lately.
It dosent make life easy.
It was the consultant who said it could be brittle diabetes, not me self diagnosing.

CramCycle

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

It was the consultant who said it could be brittle diabetes, not me self diagnosing.

I didn't think it was but I have had cases like this myself all the time. When I was younger it was quite prevalent whereby there was no way to predict where my bloods would go, I even remember a nurse giving out to me when I was admitted to hospital as I must have been doing something behind their back.

I find now that my control is generally good but when I have flare ups of other issues I suffer from that I lose my control almost instantaneously and dramatically.

Basically my point was don't brush it off as "I have brittle Diabetes, there is nothing I can do about it". If your consultant thinks that is the end of it, maybe some research into possibilities and suggestions for checks on your return visit might be a good idea? It could very well be that there is nothing to be done but its worth exhausting every and all possibilities.

CathyMoran

I have had brittle diabetes since surgery I had over 5 years ago, am not overweight but am female. I get a thing called dumping sydrome which makes life interesting too. I have to test a lot.

Redmal

I've always wondered how people cope with their diabetes. I have had it for 16 long, horrible years and have never, ever come to terms with it. I would love to be able to deal with it the same way other people do but I just can't allow myself to. I do consider myself to be very lucky however as I have never been seriously ill with it, I have always managed to keep myself on the periphery of being really bad (at the moment my HbA1c is about 7.4, I don't know what the percentage is, it's been better and it has also been way worse).

One of my huge problems with it is that my legs are covered with Necrobiosis Lipoidica and I have had terrible ulcers. Nothing thankfully for a long number of years. Do many other people have this problem? Every time I'm at a clinic, a doctor takes a picture of it and all I want to do is shove their camera phones down their stupid picture taking throats! But seriously, is this really not that common?

Royal Legend

even though this is a great thread, it might be good to have a type 2 thread as well (me being a bit selfish here) as some of the stuff u types ones talk about does not relate to type twos, whats other type twos thoughts on this?

CathyMoran

How about every poster says at the begining of their post their type?

ElBarco

I think two threads might be the way to go. Although there is alot of common ground there is enough of a difference that a bit of streamlined discussion wouldn't do any harm.

Royal Legend

CathyMoran wrote: »

How about every poster says at the begining of their post their type?

Type 2

I like that idea, keep everything together in the one thread and just stick type 1 or type 2 at the beginning of each reply

ElBarco

Royal Legend wrote: »

Type 2

I like that idea, keep everything together in the one thread and just stick type 1 or type 2 at the beginning of each reply

Are we not just creating two threads of conversations but with an added complication of filtering a tag?

CathyMoran

I feel that we have some things in common, eg meters etc but sometimes I am wondering what type people are.

Redmal

Surely the only real difference between the two is just the medication though really? All side effects, related illnesses, blood sugar readings and targets etc are all the same.

CathyMoran

Redmal wrote: »

Surely the only real difference between the two is just the medication though really? All side effects, related illnesses, blood sugar readings and targets etc are all the same.

Type 1. They are totally different illnesses, type 1 diabetes is an autoimune disease and people who have it may have other ones. I produce no insulin what so ever, type 2 produce insulin.

BlackEdelweiss

I suppose the people to ask are the type two's. If they want a forum of their own then they should have it rather than feel they are being thrown out of this forum by the type 1's.
Maybe have a poll for type 2's only to vote in.

CathyMoran

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I suppose the people to ask are the type two's. If they want a forum of their own then they should have it rather than feel they are being thrown out of this forum by the type 1's.
Maybe have a poll for type 2's only to vote in.

T1 Personally I feel that we can learn a lot from one another but we do have different illnesses.

Redmal

CathyMoran wrote: »

Type 1. They are totally different illnesses, type 1 diabetes is an autoimune disease and people who have it may have other ones. I produce no insulin what so ever, type 2 produce insulin.

:rolleyes:
What I mean is that both types suffer high blood sugar levels, low blood sugar levels, both benefit from good diet and weight control, both run the risk of heart problems, limb problems, eye problems and both need long term support, care and encouragement from other people. I know the technical differences.

Edit: T1

CathyMoran

T1 I can eat anything as long as I balance my insulin, I do not know the diet of T2. Personally weight has never been an issue for me but I have been told that if I became overweight that my sensitivity to insulin might reduce. Yes, my blood sugars have to be watched but the illnesses are totally different.

The_Conductor

Redmal wrote: »

:rolleyes:
What I mean is that both types suffer high blood sugar levels, low blood sugar levels, both benefit from good diet and weight control, both run the risk of heart problems, limb problems, eye problems and both need long term support, care and encouragement from other people. I know the technical differences.

Edit: T1

The commonality between T1 and T2 (and T1.5) is an issue with producing normal levels of insulin. This is a symptom though in many cases, rather than the defining factor (which is why you hear lots of stories about Type 2 (and 1.5) diabetics claiming to be able to control their condition through dietary and/or exercise regimens)).

Both diabetic types *can* suffer high and low blood sugars- however a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic is far more likely to be affected by hypoglycaemia (lows) while a type 2 is more likely to be affected by hyperglycaemia. This is borne out by the different approaches in diabetic clinics (and in the likes of maternity hospitals) towards the different types of diabetes- they no longer accept a 'one size fits all' approach- particular care is taken to ensure Type 1's in particular aren't slotted onto a HbA1c table which looks at long term trends- which would be the norm for a Type 2 (or in the case of pregnant women- those diagnosed with gestational diabetes).

A healthy diet and a moderate exercise regime- are very useful tools for *anyone* with a chronic illness- not just diabetics- in the case of diabetics, it is no longer the case that the one size fits all prescription is doled out to everyone by any means whatsoever.


To be honest- where many endochrine used to view Type 2 as a subset of diabetes in general- the current position is that it is increasingly being viewed by most professionals as a distinct condition- as opposed to a subset (this is esp. following the recent tragic cases involving Type 1s).

BlackEdelweiss

As someone who has been treated for both types I can say in my experience that the only things that have changed in my life since my original diagnoses is that I can eat more freely now I am taking insulin. All the associated worries and problems are still the same, I go to the same clinic, see the same diabetic nurse, use the same blood monitor, still have loads of hypos and highs.
I dont see it that we have different illnesses just different causes to the same illness. Our resistance/sensitivity to insulin may differ but from what I can see on this forum no two peoples diabetes is the same whether they be type 1 or type 2.

Redmal

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

As someone who has been treated for both types I can say in my experience that the only things that have changed in my life since my original diagnoses is that I can eat more freely now I am taking insulin. All the associated worries and problems are still the same, I go to the same clinic, see the same diabetic nurse, use the same blood monitor, still have loads of hypos and highs.
I dont see it that we have different illnesses just different causes to the same illness. Our resistance/sensitivity to insulin may differ but from what I can see on this forum no two peoples diabetes is the same whether they be type 1 or type 2.

That's the point I've been trying to make!! Now I'm being given a lesson on the differences in Diabetes and the fact that they are totally different! I really didn't want to get into a whole debate thing about it all.

BlackEdelweiss

I think people are forgetting the title of this forum. [Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread.
Its not a medical science journal, its is a support thread where you can come and ask a question, have a laugh at some of the lighter side of things, get a bit or reassurance when things are not going great.
Lets not turn it into an elitist "we're sicker than you" type thing. We all have a life changing illness that will probably result in the premature death of some of us.
This is a great place to come for advice on diabetes, why try and fix something that is not broke.

calfmuscle

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I think people are forgetting the title of this forum. [Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread.
Its not a medical science journal, its is a support thread where you can come and ask a question, have a laugh at some of the lighter side of things, get a bit or reassurance when things are not going great.
Lets not turn it into an elitist "we're sicker than you" type thing. We all have a life changing illness that will probably result in the premature death of some of us.
This is a great place to come for advice on diabetes, why try and fix something that is not broke.

I think you might be getting the wrong idea here. Nobody is being elitist and certainly not "we're sicker than you". (thats actually quite insulting)
However, I think there are as many similarities as there are differences.
You are correct it is a support thread and that is why I felt type 2's would get MORE support if they had their own thread. Just because there could be 2 threads would not mean a person cannot post in both. But they could get better information on type 2 specific problems if they had their own thread to really discuss it in. And also have the benefit of discussing the general issues that the types have in common in here if they wish to do so.
There is also a good bit of misinformation in the general public, as this is public forum I would like to see both types distinguished/differentiated.

BlackEdelweiss

calfmuscle wrote: »

But they could get better information on type 2 specific problems if they had their own thread to really discuss it in. And also have the benefit of discussing the general issues that the types have in common in here if they wish to do so.

I'm not trying to get into an argument here, there is enough of that all over boards but if we go down that path this thread will have to be split into 3 sections, Type 1, Type 2 and General. Why should Type 1 get to keep the main thread?

I found this forum a great help when I was considered a type 2 and have found it a great help since being considered a type 1.
That is my only point.
If type 2's want their own forum give it to them but lets not cast them out because they are not the same as us.

ElBarco

smccarrick wrote: »

To be honest- where many endochrine used to view Type 2 as a subset of diabetes in general- the current position is that it is increasingly being viewed by most professionals as a distinct condition- as opposed to a subset (this is esp. following the recent tragic cases involving Type 1s).

What tragic cases are you referring to? (Unrelated to the discussion - just curious)

CramCycle

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

Lets not turn it into an elitist "we're sicker than you" type thing.

ON a cheerier note, I thought of this when I read that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

BlackEdelweiss

ElBarco wrote: »

What tragic cases are you referring to? (Unrelated to the discussion - just curious)

I was wondering that aswell.

CathyMoran

T1 I wish that people would just always say their type. There is different advice in most cases for the diffferent types. For instance I can have toffees if I want to, am not sure with Type 2's...

BlackEdelweiss

Type 2's can have toffee's as well, not too many of them though, just like type 1's.
The dietary requirements of type 2 diabetes are more limiting than for a type 1. You have a set limit of carbs that you can eat per meal or per day, all depending on your body type, activity level etc. If you want to have a treat later on you can eat less earlier on and build up the points so to speak.
I personally found type 2 the harder to live with, you are very restricted in your diet and I was constantly hungry and wanting more food. I lost a lot of weight as a type 2 and had less energy.
Type 1 was a release for me, I could eat more of what I like, still within limits but things like pizza which send my blood sky high for some reason are now back on my menu, albeit very rarely.
Given the choice I would be a type 1 diabetic.

CathyMoran

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

Type 2's can have toffee's as well, not too many of them though, just like type 1's.
The dietary requirements of type 2 diabetes are more limiting than for a type 1. You have a set limit of carbs that you can eat per meal or per day, all depending on your body type, activity level etc. If you want to have a treat later on you can eat less earlier on and build up the points so to speak.
I personally found type 2 the harder to live with, you are very restricted in your diet and I was constantly hungry and wanting more food. I lost a lot of weight as a type 2 and had less energy.
Type 1 was a release for me, I could eat more of what I like, still within limits but things like pizza which send my blood sky high for some reason are now back on my menu, albeit very rarely.
Given the choice I would be a type 1 diabetic.

T1 You say that you are a type 1, does that mean that you have the autoimune one? I would consider Type 1 is where you have the autoimune one, not that just that you are on insulin. How many units a day do you take on average. I take 2-4 in the morning, 2-3 at morning break (high GI 15g carb coffee) , then 4-10 (upto 80 g of carbs) at lunch but it does vary depeneding on food and about 6 at dinner then 8-9 launtus depending on my time of the month. I founf pregnancy a lot easier though the responsibility for an always wanted child was huge.