Type 1 Diabetes In Children: Parenting Highs And Lows
On April 15th, 2013, when twin bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, a pit of fear and worry ached in my stomach, reminding me of how vulnerable my daughter Madison, a type 1 diabetic, is. I hate to be so grim, but without insulin, she will die. And with too much insulin, she will either go into a coma or die. This is the reality of Type 1 diabetes in children. As a mom, all I want to do is protect her. And when a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing happens, I start worrying and thinking about things that I have no control of like if a tornado hit my house, will I have enough time to gather Madison’s diabetes supplies? And if I don’t, will someone find us in time to save my daughter? This disease sucks! Yes, Madison can run around and play, but not without her blood sugar dropping, making her head hurt and sometimes causing her body to shake. And eating is one of her greatest challenges. She will never be able to eat like a kid. Madison loves pizza, macaroni and cheese, and birthday cake. And you bet I make sure she is able to occasionally eat them. But when she does, it comes with a price. Her blood sugar is higher longer, making her stomach hurt and sometimes preventing her from doing homework and practicing piano. But from her perspective, it’s worth it! I know Madison’s disease isn’t the only one that exists. But it is the one that consumes my mind every second of every day. All I want is for her to live a healthy life. And I pray every day that I can help her live the healthiest, happiest life she can. Madison was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on November 4, 2011. Her endocrinologist said, “It was just random bad luck that Madison got it.” Words that no parent would ever want to hear. Words that I never thought I would hear. I knew people who h Continue reading >>
‘i'm Not A Druggie, I'm Just A Diabetic’: A Qualitative Study Of Stigma From The Perspective Of Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Objectives While health-related stigma has been the subject of considerable research in other conditions (eg, HIV/AIDS, obesity), it has not received substantial attention in diabetes. Our aim was to explore perceptions and experiences of diabetes-related stigma from the perspective of adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Design A qualitative study using semistructured interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed and subject to thematic analysis. Setting All interviews were conducted in non-clinical settings in metropolitan areas of Victoria, Australia. Participants Adults aged ≥18 years with T1DM living in Victoria were eligible to take part. Participants were recruited primarily through the state consumer organisation representing people with diabetes. A total of 27 adults with T1DM took part: 15 (56%) were women; median IQR age was 42 (23) years and diabetes duration was 15 (20) years). Results Australian adults with T1DM perceive and experience T1DM-specific stigma as well as stigma-by-association with type 2 diabetes. Such stigma is characterised by blame, negative social judgement, stereotyping, exclusion, rejection and discrimination. Participants identified the media, family and friends, healthcare professionals and school teachers as sources of stigma. The negative consequences of this stigma span numerous life domains, including impact on relationships and social identity, emotional well-being and behavioural management of T1DM. This stigma also led to reluctance to disclose the condition in various environments. Adults with T1DM can be both the target and the source of diabetes-related stigma. Conclusions Stigmatisation is part of the social experience of living with T1DM for Australian adults. Strategies and interventions to address and mitig Continue reading >>
Type 1 - I Hate This Disease
Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community » Does anyone else feel like when they are talking about diabetes to someone who doesn't have it just not satisfying enough? I feel the only people who know how I feel are people who have it. This disease gets me down so much it's bloody exhausting managing it at times and sometimes I just wanna throw my meter out the window and forget I have it. Does anyone else feel like this at times? Sorry for the rant but it winds me up! Diabetes can be a pain in the arse, but it's not the worst thing that could happen. I know how you feel though. xx Hubby is type 1 and has had it for over 25 years. He just treats it like another part of his day, much the same as cleaning his teeth. I think I worry more than he does ! I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so frustrated. I have T2 and I feel like that at times, and I think it must be worse for Type 1s. But we just have to deal with it. It is great that there are people on here who understand how we feel. Good morning @rachy0121 yes we all feel like that sometimes your not on your own my friend I think diabetes type 1 is much more of a negative invasive feeling in identity to a Young person , it is all day long measuring and counting , not like us type 2, when we have our food right from the start there is not so much work and speculations all day long and worry of getting too much or to little insuline, and on top of those troubles type 1 almost always has to be a little higher in blood glucose than type 2 has to be, and that will lead to complications in very many type 1 very very early in life, which I can understand would be a depressing knowledge to live with for a very young person. Most of type 2´s are muc Continue reading >>
Your Stories In Brief
We have lots of short stories you've been sending us. You can read them below – and there are even morehereandhere! Why not write your own story andsend it to us? Kelly I was 13 when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I am 16 now. I was ill for about a month before being admitted to hospital. During that time I had painful headaches from being dehydrated and was constantly sleeping and drinking gallons of water. When I got to the hospital i was unsure of where I was and what was happening to me, I was scared and panicking about not knowing why everyone is about you. Once I knew that i had diabetes I was confused asking myself questions like why me? I spent nine days in hospital learning about the things that are going to keep me alive. Since been diagnosed with diabetes, I have been in and out of hospital over 10 times because I find it difficult to control my blood sugar. No one in my family have diabetes so I feel like am trapped inside a bubble having no one to talk to during the times that i find hard. I find ways to keep track of my diabetes but give up so easily. I left school at 14 feeling to embarrassed and ashamed of what people think of me now that I have to do injections, but am starting to take control of my diabetes and i just want everyone to know that you should feel proud of who you are! Hayley My mum has Type 1 diabetes since i don't know when so always had a 50/50 chance of it being passed on. As a young child I was always chubby (my grandad didn't help buying sweets and cakes every morning). It come to April 2000, I had been showing signs of diabetes, extreme thrist, weeing LOADS! You know the usual signs so my mum took me to the doctors to have me checked for it. My test results come back negative, phew!. A week later 9th April 2009, I was suddenly hit Continue reading >>
5 Nightmares You Don't Know Until You're Diabetic
Hey, remember when everybody was freaking out about Ebola, because of an outbreak that killed more than 10,000 people? Well, diabetes kills 1.5 million people a year worldwide, more than 200,000 of them in the U.S. And you're probably never more than a few dozen feet away from someone who has it -- there are 30 million diabetics in the U.S. alone. In other words, for something most people consider too boring to even think about, the scale of the epidemic is mind-boggling. The U.S. alone spends an astonishing quarter of a trillion dollars a year fighting it. Or to put it another way, diabetes sucks a thousand bucks out of every single man, woman and child in America, every year. We previously debunked the myth that sugar causes diabetes, and when we talked to someone with one variety of the disease, we learned about the parts of the experience you never hear about. He says ... 5 The Disease And The Treatment Can Both Send You To The Emergency Room Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images Our diabetic, Zach, once woke up in the middle of the night starving, his legs feeling near-paralyzed. His memory of the incident is hazy, but the next thing he knew, he was on a kitchen chair wearing only his boxers with an empty jar of raspberry jam on the table -- he'd eaten nearly the entire thing with his bare hands like fucking Winnie the Pooh. Oh, bother. When he tested his blood sugar, it was 45 (the normal level is between 80 and 100). Anything below 70 is hypoglycemia, yet even after eating an entire jar of what is essentially pure sugar, his blood sugar level was still near emergency levels. If we're being completely honest, it's remarkable that he ever even woke up to eat that jam. By all rights he should've died in his bed. So this shit can get serious, is what we're saying. "Wait," Continue reading >>
11 Things Not To Say To Someone With Type 1 Diabetes
1. There is no "mild form" of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesn't produce any insulin, while type 2 diabetes is when the body doesn't make enough insulin or the insulin it does make doesn't work properly. There's a myth that type 2 is the milder form – but it's false. "It is a commonly held belief that type 2 is the mild form and less serious than type 1 diabetes. This is in fact not true, as both type 1 and 2 diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as blindness, amputation, kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke, if not managed well. "Type 1 diabetes can be sudden onset, where a person may become quite unwell very quickly, whereas type 2 diabetes can go undetected for a number of years. Both types of diabetes need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid diabetes-related complications." – Deepa Khatri, clinical adviser, Diabetes UK 2. You don't get it from "eating too much sugar". "I didn't get it from eating too much sugar. There's nothing I can't eat or drink. And type 1 and type 2 are two completely different conditions. There's two types, I'm talking about type 1, the autoimmune condition. There's nothing I did to get it, there's nothing I could have done to prevent it, and it's not contagious. "No, it's not because I ate too much sugar as a kid, and yes, I can still eat that bit of cake. I can eat anything I want, and I can do pretty much what I want when I want to do it – my T1 doesn't hold me back in any way. It's a lot more than just taking a couple of insulin injections though – there's a lot more to it." – Connor McHarg 3. And it's a serious illness. "One of my major frustrations is that people tend not to view diabetes as a 'serious' illness and will go as far to say that it's self-inflicted due to certain lifestyle ch Continue reading >>
Personal And Relationship Challenges Of Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Go to: Abstract Little is known about the psychosocial challenges of adults living with type 1 diabetes or its impact on partner relationships. This qualitative study was undertaken to gain better understanding of these issues. Four focus groups were held, two with adult type 1 diabetic patients (n = 16) and two with partners (n = 14). Two broad questions were posed: “What are the emotional and interpersonal challenges you have experienced because you have (your partner has) type 1 diabetes?” and “How does the fact that you have (your partner has) type 1 diabetes affect your relationship with your partner, positively and/or negatively?” Sessions were recorded and transcribed, and analyzed by a team of four researchers, using constant comparative methods to identify core domains and concepts. Four main domains were identified: 1) impact of diabetes on the relationship, including level of partner involvement, emotional impact of diabetes on the relationship, and concerns about child-rearing; 2) understanding the impact of hypoglycemia; 3) stress of potential complications; and 4) benefits of technology. Themes suggest that, although partner involvement varies (very little to significant), there exists significant anxiety about hypoglycemia and future complications and sources of conflict that may increase relationship stress. Partner support is highly valued, and technology has a positive influence. Adults with type 1 diabetes face unique emotional and interpersonal challenges. Future research should focus on gaining a better understanding of how they cope and the effect of psychosocial stressors and coping on adherence, quality of life, and glycemic control. Continue reading >>
How To Find Your Formula For Insulin And Food Around Workouts
How to Find Your Formula for Insulin and Food Around Workouts Like most people with diabetes, I tend to have a love/hate relationship with cardio. I love all the positive things that cardio does for my body and diabetes management, but I hate how hard it can be to keep my blood sugars under control while working out. At least I used to hate it, before I found a formula for insulin and food around workouts that works for me (most of the time). In this post, Ill describe how you can find your own formula for success when it comes to cardio. Regular cardio workouts have so many benefits that they should always be included in your weekly workout schedule, regardless of your goals. Cardio can help with weight management, improves insulin sensitivity, help you relax and sleep better, and improves your cardiac health. All great things! The general guidelines statethat healthy adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of cardio per week. Thats only 20 min of movement per day. It doesnt have to be full-out I think Im going to die cardio either. Just getting your heart rate elevated for this period of time is enough to reap most of the benefits. Take me, for example some of my favorite types of cardio are dancing, hiking, circuit training, walking the dog, and boxing. I recently gave spinning a try, and though I really wanted to love it, after 7 spinning classes I just had to admit that I didnt enjoy it at all. So I wont be doing that again anytime soon. What Im trying to say is that cardio can be challenging and fun at the same time, and you should choose a type of cardio that you enjoy! Taming your blood sugars during and after cardio When somebody with a functioning pancreas starts a cardio session, his or her body will reduce the amount of insulin released. The body is sm Continue reading >>
Oranges And 30 Other Things About Type 1 Diabetes
What do oranges have to do with Type 1 diabetes, you ask? The juice proves helpful when treating a low, but bear with me—oranges play another role in this story of my mine. Let me tell you about them and 30 other things. First, an explanation. I’ve have had Type 1 diabetes for 31 years. It seems fitting to memorialize the occasion with 31 anecdotes and facts related to the condition. The diagnosis. I was two years old when the doctor told my parents I had Type 1 diabetes. The oranges. When I was first diagnosed, the diabetes educator trained my mom using an orange. It apparently claims a texture similar to a toddler’s skin. (I remain unconvinced. My skin is not and never was the consistency of an orange.) In any case, pumping an orange full of insulin helped my mom transition to pumping me full of insulin. Runs in the family. I don’t know that Type 1 is considered a hereditary disease anymore, but it was the dominant thought when I was little. It runs in my family. My grandpa had it and experienced all the complications that come with not managing it well. My brothers also were tested for the disease when they were young; they don’t have it, fortunately. Examples to follow, examples not to. If I manage my diabetes well, it may have something to do with my grandpa. I witnessed the price exacted by choosing to eat whatever one wanted: he went blind and lost circulation in some of his limbs. I refuse to let that be my story. Faith. I think becoming diabetic at such a young age made me more open to Jesus and believing in him. These days, I think God uses the disease to keep me from pride and to allow me to enter into other people’s suffering. Diabetes is all about control, which becomes a scary, scary thing as a person who battles perfectionism. It also runs cou Continue reading >>
Stressing The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes: Why Do We Care?
“That’s what people get when they eat too much sugar.” A chance remark and nothing of note to the woman that said it. But to me, it stung. This was overheard while waiting for my prescription in Lloyds Pharmacy. A little boy keen for knowledge asked his mother to explain what a poster concerning undiagnosed diabetes was about. I have been irked by the campaign this poster is a part of for some time already. They were first displayed during Diabetes Awareness Week back in June but have remained in stores, tacked to the front desks and to outside windows, ever since. They state that “11 million people have undiagnosed diabetes in the UK.” It uses the word ‘diabetes’ as one sweeping, blanket label. If you squint you might notice a tiny little asterisk alongside the word, which denotes ‘type 2’, written in nondescript letters in the bottom right hand corner. Within the diabetes online community the lumping together of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is often a hot topic. But it recently occurred to me that I’ve never addressed it myself in a blog, despite having spoken a lot about it in offline conversations and on social media. After the incident in Lloyds Pharmacy it struck me that I needed to write that blog. This one. Let me stress from the outset this is not about attacking people with type 2 diabetes or waging a war of type 1 vs. type 2. That unpleasantness is something I hate. Diabetes is a pain in the arse for anyone that has it, and we all have the right to moan and vent if we need to. But there are differences here which must be made clear whenever the conditions are referred to. So to the facts. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition whereby a fault in the immune system triggers an attack to beta cells in the pancreas. When these beta cells are Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Lifey
Were surveying people about their experiences with Type 1 Diabetes. Here will be a collection of their responses. *This information is not meant to replace medical advice, and the information gathered via surveys may or may not be correct. Hopefully it will be helpful to you! Joshua began drinking a lot and wetting the bed multiple times though the night. (Joshua, 5 years old) Extreme thirst, bed wetting, dark circles, weight loss, moodiness. (Mia, 6 years old) Shaking, headache, thirsty, hungry, anger. (Joselyn, 8 years old) Thirst, stomach aches, feelings of anger, lethargy. (Alexander, 9 years old) Excessive going to bathroom, and being thirsty. (Mahdi, 17 years old) High fever, vomiting, being thirsty. (Klark A., 18 years old) When I was diagnosed, I lost a lot of weight, became really thirsty and had to go to the bathroom frequently. (Maria, 20 years old) Frequent urination, loss of weight, thirsty all the time. (Nancy, 20 years old) Sadness, anger, joy, hypoglycmie, hyperglycemia. (Vianney, 24 years old) Hunger, moodiness, thirst, peeing, blurry vision, depression, anxiety. (Anonymous, 25 years old) Extreme weight loss before diagnosis, occasional extreme thirst when BG is high, some discoloration on lower legs doctor says its from t1d. (Sydney, 26 years old) Increased thirst, urination, and hunger. (Brittani, 27 years old) Drinking too much water, many times to toilet, dizziness. (Polis, 28 years old) Fatigue, dry mouth, extreme thirst, frequent urination, dka, neropothy. (Alyssa, 30 years old) Fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, frequent urination, feeling light headed, heart palpitations. (Lia, 30 years old) High amount of urine and dry throat. (Mohsin I., 31 years old) Thirst, DKA, low blood sugar, high blood sugar. (Louis, 34 years ) Hypo and hyperglycemia. (Anon Continue reading >>
Top 10 Myths About Type 1 Diabetes
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. When my oldest daughter was 2 we received the devastating news that she had type 1 diabetes. Since her diagnosis we have had to put to rest many false ideas about what type 1 diabetes really is. I thought it would be great to put all those misconceptions in one place and address the most common myths we hear. 1. People with type 1 diabetes cant eat sugar In reality people with type 1 diabetes can eat anything they want, as long as they give themselves enough insulin to cover the sugar or carbs they eat. It must be said though that sugar isnt really good for anybody and should be eaten in moderation, but Ill save that rant for another day. 2. Type 1 diabetes is caused by being overweight Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune disease caused by the body attacking the pancreas. It has nothing to do with weight or diet. While it is more rare for an adult to get type 1, it happens. My best friends husband was diagnosed as an adult. Mary Tyler Moore was also diagnosed as an adult. It can happen at any age. 4. Kids will grow out of type 1 diabetes Well meaning friends or family members told me this when my daughter was first diagnosed. dont worry, shell grow out of it Sadly that is not the case. She will be insulin dependant for the rest of her life. 5. Artificial sweeteners are good for people with type 1 diabetes This one may cause some controversy, but it drives me nuts when kids with diabetes are given artificial sweeteners. There is absolutely no reason for artificial sweeteners in a childs diet, especially a diabetics. Artificial sweeteners can in fact cause insulin to not function as well. This one is complicated. Type 1 diabetes is not hereditary. Nobody in my family has ever had type 1 diabetes. However, the autoimmune gene that can c Continue reading >>
We Finally Have An “artificial Pancreas” For Diabetes. But It's A Letdown.
Melinda Wedding The first thing Melinda Wedding thinks about when she wakes at 6:15 am is checking her daughter Carson’s blood sugar to see if she needs another dose of insulin. "Type 1 diabetes is constant," Wedding told me. "There’s no downtime." Throughout the day she might look at her watch, which gives her a reading of her daughter’s blood sugar, up to 100 times. With that data comes hundreds of decisions about when Carson should eat and how to use her insulin pump. Every night, Wedding wakes up two or three times to check on her daughter’s blood levels again. If Carson misses a dose of insulin — and she sometimes does as she learns to manage her condition — her blood sugar will rise. Over time, that could lead to all sorts of adverse effects, from brain fogs and stomachaches to a coma or kidney failure. You'd think that a new device called the "artificial pancreas" would be a godsend for someone like her. Designed to make insulin delivery less of a hassle by automating it, the MiniMed 670G by Medtronic was called "revolutionary" and a game changer after the Food and Drug Administration approved it in September. But families like the Weddings say the device, slated to hit the market in spring 2017, has been incredibly overhyped. For starters, it isn’t a true artificial pancreas — it only automates the delivery of one type of insulin — and patients who use it still have to do a lot to manage their condition. "I hate [the name]," Wedding summed up. "It gives the connotation that the problem is solved, when it’s far from solved." The device also does nothing to fix one of the most pressing problems facing the 1 million people with Type 1 diabetes in America: The cost of insulin is skyrocketing so much that some patients are being forced to cut back Continue reading >>
I Hate Having Type 1 Diabetes
Did I ever mention how much I hate, how much I loathe, how much I despise having Type 1 Diabetes? For those who don’t know there are two types of Diabetes Mellitus: Type 1 Juvenile-Onset and Type 2 Adult-Onset. Type 1 is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin. I treat my diabetes with a pump. Others take insulin shots throughout the day. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to produce enough insulin. People with Type 2 must follow a careful diet and take oral medicine to help regulate blood sugar levels. No shots are required unless your control deteriorates. No matter what type you have, IT SUCKS. Diabetes adds tremendous unwanted stress to my day. Some examples: 1). I have a 1:30 meeting. My blood sugar is 260, running high. That means I’ll need insulin to lower it below 150. My body needs 30 minutes to absorb and process a shot. Unfortunately, my meeting starts before then. Now I have 3 choices: I can be rude and bring food to the meeting, be late or eat afterwards. The tricky part is ensuring I don’t have a low during the meeting if I miss my meal. All I want is eat and go, just like anyone else. Lunchtime becomes a science experiment and needlessly stressful. 2) I decide to relax behind the TV after a long day. I was distracted while taking my dinnertime shot and realize I’ve overdosed on insulin. A sudden low is coming on. When this happens, I feel shaky, dizzy, see stars and look drunk. Psychologically, I feel irritated and absent to my surroundings. My shitty day just got worse. Untreated lows can be life threatening. Yet again, diabetes ruins my relaxation time. 3) My friend and I plan to walk for an hour, then find a Cafe for a meal. 20 minutes into our walk, we bump into coworkers, who invite us to hike throug Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes: I Hate Having Diabetes, It Rules Ur Life 24 Hours A Day
Submit I have extra supplies, insulin pumps and CGMs. See list for details: Dexcom G4 receiver, Dexcom G5 receiver, Omnipod pump and four boxes of Omnipods (exp 9/28/2018), Medtronic 523, Medtronic 723. Let me know if you are interested, shoot me an offer. Thanks Submit Checked BS 3 times, both read over 600. Mom won't take me to hospital because they aren't experience with DKA. I have almost all the signs of DKA expect large ketones and vomiting. Only small ketones and a stomach ache.What do I do? I would feel safer at a hospital but mom won't take me!Please Help! My son Brad was asked to speak last night at a JDRF walkathon fund raising evening about his experience with AFREZZA the new Inhaled Insulin. People were VERY excited. Over 100 attendees. He is 26&T1 Hi there. Looking for a mentor/friend for my 12 yr old. Diagnosed 2 yrs ago with type one diabetes and has lost confidence and could use some warm coaching or sop port. Dan be a tween or teen via phone and skype. Thank you I have extra supplies, insulin pumps and CGMs. See list for details: Dexcom G4 receiver, Dexcom G5 receiver, Omnipod pump and four boxes of Omnipods (exp 9/28/2018), Medtronic 523, Medtronic 723. Let me know if you are interested, shoot me an offer. Thanks Submit Submit Hi there. Looking for a mentor/friend for my 12 yr old. Diagnosed 2 yrs ago with type one diabetes and has lost confidence and could use some warm coaching or sop port. Dan be a tween or teen via phone and skype. Thank you Checked BS 3 times, all over 600. Won't register on meter. Have almost all the signs of DKA but mom won't take me to hospital because they aren't experienced with DKA and we would just waste our money. We can't go to another hospital because we dot have insurance there. Please help! I feel horrible! Submit My Continue reading >>
