A New Perspective On Metformin Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes

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A New Perspective On Metformin Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes
The evolution of metformin therapy through the decades.
Studies such as the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) post-randomization follow-up have established that the risk of cardiovascular and microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes can be mitigated with stringent glucose control. However, maintaining blood glucose levels within goal range remains difficult for patients to achieve. The DCCT demonstrated that as HbA1c goals are approached the incidence of hypoglycemia increases exponentially. The risk and fear associated with hypoglycemia is a key factor in patient’s and practitioner’s difficulties in reaching target blood glucose levels. As such, healthcare providers err on the side of caution when setting goals for their patients.
Another issue facing patients with type 1 diabetes is the prevalence of insulin-induced weight gain and eventual insulin resistance and subsequent insulin dose requirement increases. Patients often experience increased blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol levels as consequence. Because of these challenges non-insulin therapies have emerged as possible solutions for patients with type 1 diabetes. Following the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) published in 1998 the world was introduced to metformin hydrochloride as a safe option for all type 2 diabetes patients and was no longer r Continue reading

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children with DIABETES - Friends for Life Canada 2018

November 2-4, 2018 Marriott on the Falls Niagara Falls, Ontario
The view of Niagara Falls is breathtaking
Learning about food has never been more fun
Even the youngest kids makes friends at FFL
Siblings (Orange Team) have a great time at FFL
Children with Diabetes (CWD) and Connected in Motion (CIM) present Friends for Life Canada, a conference for individuals and families living with type 1 diabetes! Join our group of world-renowned clinicians, researchers, physicians, adults, children, and families with diabetes to learn the most current information in diabetes care and support. Attend educational sessions and get cutting-edge diabetes management ideas. Participate in discussion groups, share your story, and help motivate and support others who walk in similar shoes. Watch toddlers and teens, college students and professionals, young parents and grandparents, new and practiced diabetes clinicians make new and lifelong friendships. This is a conference you won't ever forget!
Families and individuals with type 1 diabetes
Young adults, teens, school-age children, and younger children
Children with type 1 diabetes and their siblings and their best friends
Adults with type 1 diabetes and their spouses or partners
Friday, November 2, 2018: Registration and Exhibits Open, Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Area
Saturday, November 3, 2018: Sessions for adults and children all day, Exhibit Area open
Sunday, November 4, 2018: Sessions for adults and children all day
The Marriott on the Falls is the largest Marriott convention facility in Canada. It is located Continue reading

Type 1 Diabetes Can Wear You Down

A diabetes advocate describes how the condition has impacted him throughout his life.
Editors note: We strive to provide a complete picture of life with Type 1 diabetes. While we love sharing inspirational stories, we want to make sure to acknowledge the difficulties of managing a chronic condition over decades. Aaron D. Johnson sent us this honest account, and we thank him for it.
The world of a child is an amazing place. Its a medley of bicycles, ballgames in the sun, building forts, sledding in the snow, birthday cakes and Christmas lights. What child is going to pay any attention to dry skin and constant thirst when there is so much to do? Childhood is a time to run and play, to get dirty, soaking wet, or covered with snow. The only need is to race home after school to catch a favorite TV show and then charge outside again to play superhero among your superhero friends.
Then, one day, you are just too tired to get up from in front of the television. Your tummy hurts and your dry skin is flushed. Your mother is talking to you, but you cant understand what she is saying. The bright, kaleidoscope of childhood is replaced with a blur of hospital images: doctors frowning with concern and talking in low, serious voices; nurses looking at you like you were the walking dead; endless medical tests; waiting rooms and gurneys behind curtains; and, of course, the needles. Always the needles.
I was six years old when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In my case, it is a form known as brittle diabetes, or Labile diabetes. This is a fairly rare form of diabetes that causes w Continue reading

Introducing Diabetes Strong - a health and fitness website for people with diabetes

Introducing Diabetes Strong - a health and fitness website for people with diabetes
Im living the dream! I work side by side with my husband writing Diabetes Strong, a website and community for people living with diabetes who want to be active and healthy.
This is not my first career, but its most definitely the most rewarding, not only because I live with diabetes myself but because of everyone who has reached out to me to let me know that Diabetes Strong has made a difference in their lives.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1997 (Oh my gosh, thats 20 years ago!!) right out of high school. It wasnt a super dramatic diagnosis, so no coma or extreme weight loss. I did show several of the usual symptoms though, like extreme thirst, frequent urination, and feeling deathly tired all the time. I think the sleepiness was the worst; I fell asleep at work more than once.
Looking back, its incredible that I didnt notice the symptoms earlier, but I guess you get used to even extreme behavior like that very quickly.
My family ultimately started to take notice and urged me to see a doctor. I went to my PCP and it only took a simple finger prick to diagnose my diabetes. He sent me home and I was completely freaked out. Id never met anybody with diabetes, didnt know what it was and basically thought Id been handed a death sentence.
Luckily, my mom is a nurse and could calm me down and explain the basics. She also went with me to Steno Diabetes Center, the closest diabetes center to where I lived in Denmark, where I got my initial diabetes training.
At Steno, I was paired Continue reading

Why You Need (And How to Find) Diabetes Education Courses

Why You Need (And How to Find) Diabetes Education Courses
Your guide to gaining the know-how, skills, and support to live well with diabetes
Becky Blanton could count on two fingers what she knew about diabetes in the days and weeks that followed her type 2 diagnosis: I couldnt have sugar, and I had to take insulin every day, says Blanton, 61. She was only half right. I took the initial information provided by the diabetes educator, but I didnt take it seriously, she says. Since there were no symptoms, I just ignored it.
Fast-forward a year and a half to 2014. Late one night, she suddenly felt nauseous, lightheaded, and inexplicably angry. She shared her symptoms on Facebook, where her friends include other people with diabetes, as well as nurses and paramedics. About 10 minutes later, I hear a knock at the door, and its [emergency medical services], insisting I go with them to the emergency room, says Blanton, who lives in rural Virginia. She had dismissed the concerns of a Facebook friend who suggested she go to a hospital; he called the emergency response team.
Blanton, as it turned out, was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This life-threatening condition happens when extreme high blood glucose, along with a severe lack of insulin, results in the breakdown of body fat thats used for energy, causing a buildup of acids, called ketones, in the bloodstream. Though its more common in people with type 1 diabetes , DKA can occur in people with type 2 as well. Its usually triggered by illness, infection, or missed doses of medicinesall of which can lead to high Continue reading