I think there should be 2 groups set up. One should be for Type 1 and the other for Type 2. IMHO, those with type 2 have different issues than those with type 1.

I've had a gripe for years in that I wish Type 2 diabetes were given a different name altogether instead of making it seem similar to type 1 diabetes. This is because many type 2 diabetics can lose weight and not be diabetic any more while those with type 1 will definitely have a chance to get all the other diseases that are caused by being a type 1 diabetic. Their diabetes will not go away.

My understanding is that once a person is a full-blown type 2 diabetic, there is no going back. Some people diagnosed as pre-diabetic have managed to stave it off - but we don't yet know for how long. The impacts of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are substantial and the most recent research has shown that type 1 and type 2 are more similar than previously thought.

I think the distinction between type one and type two should really be insulin dependent or not insulin dependent. That seems like the natural division to me, but then I'm not yet on insulin so I am probably not the best person to judge.

The good news is that there has been a break-through rat study carried out in Canada. The rats were actually cured of their diabetes. As I recall the researchers thought this held out more hope for type 1s than type 2s. They hope to go to human studies very soon.

I think that diabetics of any stripe are more alike in their challenges than they are different. 4 x the chance of getting alzheimers, 6 x the chance of a heart attack. An average loss of 14 years from the expected life-span.

I am one of Betty's failures. She started a group last year and we rather quickly ran out of things to say to one another. I would like there to be a "diabetes forum" that we could post to whenever we had something to share. There are some pretty odd-ball forums on this board. I think that diabetes should be given a chance.

devorah, do you know when the human studies will start and do you have a link?

It's just that the hype lately that so many more people are diabetic than ever before takes away from a child who gets type 1 diabetes. The general public has a misconception about how serious the disease can be and think that weight control will take care of it. Type 1 diabetics don't have that choice.

Marie, I hope this link will work. I read about this in several places. This is just one. I hope it isn't just hype.

I have a little understanding of what it is like to have a child with diabetes. I recently read James Hirsch's book "Cheating Destiny" which describes the hardship very well. Have you read it? Does it ring true to you. The author is a diabetic and when he started the book he planned to do a history of diabetic research, but part-way through writing it, his young son developed diabetes so all of that associated anguish is in the book as well.

I certainly understand that the mistaken presumption of "choice" is a bitter pill for a person with type I diabetes to have to deal with and it must be horribly frustrating for you to have people assume that your child has diabetes due to poor lifestyle choices. On the other hand type 2 people didn't ask to have bodies that respond poorly to the western lifestyle and children in particular can't be held responsible for the food and exercise opportunities that are presented to them. Another new study has show that children with type 2 diabetes progress much more rapidly than adults into an insulin dependent state.

Here is a link that might be useful: diabetes in mice study

Thank you for that link. I hadn't heard of this before so I am very appreciative.

I'm sorry if I sounded harsh regarding type 1 vs type 2. It's just that it seems type 1 has taken a back seat to type 2 recently and my daughter at 23 already has complications from her type 1 diabetes. So, of course, I want them to find a cure for her.

Maybe we can just stay here and share information. I wish the GardebWeb had just a Forum for Diabetes.
I am having a problem keeping my BS count down. The doctor gave me Avandamet. I thought it was helping till my leggs started swelling. I had to get off of it and get back on Metforman. I was on 500mg a day and that was not enough to keep the BS down. So now I am on 500mg twice a day. It is helping some. But, it is so hard for me to keep from eating more than I should. I love food....smile! But I do not eat any candy anymore and no pie or cake or regular cookies...<:- so that is a help. the carbs are what getting me in trouble. i have found way to make cookies no sugar and healthy. love all kinds of nuts hard boiled eggs...they my snacks. you think would gain weight but can only weigh lbs am tall. want much one problems do not drink enough water. forget. get busy other than blood problem pretty know diabetes starting harm some parts body. concerned about kidneys. just lately had bladder infection...bad one.>Anyone know any other site for people to share and learn about diabetes. We did have one started on Yahoo a while back, but hardly anyone wrote on it. I even lost the site address.(my computer was cleaned out and I lost everything.) I am back with it all cleaned out now and forgot a lot that I had saved.
Sorry to write so much. I love to write, but not really about this sad subject, unless it can help someone.
God Bless!
Betty in Florida

My understanding is that once a person is a full-blown type 2 diabetic, there is no going back.

I have known type 2 diabetics who were overweight, never exercised, and took insulin or another medication. After they lost weight from changing their diet and doing daily, regular, moderate exercise, they were able to stop taking their medication.

I don't believe a type 1 can do that. The effects of either one can be devastating, but type 2 is manageable. The problem is that many type 2 diabetics aren't willing to change their diet and give up the foods that they shouldn't eat, and won't exercise. For them, a shot or pill is easier .

Jen

It is true that some type 2 diabetics can get to the point that they don't require medication. That is not a cure. If they were to eat ordinary portions of carbohydrates they would be back to needing meds again. I eat no carbs after 3 pm. and not many before that. There is no going back to what I was. I am not whining here or saying that Type 1 and 2 are identical. I have read that children with type 2 progress very rapidly to being insulin dependent. I don't know what percentage of those could roll back

I am taking Metformin primarily to manage my post-exercise surge in blood sugar. Most of the time, exercise lowers my blood sugar, but in the morning when I exercise hard it raises it. Adrenelin is antagonistic to insulin. That's NOW - I do not expect that I can maintain without meds indefinately and insulin may be in my future. Diabetes is a progressive disease even on a very strict regimen.

Type 2 actually carries some risks that I don't think come with type 1. Most of us with type 2 have all the associated diseases of the metabolic syndrome. I am heavily medicated for cholesterol, but it is still high. I eat almost no saturated fat,just the little bit that is in lean chicken breast but even that is too much. I also take medication for my thyroid. I was recently hospitalized for chest pain and a rapid pulse. After weeks of testing, it turned out that my thyroid meds were too high. When I cut my thyroid medication, my weight ballooned at the rate of 1 pound a week despite my increasing my exercise and cutting calories. I recently upped my medication to try and stop the weight gain, but today when I exercised I had to stop and sit down when my heart beat went over 140 and stayed there. I am sure my doctor will cut my medicine again and it will again be much harder to do anything about my weight.

I also have high blood pressure and take pretty heavy duty medicine for that. Losing weight has had no effect. In fact I decided to follow the Oz/Roizen "You on a Diet" book to the letter to see if I could really get my waist size down. After two weeks, my waist was up an inch. I have fibromyalgia and exercise is really painful for me, but I do it for at least 60 minutes a day anyway. I am talking treadmills, weights, walking & swimming. You wouldn't know to look at me that I do anything but surf the net. Do you know the difference between gentotype and phenotype Jen?

My understanding is Jenn and Devorah are correct TO A POINT about Type 2 (insulin Resistant) diabetes, you can control it with Diet and Exercise...FOR A WHILE. Then the pancreas becomes more and more ineffective and medicines insulin becomes necessary. There is no cure for Diabetes YET but with all the research, who knows what can happen in the years to come.

Vickey-MN

Ah, I think there is a difference between adult-onset type 2, and juvenile-onset type 2... especially if adult-onset is in the 50s and beyond.

Devorah, yes I do understand the difference.

First, When should we take metformin before a meal or after a meal? I always have understood to take them with food???
I am on 1500 mg Metformin. I take one 500 pill in the morning after I eat one after lunch and one after Dinner/or later in the evening if I forget at dinner.
I really think I need to go on 2000 mg per day. I have high readings, like 127-150 in the mornings.
The readings all vary because of what I eat at dinner or before bedtime.
I fix a good dinner and eat a little of everything. Even if it is white potato, bread, desert or etc. I almost know that is what puts my readings up in the mornings. Sometimes I eat too much potato. I am always hungry and love to eat. I only weigh 106 lbs. I wonder if that might allow me to have higher reading??...smile!
God Bless!
Betty in Florida

It must be hard to be so slender while working with a diabetic diet. Like most people I have the opposite problem. I can't have any bread, potato or dessert because my sugar would just skyrocket.

Metformin should be taken just before eating. I have the extended release kind, so it only has to be taken once in the morning. I think I will have to give it up though because it is hard on the kidneys if they are diseased. I will have to manage with diet and exercise alone although I am going to ask my doctor about taking byetta.

Hi everyone. I was recently diagnosed with Type II and frankly am mortified. I guess I shouldn't be because that won't help me to control it. I've been reading some of the posts here and some of it is pretty frightening. However, I'm glad you all are here, it's encouraging. I think I need a little hand-holding because although I have a lot of resource info (beforehand), I'm not sure how to manage my eating and lifestyle. I haven't seen a nutritionist yet - that's coming soon, but I'm trying to watch my eating habits. I know that I need to increase my exercising. I've learned from before. I actually think my previous excercise routine kept the diabetes from starting earlier. Now I don't feel like doing anything. I have an exercise bike and a rowing machine here at home. They don't collect dust all the time, however, I do need to increase using them.

Now that I've vented, I guess I'd like to know more details on managing my sugar levels. I'm supposed to take the metfomin - once in the PM, with food. I took it once and thought I would die!! I was so sluggish and couldn't tell if I was sleepy or tired or what. Emotionally, I was a wreck - grumpy and irratable, and I felt so frustrated. I finally took a nap because I couldn't do anything else. After that, I felt better, but still had the emotional thing going on. The other thing - after I took it, even into the next day, my hands, feet and arms were so hot - like prickly heat, only worse. My skin was on fire - very red and burning. I also swelled up so much, like I was retaining more fluid. I know it was the meds because nothing else changed and it hasn't happened since I stopped taking it. I called my Dr., but haven't heard back yet. Anyone else have those symptoms? Also, what is the difference in the timing for taking it. Some people have said with meals, others before and in the AM. Not sure about that.

Sorry for the long post, but right now I feel pretty clueless.

Thanks for listening - any info is much appreciated!!

gng

Gneegirl,
Your post sounds like me over a year ago...smile! Just know that the diabetes is not going away and we have no options about it leaving us. The first year is the hardest. Each and every day of our lives we face experiences that challenge us to chose love or fear or cynicism...going on or giving up.It is what we do with what happens to us that counts. I've learned that life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. We have to make good choices to eat healthy and be healthy. Best to drink herb tea instead of coffee,some fresh foods instead of all cooked, and small meals instead of blowouts. Take V-B complex, V-C and Zinc, 3000mg primrose oil a day. Do plenty of relaxing to reduce the stress with prayer and exercise. And if you learn to laugh at it you can live with it...smile! I am so blessed to have a husband that keeps me laughing. I take metformin 1500mg per day. One in the morning and two at night (500mg each)Sometimes I cheat and eat what I should not, but not much. (I think we all cheat once in a while.)I use splenda instead of sugar...and not much of that. I have learned a lot of information on the internet. Keeping in touch with others with type 11 has helped me through this nightmare as I used to call it. But finding out that so many others have it too has helped me accept it with God's help. Then I think of others that have other sicknesses a lot worse than mine. I thank God that I can handle the diabetes. I can make a choice to do so. Stay with us here and we will help you through it.
God Bless!
Betty in Florida

Betty,

Thank you so much for responding. I will probably need to just connect for a bit - although I'm not alone in this. I'm just so confused right now. Hopefully as you say, things will settle down. I've been through much more than this, and through faith I was able to get through it. I lost my 18yr old daughter about 13 years ago. It doesn't seem that long ago. I'm still here and I think stronger for it, because I trusted that God would help me. He did. I just need to continue that for this situation. The funny thing, I know so much about this disease but for the life of me, I'm having trouble calling on all of that for myself. I'll get there - just need to exhale a little now. I can do it!!

Thanks again.

gng

Hi gnee girl,

I am so sorry for your losses. I am sure that it must feel as if you have had more than your share of heartaches.

I wish you wouldn't feel mortified by having diabetes. The media has gone way overboard in calling this a lifestyle disease and trying to marginalize us. We shouldn't fall for that crap.

Betty takes most of her Metformin at night because she suffers from dawn phenomonon. Her sugars are highest in the morning when she first wakes up. If you don't have that problem, then you will want to take yours just a few minutes before eating. I take just one extended release tablet before breakfast.

Exercise really is essential. I exercise about 1 - 3 hours a day. I test after I eat and if my blood sugar is raised, I exercise. I usually exerercise just before bed so that I have the benefit of low sugars all night.

My diabetes is a bit odd because I am developing symptoms very rapidly. Normally people don't get kidney disease or numbness in the extremities unless they have had uncontrolled sugar for 10 - 15 years. After just 3 years and tight control of both food and exercise and a 40 pound weight loss, and an A1C in the 5s, I have both. You can control your food and exercise, but the outcome is not entirely in your hands. One thing I learned about exercise, is that it can be overdone. If you exercise too strenuously, you may find that your blood sugar has gone up. That is because really strenuous exercise will produce adrenelin and andrenelin is an antagonist of insulin, so if you find that happening, dial it back a bit.

I wish nothing but the best for you. Let us hear how you are doing.

Hi, all!

Guess I messed up by not checking in again - rude of me to ask question and not respond to everyone's response. Thanks Devorah.

It has been a while since I've been here. Still have the dreaded disease, but am handling it better - oh, did I say handling? I should probably say not-handling. But I am trying to eat better and exercise some. But my thyroid and all it's glowing nodules is been acting up and it's hard to stay in line when you feel bad more than half the time. My levels are not off that much, but the nodules are pretty large, and causing lots of pain. I think I've decided to have it removed - at least the surgery is scheduled. My Dr. is really pushing to have it removed because a biopsy may give lots of false-negatives for CA because it the nodules are so large. So, when that is over, I will probably devote more time and energy to the daibetes issue.

Yes, at this point, I wish GW would do Diabetes Forum too. Now I know, there are so many issues and a lot of great info to share that you don't get from just looking at the standard websites/books. I've found GW GREAT for more specific info, for all subjects, to be honest. So maybe they will hear this, or we can go through the proper channels and ask. Fingers crossed...

Hope everyone is well.

gneegirl

Good to hear from you gneegirl. I hope things go well for you. My mother-in-law had her thyroid removed, but she didn't have diabetes and she was in very poor health so I can't separate out the thyroid thing from the rest of it. My whole family has low thyroid function and we all take meds for it. Finding the right amount is really tricky and I am tested every 3 months. Too high and I get jittery. Too low and I start packing on weight at an alarming pace. I prefer jittery, but my Dr. doesn't.

What gives me the hump is the prejudice diabetics are sometimes subjected to. When trying to insure my car, one underwriter said they will not under any circumstances cover anyone who is on more than 15 units of insulin per day. Why? I have to have an annual medical examination in order to hold a driving license, so if my doc doesn't think I am fit, or have adequate control of my condition then I don't have a license and therefore that will prohibit the granting of motor insurance. The stance of the insurance company concerned makes about as much sense as a directive not to insure blue cars on a Tuesday.

There are plenty of other companies out there who are more than happy to take my money and provide the service. The short-sightedness of some just makes me rather cross.

I go for several weeks with perfect blood test results. So perfect you could use them for blood glucose meter adverts. But then I go for several weeks where I may as well be injecting tapwater instead of insulin. Nothing I seem to do gets my results within the parameters. This is not helped by the fact my diabetes nurse can be rather patronising. I go see her, she looks at the results of a bad week and says I must be eating lard sandwiches for lunch and washing it down with four hundred gallons of beer. This attitude does not help me work out why I have these good weeks and bad weeks when my routine and eating habits do not change. Indeed they make me get the hump with the nurse and switch off and stop listening.