Diabetes

[garnett_21]

I don't know if anyone on here is a diabetic or not, but whether you are or aren't, feel free to post any comments.

I am a type 1 diabetic - I was diagnosed when I was 18 months old - and I am coming up on 18 years since I was diagnosed (that equals to roughly 26,000 insulin injections and roughly the same amount of finger sticks). At the time, I was the youngest patient to be diagnosed with diabetes at the hospital where I was admitted to.

Saturday, March 29 will be my 18th 'anniversary' of having diabetes.

I don't exactly know where this was supposed to be going - I wasn't quite sure what to do tonight, so I decided to talk about my diabetes - lol.

This is not meant, whatsoever, to be a pity thread for me....mainly just for anyone who is or knows a diabetic or just wants to talk about diabetes....also, if anyone needs advice about diabetes, I'd be glad to help however possible....just remember, I'm not a doctor....lol

Anyway, enough of my rambling....thanks for the read!

[tnopud42]

Hi. I was diagnosed with diabetes almost a year ago. I'm sixty now so I've had to live with it a short time. They discovered it when they were doing blood work for my prostate cancer. Add to that I have really bad diverticulitus and you can see I have to watch my diet very carefully. It is a full time job and I hate to say, I'm not very good at it. I have lost 30 pounds and if I could get more consistent on my exercise I think that would help. My problem occurs when my blood sugar gets high. I'm not sure exactly what to do when that happens.

[garnett_21]

what do you do to control your BG's? insulin? pills? diet/exercise? I'm guessing you have type 2?

[tnopud42]

Type Two - I take 1 tablet Metformin (500MG). The doctor has made no adjustments so I guess it's working fine. I do notice sometimes though that my numbers approach 200. I know that's not particularly bad but they generally are in the 120's and when I see the numbers spike it's a little disconcerting.

[arkaneinc]

Diabetes is such a **** disease. My father has it (since 21) and both of my sisters have it as well. type 1. It really sucks man. I defiantly feel for ya. The insulin is not cheap either and it amazes me that there are so many people that are so uneducated about the disease.

I remember growing up that people would tease my sisters because they were diabetic and thought that you could catch it like a cold. Diabetes is one disease that I myself have to deal with a lot on a day to day basis. Especially the low blood sugars. On more than one occasion when I was little I had a tough time with it since my father didn't take care of his sugar levels.

For those of you that don't know about Diabetes I do suggest that you look it up because more and more people are coming down with the disease every year and just by knowing the symptoms you could end up saving someones life.

[12thManzAlive]

this runs in my fam, that's why I try and stay fit!!

[garnett_21]

tnopud - if you exercise regularly (30 minutes/day is great! even a walk around the block), you will (hopefully) see some improvement in your sugars....I'm trying to get back into control myself now....it's especially tough when you've been basically sitting the winter and spring comes around and your out playing basketball (who, me??)....I've had lows in the middle of the night twice this past week....also have had BG's in the 300-400 range.....having a 200 isn't bad....it's better to keep them lower (look who's talking! lol) but having a high every once-in-a-while isn't terrible

if you have real high sugars, this is something I do (can't remember where I heard it from)....drink alot, I mean ALOT of water in 20 minutes (I've drank up to 2 quarts)....it makes your kidneys work harder, but it flushes the sugar out

[garnett_21]

arkaneinc - personally, I don't look at it as a **** disease....yeah, it sucks, but I look at it as if I'm lucky....it was caught so early, the doctors thought my mom was BSing them....if I had diabetes in Africa, or any other poorer nation, I'd be dead! if I was alive 100 years ago, I'd be dead! (insulin wasn't discovered until 1922).....and there are much worse things to have....tnopud had/has cancer

my grandfather had type 2 diabetes, my uncle had type 2 diabetes and my great-great grandmother (I think) had type 2 diabetes....I'm the first in my family to have type 1....and in the last year or so my great aunt was diagnosed with type 2 as well....as for not taking care of it/yourself...my grandfather skipped taking his pills, would only do what he had to for 2 weeks before his doc appt....all other times, he'd eat how he wanted, wouldnt take his pills, etc, etc, etc....and the not taking pills led to him having to do injections. Now my uncle died at an early age, and diabetes wasnt the cause....he had other problems, that I wont get into, but he did not take care of himself, and diabetes was beneath him basically. As for my great great grandmother, I can't speak for her....don't know how it was! And my great aunt who was just diagnosed recently....she has other problems too, and diabetes is just a side effect basically

this post is getting a little long....I'll continue in my next post

[garnett_21]

continuation of last post:

the price to take care of it is insane....I use Lantus and Novolog insulin....each bottle is roughly $90-$100....one month supply is $200 shelf price....test strips? $.90 per strip...$90 for a box of 100 strips....that doesn't even last a month...24 days or so. then you add on syringes ($30/100), lancets ($20 for a box of 100 I think), glucose tabs (concentrated sugar, $5 for 100), glucagon kits, and everything else needed, your looking at $350-$400/month shelf price....and that doesn't include doctor's visits. thank God for insurance!!! that's just for me....I think most would be cheaper, esp with type 2

if you are at risk for having diabetes (arkaneinc and 12thManz, you both are), have yourself tested....there are roughly 18 million Americans with diabetes that don't know they have it!!

[arkaneinc]

yeah i see what you mean. Yeah it's costly if you dont have insurance.

As far as testing I get tested every year just to be on the safe side.