[guitargeek]

Hi

I was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I have it under control so far it seems, but I'm confused as to why this really happened. I know there's genetics and all that, but they say that it happens to obese or older folks. I'm 17 and I weigh 50kg. I swim a lot, and overall pretty active. Can anyone shed some light as to why this happened to me? Also, maybe how common is it for someone of my age and health to have type 2 diabetes?

I appreciate any help, thanks

-Weena

 

[diabetes86]

Did a grand parent have diabetes?

 

[Richard157]

The majority of Type 2 diabetics are overweight when diagnosed, but not all of them are. I know several Type 2 diabetics who were NOT overweight when they were diagnosed. There are some medications that have been known to cause insulin resistance, and that leads to Type 2. It is also true that your having relatives that are Type 2 will make it more likely that you might become Type 2. There are doctors who jump to conclusions and tell people they are Type 2 when they are overweight, and that they are Type 1 when they are not overweight. An endocrinologist (diabetes specialist) would have appropriate testsing done and make a correct diagnosis. Type 1 diabetics can be overweight, and Type 2 diabetics are not always overweight. These are exceptions to the rule, but they do happen.

 

[Shanny]

Hello, Weena. I wonder what tests and numbers they used to make the diagnosis of type 2? Just curious . . .

The previous responses have pretty well covered the reasons diabetes can strike. Sometimes there just ISN'T any reason - it comes out of deep left field!

I'm glad to hear you're controlling it well.

take care,

 

[guitargeek]

Oh okay. I'm not clear about this then. Is it possible that I'm type 1? They said type 2 but this is from my family doctor. I don't have an endocrinologist.

Type 2 runs in my family. My maternal aunt has it and I think my maternal grandmother had it too, but I never knew her and I don't know for sure.

I have no other medical problems, and I'm on no medication at all except for metformin. The dietician I met at a counseling meet for noob diabetics said she thinks I should be on another medication called gluconorm instead of metformin because metformin apparently makes you lose weight.

A problem I do have is sleep. I don't sleep like normal people do. I read that people who don't sleep properly, coupled with genetics, are 4x more likely to get diabetes. Is this the real reason I got it though? I don't know what to make of it. My doctor, as nice as he is, doesn't seem to know much of what to say about it. Just the fact that I have it and this is what I need to do to control it and so on.

I just want to know how this happened and about if there's others like me. I mean younger and fit people with type 2. Out of everything that I read, how do I fit the type 2 profile other than genetics?

 

[Shanny]

Your age & weight make type 1 seem logical, but you say you're controlling it well without insulin, so that sounds like type 2. If you & your parents decide you should see an endocrinologist, that would prob'ly be a good thing. Our regular doctors have so many maladies to keep track of that they aren't always completely caught up on each individual disorder.

As I said, there isn't always an explanation. Sometimes lightning just strikes.

 

[guitargeek]

Okay, thanks for your help

 

[onaughmae]

Oh okay. I'm not clear about this then. Is it possible that I'm type 1? They said type 2 but this is from my family doctor. I don't have an endocrinologist.

Type 2 runs in my family. My maternal aunt has it and I think my maternal grandmother had it too, but I never knew her and I don't know for sure.

I am going to guess genetics play a role for you here. I was 16 when I first started having issues. They caught me early only because they were watching me for it. My mother, grandmother and sister were all type 2 diabetics...I just happened to be "lucky" enough for it rear its head that early. I was young, active, maybe 10 pounds overweight only.

Cheers
Pam

 

[dinosaur]

like guitargeek i am unsure why i got diabetes .

i am 44 years old and was diagnosed 2 years ago with type 2.

i know i am in the right age bracket but my BMI must have been 23.5 which it is now ,give or take point 5 for the last 25 years and i am the same waist size now as i was when i was a teenager which seems to be the main cause of diabetes.

it was never explained to why i got it , just that you have it .

 

[breezeonby]

I was 40 when I was diagnosed. I was slightly overweight when diagnosed with T2. My doctor said it was adult onset. The only person in my family with diabetes was my Grandmother. I don't remember her, I was only 2 years old when she died. She had her gallbladder removed and died from complications from the surgery. I had my gallbladder removed last September and was worried about the surgery because of this. Gallbladder surgery (laproscopic) is so routine today. Most people don't even need to stay in the hospital. I stayed overnight. I didn't respond to the pain medications that I was given and my blood pressure drops really low when I have general anesthesia. I was ready to go home after staying one night. I don't like to be in the hospital....they were running the vacuum cleaner at 1AM....what a crazy place!

 

[diabetes86]

Diabetes frequently skips a generation.
Diabetes used to be deadly and people with it did not reproduce, now that we do, the gene gets passed on through multiple people in a family and the skipping a generation is less.

 

[goldengirl]

The main thing to remember is that you did nothing wrong - you did not cause your disease! It is my opinion that there are multiple forms of Type 2 - not just one & multiple causes. With more research, I'm guessing that the types now known will expand exponentially. What's most important is taking care of yourself now & for the long haul. To do that, the most important tool now available is your blood glucose monitor. Use it to come up with an eating plan that works for you & you can minimize the amount of medicine you have to take over time. And, excercise is key. You are young & if you develop good habits now, you will be a healthy person with diabetes (PWD.)

 

[onaughmae]

The main thing to remember is that you did nothing wrong - you did not cause your disease! It is my opinion that there are multiple forms of Type 2 - not just one & multiple causes. With more research, I'm guessing that the types now known will expand exponentially. What's most important is taking care of yourself now & for the long haul. To do that, the most important tool now available is your blood glucose monitor. Use it to come up with an eating plan that works for you & you can minimize the amount of medicine you have to take over time. And, excercise is key. You are young & if you develop good habits now, you will be a healthy person with diabetes (PWD.)

You know, you remind me of a point I have often considered. Type 2's obviously have insulin resistance issues...its one of the things that make you a type 2. I have often wondered....which really came first...resistance or obesity? Or can it be two separate causes? What makes me wonder this is just for the fact that not all type 2's are overweight. Now its true that many of them are....and I do think obesity and resistance do go hand in hand. But really...which causes which? When you are having insulin resistance, your body starts producing a lot of insulin in response to the high BG even though you arent able to use it properly. Increased insulin can cause weight gain. Weight gain will exacerbate the insulin resistance making it worse...and so starts the vicious cycle. So which came first? Are there two causes for Type 2, or are the ones diagnosed that arent overweight just diagnosed before they gain more weight? When I was diagnosed I was 16 and *maybe* 15 pounds overweight. They caught mine that early simply because we were looking for it due to a dominate family tendency for it. Just food for thought...

Things that make you go..hmmmm...

 

[goldengirl]

Pam, I am a little over my optimal weight now - I've gained a few pounds since I've been on insulin. But, when I was diagnosed, I definitely was not!

So, the IR question is one I've considered, too. Clearly, my body was not using the insulin it was producing. I'm still making some, my c-peptide is on the low side of normal, according to testing.

But, I don't have the answers & I think this is one of the questions that lie at the heart of the disease. It has to be answered as a part of looking for a cure.

 

[onaughmae]

Pam, I am a little over my optimal weight now - I've gained a few pounds since I've been on insulin. But, when I was diagnosed, I definitely was not!

So, the IR question is one I've considered, too. Clearly, my body was not using the insulin it was producing. I'm still making some, my c-peptide is on the low side of normal, according to testing.

But, I don't have the answers & I think this is one of the questions that lie at the heart of the disease. It has to be answered as a part of looking for a cure.

I totally agree with that. I was still making a somewhat normal level insulin when I was diagnosed. It is just over the years that my insulin production has now decreased to hardly anything. Guess those beta cells are finally giving up the ghost