Hello from North Alabama

itissteve said:

Hello, cmitch, and welcome to our community! I hope you find it a good source of information on how to manage diabetes, particularly the parts that have to be managed outside the clinic office.

The experience of a younger diabetic is an uncommon voice here, so it would be great if your daughter would relay some of her experiences as a "hybrid" diabetic and as a teenager. And, certainly, anything you find helpful and your experiences are welcome as well.

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The hybrid diabetic thing is what we thought to be rare and uncommon. In the UK, where it has been studied more, they estimate up to 20% of type 1’s also have type 2 or insulin resistance. We first noticed the difference in her physical appearance compared to other type 1 children at diabetes camp. All the kids were scrawny and our daughter and one other boy were on the heavy side. We tried to get it addressed at University of Alabama Birmingham. They were of no help. When we took her to Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes clinic, they checked her for insulin resistance because they acknowledged there was a problem. The only thing they do for the type 2 side is merformin. She treats her type 1 just like anyone else. The metformin cut her insulin use almost in half. Here is an interesting article describing the presence of metabolic syndrome in type 1 diabetics: Double or hybrid diabetes: A systematic review on disease prevalence, characteristics and risk factors - Nutrition & Diabetes
Another symptom a type 1 must pay attention to is acanthosis nigricans, a brown ring observed around the neck. This typically confirms the presence of insulin resistance. Acanthosis nigricans - Symptoms and causes