What kind of diabetes is this?

4479 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Toby2, Jun 14, 2010

kas77

Discussion Starter · Jun 8, 2010

Five generations of my family have had more or less the same trend. It starts with mild, inconsistent symptoms of diabetes which eventually progresses to a diagnosis (usually after they have reached crisis or in my great grandfathers case- die, this is followed by diet and excercise which progresses to oral meds and eventually the need for insulin.

I caught mine early by pressuring my doctor and arming myself with information, but not early enough. I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and am on oral meds, I also have high cholesterol and PCOS which are also throughout the family.

My youngest daughter is now following this same trend and I don't want to wait until she is my age before she gets treatment. I don't understand why my diabetes did not show up on blood tests for so many years and don't know what they should be looking for with her so they can diagnose her as early as possible.

Any ideas would be graciously appreciated.

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Shanny

· #2 · Jun 8, 2010

It's the same ol', same ol' progressive disorder so many of us have, and now that you see the pattern in your family, you have a leg up in managing it.

She doesn't need to wait for a diagnosis - she can always adjust her diet and pursue a good exercise regimen, lose weight if necessary, and she can also get a cheap meter & a few strips to check herself now & then for postprandial spikes (after meals is one of the first places it begins to show). Levels in a non-diabetic person would stay between 70-120 regardless of their intake, and if she began seeing readings outside of that range - hightail it to the doc with her evidence on the meter. Whether or not she would want to keep a food journal now, would be up to her, but I think if she began to have any suspicions, then keeping track would be good as ammunition to show the doc.

If it can't be prevented, it can sure be postponed, and all it takes is eating/exercising as though she already has it. Right now all she has is the predisposition to it, but that can be thwarted sometimes for awhile.

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onaughmae

· #3 · Jun 8, 2010

kas77 said:
Five generations of my family have had more or less the same trend. It starts with mild, inconsistent symptoms of diabetes which eventually progresses to a diagnosis (usually after they have reached crisis or in my great grandfathers case- die, this is followed by diet and excercise which progresses to oral meds and eventually the need for insulin.

I caught mine early by pressuring my doctor and arming myself with information, but not early enough. I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and am on oral meds, I also have high cholesterol and PCOS which are also throughout the family.

My youngest daughter is now following this same trend and I don't want to wait until she is my age before she gets treatment. I don't understand why my diabetes did not show up on blood tests for so many years and don't know what they should be looking for with her so they can diagnose her as early as possible.

Any ideas would be graciously appreciated.

Most likely type 2, but only your doctor can tell you for sure. Many women with PCOS eventually have issues with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

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kas77

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 8, 2010

Shanny said:
It's the same ol', same ol' progressive disorder so many of us have, and now that you see the pattern in your family, you have a leg up in managing it.

She doesn't need to wait for a diagnosis - she can always adjust her diet and pursue a good exercise regimen, lose weight if necessary, and she can also get a cheap meter & a few strips to check herself now & then for postprandial spikes (after meals is one of the first places it begins to show). Levels in a non-diabetic person would stay between 70-120 regardless of their intake, and if she began seeing readings outside of that range - hightail it to the doc with her evidence on the meter. Whether or not she would want to keep a food journal now, would be up to her, but I think if she began to have any suspicions, then keeping track would be good as ammunition to show the doc.

If it can't be prevented, it can sure be postponed, and all it takes is eating/exercising as though she already has it. Right now all she has is the predisposition to it, but that can be thwarted sometimes for awhile.

She's only 6. My oldest is 10 and has no symptoms. My little one definitely does not need to lose weight, she's only 45 pounds, but she does have a fairly low activity level compared to her sister. She gets tired so easily she tends to prefer quiet play. The only time she will let me check her level is at night when she is asleep.

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kas77

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 8, 2010

onaughmae said:
Most likely type 2, but only your doctor can tell you for sure. Many women with PCOS eventually have issues with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

I guess I will have to wait until she hits puberty before she shows any signs of PCOS. My niece and I both have it (I am undiagnosed as of yet, but my doctor brought it up at the last visit that I have been having problems for a long time). Does the diabetes cause the PCOS or does the PCOS lead to diabetes?

My grandmother only found out she has cysts on her ovaries after we were in a car crash 2 years ago. She's had abdominal pain for decades.

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onaughmae

· #6 · Jun 8, 2010

There is quite a bit of info on the web about it. Here is a brief section of one particular web site:

Up to 10% of women with PCOS will develop type 2 diabetes by age 40, and more than half of women with PCOS will develop either type 2 diabetes or prediabetes by that age.

PCOS also is linked to other diseases that occur later in life, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Try google for "PCOS and diabetes" I was surprised to see there was a link between the two.

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kas77

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 10, 2010

onaughmae said:
There is quite a bit of info on the web about it. Here is a brief section of one particular web site:

Up to 10% of women with PCOS will develop type 2 diabetes by age 40, and more than half of women with PCOS will develop either type 2 diabetes or prediabetes by that age.

PCOS also is linked to other diseases that occur later in life, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Try google for "PCOS and diabetes" I was surprised to see there was a link between the two.

Thanks, will do.

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Shanny

· #8 · Jun 10, 2010

Oops . . . didn't realize she was so young. But you can still watch her diet & perhaps help her learn that testing is necessary. Getting a coupla postprandials would be a good thing, of course . . . that's the first place she'll show high levels.

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Toby2

· #9 · Jun 12, 2010

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes is classically a progressive disease that needs more & more treatment. *In fact, about 15 yrs ago you would have been told at diagnosis that you'd need insulin in about 3 years!
The UK DCCT (Diabetes Control & Complications Trial) was a benchmark study that*caused a great change in our understanding of the nature of Diabetes. *It showed that good Blood Glucose control could slow and in some cases prevent this progression, and the (otherwise inevitable) long term complications of Diabetes.
If you ensure that your children eat regularly (not skip breakfast, lunch, or eat a too big dinner at nights) and lead a heathy, active lifestyle ( participate in sports, etc), you will go a long way to helping prevent/delay the onset of Diabetes.
Insulin is a hormone that does more than control Blood Glucose, it is a growth hormone that interacts with other hormones to help control the metabolism.**Other hormones affect insulin too. *When you get sick the body produces a hormone called cortisol, & when you are stressed, a hormone called adrenaline, which affect blood sugar control. *Normal hormonal changes (such as puberty, pregnancy' menopause, etc) also have an effect, but hormone changing conditions (like PCOS) tend toi make it harder to maintain good blood glucose control too.*
Being kind to the pancreas by matching intake to enegry needs with low GI food & a low fat diet remains the best prevention & treatment for type 2 diabetes (especially when medications are required).*
I would not worry about testing blood glucose levels (especially if your children are stressed about getting it done) unless there are signs of high blood glucose (excessive urination/thirst, unusual irritable tiredness, repeated or lingering infections, rashes, etc). Your family doctor will test them from time to time, & this will probably be the first that you need to know about it. *If you are doing what you can with diet & exercise, then there's no more treatment indicated in the early stages - good luck with them!

kas77 said:
Five generations of my family have had more or less the same trend. It starts with mild, inconsistent symptoms of diabetes which eventually progresses to a diagnosis (usually after they have reached crisis or in my great grandfathers case- die, this is followed by diet and excercise which progresses to oral meds and eventually the need for insulin.

I caught mine early by pressuring my doctor and arming myself with information, but not early enough. I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and am on oral meds, I also have high cholesterol and PCOS which are also throughout the family.

My youngest daughter is now following this same trend and I don't want to wait until she is my age before she gets treatment. I don't understand why my diabetes did not show up on blood tests for so many years and don't know what they should be looking for with her so they can diagnose her as early as possible.

Any ideas would be graciously appreciated.

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shelley7456

· #10 · Jun 12, 2010

I hope this helps, my cousins were type 1 diabetics and I didn't want to be like them. I stopped eating sweet things when I was about 9 and stayed active until my lungs gave out when I was 48. I managed to delay diabetes until I reached 50 years. I really think that the exercise made all the difference. My The main thing for diabetics is to get on with life and control it so it doesn't control you.

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kas77

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 13, 2010

That's pretty much what I am doing right now Toby 2. Thanks. I do need to learn more about GI though.

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Toby2

· #12 · Jun 14, 2010

Exercise is a big Key!

shelley7456 said:
I hope this helps, my cousins were type 1 diabetics and I didn't want to be like them. I stopped eating sweet things when I was about 9 and stayed active until my lungs gave out when I was 48. I managed to delay diabetes until I reached 50 years. I really think that the exercise made all the difference. My The main thing for diabetics is to get on with life and control it so it doesn't control you.

You are so right! Most people respond to high blood sugars by thinking "food" when the bigger benefit effect is from exercise, not just at the time (lowering blood sugars) but for the next 12-15 hours helping improve the efficiency of insulin as well - (some people need to reduce their insulin doses after, as well as before more strenuous activity). It is possible to live well with Diabetes, so that it doesn't control your life - Good luck with your effforts - live well!

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