Hi, I’m Liz.
I just joined TuDiabetes after being referred by my endocrinologist a few days ago. This looks exactly what I needed, considering the only person I know with diabetes is my boyfriend’s father (which is helpful, don’t get me wrong). But I needed to know there were more people like me and not just the pseudo-acquaintance I have.
I’m curious if anyone went through the “denial” process when they were diagnosed. At 5’2 and 110 lbs, I thought my diagnoses was impossible at first. Thanks to the mass media and other sources, I was under the impression that diabetics were obese, lead unhealthy lifestyles, didn’t exercise, etc. I literally knew nothing of the disease until I was diagnosed myself, which made it harder for me to take in, etc.
Even though I’m going through treatment, I still think sometimes that it’s impossible that they haven’t found a cure for this. I occasionally wonder if drug and pharm companies are withholding information from the public about their discoveries. By doing so, the public would still need to pay an arm and a leg and then some for testing supplies, insulin, etc. I was shocked when I found out testing strips are as much as they are. Instead of curing those with diabetes, cancer, etc, is it possible that they’d rather see me as a cash supply rather than a person sans hip bruises from insulin injections? Discovering that I have diabetes made me think about this.
I’m an overly skeptical person about how things are ran in this country, and seeing that Poland or wherever aren’t going through the same medical process as the US made me think twice about my future with this disease.
Anyway, did anyone else on this website have similar thoughts?
Hello! Welcome! 
I’m Glad that you are here.
Interestingly, most Diabetics go through the 5 stages of grief or 2 or 3 stages first anyways, before they ask about a Cure.
Yes, we’ve asked and pondered these questions many times. Many opinions, many discussions, many skeptics.
I thought it was impossible and ridiculous that no cure was found either since I was diagnosed(dxd) at age 3. But as we have discovered and as some have pointed out, it is a complicated disease and takes a lot of dough for research and researchers. They need to find the correct triggers and how to stop the immune system from attacking the beta cells plus a few other things. They have come a long way in untangling some of the needed info. I’m quite certain that there will be no cure for me because I’ve had it so long plus a few other problems. I came to that conclusion many years ago and that’s okay for ME. I have accepted it.
For the newly dxd. and young People, they have a Better chance at a Cure, of course. I don’t EVER lose HOPE in that.
There are other Types of Diabetes. It seems the media like to talk about the obese Type 2’s(there are slim ones). Rarely, they stick a Child with Type 1 in there.
There is also Gestational Diabetes(gained during pregnancy), Type 1.5(LADA-Late Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood)) and MODY(Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young). There are possibly other forms.
A Very informed Endo that you have there btw who referred you here. You’ll learn so much and how to deal with your Diabetes plus meet some Wonderful Friends.
Welcome. Kudos to your endo for referring you here.
here’s a discussion on the subject of a cure with 225 replies
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/yes-or-no-cured-in-your
I’ve had it 42 years and I really wish they would get it done.
islet transplantation is hopeful, i guess i never thought much about a cure because i was to busy figuring it all out. I went to library and got all books on the subject, read through this site, etc. Just do your research and you can find lots of info. For example sanofi aventis and lilly have programs that help people, diabetes educators give test strips and meters to diabetics, and this site is awesome for advice. I like the meter wavesense presto, but my insurance covers bayer test strips instead (and my omnipod pdm takes freestyle), so i keep all three around (20 bucks for 50 test strips of wavesense, but hard to find). Don’t worry we got your back here
Hi Liz! Welcome! This is the best site! You will like it here and you will learn alot!
I was diagnosed 4 months ago and like you I am tiny and skinny and always have been. I thought the same as you. There was NO way I could have this because I wasn’t fat and never was (I have also been a vegetarian for 20 years and of course there is that stereotype that nothing could be wrong with you than). It was a crushing blow to me. It still is. What I have been learning is that Type 2 is believed to be mostly genetic and possibly triggered by certain conditions (being sedentary, stress, gaining weight etc) - meaing you have the gene from birth, it is just a crap shoot of when it might be “turned on” in your body. Type 1 is believe to be an autoimmune type of D (how this develops I don’t know). I don’t know as much about that since I am Type 2 but there are lots of books on it and there are many Type 1’s for you to learn from on here.
So either way - it is nothing YOU did to bring it on. For me, I was sedentary for a time and gained a bit of weight (130lbs and I am 5’4" so not overweight at alll though! I have since lost 25 lbs since than and without trying!) when I developed my Type 2 but it runs in my family and people in my family tend to get it around the age of 40 (and thats when I got it!) so I often wonder if I HADN"T been sedentary and gained a little weight whether this would have happened to me. It could be that it would have “gone off” in my at age 40 no matter what was going on in my life. Its like an unavoidable destiny, a landmine I could have not overstepped, no matter how hard I tried.
I agree with you on the cure too. I feel like I know more about this than the doctors! And yes, like you, I often think they WANT us to stay like this because if there was a cure they wouldn’t make any money off of us. Its a billion dollar business. That said, it is a complicated disesase but it does dismay me that there seem to be SO many other factors that they could research on and would get them closer to really understanding diabetes. They are probably too cheap to spend the money on it and figured they make more money by having diabetic in treatement than finding out how to cure it.
And testing strips yes - unbelievable! I secretly think they probably could come up with a reusable method but strips is how they make all their money. I was also very surprised that how antiquated the testing methods are. I mean, so many people have this - you would think more advances would have been made. But like I said - it is all about money. And I don’t even have any insurance - which makes paying for strips even harder! There are no systems to help me and I have to pay out of pocket.
I thought all of these things are more when I was diagnosed and I STILL think them and I am sure I always will. It is normal for you to be in denial, in shock and angry about this. Don’t feel guilty about that. You will adjust. I think I will always be angry about this - but it happened and there is nothing I can do to go back (no matter how much I wish I could) and all I can do now is deal. And this place is SOOO helpful and supportive, it really helps make it easier.
I hope you will stick around because I think you will find it is just what you need.
Hi Liz…yes this site is a great resource and support group. Ten years after diagnosis, I’m not completely through the denial part, it’s the I’ll just cover the ice cream sunday with extra insulin kind of denial…yes diabetes is closely associated with metabolic syndrom and I think the media push is to scare overwieght folks with - “you will develop diabetes”. Why don’t we have a cure for T1? It’s as complicated a question as why we don’t have a cure for cancer. The world wide population of T1’s is not that big. Cures for T2 are likely to be found first. WHO predicts an explosion of T2 in third world populations as our diet and lifestyle choices spread so that is where real research dollars will be spent. The price of supplies is pretty shocking. You’d think if the free market was really driving test strip prices we’d be paying a penny apeice. It’s been pointed out in other posts that the material costs are not that great and one person likened it to razor promotions where the razor is cheap or free but the blades are crazy expensive. In the dark ages of T1, people had to burn off their urine to find the sugar residue that suggested insulin dosage. We have progressed. Maybe it’s time we pushed the ADA to help us form a supply co-op? Seems those insurance companies that talk the cost management line have not been able to effect change for those of us paying premiums. They seem to think denying us coverage for enough test strips is the only cost strategy they have to pursue. I just ran out of my alloted strips till Tuesday, so I payed $38 for 25 strips. You hit a nerve Missy!
Interesting as most diabetics swear there is no cure because they make too much money off us. I think thats more of an assumption then fact but from outside looking in I can certainly relate. On a side note I think most people in research searching for that elusive cure or therapy are in it because they have someone close to them that is suffering and truly want to help those in need. My thoughts are I believe there will eventually be a breakthrough one way or another but unless they can figure out a way to make it cost effective It may be difficult to get to the masses. I think realistically something like Smart Insulin though not a cure seems like the most logical solution. It keeps the money flowing for Big Pharma and could give the patient a far better quality of life. There are many areas being researched from transplantation to regeneration which could also be breakthroughs. For us long term sufferers time is of the essence.
As a T1D who does diabetes/transplantation-related research, I assure you that there is no conspiracy by large drug companies to ‘hide’ a cure. Much of the research in the US starts at the academic level, where the reward for finding the cure is less about money and more about the accolades. Who wouldn’t want to win the nobel prize, right?
Even if I only see a closed-loop pump in my lifetime, I’d be happy. The immune system is a huge barrier to transplantation, and it’s only made worse by the fact that type 1 is generally autoimmune in nature. And forget about tissue supply! I do believe that there will be a cure, but it won’t be fast and it won’t be soon, and it may not even be transplantation…