Just an observation......Type 2s

Why does everyone assume that we are all on insulin pumps or taking insulin? Is insulin as a word being used here as a total word for all medications?

I am NOT on insulin, yet, don’t plan to be unless things head south at some point. But, each and every post that I’ve posted on the type II forum, people have answered the query with the suggestion about insulin and how it is being used, and when I give it to myself, etc. I am not on insulin, and although I understand that this is the medication of general use for type I’s…it’s not always the case in type II.

For people that are newly diagnosed and come here, it might be way more confusing to them, to think that possibly insulin is the only treatment, and something is wrong with them because they aren’t using insulin. Perhaps I as a poster need to set that straight from the beginning of my posts, that would be helpful. It would also be helpful is people didn’t assume when responding that because they have a pump or are using insulin that everyone is the same.

Just a thought.

I guess that the most active members are insulin dependent, and that makes us more interested in seeking other diabetics who also use insulin. This helps us be more educated about diabetes and gives us real life scenarios of other diabetics to use as examples. Our situation as Type-1 diabetics is quite severe and makes us be extremely proactive with our treatment, but for type-2’s it’s usually more relaxed.

I guess I am a very strange T-2. I was initially put on insulin when I was diagnosed 2 years ago yesterday (A1c was 12.7). After about 9 months I was able to get off of the insulin and started taking 2 500 mg Metformin ER pills each day. Went to the doctor a couple weeks ago (A1c down to 5.9) and am down to one pill per day now and numbers are still holding up very well (this morning my glucose reading was 103). Next goal is to get rid of the pill that I am still taking. If I can lose another 40-50 pounds I should be able to.

As far as more relaxed treatment for my T2 while not on insulin, I do not feel that I have changed anything. I still watch my carbs VERY closely, even more closely now that I have taken off one of my pills. Granted I do not have some of the issues that come from taking insulin, but the closer all of us watch our disease, the better off we will all be.

I would say that because you are so vigilant and stick to you diet and health routines, is why you are doing so well and reducing your meds. Good for you. You are my hero…you are where I want to be…GREAT!!!

John, respectfully, type 2’s can be just as vigilant as I’s. I don’t see the big battle between the two, like one is worse than the other…please. Diabetes in any form is not to be scoffed at, not to be taken lightly, no one has it better than anyone else. I think if we are to beat this thing, find a cure, it is going to have to be a united front. I, am a type 2, and I work my fannie off to find out information, work at taking care of me, working with my health team and others to be under control. I can honestly say, that anyone I know who has type 2 or type 1 is as vigilant and not relaxes at all about taking care of themselves and others they know. I was really saddened by that comment, it’s
not worthy of any of us.

It’s not me that should be considered a hero. I had a doctor that was aggressive in my treatment and I have God that is seeing me through this, it is really Him working in me that is allowing me to do as good as I am. Plus I have a very supportive family, not only at home but at church, work, and my pharmacist (who is like a brother to me), plus everybody here.

We are all fighting this fight together. We need all of the above to get us through.

Cathy,

You raise a valid point. Perhaps it would be good to start your post by telling your type of diabetes and how you manage your diabetes. I know that you post in type 2 forums, but the letters listing the Forum are pretty small and not all may notice them.

I find it usually a good practice to give a brief background of yourself (just a few sentences with the relevant info) at the beginning of a discussion.

I also checked your profile and it lists that you have type 1 diabetes. This may have confused people (often members check the profiles before answering). To change your profile information, click here

Hi Cathy. You are absolutely right, we should not assume that everyone is on insulin therapy or are on a pump. As a T1.5 I get very down when others assume that I am on a pump. I want more than anything to be on a pump and am hoping that soon will become a reality but as of yet it is not.

The purpose of this forum is to help others not to confuse them. This indeed could be confusing to the newly diagnosed. Hopefully after reading your post others will give more thought to their posts. I know I will.

Case in point - as a Type-1 diabetic I test 12-16 times everyday. I have to be proactive and very involved in my treatment. I’m sure that Type-2’s don’t test nearly as often because they don’t have to. They have functioning islet cells. So, re-read my last sentence in my post - especially “usually”.
Another point - even though Type-1 diabetics are a fraction of the total number of diabetics in the population, we outnumber type-2 diabetics more than 2-to-1 on this website. That’s why the posts here talk a lot about insulin and how it affects us.

If you can stand on your head and that makes your blood sugar normal than that is a good treatment.

Kristin, thank you for the heads up about my profile. I have changed it. Never look at it myself, so I never noticed the mistake. Thanks for your observations.

This community has seen many discussions that led to disagreements on the type 1 vs. type 2 question. My main conclusion from these is that type 1 and type 2 ARE different, but we are all better off if we educate each other instead of fighting :slight_smile: We all face diabetes related struggles. And no two diabetics face exactly the same struggle. So weighing struggles against each other isn’t very productive. But understanding what is involved in the management of fellow members of TuD is :slight_smile:

Cute, if I could stand on my head and make the “D” disappear, you’d better bet I’d do it!

You betcha!

Amen! You are one of the lucky ones who has a doc who is aggressive in treatment. My hat goes off to that person. None of it is easy, and I am not hear to argue I’s vs 2’s. I just wish in my heart, that we could see that none of us has it great…we are all working to know, learn, and be the healthiest we can be. Arguing about who has it better, is useless, and non productive is supporting each other. That’s not the way to get things united and helping each other. EOS.

Just a thought, another forum I frequent has a space where you can input your Type to the top of each post and your medication regimen to the bottom. (Sig lines?). I find this very useful to quickly glance and see the person’s perspective. I read and post on the Type 1 AND Type 2 forums as well as LADA which is my own type, because I get something from it all. But sometimes it is confusing when someone makes statements or ask questions and you don’t know anything about them without going to their profile. Maybe at least the part of listing Type on top is something we could utilize here. Administrators?

Another thing to think about is that just because someone is a T2, that doesn’t mean that they are not on insulin. Because of the insulin resistance, some are on massive doses.

It’s all so individual, what works well for one may not work well for another. The best we can do is try to learn from others and share our knowledge so maybe it can help someone else.

Hi Zoe! This is a great idea, but not currently possible on Ning, the platform that TuDiabetes is run on. Maybe someday…

Oh well. Unless we were instructed to put “Zoe Type 1.5” when we input our name which appears on top? On the other hand I’m not sure I want my identity to go from just plain “Zoe” to “Zoe Type 1.5”. Sounds like something out of a science fiction novel!