Hey to all those reading this! Well, I’m Olivia, and I’m on here to support my best friend who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on Nov. 7, 2008. I’m also here to learn more about it. I have family members who have it, and I know what diabetes is, but I would like to know more about it. Can anyone help me understand a little more so that I can help out my best friend and so that I can be more supportive? And so that I may understand the differences in the Types?
HI Olivia, wow that’s a big question. Diabetes is when your body fails to make or fails to use insulin, causing the amount of glucose, dissolved in your blood to rise. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body use/abosrb/metabolize glucose. Untreated, diabetes will kill you. look here for more info, or if you really like to read look here!
Type 1 is often where your own body attackes and destroys the cells that make insulin. Type 2 is often where your body’s resistance to insulin becomes higher than your body’s ability to produce insulin. There’s a lot of debate about this and a lot of discussions here regarding whos got what type. =)
There is a ton of info here - so if you have specific questions I bet there’s over 6000 of us willing to answer. Take care Olivia!
Olivia:
Lordy, Lordy! If only the Lord could waiive a magic wand over all our heads to help us understand this disease totally or just even an iota better!! Wouldn’t that be great? It would mean a whole lot of sleep not being lost and a whole lot less sore eyes from staring at a stupid computer screen or book. But, in the meantime, here I am!!! (Just kidding!)
Joe really did a good basic job of trying to answer your basic question. There are so many aspects to this disease, it boggles the mind! One of the biggest I struggle with is the depression that seems to hit us when we aren’t looking. It makes us moody, sour, nasty mouthed (at times), crying at the drop of a needle(!), etc. The biggest support you can be is to be there when your friend is down just to listen if that is what she wishes. Sometimes, we just need to blow a cork. Sometimes we need a swift kick in the behind! You need to figure out when to do that. I am sure that you will get a lot more technical answers from others. But, because I am not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, I will stick to the psychological side of it. I claim special insight just because I’ve been through HELL (shout!) in the last 20+ years. If she wants to read a real eye-opener, I invite you/her to go to my home page and read my profile. If anything, you all can use this as a guide to really try to stick to her regime as closely as she can. I only hope that your friend can get off to a good running jump on the big D!
Please feel free to contact me if you wish or if you have any other non-too-technical questions to ask.
Lots of friends and hugs on this site!
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
P.S. As a friend, don’t lecture with “Are you sure you’re supposed to eat that”? That’s a quick way to a blow out, especially if she’s having one of those days and uses food as a comfort. Of course, we won’t fault you if you deliberately try to keep those things out of her sight!!!
hey thanks so much. It is a very problematic disease, and I have learned how lethal it can become. I didn’t know that there was so much discussion over Type 1 and Type 2. I thought that people knew the complete difference. Seems the world still has mysteries for us humans. =]
Again, Thanks so much for responding!
I’ve realized the mood swings very easily. It turns out that when she seems to be in a rather…angry mood, her blood sugar is out of its normal range. I will certainly look at your page! =] I haven’t been too pushy on the food. I just remind her to take the right amount of insulin. And I make sure she checks her blood after shes done eating. I have reminded myself to keep my snacks that will get her in trouble, out of her view or just at home completely. It’s a big shift in the way we hang out and where we eat and such.
Thank you so much for help me out! Best wishes!
Your friend is very lucky to have you. Wow! Most of what I would tell you has already been said by Joe and Lois. You are doing well in learning to keep temptation (snacks, etc) away from your best friend; that’s been the hardest thing in the three months that I’ve been diagnosed - having to sit and watch others eat what I really want to eat but know that I can’t or shouldn’t. Were my husband to post on here, he would probably warn you about the mood swings, erratic behaviors as well as the depression, much as Lois has already done. Living with diabetes can honestly be a real downer; I know sometimes I feel like the whole world is against me and want to rage against it; other times, I just want to be “normal” and be able to fit in without having to take my whole medical cabinet with me - and then with it packed on ice… (I’m a Type 1.)
I don’t know how old you are - but if you are still in school - another helpful thing would be helping others to understand what your best friend is going through and living with. I have found that having supportive friends and family members can make or break my day at times. To be totally honest with you, there are times when my blood sugar isn’t normal (I get mood swings and get very agitated), and I don’t want to explain another thing to anyone else or deal with the situation, much less consider my actions or words while I’m struggling to regain control of my bg levels (and thus my actions, reactions and emotions - it can be a nasty cycle). Having someone step in and interfere for me at those times has been very helpful; unfortunately for my husband, he usually is elected for that job, lol. Also, just having someone say, “I understand” or giving me a nice hug goes a long way in my book, especially when I am struggling with all the emotions of being newly diagnosed and what a huge change my world has just made.
I applaud your efforts and commend you for your friendship, Olivia.
Joe has hit the nail on the head, in diabetes there a two variables how much insulin yor body still produces and how resistant you are to it. Ideally Type 1 is an hypothetical condition were you do not produce any of your own insulin and ideally Type II were you produce a lot but you are resistant.
Most diabetics are in a wide spectrum of these two variables: the happy situation is that your pancreas still work resonably well and your are not insulin resistant, the worst nightmare is your pancreas is dead and you are insulin resistance the latter requires a super human effort for some poor BG control and then can get into a weight gain, cabs, hunger more insulin death spiral.
how ugly the disease is depends on these 2 things some type 1 with still good pancreases are in clover and the worst case of type 2 with no pancres and resistance is in deep hell
The label we get from our doctors is many times wrong in the begginig. And in some people the pancreas keeps on deteriorating and in others the insulin resistance will increase as you gain weight
I beleive more as matter of dogma that all diabetics should be on insulin in addition to the only effective drug we have a the moment for insulin resistance: metformin, diabetics should be on it, unless their body cannot stand it.
Then with the insulin 2 types: a slow 24 hour: lantus or levemir and a fast acting one like humalog.
They should start a low carb diet and with the insulin fast and slow and with some aid from the metformin they should be able to get the BG in the normal range at all time. If not they should keep cutting the carbs until they do.
Add as much exercise as you can possibly do and do whatever else it takes to lose weight.
I didn’t honestly realize that it helps her that much when I talk to her when her bg level is a tad bit high. She also becomes very agitated.We are 15 and in freshman year. We both have made sure there are a ton of our close friends that understand her situation. I’ve come to realize that stress is a big part on bg. I’ve been close to watch how her bg levels cause certain moods, habits, wants, etc. etc. And I totally understand the snack situation. Me and Maddy used to eat the junkiest things ever! But now she not only watches what she eats, but I do too in order to understand what she’s going through. I’m normally the one to take her mood swings, probably cause I’m always there, or probably cause I’m the only one who will take it. But I do understand what your husband is going through lol! Well Thank you so much! ~Best wishes!~
I have been checking into more research for Type 1, like the risks and how to prevent them and if they happen such. I haven’t been checking into specifics such as the pancreas and insulin’s effect.Thank you so much for helping me out. I love the fact that y’all can help me understand about more of what my friend is dealing with.
The risks are easy to prevent just keep the BG in the normal range at all times. This is a bit like draining the English channel in the first war to get rid of the German submarines easier said than done. Getting the complications and doing something about them after the fact is not a good approach.
You are very astute at such a young age, Olivia. It’s awesome to know that y’all have such a close friendship - and that you’ve created a circle of other friends who understand as well. From a personal standpoint, I can tell you that stress, pain and/or anxiety can have some wierd effects on bg readings - I’ve gone both hypo and hyper at times like these. Knowing that I’m already forgiven for my actions and words when I’m dealing with abnormal bg levels helps me immensely, which is why I wanted to stress that to you. Diabetes is bad enough without having to worry about others’ feelings and reactions when you’re struggling with your own. I’ll talk with my hubby tonight and ask him if there’s anything more I should tell you that I might be unaware of… You’re doing a great job!
Thanks =] I absolutely love how close we are. Gives us someone to talk to when we need help and all. I’ve made sure anyone who does know, knows what to do and how to help and such. I didn’t know pain could cause a difference in bg levels. The research I did a little bit last night did tell me about stress (some examples were everyday life, work, school, etc.) I’ll have to make sure she watches her bg levels when she goes to competitions, all her emotions (nervous, excited, etc.) kick in and she goes crazy (kinda)…I didn’t know that could trigger odd bg levels. That would be awesome! Tell him I said thanks! And super thanks to you for helping me out on this!
Really great job Olivia. You are awesome too
I’m more than glad to help you out, Olivia. Pain, stress, anxiety - you will find that all of these can affect bg levels. So can hormones. The more you research, the more you learn. You are doing an awesome job!
My hubby said I’ve pretty much summed it all up - except for forgetting that sometimes when I go too low or too high, I also have a tendency to get sleepy and shaky. For myself, I can feel my bg levels rising and falling if I’m too low or too high. Especially when I go too low, I can feel myself flushing and getting extremely shaky. I know then to test - and if I’m too shaky, I ask for help from others to help me test, get me food, etc. (One time this happened was at hubby’s family Christmas party - there were 3 or 4 folks helping me then, as I went from 125 to 50 in less than 30 minutes… I couldn’t quit shaking to get the test strip into my meter, etc… and I was burning up and getting agitated at the same time. I ate about three fritos scoops and about two tablespoons of queso. The fritos brought me back up into the 90’s, and then I felt lots better.) It’s wierd how diabetes affects different people in different ways - that might be one thing to ask your best friend, so you know exactly what signs to look for with her.
Being women, hormones can deffinitly mess with us. haha!
Wow 125 to 50 in less then half an hour?! That’s crazy! She becomes shaky and very easy to put in a bad mood. I think she gets warm too. I’m not entirely sure though. Her color doesn’t change that much, but then again I never really thought about that. I didn’t think levels could change that much in such little time. Tell him again, thank you so much for putting that in. I would’ve never really guessed they can change that fast.
Hi Olivia,
Each person has their own special things that help bring up the lows when they hit.
I personally lke the little bottles of glucose. They come in different flavors. You just take off the cap, pull off the little paper and drink/ There are also glucose tabs, Probably the fastest one to me is a regular soda. This changers the blood sugar immediately…Just caring like you do , being near by and willing to help are tremendous things. I can be patient and then find myself gettinmg crabby all of a sudden or maybe a sudden headache or just suddenly start getting tired. Any quick changes that you see cvoming up may be signaling a BG change. As a matter of fact, there may be changes for the both of you at a specific time. And don’t be surprised if this happens, because you both are as close as sisters or twins and it can affect you both. It should not be as strong for you as it is for DD, but may certainly be there at some level./
Hormones are horrible creatures, huh? rofl
I’m not sure anyone can see me flushing - but I feel the flushing/warmth and always tell whoever is with me that I think I’m going high/low and may need their help with testing and with supplies to bring my bg back up or knock it back down… During this time, those closest to me have realized that if I snap, am shaky or moody, or act wierd - again, it’s the diabetes talking and not me. It can be really scary too to be able to feel your bg levels rising or falling so fast and knowing it’s coming and that you can’t really stop it but rather have to take appropriate measures to control it to put your bg back to where it should be.
Hubby and I are both grateful for the chance to share information with you, Olivia. Again, you are awesome - and I applaud every step that you are taking. You’re doing a wonderful job and being a wonderful and supportive best friend!
Hey! I know Maddy takes the tablets. I don’t think she’s tried the drinks.
I’ve realized that when her bg levels change I seem to change too. It’s not that big of a difference, but I can realize a change in me. I’ve also realized she has her changes about just before lunch.
Thanks so much for helping out. I didn’t realize they had a drink for bg levels.
You sound like a great friend!And i want to say thanks for not eating snacks in front of her, it helps mrre then you think. It’s hard not being able to eat whatever else is eating. Just make sure not to burden to much with your “new” diabetes knowledge, instead ask her how it relates to her and how she feels. Make sure to watch for signs if low blood sugar(shakiness, quick temperateness, slurring of words, feeling hot or cold, losing balance, etc) and ask her if she’s okay. And if she ever needs help jump to the task, because it might be hard to ask for help when you feel bad. Just be there for her and make things as normal as possible, but look out for her when things get sticky or if peer pressure becomes a problem (example: everyone going out to eat, or even drinking at a party). Have her join tu diabetes! Think positive and transform negative thoughts into something usefull, and also remember it’s okay to fall off the “diabetic” wagon, just make sure to get back on because you’ll feel a lot better in the long run.
Domo!
Hey, Yeah she’s made it clear to not push it too much on her. haha. I mean she gets a ton of it at home already. She has a page already, she got me started on this whole thing. :] I’m constantly asking her if she’s feeling ok when she looks a lil on the shaky side or what not. She doesn’t have a peer pressure problem normally…All of our friends are pretty good and I’ve made sure they are aware of the situation she’s currently going through. Thanks so much for your help!