Sorry it has taken so long for me to reply; but right after I posted this yesterday I got the autopsy report on my sister and have been trying to figure out what killed her. Her cause of death is listed Undetermined (see summary) Given the autopsy and investigative findings, it is my opinion that the cause of death in this case is undetermined. Based on the findings of a brown pleural effusion, advanced decomposition and bacterial overgrowth localized to the vascular spaces, sepsis is a very likely cause of death.
about 18 hours prior to her death she was lower back pain. Her death came without any prior medical condition. If anyone could help with the summary I would appreciate it.
Since the pssing of my sister I have been drowning my sorrows with food. I have been going through so much insulin because of the massive amounts of food I have been taking in I thought maybe I should stop taking insulin because then maybe I would become more accountable for what I'm eating. After reading all the replies I now see this would not be a wise choice. I guess I need to find a differant way to deal with this.
Honey simply put ur in a greaving mode. I lost both my parents and done the samething (I'm an only child so Itended to take it REALLY hard) I'm sure losing ur sister in the way u told us would do that to u too.
I'm sorry for your loss. It was just a little over 20 years ago that my mother died. She had a heart attack in a restaurant, unexpected and suddenly she was gone. Her passing left me with a huge hole in my life, my father had passed years before. I not only grieved, but questioned what had happened and beat myself up over what I could have done to have saved her. I did as you did, I talked with her doctors and in the end came up short. I never was able to figure out exactly what happened and the causes, let alone figure out how I could have changed the outcome. It just happened.
You will always miss your sister and in time you will feel better. But for now, it is important that you take care of yourself. And it doesn't do you any good to wallow in your sorrows. You need to find activities which distract you and enable you to heal. Only time will heal, being sad and depressed doesn't heal. Only time.
Very heartfelt reply by bsc. I too am, of course, terribly sorry to hear of your loss. All I can add is that perhaps it would help to get some short term counseling or join a grief group which you can find in many larger areas. It really does help to share. I'm glad you shared it with us. Perhaps too, I can be presumptuous and say your sister would want you to take care of yourself.
Eating, not eating, exercising, not exercising it doesnt matter with type 1, you will always need insulin....Always...unless there is a miricle cure in your life time keep the mind set of maintaining with insulin, its a much easier once you are ok with it.
I have been told by doctors to not do strenous exercises also...It took me a very long time but eventually I figured out how to do it without dropping so low...
It's not necessarily a good method of treatment. The exercise thing and eating low carb are good on their own, but you'll need the boost that insulin gives you to process those carbs that you do take in. Insulin is a very safe treatment regimen for Diabetes. The risks if you try to avoid using insulin are DKA and death. DKA is a really awful way to go. Carb counting is very helpful and with all the tools we have these days, it's a lot easier than it was 10 years ago. There's no stigma to insulin -- it doesn't mean you aren't doing something right, it means that you're body needs the help. Both types of diabetes are progressive. Insulin is a very useful tool in helping to control your BG.
I had an appointment with my dermatologist today and took the autopsy report with me. Glad i did this. She read over it and explained to me it was basicly a flesh eating bacteria that killed my sister. Chance of surviving was basicly zero even if they would have caught it earlier. I now wonder how this happened. I guess this is one of life mysteries that I will never know.
I am going to have to stay on insulin; because I don't have enough will power to eat that low carb.
that good to hear now please take care of urself!!!!!! I lost an Aunt to a fleash eating virus a few years go andthere was really nothing u could do. Do u know if ur sister had any cut or scraches on her body b/f??? That one way those bactreia can get into the body. Atleast it was with my aunt and she was in the hospital when this happened to her
You are so welcome, Unknown diabetic.. Of course you are grieving.. I just lost my Dad last month, and though his death was not unexpected ( He was in the last stages of Alzheimer's);I still have tearful and sad episodes on some days. It is part of the normal grief process.Please continue to take care of yourself and take your insulin. I know how much you miss her.. Keeping you in Prayer for peace and comfort.
For a type 1 it is not possible to come off insulin. Before insulin discovery type 1 died within months (read article about Elizabeth Evans Hughes).
There was a diet to survive, but it put you to starvation and you couldn't do normal life activities:
In keeping Elizabeth alive, as a Lancet article details, the starvation method worked; however, it also caused her to become extremely thin and weak. Over a three-year period, from 1919 to 1922, Elizabeth’s 5-foot tall frame became a gaunt 45 pounds. To no surprise,
she was often too weak to attend school or participate in any physical activity.
@ Doris D My sister loved riding horses that she kept on her property and was also an art teacher in an elementary school. So there are a number of places she could of picked up an infection from. No external scratches were mentioned on the autopsy report.
@ Brunetta I also lost my Dad 8 years ago to alzheimers. It is not a pretty disease to watch a loved one die from. My Dad's Mother also died from this as well as his sister. I remember many years ago;going to see His Mother and when we got there she didn't recognize him. My brother sister and I were laughing because we were to young to understand what was going on. When it came time to where he didn't recognize me anymore; this memory would always pop into my head. I know time will ease the pain of losing my sister; but it kind of seems like time is frozen for right now. May our pain pass quickly.
Oh ok Just remember what Burnetta said. I've lost both my parents and that was really hard for me. I know how empty that whole is for u & Brunetta. Just keep the faith and stay strong!
Thanks Doris D. I have my Mom left and she is really struggling with the loss of my sister. I can't imagine what it's like for her: because no parent ever wants to lose a child.
I do not understand how you could even ask this question. Has no one explained to you how glucose metabolism works, and why you need insulin? Has no one explained to you what DKA is?
Simple version: insulin is a hormone that tells your body's cells to accept glucose, which is fuel for the cells. If no insulin is present, your cells can't take in glucose, so they have no fuel—and they starve. When the cells signal that they're starving, the body (which doesn't realize that it isn't producing insulin) burns fat in order to release stored glucose. Burning fat isn't the ideal solution because it also releases acids into the blood, but the logic of the body's response is that having the glucose from the fat will give the cells the fuel they need so then they won't signal that they're starving anymore. Only, this strategy hinges upon insulin being present to transfer the glucose into the cells, and in a T1 who hasn't injected any insulin, there isn't any to facilitate the process. So the blood glucose levels rise, and the cells keep screaming that they're starving, and the body keeps burning fat and releasing acids... and pretty soon you develop acidosis, which is an acid pH level in the blood (normal blood pH is a slightly alkaline 7.35; anything below 7.3 is into acidosis territory).
That is ketoacidosis, and it often kills people with diabetes, if it goes untreated. And it kills them quickly.
So the short answer is, don't try going off insulin, because you'll only do yourself damage and it could very well kill you if you tried hard enough.
