Having children can cause T2 diabetes even if you are fit and young. I was 18 when I was T2 and weighed 115. I am T2 and on a pump but still T2, they told me my pancreas is basically dead only makes about what the tip of a pen is but still T2. Sometimes having babies does that. But what can you do?
You got it. That is how I felt too. I was 18 and weighed 115 so I can relate. I am on a pump now and doing better now than ever, but those campaigns trying to make us feel like a oddball does not help. Just causes us to put off getting diagnosed.
Interesting questions, Kelly.
-
I totally think awareness campaigns linking obesity & T2 give all T2ers a bad rap. I challenged someone once to randomly read ten articles on diabetes & find one that doesn’t mentioned overweight or obesity in the first paragraph. It couldn’t be done! Isn’t it obvious that the connection could go both ways - that T2D can cause overweight & obesity as well as being overweight or obese can exacerbate it?
-
Yes, my own preconceptions DID cause me to question & deny my own DX. I was lean, active, otherwise healthy, and had no known family history. My c-peptide was 1.3 - the low end of normal - but my GAD antibody test was negative so LADA has been ruled out. MODY may be a possibility, but there are so many kinds that I’ve been told the tests aren’t worth the cost & the treatment the same as what I’m now doing.
-
No, I totally don’t blame myself & never have. I know that I have always eaten healthfully & I am slim & relatively active. What else was I supposed to do?
-
And, yes, I really do resent those heavier folks all around me who are not diabetic! It doesn’t seem fair. I know perfectly well that life isn’t fair. I still resent them. But, I am afraid for them, too, especially the young ones who may not fully realize the risks they are running by not taking care of their bodies.
I think the overweight = type 2 stereotype effects more than just T2’s… I am currently overweight (BMI is 28) and even though I know for a fact I am a T1 (confirmed with very high antibody levels) and I was not overweight when I was diagnosed, it seems like any time I see a new doctor for something (non-D related), I get the “are you sure you’re a T1?” questioning. Yes, I am sure. Yes, I know I am currently overweight. That doesn’t change what type I am! Nor does being thin automatically eliminate T2… there are plenty of “normal” sized T2’s out there too!
I would honestly not be surprised if T2 is eventually split into a number of very different types… because while all T1’s have essentially the same problem, with the same cause, T2 just isn’t that simple… it encompasses a lot more variables.
Sarah, yours is a great answer.
It’s easily seen why they assumed I was T2 for so many years. I’m definitely LADA with positive GAD. I also had gestational diabetes (expected because I’d been diagnosed years before), had to have insulin, and I was thin while pregnant. I even came out of hospital after having a baby at 1kg/2lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight! Now in my 50s where middle-aged spread is not unusual, I’m overweight (thank you insulin for the extra kgs!) and people are assuming things again. Although LADA might have some features of T2, it’s still not T2, but I’m happy to get on the soapbox for T2s and what a bad rap they get.
I agree with what Barry said. There’s more and more evidence that if you’re prone to T2, you can stack on the weight because of how T2 works. And yeah, plenty of ‘normal’ T2s too, with no positive antibodies, so that’s another type.
It’s about time diabetes had more than just T1 and T2 as official classifications. And it’s about time the media stopped this overweight nonsense!
You know, I eat tons less than both my 20yo daughter and my husband, and I’m the overweight one? They diet and lose a pound or two easy. I diet and I’m just hungry all the time and it takes me 5 times as long to lose a pound!
People really like to think that whatever they assume is right. It’s so often not! But it’s what they’ve been fed by the media, and by doctors and nurses (who should know better by now).
Oh gosh, I hear you on the “they should know better by now” comment. My mom and step mom are both nurses. I’ve been asked by both of them “will you ever be off insulin” - as if it’s just a choice I can make. They just don’t get the T1/T2 difference either, regardless of how many times I’ve explained it, and it astonishes me since they’re both in the medical profession (well, my mom is retired now, but still).
No way! Serious? I can’t believe that, and you with T1!
I’ve almost given up trying to educate people who think they know better. It’s such a waste of energy. Especially with my story - people’s eyes will glaze over. I just tell them I’ve been T1 for years and my body likes to stack on weight 'cause I don’t eat that much and have post menopause, middle-aged spread.
I think I’m very lucky. I have a bunch of friends around me who are interested and want to be educated. I’m making them all experts! LOL Sure, they look at what I’m eating but never make comments. They just ask what I have to do if I eat this or that, or how they can help if I go low. Nice!
I’m thinking that in 10 or 20 years, the story will be different. So much research and now so much coming out about how T2 works. In the meantime many people with D will remain victims of ignorance.
Yes, yes and more yes-es. As I’ve noted elsewhere and in my blog website, the stigma is huge and is not going away even though research is increasingly showing that it is not just eating too much and sitting around that causes t2d. The misinformation is rampant in the media, some of it well-intentioned, but still wrong. T2ds are notoriously silent about their condition. Why advertise that you’re a fat, lazy glutton to the world, and THEREFORE, you got t2d, serves you right you dunderhead. This stigma, based on falsehoods and misconceptions, is extremely harmful to the cause of t2ds giving support to each other. We’re ashamed, or we’re supposed to be anyhow. Today’s tweets repeat the nonsense that all you have to do to cure, reverse or eliminate t2d is to exercise and not eat so much! It ain’t quite that simple. As I’ve said to many people, including so-called health professionals, “If I had willpower with food and exercise, I wouldn’t be a t2d!” Many t2d have complex, unique psychological and environmental issues that make the “simple cure” not so simple. Let’s rally round realistic advice and ideas. Let’s encourage radical research that gets at the deep, underlying causes of t2d. Let’s do our own thing, and not be lumped in with and dominated by the 5-10% of diabetics that are t1d, having totally different perspectives - not to mention the condescending attitude of some t1ds. Let’s support each other with small steps, our own remedies and tips that are real, not quackery or generalized platitudes.
Yes!
Everytime someone hears me mention that I am type2 diabetic, there is always the one person who you hear say “Well we’re you like fat before? Can’t you just lose more weight?”…That drives me insane. Then when they hear I am insulin dependent, they get confused. My father is this type of person and he calls my illnesses (diabetes and MS) my excuses to be lazy and that all my problems would be fixed if I lost weight… Facepalm I’M NOT HUGELY OBESE! lol Sure I got some love handles, but holy people. lol I was diagnosed with GAD when pregnant with my son. They do however believe I was diabetic earlier on just I never knew. Had it in my mind ohhh ok, pop the baby out and I’ll be ok again… NOT. AC1 was 13 3 months after having my son…and been having my own little hell in a box sort of speak since.
Katrina: thanks so much for your heartfelt reply. Though our circumstances are different, as t2ds, we also have a lot in common. You understand why I get so outraged with people who apply the conventional wisdom: just eat less, go running! as the cure-all for t2d. Why is that t2ds newly diagnosed or old farts like me, have to eat perfectly and spend all their leisure time doing tedious exercise? We’ve been brainwashed into assuming all the fault and all the guilt for every extra pound and every bit of our high sugar levels. I think we overdo it. I’m OK with accepting our situation and reacting responsibly to it - of course, that’s the thing to do, but you’re like many other t2ds who were not food processors/couch potatoes before, and you were going to be a t2d sooner or later. Yes, we should, and we do fight it, accept it, work around it and strive to control it. I’m no model t2d, that’s for sure; I go thru periods of “success” and periods of failure, but like most t2ds, I plug away at it. I wish there was a bit more understanding out there for t2ds, not pity and not fatuous judgments. Again, thanks for venting a bit, every t2d who shares their feelings will help the cause,cheers!
The same thing happened to me, but didn’t your doc follow up with you after you gave birth? A1c at 13 is really high. Why didn’t they do anything to help you continue to control it?
To be quite honest, I have been diabetic for almost 7 yrs now, insulin dependent for almost 3 and I feel like I am lost in the dark since joining this forum. My GP never sent me to any specialists, he ever sends me for bloodwork, or …well…anything. Kinda scares me now to think that when he keeps telling me that Im failing at helping myself with my diabetes, that maybe it’s not me failing… I think it’s him >.< Iwas told I was T2d, but I really dont think I am, and the scarier part is for the past few months they have been juggling me around on different novo insulins because they aren’t helping me… I think they arent helping me because they are treating me for the wrong type :S My step dad swears up and down that I just do not have the symptoms for a type2 besides the high glucose levels…
Well, I am not sure if I am able to this without it being a little on the touchy side. I had a doctor tell me I had some high sugar numbers when I was 22. Nothing else was said. I had no idea what that meant so I just kept living my life the way it was. ( I am also overweight too.) Having fun and hanging friends. (We all do the same things and eat the same stuff.) Only a few years later about 25 is when I started to go down hill. I had made a lifestyle change…I went on Body For Life with some friends and I was dropping weight and getting fit. My only problem was that I couldn’t stay awake after work and I was using the washroom alot during the night. I thought is was all the workouts and all the water I was drinking.
A random blood test had my doctor phone ASAP. She told me over the phone that I had Type 2 diabetes. In shock I went to my parents for dinner and told them. The answer I got (from one person) “I told you eating all that junk and being overweight was going to come and around and kick in the a**. See, I have been telling you this would happen. It’s your fault…if you had only listened to me.” Well, it was not the kind of answer I was looking for. I left feeling worse.
When I see a Type 2 add I am not so sure. It doesn’t seem to keep the people in a mixed age range it seems to be more geared towards people in their very late 30s to 50 + range… ( These are only based on the ones I’ve seen.) Not everyone with Type 2 is large (overweight) I know at least two people who are as thin as rails. Both her father and herself have had been Type 2 for over 30 years. I think she got hers after the birth of her daughter. But, her father who was always a very active man developed it later in life. I don’t know… I think that people still are only seeing the link between obesity and diabetes. It is a hard call. I still think like that where I live it is the elders and the “overweight” people are seen as getting diabetes. Whenever I tell someone I am Type 2 I always seem to add “well I did it to myself” before they get a chance to say anything.
Sorry this didn’t really answer a question. It was more of me talking.
May I suggest some things I’ve learned about diabetes, esp. t2d:
- t2ds have unique symptoms & ways of controlling; beware of extreme or general claims relating to ALL t2ds
- get your medical advice from competent doctors, not friends, relatives, other t2ds, though getting knowledge is good - knowledge from reputable sources
- not all doctors are good w/t2ds-I’m lucky-you might have to get a 2nd opinion or go to endo
- if your BG is frequently high, then you likely have some kind of diabetes, though I’m no doctor
- don’t feel guilty, don’t apologize, don’t deny it - work w/it, be fair to yourself.
In Cda, I get qrtrly A1c’s, endos, and lots of attention from my GP for $FREE! You might not be so fortunate elsewhere.I have no insurance though, as self-employed. I only suggest testing a lot to get your unique rhythms & gear food & exercise; try costco for strips, etc., better prices.
Do you think the awareness campaigns that link obesity and Type 2 diabetes are giving us a bad rap?
nope. there seems to be a lot of evidence linking the two
Did your preconceptions of Type 2 cause you question or deny your diagnosis? Or perhaps even prevent you from investigating your symptoms?
nope
Does the stigma around having Type 2 cause you blame to yourself in any way?
I’m irish catholic I’m always guilty for something. I certainly didn’t help myself by drinking too and gaining the extra weight during college/post college
Do you resent others who don’t take care of themselves and are not diabetic? yeah but I’m also I’m an oldhead and I’m grumpy about most things.
Someone on here recommended “Think Like a Pancreas” by Gary Scheiner. I got it and it’s helped me so much! I didn’t even realize that there was a difference between bolus and basal insulin. I think you will find it very helpful in understanding how to better manage your diabetes. There is information in this book about insulin resistance, which might give you a better idea of what you actually have.
There may be a co-relation between weight and T2 but it’s not like we’re heavy smokers suprised that we got lung cancer. What those people said to you is friggin’ mean!
I am not a type 2’r but…
Do you think the awareness campaigns that link obesity and Type 2 diabetes are giving us a bad rap? Yes, because it oversimplifies…many obeses people do not and will never get diabetes–its not in their genes…
Did your preconceptions of Type 2 cause you question or deny your diagnosis? Or perhaps even prevent you from investigating your symptoms? I now people who have been here
Does the stigma around having Type 2 cause you blame to yourself in any way? I know people who unfortunately are here
Do you resent others who don’t take care of themselves and are not diabetic? I know peoplewho are here
Education around diabetes is way oversimplified and does nothing to help the people who are trying to deal with this disease, no matter the “type” they are
I know you’re not replying to me, but excuse me for butting in on this, as your reply is perfect for my point. I know lots of health zealots who think, at age 50, if you become a vegan or stop smoking, you get a pass from cancer! They really think that. And we get the same nonsense from non t2ds who just say or think, “well, you’re fat (must be lazy), so all you have to do now is eat a lot less and exercise every day for an hour or so” in respect of someone like me, an old fart of 55. There’s a big diff between preventing or avoiding t2d by good practices - which I think is tremendous info for young people - and telling someone like me that I can “stop” my t2d by getting off my kiester. It just ain’t that easy. it’s a complex combo of factors: age, current weight, circumstances, personal schedule, support from family, coincident psyche factors like depression, and so on. I’m NOT saying mature t2ds should ever give up, absolutely not. But, let’s be real about things and understanding. Lots of mothers do a lot more exercising at home taking care of kids, cleaning house, running the house for hubby, than guys who go to the gym every day or 3 times a week! They’re pretty physically tired by end of day, and maybe aren’t too keen about running a treadmill for 45 minutes - exactly when should they do that? instead of getting supper? instead of cleaning up after supper? instead of putting kids to bed? The zealots are often not very realistic, not every person, m or f, can control their circumstances, just drop things and walk for an hour, quite aside from motivation and injuries and hurts they have from time to time. T2ds: how many exercise classes have you gone to where the instructor and everyone else is already super-fit? I’ve done many! How many drop in exercise classes for middle-aged, overweight t2ds do you know of? I know of none. We fight on.
Grant, if you’ll forgive a type 1 for weighing in (no pun intended), I think you’ve hit on another big misconception about type 2: that it can be controlled simply with diet and exercise and weight loss and that all-too elusive thing called will power. Yeah, right!
About half of American adults with diabetes do not meet health target numbers (A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol).
At some point, medications–and often more than one type–are needed to fight insulin resistance and to replace dwindling supply of insulin. I think it’s a darn shame that so many people are NOT put on medication at diagnosis. Especially because at time of diagnosis, blood glucose likely has been too high for years.
Instead, people and their healthcare pros try to undo years of eating habits and other lifestyle choices/situations (for those who fit the “typical” type 2 profile) instead of giving people the chemical help they need to deal with inflammation, insulin resistance, lack of insulin, and lack of other gut hormones.