What exactly is diabetes?.....?

Question

how do you get it? Whats the difference betweentype 1 and type 2? which is worse? how can you get tested for it? is it a permanant condition? how does it limit your life?

Answer 1

I could write all night and not tell you all I have learned from being the mother of a son diagnosed with diabetes at age 11 (Type 1) and a second son diagnosed with Type 2 at 26.

To answer your questions briefly:

Some people have a tendency to inherit diabetes in their genes from their ancestors. That's Type 1.

Some, particularly pre-adolescent boys, get it from the Coxackie B4 virus, a virus which you may never realize you or your loved one has ever had.

Some, as our younger son, get it from their habits. This son has, from his late teens, that the four food groups are caffeine, nicotine, sugar and fat.

Which is worse? I would say Type 1 because the person's pancreas produces NO insulin and he must rely on taking insulin (by injections or by pump) for the rest of his life.

When diabetes is suspected, they do tests, but the main test is blood sugar. Normally 80-120, I have known people as high as 783. (Our older son was 684.) And NO! You cannot get diabetes from eating candy!

Yes, it is permanent right now. I have heard of experiments where a bit of kidney is transplanted onto the pancreas, but it is not fully developed. They always told us that a cure was "maybe 3-4 years away", but it's been 20 years for our oldest!

I would say that it limits your life to the extent that you want to be limited. Our type one was always active, received wonderful grades and has a UCB diploma. He received his black belt in TKD at 20. The younger detested school, took the GED as a sophomore and passed and is working in the computer world of Silicon Valley. (He was not active-just "computerized"-and did not watch his diet carefully after he left home.)

I was just going to copy a part of a website, but writing out of my head is easier. The website has MUCH to offer and I have posted it below.

Good luck and take care!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

2

Answer 4

how do you get it?
nobody really knows how you get type 1...some say its hereditary. type 2 is usually found in people who are overweight..but not always.

Whats the difference?
type 1 is when the pancreas produces no insulin at all. type 1's have to take an insulin shot before every meal. type 1 is usually found in young kids or young adults. no diet or exercise is going to prevent type 1...you either have it or you dont. type 2 is when the pancreas still produces a little insulin. your cells become a bit dumb and forget what that insulin is for and how to use it. a type 2 diabetic can sometimes control it with diet and exercise alone, diet and exercise with pills, or diet and exercise with insulin shots. a type 1 on insulin shots is a bit different than a type 2 on shots. a type 2 might only take a shot twice a day (morning and night for example) type 2 is usually diagnosed in adults.

which is worse?
i think type 2 is worse (just my opinion)

how can you get tested for it?
its just a simple blood test

is it a permanant condition?
yes...for type 1 and type 2...unless there is a cure...which there isnt. some might say that type 2 is "curable" if you loose weight...to loose that weight you need a very strict diet and exercise regularly...well if you loosen up that diet and quit exercising as much then guess what...you'd still have type 2.

how does it limit your life?
it might prevent you from getting a few jobs..especially if you dont have good control. my primary physican happens to be a type 1. if you dont have good control you'll probably have a few complications in the future (amputation, heart or kidney problems..to name a few)

Answer 5

I think all the technical details and site references have been adequately covered. So I would like to comment on which is worse and the perceived limits.

Each type has different causes and effects, and each cause has its advantages and disadvantages. With type 1 the onset is usually quick, within a short time your blood sugars go from normal to very high, and the acute symptoms are present. This means you see a doctor(or die) before much damage is done by high blood sugars to other parts of the body. While many think the treatment regimen is onerous most adapt and learn to live with the new routine. With type 2 onset is slow. You may have prediabetes for many years with knowing, and some actually proceed to complications before their diabetes is discovered. Since type 2 is usually associated with overweight, you have lifelong habits that must be changed and a diet and exercise program that is unlike anything you experienced before.

It has been some time since I researched diabetes but I would guess that the life span of a type 1 exceed that of type 2(some of that is due to age at diagnosis).

The limits on your life is more treatment than type of diabetes. Those on insulin have many restrictions on employment(say bus driver) although many well controlled diabetics on insulin are now being allow is some jobs.

Answer 6

Diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ in the body, usually situated near our liver. It produces insulin so that we can digest and even have the right amounts of energy every time we need it.

!) A person can have diabetes for so many reasons. But the most common denominator that doctors hold onto is your genetics. If you have a grandparents(s), or any relative (ancestors mostly, not cousins) who have the disorder, then you and your siblings (and your parents as well) are candidates. Maybe some of you will have it, maybe you won't.

2)Type 1 is inborn, meaning genetically, the person have it either while at womb, at birth, or in baby/toddler years.
Type 2, or Diabetes Miletus is a "lifestyle" disorder. (I don't like to call it a desease)

3) Worse? Type 1 a little bit worse to live by for most since they didn't had the chance to eat and live as normal people do.

4)Go to your physician, tell him/her you want one. The physician will issue you the proper required test (there are at least 4 different kinds of tests that I know of) that you can have. Mostly, it's done in laboratories.

5)Permanent? As of now, YES. But I heard from doctor friends that there will be breakthoughs by 2010 up.

6)More on intake of food. What kinds a diabetic can eat is far more less in number (and volume) than regular persons eat.

Answer 7

1. Diabetes simply means your body is prone to high blood sugar which can cause all kinds of nasty problems. Our number one challenge is to regulate our blood sugar to normal levels.
2. No one is absolutely sure exactly how you get either type.
3. Type one is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the insulin producing part of the pancreas. Without insulin, the blood glucose can't enter the cells to provide energy, and the unused glucose builds up in the blood.
4. Type two is what I have. It's when our insulin doesn't work properly. Cells won't let glucose in without insulin. In a type two, most of us have insulin, but for some reason, it doesn't work as it should allowing the glucose to enter the cells. This can result in overworking the pancreas and becoming insulin dependent as less and less insulin is produced. It also results in blood glucose build up.
5. If I had to choose, I would pick type two because much can be done to control it with little or no medication, and with simple diet and exercise. Type one's must inject insulin every day.... often several times a day.
6. Testing merely requires a simple blood test.
7. Yes, it's permanent in either type.
8. Other than watching what I eat, having to exercise, and keeping my weight down, I have no limits. Type ones usually keep some insulin available and be more diligent about testing their blood glucose. Diabetics aren't limited in any other way.... unless they haven't controlled their disease and are suffering the complications that arise from consistently high blood glucose. There are many such complications. That's why it's so important for us to learn all we can about caring for ourselves.

All the other answers, so far, are either copy and paste, or written by folks with good intentions, but poor fact gathering. I typed all this from my head.

Answer 8

I'm a 45 year old woman and was recently diagnosed as being a borderline diabetic. My doctor prescribed some medication, but before filling it I decided to do some research on the internet which led me to the methods. After reading this ebook and applying the methods, my scepticism turned to 100% belief. I noticed that my energy levels increased significantly and I felt more rested in the morning, my symptoms started going away.

I am very happy to tell you that I have been feeling better than I have felt in years and my doctor informed me that he will be taking me off my prescriptions if I keep this up.

I recommend you use the Type 2 Diabetes Destroyer to naturally reverse your diabetes.

Answer 9

its a pain in the a** u can get it if someone in ur family had it type 1 is treated with injections of insulin and type 2 with tablets and good diet ur doctor will test u it only takes 2 mins or if u know someone with it they can check ur blood sugar and yes at the minute u hav it 4 live hope u come up with a cure soon i hav 2 eat the same amount of food at the same time every day

Answer 10

Diabetes is a disease where u cant disolve sugar in your blood because you dont produe insulin. its sad that thi deosnt have a cure but you can do things to have a normal life like take insulin injections and watch what you eat. i did a report on diabetes and found out a lot of interesting things. Type one is usually genetic and type two is a lifestyle disease which means that u dont treat your self very well. it doesnt limit your life too much it really is just a setback. you can participate in all sorts of things still