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Please Help, Diabetic type 1 for 5 months
Hello. I have been diagnosed with diabetes about 5 monthd ago. I am 21 right now and my average blood glucose is about 130, last H1c was 6.2 I am really stressed out about my life outcome and am very depressed. Whoever knows here, what is my life expectancy, when with 130 as an avergae 3 should i expect for the complications to kick in ??
Thanks
Thanks
IMTKO/Markie
Thank you so much for your helpful comments. I am in exactly the same position as IMTKO, having been diagnosed 4 months ago. It is only now that the true realisation of my condition has taken hold, and I have become quite depressed and feeling morbid...wondering how long have I got? Why me? What I have done wrong in my life etc.....
Seeing your e-mail and the helpful responses has been really encouraging, and I thank you for it most sincerely.
I am now coming to terms with things a little better. I wish you well.
AndrewR
Thank you so much for your helpful comments. I am in exactly the same position as IMTKO, having been diagnosed 4 months ago. It is only now that the true realisation of my condition has taken hold, and I have become quite depressed and feeling morbid...wondering how long have I got? Why me? What I have done wrong in my life etc.....
Seeing your e-mail and the helpful responses has been really encouraging, and I thank you for it most sincerely.
I am now coming to terms with things a little better. I wish you well.
AndrewR
Your life expectancy needn't be any shorter than a non-diabetic, as long as you keep your blood sugar under reasonably good control. And if you keep yopur HBA1c below 6.5, you probably won't get any complications either.
Having said that, you will find that keeping good control gets more difficult as the honeymoon period wears off. But with the excellent insulins and and delivery devices available now, you shouldn't have a problem maintaining good control.
I have been a type 1 for 28 years now. And the only complication I have is some minimal retinopathy. It is the result of many years of sub-optimal control. But I have refined the system now and brought my HBA1c below 6.5. I expect the retinopathy clear up altogher. And, as long as I can maintain this level of control, I shouldn't have any other problems.
Technology has progressed to the point where being a T1 doesn't have to be a problem. Type 2s are not as fortunate because they also have to deal with elevated insulin levels, which lead to heart disease. But if you look after yourself, you will be fine.
Merry Christmas,
Mark
Having said that, you will find that keeping good control gets more difficult as the honeymoon period wears off. But with the excellent insulins and and delivery devices available now, you shouldn't have a problem maintaining good control.
I have been a type 1 for 28 years now. And the only complication I have is some minimal retinopathy. It is the result of many years of sub-optimal control. But I have refined the system now and brought my HBA1c below 6.5. I expect the retinopathy clear up altogher. And, as long as I can maintain this level of control, I shouldn't have any other problems.
Technology has progressed to the point where being a T1 doesn't have to be a problem. Type 2s are not as fortunate because they also have to deal with elevated insulin levels, which lead to heart disease. But if you look after yourself, you will be fine.
Merry Christmas,
Mark
IMTKO,
We're all volunteers here and not medical professionals, so do keep working with your doctors. We have lots of experience with diabetes and have been "in your shoes."
Markie is right that, given today's resources, and your terrific start to take good care of yourself, you don't need to expect complications. I was dx'd a teen and am now 50, which means I went thru some of HS, all of college & grad school with this disease. I am healthy, married, and a college professor. I have travelled the world and enjoy life fully.
Folks like Markie & I are *not* exceptions, there are thousands of us healthy Type 1s running around living life fully. I would recommend that you connect up with your local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) who sponsors this forum. JDRF was founded by parents of Type 1 and is aimed at finding a cure for diabetes & its complications. ALong the way, they are an enormous support network for newly diagnosed, or newly-scared and stressed folks with diabetes. Getting involved with JDRF will help you put your situation into a larger context and to find folks who REALLY understand what you're dealing with on a daily basis, every minute, 24*7.
Markie is right that you can expect changes as your honeymoon period wanes. Has your endocrinologist explained this process to you? It's important that you recognize your body may begin to need more insulin and your control may become less stable as your own pancreas' beta cells peter out. This is a normal part of diabetes and does NOT mean that you've done anything wrong.
Here's an interesting article on the subject with a recent research study that may be of interest to you:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/18/CMGECE7BFK1.DTL
(the URL may stretch onto 2 lines, but copy/paste it into 1 line in your browser).
Finally, it is not uncommon that folks with chronic illnesses like diabetes develop clinical depression. Depression is treatable and again, if you are consistently feeling depressed, please do tell your doctor. If your doctor doesn't seem "the type" you can talk to, then you must find another endocrinologist with whom you can work and with whom you can talk these types of things thru.
Good luck and look forward to a full, rich future.
We're all volunteers here and not medical professionals, so do keep working with your doctors. We have lots of experience with diabetes and have been "in your shoes."
Markie is right that, given today's resources, and your terrific start to take good care of yourself, you don't need to expect complications. I was dx'd a teen and am now 50, which means I went thru some of HS, all of college & grad school with this disease. I am healthy, married, and a college professor. I have travelled the world and enjoy life fully.
Folks like Markie & I are *not* exceptions, there are thousands of us healthy Type 1s running around living life fully. I would recommend that you connect up with your local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) who sponsors this forum. JDRF was founded by parents of Type 1 and is aimed at finding a cure for diabetes & its complications. ALong the way, they are an enormous support network for newly diagnosed, or newly-scared and stressed folks with diabetes. Getting involved with JDRF will help you put your situation into a larger context and to find folks who REALLY understand what you're dealing with on a daily basis, every minute, 24*7.
Markie is right that you can expect changes as your honeymoon period wanes. Has your endocrinologist explained this process to you? It's important that you recognize your body may begin to need more insulin and your control may become less stable as your own pancreas' beta cells peter out. This is a normal part of diabetes and does NOT mean that you've done anything wrong.
Here's an interesting article on the subject with a recent research study that may be of interest to you:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/18/CMGECE7BFK1.DTL
(the URL may stretch onto 2 lines, but copy/paste it into 1 line in your browser).
Finally, it is not uncommon that folks with chronic illnesses like diabetes develop clinical depression. Depression is treatable and again, if you are consistently feeling depressed, please do tell your doctor. If your doctor doesn't seem "the type" you can talk to, then you must find another endocrinologist with whom you can work and with whom you can talk these types of things thru.
Good luck and look forward to a full, rich future.
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