Quick onset of Diabetes I in an adult

[Teck]

My son was diagnosed with Diabetes 1 yesterday and we are surprised it is type 1.  I always thought  type 1 was juvenile diabetes!  Wow was I wrong.  Does anyone have any advise to help him out?

[Teck]

Thank you so very much for the help on the cook books.  My poor son has been learning a lot about the whole insulin and diet aspect of type I diabetes.  His blood glucose level on the first day was over 540!  They were dropping his blood sugar so fast that it gave him a head ache.  I told him to take a swallow of juice, it helped him out a lot.  He had a good day today, BS around 130 throughout the day.  He is learning a lot.

I was amazed at how fast this came on and how fast my son is learning to deal with it.  Thank God for modern technology and knowledge today that can help so many people.  Can't wait until there is a cure!!

Thanks again for your help and comments.

[KevinHarney]

There are millions of Diabetic cook books out there !!!!  And Splenda.com has many recipes as well.  Internet search diabetic cookbooks and try Amazon, Borders or any other book store.

[Teck]

Thank you so much for your response and answers to my question. My son is learning to deal with insulin.  They are learning to read the labels on foods, portion sizes, counting carbs, etc.  I am proud of him, as he is taking this serious.  I told his wife that she needed to make him responsible for taking his insulin, because he has a tendency to want to be taken care of. She said he already stated he wanted her to give him his shots.  I nipped that in the bud for her (I hope) and told him HE has to do it, not her.  I know she will do well with the diet part for him, but I also know that she has her hands full with two toddlers and a newborn - she doesn't have time to deal with the insulin portion of his diabetes.

Here is my question.  Are there any really good cook books or Menus for them to get?  I know they are working with a dietician and have received booklets with some menus, but she is looking for a more variety of foods she can cook for them.

I am glad you explained the difference between type 1 and 2.  It totally makes sense to me.

Thank you again.  If you think of anything that will help, let me know.

[KevinHarney]

I was diagnosed at 40 as a type 1 diabetic and was likewise shocked.  I would be happy to answer any questions that I can.  I know that it can be very confusing at first.

First thing to know is the difference between type 1 and 2.

In type 1 the pancreas fails and no Insulin is produced.  This does tend to happen at an early age but can happen at any age.  Also Type 2 takes years to develope so it usually happens to adults.  Thus the referral to Juvenile which I think is misleading.

In Type 2 the pancreas is working BUT your body is not using the Insulin that it is producing as efficiently as it should.  This gets compounded as time goes on and as you get older the body can no longer keep up so to speak.  In this case you create ways of making your body use that insulin more effectively.  This can be done by watching your diet and exercising and in some cases using drugs.

In Type 1 you do not produce ANY insulin to be used more effectively so you HAVE to take Insulin because your body does not produce any.

That is a general overview.  I would be happy to answer any more questions that I can.  Please post more ....