I have newly diagnosed type 1 DM and I'm depressed

by JDRF Team SGG, Mar 12, 2004 12:00AM

I have been a type 1 diabetic for 34 years, and I was diagnosed long before the newest medicines and even before home glucose monitoring was possible. I have two grown and healthy children (I had the children as a diabetic on insulin), a loving husband, and a wonderful life with NO complications 34 years later. You are not necessarily doomed to the complications that you read about. As a diabetic, I have to take the shots and monitor my diet, but I frankly find myself healthier in my middle years (46 now) than many of my peers. Please step back, take a breath, and realize that perhaps God has allowed this to enter your life so you can help other diabetics. You truly would never know what it was like to live with the disease if you had not been unfortunate enough to be diagnosed wtih it. In time, you will figure out what the proper dose is for good control and it is very possible with the newest treatments to keep healthy glucose levels without overdosing. You will feel energetic and will be able to better cope with emotional upheaval once you get the glucose levels up to above 70 to stay. Keep watching this web site, for I know that there are many other long-timers who will tell you the same thing: you can live a long and healthy life as a diabetic. Your education will help you do this. Then, use that knowledge to help others.

by galzee, Mar 13, 2004 12:00AM

I am sure that all of us who have read your comments, reach out to you right now. You have put into words, the very gut-wrenching emotions, that all of us have felt upon the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. I too, can attest that things will get better. Your whole outlook will change when you realize that you are in control of your diabetes, and that you won't let diabetes control you. As a christian, you know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. And for the reason as to why he chose you, you may never know. I'm hoping that because of your medical background, you are just the right person to make a difference for the rest of us out here. My 16 year old daughter, who was diagnosed at the age of 21 months, is looking forward to a career in the medical field, such as yourself. She feels that because she has diabetes, she is even more healthy than her friends that don't have diabetes. When she was first diagnosed, we felt as if our lives would never get back to normal, and it wasn't until we came to the realization that the "old normal" wasn't coming back, that we were able to go forward with a "new normal" life. It's all how you look at it and right now, you probably don't want to look at it at all, but that will change as you adjust to your "new normal" life. It can be a healthier life if you choose. You can do this, and because of your medical background, you can probably do it better than us!

Please post again and let us know how you're doing. I will be praying for you.

by medical student with type 1, Mar 14, 2004 12:00AM

Thanks for your replies. You are all very nice people who can really comfort each other. It's very difficult to find peer support in Hong Kong as there are so few type 1 patients. I think there won't be more than 1000 type 1 out of the 6 million population.

While I'm complaining why I'm so unfortunate, I should think that I'm already better than most of the patients with the same disease as I have a relatively late onset (I'm 22 now) I'm also cared by almost the best endocrinologists in Hong Kong who are working in a teaching hospital. But I would say that being a type 1 patient in the US should be easier as the endocrinologists have more experience.

I guess all of you have your medical expenses covered by insurance companies? In Hong Kong people seldom buy medical insurance as most of the services are provided by the public system, but this is going to change and the patients will eventually need to pay for the services themselves. I don't know what will happen to me in the future, as I didn't buy any insurance, but there are too many things to worry anyway.

I always think that it's harder for me to accept the diagnosis than lay people as I know too much about the complications. Take retinopathy as an example, a lay person will only get concerned if the vision is affected, but the doctor (or I myself) will get concerned if there're early sings of retinopathy (like background, non-proliferative etc. if it involves the macula it's called maculopathy). And the figures tell me that 100% of type 1 patients will get retinopathy within 20 years after diagnosis of DM (but doesn't count the years before puberty), sometimes retinopathy can be quite independent of glucose control, there are still people who have been controlling well but still have severe retinopathy. Doctors won't tell lay people about these, as this is too discouraging. Being a patient and a patient only has the advantage that you can only hear what you need to hear and what is encouraging, but I'm different, I need to hear facts for the doctors as well (which are not for patients as they are too bad for that)

by galzee, Mar 14, 2004 12:00AM

Dear Med Student,

Perhaps it's because of the lack of exposure to type 1 diabetic patients, that you haven't seen the odds beaten time and time again. Yes, we are not medical professionals, but we have heard hundreds of personal stories from people who have lived with diabetes and not experienced the side effects that you are so afraid of. Yes, it is a very frightening disease to have, but once you get your blood sugars within a normal range, you may see things more clearly and realize that you too can avoid them with good blood glucose control. If you are running low all the time, you might not be thinking clearly. Being a medical professional, you know all you need to know about the best way to prevent the side effects of this disease. Take this knowledge and use it to take the very best care of yourself that you can. Don't be frozen in your fear, take your knowledge and do something positive with it, for yourself and others.

At first, it's so very difficult to accept diabetes into your life, but in time, you will feel differently. You need to face the emotional side of diabetes. It may be more difficult in your culture than in ours to do this, so please, come back to our site to let us know how you are doing and feel free to ask any question or comment you may have. We are here for you!

God Bless You!

by JDRF Team SGG, Mar 14, 2004 12:00AM

The figures I have read here in the United States are that 80% if diabetics suffer some retinopathy after 15 years, not 100%. I posted an earlier comment, telling you that I have had diabetes for 34 years and have NO retinopathy at all. You are absolutely correct in your observations that some folks take perfect control of the glucose numbers and still have this problem occur, but some of us don't. I would encourage you to use your knowledge, which is far beyond the knoweldge of the average type 1 diabetic, to do whatever you can to protect yourself and keep those glucose numbers even-keeled. I am living proof that the 100% number is incorrect. In my volunteering wtih the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, I do hear from other long-time diabetics like myself who have no damages. Take heart. Your knowledge can be a help to you if you focus your thoughts on how to manage the disease rather than on fears of the unknown future. Just take the one day at a time and make that day a good one, and God will take care of your future.

by TonyAlmeida, Mar 15, 2004 12:00AM

Diabetes is a horrible life long condition - no doubt about that.  And it complicates life, makes you change your life. Nobody wants this - but 1 in 16 people have it.  Unfortunately - there's not much you can do to reverse it.  You already know all of this.

But - you read too much into it as well.  The complications you speak of, normally are associated with people who don't take care of themselves or are too lazy to take care of themselves - pure and simple.  And many of those people are Type 2s.

I gave up blaming God a long time ago - if there is one.  Neither God nor Allah have anything to do with this.  And if they are there - it looks like they are not too interested in lending a hand because there are so many of us and our numbers only grow with each passing year.

I would highly suggest you get an Insulin Pump as quickly as possible.  There are people who will tell you to wait until your honeymoon period is over - forget them.  At least with a pump, it may be possible to give your Pancreas a break and not burn out the remaining insulin producing cells you still have.  It'll mean lower basal doses of insulin and give you more freedom that you'll never get with just needle injections.

However - the pump has its own set of issues the pump makers don't advertise because people wouldn't want to use the pumps then.  But - it does make life easier somewhat.  And injecting an infusion set once every 3 days sure beats having to stick yourself with a needle before every meal or hoping someone doesn't bump your chair while you inject yourself.

I wouldn't hold my breath for beta cell transplants or

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