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Diabetes - Juvenile Community
This patient support community is for questions related to juvenile diabetes including celiac disease, depression, diabetic complications, hyperglycemia / diabetic keto-acidosis, hypoglycemia, islet cell transplantation, nutritional issues, parenting a diabetic child, pregnancy, pump therapy, school issues, and teens with diabetes.
prediction
by andreww, Mar 08, 2008 04:07AM
I have a friend that is 19 and who has been diagnosed at the age of 15 with "starting" diabetes. I dont think that is the correct form in english, but i dont know another way to translate it. She also has anemia and she has told me that due to this combination she has little time to live, if she doesnt get better. 10-15 years..
Because she feels weak and ashamed when talking about this, i couldnt get much information out of her, but i really need to know what is going on. She also told me that she might get leuchimia as well due to the above mentioned condition and die even earlier.
Sometimes she gets very sick and cant even stand up or, even worse, she even blacks out completely.
Can you, please, tell me how serious this disease is? Are there any chances that she'll get better?
Because she feels weak and ashamed when talking about this, i couldnt get much information out of her, but i really need to know what is going on. She also told me that she might get leuchimia as well due to the above mentioned condition and die even earlier.
Sometimes she gets very sick and cant even stand up or, even worse, she even blacks out completely.
Can you, please, tell me how serious this disease is? Are there any chances that she'll get better?
Doctor's Answer
by JDRF Volunteer SG, Mar 08, 2008 01:15PM
, Mar 08, 2008 01:15PM
I don't know where she has gotten the information that she will die young, but it is not necessarily true if she indeed is in the starting phases of diabetes. If this is the case, her autoimmune system may be attacking her pancreas' insulin-producing cells. Eventually, the immune system destroys them completely, and the person is put on insulin. We then need to take insulin in order to live, but with this treatment can live very normal lives. I have been on insulin for 38 years, have two grown and healthy children, and a wonderful career. I am very healthy except for having to take insulin. Leukemia is not related in any way to this autoimmune disease.
Now, the presence of anemia along with type 1 diabetes does create more serious problems, for some of the causes of anemia relate to complications that can be serious. Again, I want to point out that there are treatments that can take care of the root problem that is causing the anemia. So it is important that she is working closely with her doctors.
As for getting sick and blacking out, this could be because her pancreas is sometimes producing too much insulin, causing hypoglycemia. This is common when people are in the early phases of diabetes. It can be helped if the person always has some juice or glucose tablets (which can be bought at any drug store without a prescription) with them. If hypoglycemia is the cause of the spell, then when they start to feel weak or faint, they can drink the juice or eat a few glucose tablets and feel better within about 15 minutes.
Now, the presence of anemia along with type 1 diabetes does create more serious problems, for some of the causes of anemia relate to complications that can be serious. Again, I want to point out that there are treatments that can take care of the root problem that is causing the anemia. So it is important that she is working closely with her doctors.
As for getting sick and blacking out, this could be because her pancreas is sometimes producing too much insulin, causing hypoglycemia. This is common when people are in the early phases of diabetes. It can be helped if the person always has some juice or glucose tablets (which can be bought at any drug store without a prescription) with them. If hypoglycemia is the cause of the spell, then when they start to feel weak or faint, they can drink the juice or eat a few glucose tablets and feel better within about 15 minutes.
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