Guest guest Posted January 21, 2000 Report Share Posted January 21, 2000 In a message dated 00-01-21 14:53:03 EST, you write: << strong family history of type 2 diabetes ... that it starts early in life ... perhaps from exposure to a virus - or even vaccines (in my youth, kids were given partially-killed viruses), but doesn't fully manifest itself for many years ... >> Here's maybe a survey question, leader ...how many of us were diagnosed with diabetes after a virus infection? (Of course, maybe we had it coming on for a long time and the virus merely triggered things?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2000 Report Share Posted January 21, 2000 WHIMSY2 wrote: << Here's maybe a survey question, leader ...how many of us were diagnosed with diabetes after a virus infection? (Of course, maybe we had it coming on for a long time and the virus merely triggered things?) >> I always thought Bob 's description was so apt ... he said that rather than being put into two camps, we are all spread along the diabetic continuum. I think that the folks diagnosed following a virus (or exposure to partially live virus via inoculation?) are stages of type 1 ... some have total pancreas beta cell destruction, while some still register active in a C-peptide test. I was not diagnosed until my late 40s, and yet an ophthalmologist already diagnosed eye damage which I now know is diabetes when I was in my early 20s ... and I was hypoglycemic then too. You know, if a person with the type 2 diabetes gene were to diet constantly and stay very active, that person could conceivably go to his/her grave never being diagnosed ... Our medical community still is not looking for early signs of diabetes ... only when it is pronounced - and complications have likely set in - do they seem to sit up and take notice. For example, it is well-known that a postprandial (after-meal) glucose test or an HbA1c are more diagnostic of diabetes - and yet our medical community chooses to use fasting glucose to establish diabetes. Well, many of us actually register somewhat hypoglycemic for many years while we're battling insulin resistance. I have two sisters who proudly point to fasting readings around 80 to " prove " they're not diabetic ... We're not doing *preventive* medicine in this country!! We wait until too late. I can think of no clearer example of this wrong-headed, vastly wasteful approach than our care of diabetics. If children of diagnosed diabetics were screened for early signs of the disease while still in their youth, they could be educated about lifestyle changes to minimize or even prevent major illness. Susie ( looking around to see who wants on the soapbox next ... hahahaha ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2000 Report Share Posted January 21, 2000 Susie wrote: >You know, if a person with the type 2 diabetes gene were to diet constantly and stay very active, that person could conceivably go to his/her grave never being diagnosed ... > ***Agree, Susie. My daughter, the health management Masters candidate, is very aware of this. She was diagnosed hypoglycemic as a child after a real 7-hour GTT, and has watched me with interest (morbid actually sometimes :-), like I'm her case study. But she, of all people, is wildly against LC and gets uncharacteristically irate when I suggest that it would be easier to lose weight if she cut her carbs. Talk about indoctrinated - jeesh! And I'm one of the lucky whose doc believes in LC. But at least she takes the possiblility of her developing dm seriously. Barb -------------- RAINBOW FARM UNLTD. Breeding Premium Oldenburgs, and fancy sport ponies. http://www.rainbowfarm.com Re: Hi again > > >WHIMSY2 wrote: > ><< Here's maybe a survey question, leader ...how many of us were >diagnosed >with diabetes after a virus infection? (Of course, maybe we had it coming >on for a long time and the virus merely triggered things?) >> > >I always thought Bob 's description was so apt ... he said that rather >than being put into two camps, we are all spread along the diabetic >continuum. I think that the folks diagnosed following a virus (or exposure >to partially live virus via inoculation?) are stages of type 1 ... some have >total pancreas beta cell destruction, while some still register active in a >C-peptide test. I was not diagnosed until my late 40s, and yet an >ophthalmologist already diagnosed eye damage which I now know is diabetes >when I was in my early 20s ... and I was hypoglycemic then too. You know, if >a person with the type 2 diabetes gene were to diet constantly and stay very >active, that person could conceivably go to his/her grave never being >diagnosed ... Our medical community still is not looking for early signs of >diabetes ... only when it is pronounced - and complications have likely set >in - do they seem to sit up and take notice. For example, it is well-known >that a postprandial (after-meal) glucose test or an HbA1c are more >diagnostic of diabetes - and yet our medical community chooses to use >fasting glucose to establish diabetes. Well, many of us actually register >somewhat hypoglycemic for many years while we're battling insulin >resistance. I have two sisters who proudly point to fasting readings around >80 to " prove " they're not diabetic ... We're not doing *preventive* medicine >in this country!! We wait until too late. I can think of no clearer example >of this wrong-headed, vastly wasteful approach than our care of diabetics. > >If children of diagnosed diabetics were screened for early signs of the >disease while still in their youth, they could be educated about lifestyle >changes to minimize or even prevent major illness. > >Susie ( looking around to see who wants on the soapbox next ... hahahaha ) > > >--------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 22, 2000 Report Share Posted January 22, 2000 Actually, I suffered from a virus infection before I was diagnosed with diabetes. November and december were horrible months, I fainted, couldn't go down town to shop etc. etc. Then in january I was diagnosed with diabetes. I have often thought whether there were a connection between this strange virus and the diabetes - I'll go to onelist and see if sufficient have responded to the last question (male/female) - then I'll send the suggested question. > > >WHIMSY2 wrote: > ><< Here's maybe a survey question, leader ...how many of us were >diagnosed >with diabetes after a virus infection? (Of course, maybe we had it coming >on for a long time and the virus merely triggered things?) >> > >I always thought Bob 's description was so apt ... he said that rather >than being put into two camps, we are all spread along the diabetic >continuum. I think that the folks diagnosed following a virus (or exposure >to partially live virus via inoculation?) are stages of type 1 ... some have >total pancreas beta cell destruction, while some still register active in a >C-peptide test. I was not diagnosed until my late 40s, and yet an >ophthalmologist already diagnosed eye damage which I now know is diabetes >when I was in my early 20s ... and I was hypoglycemic then too. You know, if >a person with the type 2 diabetes gene were to diet constantly and stay very >active, that person could conceivably go to his/her grave never being >diagnosed ... Our medical community still is not looking for early signs of >diabetes ... only when it is pronounced - and complications have likely set >in - do they seem to sit up and take notice. For example, it is well-known >that a postprandial (after-meal) glucose test or an HbA1c are more >diagnostic of diabetes - and yet our medical community chooses to use >fasting glucose to establish diabetes. Well, many of us actually register >somewhat hypoglycemic for many years while we're battling insulin >resistance. I have two sisters who proudly point to fasting readings around >80 to " prove " they're not diabetic ... We're not doing *preventive* medicine >in this country!! We wait until too late. I can think of no clearer example >of this wrong-headed, vastly wasteful approach than our care of diabetics. > >If children of diagnosed diabetics were screened for early signs of the >disease while still in their youth, they could be educated about lifestyle >changes to minimize or even prevent major illness. > >Susie ( looking around to see who wants on the soapbox next ... hahahaha ) > > >--------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 22, 2000 Report Share Posted January 22, 2000 Barb Young wrote: << ... My daughter, the health management Masters candidate, is very aware of this. She was diagnosed hypoglycemic as a child after a real 7-hour GTT, and has watched me with interest (morbid actually sometimes :-), like I'm her case study. But she, of all people, is wildly against LC and gets uncharacteristically irate when I suggest that it would be easier to lose weight if she cut her carbs. >> Our own families don't think we know diddly-squat, do they? hahahahaha ... Over Christmas I saw my diabetic sister who was originally diagnosed in grade school. Her most recent HbA1c was 7.4, despite being on Glucotrol (!!!) and two other kinds of pills ... and at the buffet in Black Hawk, she ate pizza, pasta, etc. She also mentions that she *never* finger-sticks anymore. And despite all the e-mails and research I've sent her, she commented, " Your numbers are like a normal person's ... " (the implication being that I'm not really diabetic, huh?) I'm quite ill with the flu - for the third time this winter. (I was such a hermit, and all this travel seems to have exposed me to every flu variety out there. Trucking is a very solitary existence ... a major reason we tend to die young if we stay in the life very long, I suspect.) I laid awake a long time last night, coughing and mouth-breathing ... but also picturing my sweet sister with gangrene, in a wheelchair, going blind ... but primarily dying early of a heart attack ... after she and her husband have worked so hard their entire lives so they could enjoy their retirement. How do we reach them??? As much info as there is out there showing how beneficial carbohydrate reduction is for type 2 diabetics, it still stuns me what a wall of opposition we face. It makes me doubt things in general, when educated people can look at concrete evidence - in the form of legitimate studies - showing that diabetics fare better (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) by minimizing their carbohydrate intake ... and they " explain it all away " . Another sister ... my oldest ... who has been spilling glucose in her urine for 20 years, and claims, " I just have a low renal threshhold " just lost 20 pounds by low-carbing. I am hoping that enough of us in the family will show success that the very diabetic sister will come to her senses. (By the way .... I have a LOT of sisters ... five ... Catholic and from Minnesota, dontcha know ... ) Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 22, 2000 Report Share Posted January 22, 2000 In a message dated 01/22/2000 6:22:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, ottercritter@... writes: << I laid awake a long time last night, coughing and mouth-breathing ... but also picturing my sweet sister with gangrene, in a wheelchair, going blind ... but primarily dying early of a heart attack ... after she and her husband have worked so hard their entire lives so they could enjoy their retirement. How do we reach them??? >> Dear Susie, Please do not loose too much sleep over worrying about your sister. She may never come around to your way of thinking. Please do not think though that you are not making a difference in peoples lives. You may have a hard time getting through to her (and relatives are known for this)! = ) but you are surely making a huge difference to all of us on this list. XO, Meniowl@... type2,dx7/99,d & water aerobics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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