Gretchen -
Great blog. People with type 1 and type 2 can inspire and truly help each other. Here's the way like to explain difference in the disease to kids.
Diabetes is a disease that prevents your body from turning food into energy. Insulin is like a key that unlocks the cells so they can use sugars from food for energy. In type 1 diabetes the keys are all destroyed. In type 2 diabetes the locks have been changed and the keys don't work.
Many a child who has been in my son's class probably goes home and asks relatives with diabetes if their locks were changed or if they lost their keys.
Let's get a good locksmith and cure both these diseases!
I am a type one diabetic whom is also on an isulin pump. I would just liek to let you know that this article is completely ridiculous. Although Type 2 may be genetically linked, Type 1 is always genetically linked and it is no easier to manage as you make it seem. First off, most Type 1's are diagnosed when they are children. I myself was diagnosed at 10 years old. You say that Type 1's dont have to struggle with counting carbs or worry about weight gain and that is completely untrue. At ten years old I was thrust into a very adult role of having to manage glucose levels, give insulin shots, and measure all my foods so I could take insulin according to the amount of carbs i was ingesting. And, when I got my insulin pump about 3 years ago, not too much changed. I can't believe that you say all people with pumps have to do is push a button, that is unbelievable! When "pushing the buttons" one still has to test their sugar 5 times a day to give boluses and measure and count carbs to put into their pump so that the pump can give the correct amount of insulin. In no way is this an easy way out as you make it seem! The pump has to be worn 24/7/365 and the infusion site must be changed every 2 days. I'm sure you have no idea what that is like for a person, let alone a teenager. Constantly I am asked to remove my cell phone from my pocket at metal detectors when actually it is my pump and then I'm forced to explain to people my whole situation. Also, being a teenage girl, I go to school formals. Where does an insulin pump go in a dress? There is no where to clip it or to conceal it. It makes like very hard and I have to somehow figure this out every dance. Although pumps do provide for better control of sugar levels, they are not an easy answer to diabetes as you make it seem. Also, in the very beginning of the article when you talk about children being affected by people's lack of diabetes knowledge and then put them down, you are completely unjustified. Kids in schools do not understand the two types of diabetes. And, when teachers talk about diabetes or it is on channel 1 or what have you, it is very embarrassing because 99% of the time it has to do with Americans getting diabetes due to obesity. This is type 2! Type 1 is something that just happens but kids don't understand that and often child diabetics are made to feel ridiculous because of this lack of knowledge. I hope the next time you write an article like this you take a more two-sided approach to the issue because your assumptions and conclusions are ridiculous and overall this is false journalism. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Jocelyn,
I'm afraid you misunderstood what I said.
I never said type 1s don't have to count carbs. In fact, I said the exact opposite, that many type 2s don't understand how difficult it is to have type 1: "They have no understanding of how difficult it is having to count every carb you eat and calculate how much insulin to inject to cover those carbs" meaning that's what type 1s have to do.
My comment about "just pushing a button" was meant to indicate the false ideas that some type 2s have about type 1. Of course it's more complex than that. Much more complicated.
As for the genetics, I'm afraid you're misinformed about that. Both type 1 and type 2 have a genetic component, and it seems to be stronger for type 2. If your identical twin has type 2, you have a 60% to 100% chance of getting type 2. If your identical twin has type 1, you have a lower risk of getting type 1.
I'm sorry you're so angry about this. It's rough to get diabetes as a child. But please reread what I said and you may see that my point was that type 1s often misunderstand what it's like to have type 2, and type 2s often misunderstand what it's like to have type 1. In fact, we both have a difficult disease, and we should be helping each other instead of making accusations.
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