Is the damage irriversible?

Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hello guys, I have been diabetic since the age of 14. Managed it properly for the first year then did not bother putting an effort. I am now 21, with the thoughts of neuropathy, complications and quite frankly death hunting me and making me second guess a career in medicine.
Do you think that a proper control can REVERSE any possible damage or does it ONLY prevent further damage?
 

Catlady19

Well-Known Member
Messages
644
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Do you have evidence of any damage so far? It is never too late to change and you are still really young. Perhaps you could get an appointment to discuss it? You are obviously worrying about it and it would reassure you. Good luck. x
 
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Well the thing is no dr will give me a conclusive answer. They will simply tell me to start taking care of myself without answering the question. And no, no signs yet, just lathargy.
 
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Surely this is a no brainer. Poor control means that things can and will only get worse.

As to getting better I don't see that as a simple question since it depends on what damage is done and how severe. To use an unfair and graphic example, an amputation will not regrow but, who knows, maybe a numb part will get feeling again.
 
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Catlady19

Well-Known Member
Messages
644
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Obviously I'm not a professional but as I said before, you are very young and the body is good at repairing itself. They probably can't answer you, as no-one can see into the future - all they can say is if you DON'T be good then you will have problems later in life. But if you start being good, you will surely have a chance at a long and healthy life.

Could your lethargy be due to too many carbs? There are all sorts of things it could be though. Sounds like you are feeling a bit down, that can make you feel lethargic. Sounds like you need a new healthy hobby to start you on your new journey - any ideas of what you might fancy doing? Erm, cross country running, cycling, bungie jumping :wideyed: , kick-boxing (my husband and daughter that, really good exercise), swimming, dance class? ;) Exercise will get you out of the house, help you meet new people and increase your endorphins, not to mention help your DB!
 
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Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Yes you are probably right, and mentality plays a key role...why not boxing sounds interesting. I'll give it a try. Thank you
 

Catlady19

Well-Known Member
Messages
644
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Yes you are probably right, and mentality plays a key role...why not boxing sounds interesting. I'll give it a try. Thank you

Obviously don't know where you live, but just in case - my husband teaches at Silvermere Fight Academy in Cobham, Surrey.

Good luck, find some fun! ;)
 

martsnow

Well-Known Member
Messages
141
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Obviously don't know where you live, but just in case - my husband teaches at Silvermere Fight Academy in Cobham, Surrey.

Good luck, find some fun! ;)
Is boxing a good idea for someone with diabetes, I know boxers are prone to detached retina's and diabetics are prone to eye disorders, is it wise to combine the two or could boxing compound the problems, sorry if this seems like a Newbee question
 
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Safi

Well-Known Member
Messages
515
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Fair point @martsnow - I'd probably avoid the contact version (indeed I do) but I can't see how shadow boxing or speed bag work would be a problem. Heaps of fun & excellent exercise too :)
 

Candyjane

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Im gonna set the cat amoung the pigions here but u know what ive come to the concludion that when i die (its a certianty of life and nothing to scared of ) i have poor control even when i make 150% effort so why bother if ur life is gonna be short stop worring about what might or could happen if its gonna happen it will enjoy ur life make every day that ur healthy matter be aware of ur bs ect n manage as best as u can but most of all be happy lifes to short not to enjoy that occational chocolate cake lifes full of risks u dont see the quacks ect saying to a skier dont ski because one day u might fall n break ya neck and end up in a wheelchair or die do ya stop worrying enjoy life
 

Pansy69

Newbie
Messages
2
Don't despair. I was 14 when I was diagnosed and really didn't look after myself very well and at age 21 I was in hospital for. 2 weeks with ketoacidosis and nearly died. I am now 46 and don't really have any diabetic complications apart from very mild retinopathy. I have had 2 successful pregnancies. It was a wake up call for me and I do now try and manage my condition to the best of my ability. There are days that this is very hard and no matter what you do you cant get everything right all the time. Don't give up, it's hard but there are lots of worse things that we could all have..
 
A

Avocado Sevenfold

Guest
Im gonna set the cat amoung the pigions here but u know what ive come to the concludion that when i die (its a certianty of life and nothing to scared of ) i have poor control even when i make 150% effort so why bother if ur life is gonna be short stop worring about what might or could happen if its gonna happen it will enjoy ur life make every day that ur healthy matter be aware of ur bs ect n manage as best as u can but most of all be happy lifes to short not to enjoy that occational chocolate cake lifes full of risks u dont see the quacks ect saying to a skier dont ski because one day u might fall n break ya neck and end up in a wheelchair or die do ya stop worrying enjoy life
Hello @Candyjane and welcome to the forum. Sorry to read you think you have poor control. @daisy1 has a welcome post which may help you with that.

I am not too concerned with how healthy I am when I die. Having good control helps with having a good quality of life today :)
 
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Cathn61may

Well-Known Member
Messages
68
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
people who think they know it all
Hello guys, I have been diabetic since the age of 14. Managed it properly for the first year then did not bother putting an effort. I am now 21, with the thoughts of neuropathy, complications and quite frankly death hunting me and making me second guess a career in medicine.
Do you think that a proper control can REVERSE any possible damage or does it ONLY prevent further damage?
This a major problem with young Type 1 Diabetics, worry about blindness, neuropathy, amputation, heart disease. If you use DAFNE you should have no problems. Just do not overdo eating sweets, chocolate and alcohol. Adjust your insulin accordingly a little bit of what you fancy will not hurt you. I have had Type 1 for 48 years since I was 6. Have a chat with your Consultant who specialises in Type 1 Diabetes they have an empathy with us young people. Honest I have had every worry possible.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@WhyAmIThisLucky

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful on the subject of diet and carbs in particular. Following this could help you to keep your levels under control and hopefully minimise damage to your body as far as possible. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will try and help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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Kisacat

Member
Messages
6
I know exactly how you feel - worried about the damage already done. One of the problems with diabetes is that for every individual it's almost a different disease; the broad principles and recommendations remain the same for all of us, but our bodies react differently and sheer luck plays an enormous part. I was diagnosed when I was 12 when my treatment was a single injection of bovine insulin a day. Goodness knows how I survived my teenage years, and my wake up call was going to my GP about re-curring thrush and finding I had a BS of 27. 27. Can you imagine? Apart from the thrush and feeling a bit sleepy, I had no other obvious symptoms. I spent a few days in hospital on 2 injections a day until I was stabilised and was then sent back into the world to move from B'ham to London to start a new job.

Next year I will have had type one diabetes for half a century. My eyes are fine, my usual biochemical markers are almost always in the normal range, and aside from some minor neuropathy in my feet, I feel as fit as a normal 61 year old. My GP tells me that my diabetes is 'maturing' at the same rate as I am.

Obviously this is not a recommendation to let youtself go in your teenage years, but an example of how this curse doesn't have to be an early death sentence. I feel very fortunate and admit that luck has played a tremendous part - though I suspect adopting a a whole food vegetarian diet when I was 22 probably helped (this was at a time when it was thought cranky and the medical profession in general was ignorant about it).

I regret not looking after myself more when I was young, but if I've taken some time off my life by doing so, so be it. It cannot be changed. What can be changed is how I continue in the future. No effort is wasted - a series of good results is not undone by a run of poor ones. Every normal BS reading you have is a success and contributes towards your future good health. When I start to worry, I try to think to myself - hey, I can still feel and wriggle my toes; I can still walk up steps two at a time; I can still see clearly. Who says anything is going to change? I'm not going to let it.

Best wishes and keep yourself well.
 

Angelwolf

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My sister in law was on tablets for her type 2 diabetus for many years now she is eats what's she likes and appears to be free of it.I used to be on metformin twice a day but it always makes me I now only take cliglacide and test my self but appear to be normal with no side effect
 

Cairo16

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello guys, I have been diabetic since the age of 14. Managed it properly for the first year then did not bother putting an effort. I am now 21, with the thoughts of neuropathy, complications and quite frankly death hunting me and making me second guess a career in medicine.
Do you think that a proper control can REVERSE any possible damage or does it ONLY prevent further damage?
I have been told by a specialist that diabetes is a progressive disease which can't be cured but can be managed!
 

Cairo16

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
My sister in law was on tablets for her type 2 diabetus for many years now she is eats what's she likes and appears to be free of it.I used to be on metformin twice a day but it always makes me I now only take cliglacide and test my self but appear to be normal with no side effect
You are lucky as when I was diagnosed with Type2 diabetes I was put on Metformin which made me feel sick so I was put on Onglyza tablet-1 a day and now inject insulin each morning!
 

jrobtai

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have been told by a specialist that diabetes is a progressive disease which can't be cured but can be managed!
I'm not an expert but believe this belief is more Type-1 (hereditary) than Type-2 (environmental) - but as we age everything gets worse ;-)

As I understand it with conventional therapy is to maintain an elevated blood glucose to minimize the chance of coma from hypos. Current RAAs are pretty good at this because they linger so long in the body. However the 'elephant in the room' is elevated BSugar increases insulin resistance and leads to neuropathy. Kind of a pay now or later catch-22.

GLP-1s are, IMHO, a very bad idea in they they stimulate the already compromised pancreas and data continues to arise pointing to pancreatitis.

In a nutshell mimicking the body's normal insulin response is perhaps our best chance at slowing, or even reversing the progression.