Can you help raise awareness of Diabulimia?

[DCUKMod]

Eating Disorder Awareness Week this year runs from 27 February until 5 March.

Have you or a family member or friend been affected by Diabulimia?

The word ‘diabulimia’ merges the words ‘diabetes’ and ‘bulimia’ and is used to describe the situation where somebody deliberately and regularly reduces the amount of insulin they take due to concerns over their body weight and/or shape.

Diabulimia is a mental illness; it’s not a rebellion or shout for attention, and although it's technically not a medically recognised condition, healthcare professionals are familiar with diabulimia and support is available.

Diabulimia support is also available through the Diabetes.co.uk forum.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

It got a mention on the BBC news today (Monday 25/9/2017) and they were speaking about some programs to follow. Unfortunately a certain person decided that was a good point to start talking to the cat and I never heard the detail of timings.

 

[Emily95]

'Diabulimia' (not a medical term) is recognised as an eating disorder, although it is called insulin omission not 'diabulimia'.

 

[DaftThoughts]

It got a mention on the BBC news today (Monday 25/9/2017) and they were speaking about some programs to follow. Unfortunately a certain person decided that was a good point to start talking to the cat and I never heard the detail of timings.

I saw this episode and while I was happy to see a documentary finally discussing this, I was extremely disappointed that their definition was "only type 1 diabetics can suffer from diabulimia". It felt like LADA, MODY, T3c and any other type of diabetic who has lost insulin production and is insulin dependent can't possibly suffer from this condition because of the narrow definition of which type can have it. I'm a diabetic who has chronic depression and a history of eating disorders including bingeing, and I struggle every time I eat something 'bad' with taking my injections. I personally felt completely thrown under the bus by this episode because I supposedly can't get diabulimia. It's a very strange feeling to be so happy to have this recognized and yet be excluded from it at the same time.

 

[catapillar]

@DaftThoughts LADA is type 1. If you have LADA, you have type 1.

 

[himtoo]

have cut and pasted this
hope it helps

Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) is a form of diabetes mellitus type 1that occurs in adulthood, often with a slower course of onset than type 1 diabetes diagnosed in juveniles. Adultswith LADA may initially be diagnosed incorrectly as having type 2 diabetes based on their age, particularly if they have risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

 

[dbr10]

'Diabulimia' (not a medical term) is recognised as an eating disorder, although it is called insulin omission not 'diabulimia'.

Very interesting and disturbing piece about this on Radio 4 a few days ago. Not sure which programme unfortunately. Just caught the end of it.

 

[DaftThoughts]

@DaftThoughts LADA is type 1. If you have LADA, you have type 1.

have cut and pasted this
hope it helps

Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) is a form of diabetes mellitus type 1that occurs in adulthood, often with a slower course of onset than type 1 diabetes diagnosed in juveniles. Adultswith LADA may initially be diagnosed incorrectly as having type 2 diabetes based on their age, particularly if they have risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2928363/

T1 is genetically different from LADA, LADA is just more similar to T1 than it is to T2. That also doesn't change the fact people with MODY, T3c and other forms of diabetes that are insulin dependent do not get acknowledged in the diabulimia definition...

 

[himtoo]

hi lovely @DaftThoughts
I know you have a "different " form of Diabetes -- I have had T1 for over 3/4's of my life --
you have me shedding tears for you and the hard road you have had to follow -- I do totally get it
I wish I could make everything right for you

xx

 

[deb1960]

I am T2 and inject insulin. I am not bulimic but my youngest daughter was for many years. It is a horrible condition which affects all the family. My heart goes out to anyone affected by bulimia or dif bulimia. When we went to the gp to ask for help for her bulimia the gp was dismissive as she wasn't seriously underweight although she had stopped having periods. I regret ever taking her as it made her feel stupid and misunderstood.

 

[estlorn2]

My mum was T2 and died in November she was admitted to hospital for a month because of weight loss. She had sudden weight loss after she was diagnosed with T2 and was fitting into clothes for teenagers when she was admitted. She wouldn’t eat towards the end unless I made her meals and the hospital put her on insulin which I helped her inject. I only found out after she died she hadn’t been taking her metformin for years when I found boxes of her medication hidden all over the house. She never would have admitted it but I think she had depression and it sounds like she had a form of diabulimia. I think there needs to be more awareness of this I didn’t know it existed until I read this post but I’m sure my mum had it

 

[paulus1]

we are seeing quite a bitof it on here and other mental health issues. we alway try to hel but a stranger on a forum is notideally plaed to assist.

 

[DCUKMod]

My mum was T2 and died in November she was admitted to hospital for a month because of weight loss. She had sudden weight loss after she was diagnosed with T2 and was fitting into clothes for teenagers when she was admitted. She wouldn’t eat towards the end unless I made her meals and the hospital put her on insulin which I helped her inject. I only found out after she died she hadn’t been taking her metformin for years when I found boxes of her medication hidden all over the house. She never would have admitted it but I think she had depression and it sounds like she had a form of diabulimia. I think there needs to be more awareness of this I didn’t know it existed until I read this post but I’m sure my mum had it

Hi there Estlorn - I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

Diabulima is more usually associated with T1 Diabetes, due to the usual reducing or eliminating insulin doses. The following link and site has lots of information on eating disorders and diabetes. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diabulimia-5

Your Mum wouldn't be alone in not taking her Metformin, although it would usually be because the person experienced unpleasant side effects, or they wanted to "have a go managing the T2 diabetes" utilising diet alone. Utilising diet alone isn't a possibility for T1s over any period of time. That period of time, before things can get tricky can be as little as a few days.

Metformin works differently to insulin, in the it's impact on blood glucose management is much gentler. It doesn't contain any insulin or anything that aggressively manages blood sugaes. It works in two ways - firstly by helping our liver reduce dumping sugar into out blood from it's natural stores. and secondly, for some it also reduces the appetite - sometimes markedly so.

Of course T2s can have eating disorders and be T2 at the same time, but it would probably be labelled something different by the medics.

This thread, and your post is on the T1 area of the forum, but you might be better served by having a thread of your own t in the T2 areas, where other T2s who have disordered eating/management might be more liable to comment.

If you would like that to happen, I could move you r post for you, to save you having to do a load of re-typing . If you want that then just tag mods, or any of the mods by typing the @ symbol, immediately before our user name. It shows up a bit like this, after you have made the post @estlorn2 .

 

[lindor1306]

I used to have this as a teenager. I’d skip injections both to lose weight and as a way of getting some control in a pretty tough time. I always had bad control and, while it’s improved, it’s still not great. I think, after a while, I kind of got into a habit of not looking after myself, and I think that at least partly goes all the way back to the diabulimia.

 

[onelmichele2]

I saw this episode and while I was happy to see a documentary finally discussing this, I was extremely disappointed that their definition was "only type 1 diabetics can suffer from diabulimia". It felt like LADA, MODY, T3c and any other type of diabetic who has lost insulin production and is insulin dependent can't possibly suffer from this condition because of the narrow definition of which type can have it. I'm a diabetic who has chronic depression and a history of eating disorders including bingeing, and I struggle every time I eat something 'bad' with taking my injections. I personally felt completely thrown under the bus by this episode because I supposedly can't get diabulimia. It's a very strange feeling to be so happy to have this recognized and yet be excluded from it at the same time.

I know this forum is not so current, but THANK YOU.
As a MODY 3 I have to say, I googled “MODY and Diabulimia” and your comment is the ONLY thing that popped up in my search. Absolutely no peer reviewed papers, no mayo clinic blurb, nothing. I was beginning to think I am completely bananas!

“Thrown under the bus”? Try completely forgotten, pushed to the side. It’s how I feel every time an ER doctor says “MODY?! What’s MODY?”

 

[Diakat]

I know this forum is not so current, but THANK YOU.
As a MODY 3 I have to say, I googled “MODY and Diabulimia” and your comment is the ONLY thing that popped up in my search. Absolutely no peer reviewed papers, no mayo clinic blurb, nothing. I was beginning to think I am completely bananas!

“Thrown under the bus”? Try completely forgotten, pushed to the side. It’s how I feel every time an ER doctor says “MODY?! What’s MODY?”

You could try contacting the DWED website for info and advice? Hope you find some support. X

 

[ParkPrince]

Got educated, thanks

 

[Spongology]

Diabulimia (a portmanteau of diabetes and bulimia) is an eating disorder in which people with type 1 diabetes deliberately give themselves less insulin than they need or stop taking it altogether for the purpose of weight loss.
Trauma, grief/loss, stress, and bullying or other forms of harassment are among the environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of diabulimia or another form of disordered eating.