Should t1s be advised not to have children?

[therower]

@Fairygodmother . There are far more disturbing facets to this thread than your use of " appropriate " words.
You have put this ridiculous thread where it should be....... in the hands of offspring. Thank you for giving us some common sense and reasoning from people/children who can answer best.
I like your tone and that's no B*##**%%$$**#*S

 

[LooperCat]

I just asked my fourteen year old for his thoughts. He said he thinks that while diabetes isn’t ideal, he’d take all that goes with it if it means having the happy, silly, fulfilled life that I do. He’s quite happy to take his chances, thank you very much

 

[torib131]

That wouldn't have been such good for me!
I have 4 children. Eldest 10 youngest 4. I was diagnosed type 1 two weeks ago.

 

[poots]

They should be advised on the risks but they definitely shouldn’t be advised to not have children. That’s just plain ridiculous and over the top. T1D is manageable. Sure it’s not ideal but you can absolutely live a great and fulfilling life with it. Plus the statistics of having it pass down to the children are really not that high. You’re honestly just being really over dramatic.

 

[22nw22]

5% of people in this world have T1 and at first it could seem like it ruined your life. You are lucky to even be alive. Nowadays, you can control it even better than before. I got T1 at 20months I think and I'm 13 now so a while. Don't let T1 ruin your life. You can have a great life, even though you have T1

 

[22nw22]

And talking about children, no, they shouldn't be advised or TOLD that they shouldn't children. However, you should be aware of the risks if you do decide to have children. I think diabetics might have been put off having children. But saying that children are more likely to have it because of your genes with diabetes is a sensible thing to do. If you ever have children, check to see if they have diabetes ASAP as it is likely to be in their genes. You should not be forbidden to have children, just aware of the risks.

 

[nessals946]

No im a member of a group of parents who have t1.
Some of their children also have t1.
The group itself is if you are a t1 parent.

Do you tell the other parents that they shouldnt have had their children?

 

[LooperCat]

I would have thought that being brought up in a family where one of your parents also had T1 would make it an awful lot easier for a child to learn to deal with it. They’d know what they were doing. When I was diagnosed, nobody had a clue and we were chucked in at the deep end. My parents thought it was due to me eating too many sweets as a child (and I wasn’t allowed that many anyway) and we ll had to learn together. Talk about a steep learning curve!

 

[wendy0804]

I think they should. Getting t1 is a total disaster and ruins your life. People should be advised if they are t1 you have a ridiculously high risk of passing the condition on (1 in 25) and then make a decision based on that.

No one gave me any advice on the risk and I'm very sad about it. If I'd known I absolutely would not have selfishly had children and put two more people on the planet with t1 genes.

WOW is it being so cheerful that is keeping you going? As a Type 1 of 35 years and counting I have 2 wonderful children, 1 who is Type 2 and one who is not. Diabetes should not stop you doing anything!!!

 

[ExtremelyW0rried]

When I had IVF we couldn't do egg sharing because I am a t1 diabetic. They don't want the eggs of t1 diabetics even for people who are desperate for children.
What is that but not an indication that a) it IS genetic and b) the medical profession agrees it is best not to pass it on.

 

[ExtremelyW0rried]

I would have thought that being brought up in a family where one of your parents also had T1 would make it an awful lot easier for a child to learn to deal with it. They’d know what they were doing. When I was diagnosed, nobody had a clue and we were chucked in at the deep end. My parents thought it was due to me eating too many sweets as a child (and I wasn’t allowed that many anyway) and we ll had to learn together. Talk about a steep learning curve!

In some ways. In some ways it is worse because I know exactly how much it sucks and how hard it is. At least if you don't know you still initially have some hope and optimism.

 

[LooperCat]

In some ways. In some ways it is worse because I know exactly how much it sucks and how hard it is. At least if you don't know you still initially have some hope and optimism.

I’ve had it for twenty years. I still have hope and optimism. Modern medicine is giving us new treatments all the time, it’s not a death sentence any more - unless you want it to be. I never thought I’d see tech as gamechanging as CGM when I was diagnosed - I had to measure sugars by looking at the colour of a stick and comparing it to the chart on a bottle. I wasn’t quite at the time when I had to use syringes, but I certainly had to buy my own needles for my insulin pens as they were so new. It’s moving forward all the time and becoming easier to manage. Through the internet we can connect with each other and share experiences and advice, get new ideas for how to manage our diabetes. Through this forum I’ve learned about alternatives to Lantus that may work better for me, so I’m going to talk to my care team about possibly changing next month.

Life is perfectly maneagable but you have to grab it with both hands, and kick it in the unmentionables. We don’t choose the cards we’re dealt but what matters is how we play them. I’ve had burnout several times over the years and nearly died twice with DKA but I. Am. Still. Here.

You can own it, or let it own you. Your choice.