I have always been led to believe that if you are a Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic particularly from an early juvenile age- then because you didn't produce ANY insulin-,then you had to take insulin for life as it was a life sentence. Just recently there have been claims that some Type oners have effectively "cured themselves" by taking exercise and eating sensibly. I find this very difficult to accept until I read that some people diagnosed at a later age as "Type One" actually were able to still produce insulin albeit in limited quantities so therefore needed a few units of insulin every day to maintain balance. So my question is :- How many units of insulin do you need to take each day before you are diagnosed as a Type Oner? Myself as a juvenile diagnosed with Type 1 nearly 60 years ago take 42 units in total each day. No amount of exercise or lack of carbs is going to cure my insulin dependent diabetes. I do not produce Any insulin. Mores the pity.My blood sugar soars without insulin. So I repeat the question: How many units of insulin a day do you need to take each day before you are diagnosed as a Type Oner?
Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes
- Thread starter Captain_Sensible
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It's not a question of the quantity of insulin.
I think it's more that for some (not children) people the body takes a long time to stop producing insulin (several years).
T2 - insulin resistance, need more and more insulin to process carbs and they may have to inject extra insulin (though many people on this forum avoid this just by avoiding carbs).
T1 - insulin destruction - body no longer produces insulin - but there can be a long honeymoon period where some insulin is still produced.
LADA (can be considered a type of T1) - generally in older (more than 30) people and because of the extended (multiple years) honeymoon period many get initially diagnosed T2 until they eventually get the correct diagnosis when the T2 treatments stop working and their bodies just don't produce enough insulin to get by.
And the whole situation gets confused because many people get misdiagnosed when they first become diagnosed.
I think it's more that for some (not children) people the body takes a long time to stop producing insulin (several years).
T2 - insulin resistance, need more and more insulin to process carbs and they may have to inject extra insulin (though many people on this forum avoid this just by avoiding carbs).
T1 - insulin destruction - body no longer produces insulin - but there can be a long honeymoon period where some insulin is still produced.
LADA (can be considered a type of T1) - generally in older (more than 30) people and because of the extended (multiple years) honeymoon period many get initially diagnosed T2 until they eventually get the correct diagnosis when the T2 treatments stop working and their bodies just don't produce enough insulin to get by.
And the whole situation gets confused because many people get misdiagnosed when they first become diagnosed.
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- 19,427
- Type of diabetes
- LADA
- Treatment type
- Insulin
You're a type1 when your immune system destroys your insulin producing cells, which makes it an auto-immune condition. That can happen quickly, like it usually does in children, or more slowly, like often is the case in adults. In adults the process can be so slow that they might go for months or years without needing insulin, but it's still type1, because that's defined as having your immune system destroy your beta cells.
It may happen that type2's lose their beta cell function after a period. As long as the cause isn't auto-immune, they're still type2's, despite needing insulin like a type1, and often a lot more because of insulin resistance.
Then there are type 3c's, who lost the (function of their) pancreas due to illness or operation. They'll need insulin too of course. But they're not type1 or type2.
There's this one person who seems to be cured from type1 due to some strange gene. Very interesting, and I'm happy for him, but not really relevant to all 'regular' diabetics.
It may happen that type2's lose their beta cell function after a period. As long as the cause isn't auto-immune, they're still type2's, despite needing insulin like a type1, and often a lot more because of insulin resistance.
Then there are type 3c's, who lost the (function of their) pancreas due to illness or operation. They'll need insulin too of course. But they're not type1 or type2.
There's this one person who seems to be cured from type1 due to some strange gene. Very interesting, and I'm happy for him, but not really relevant to all 'regular' diabetics.
It is starting to look like beta cells can regenerate somehow in some people and the auto immune process can be slowed down in some people. Personally I expect some food/drink 'trigger' was responsible for making their auto immune system more active, and that with a change of diet they removed it. I don't think it is as simple as 'carbs' or even the same for everyone.
Think about what we know about other autoimmune conditions......
Think about what we know about other autoimmune conditions......
Hello everyone, this is my first message, I had to reply to your comment because of my situation. It all started on august 2012, I had a blood test done, just routine, and I got a fasting glucose of 126, so the doctor did a glucose tolerance test and I got 334 two hours after taking 75 grams of sugar. So the doctors run more tests and they discover I have positive antibodies for type 1 diabetes. My C-Peptide levels are always below 1, but I have been able to manage my situation for the last five years and eleven months. My HbAc1 levels are always below 5,8%, I don't use insulin I just do exercise and I follow a low carb diet. It has been super difficult for me because I don't know when my body is going to stop producing insulin because the antibodies are there, sometimes I have had negative results in some of the antibodies, the Insulin Autoantibodies or IAA, and my levels of Anti Gad are always fluctuating, I have always had negative IA antibodies, but the last blood test came out positive. I would like to know if there is someone who is in the same situation or has been in a similar situation, I don't know if there is some kind of treatment or prevention, the only thing I have been doing is diet and exercise. I think this is not an answer to your question, but when I read what you wrote I immediately thought about my case, and how long is going to be until my body fails and I become a type 1. Also, it is something that I always wanted to tell in a diabetics community, just to know if there is people like me and what they are doing.
I was diagnosed LADA type 1 at the age of 43. Two of the antibody blood tests came back positive and a c-peptide test showed my pancreas was producing some insulin but had a 'sluggish' response - it seemed to kick in and chuck out a bit of insulin around 90 mins into the test.
I'm on 5 units Tresiba a day and about 6 novorapid depending on what I eat. I do a lot of exercise which keeps my insulin requirements down. Stopping altogether isn't an option though. Hba1c was 147 on diagnosis and 49 last check up
I'm on 5 units Tresiba a day and about 6 novorapid depending on what I eat. I do a lot of exercise which keeps my insulin requirements down. Stopping altogether isn't an option though. Hba1c was 147 on diagnosis and 49 last check up
I suspect the answer to the question, given what @Circuspony has said, is that if your pancreas is not producing sufficient insulin for your body's needs, then as long as you need to inject some, then you have type 1 diabetes.
Though I'm sure there's a more technical way of saying it than that
Though I'm sure there's a more technical way of saying it than that
