Gracek, please let people discuss the complications. To restrict this for people new to diabetes is condescending. As is that dreadfully insulting term 'newby' . It also raises other issues such as when you stop qualifying as a new one. Is it six months? A year perhaps?
We are all adults (including those new to the disease) and in all the conversations that take place, there will be those who over dramatise and equally, those who are more balanced.
My own situation is this: after forty years of this disease, I have complications. My first twenty years were very unbalanced through old fashioned insulin, terrible sugar testing methods available and then teenage / student rebelliousness. Then I came to my senses. However, I too have had maximum laser treatment on both eyes, I have mild neuropathy in my feet and the largest patch of necrobiosis lipoidica on my shin. My claim to fame is that there's a photo of my leg in a medical book somewhere.
On the bright side, I have been very stable for the past 15 years ( getting a pump helped) I'm a DAFNE graduate which has been, by far, the best thing for my diabetes control ever. I hold down a senior teaching and examining job, I bake and sell cakes as a side line and I use a gym regularly. In other words, you CAN stop the rot but only if you want to. Should we discuss complications? YES.
