Do t1 diabetics really have a shorter life expectancy?

Diabetes itself as I understand it doesn't cause a lowered life expectancy on it's own provided the condition is managed effectively. It's complications that can arise from diabetes that can cause life expectancy to lower. Take a look at the page from this site: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-life-expectancy.html

Of course, getting control of Type 1 by keeping glucose levels as well controlled and stabled with fewer spikes can only help I would have thought. I think Dr Bernstein is often referenced as a Type 1 who has lived a long and full live with the condition.

As for the nasty comment - try to ignore it, move on. There's plenty of numpties in this world.

Chloesnavy said:

I've heard things before about type one diabetics having shorter life expectancies, but I'm not sure. I was talking to some vile person earlier on a forum and they said "good luck with your f***ed pancreas and short life expectancy!" Which tbh did upset me.
Is it all just how well you look after yourself? I'm 24, and most of my life, I've been quite a bad diabetic. In the last year or so I'm getting really good. But I'm just worried

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((((Hugs))))
There are lies, **** lies, and then there are statistics. They may well show a reduced life expectancy.

This guy is 82 and been a T1 for nearly all his life

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/dr-bernstein-on-the-importance-of-exercise.117487/

How long do you want to live for? You are young, and have your whole life ahead of you, enjoy it! It isn't a rehearsal. However long you live I hope that it is all fit & healthy, right to the end.

Oh please don't worry, my type 1 grandad (with very bad control) did in his eighties.
Just focus on getting good control to avoid complications and enjoy your life!

@Chloesnavy There are lots of Type 1s who've had diabetes for decades. Just look after yourself and don't worry too much.

You've said your control was bad in the past but you're improving that now and that's what's most important.

As you've probably seen mentioned a number of times here, the 'Type 1 Bible' is a book called Think Like A Pancreas. It helps enormously with control and is a fantastic book

Hi @Chloesnavy . If I wasn't T1 diabetic then here's a few things I would be.........
1 Overweight, junk food eater.
2 Lazy **** non exercise
3 Get up everyday without a reason to survive bloke.
4 Beer guzzling slob.
5 Maybe 6ft under due to any of the above.
But I am T1 so ........
I eat sensibly
Exercise daily
Get up to survive
Tee total
and I'm not 6 ft under yet!!!!!!!!
Diabetes did me a great favour.
Use your diabetes to make yourself stronger, better and you'll be okay.
Good luck with your improved control.

Most studies (from several countries) say that lifespan is shortened somewhat, but there was a recent one that said it is equivalent if managed to near normal BG. So, shoot for that & don't concern yourself with unknowledgeable people's ideas. From a practical standpoint, we have only had tools to really effectively manage BG for a relatively short time, so any data on lifespan published today would already be outdated.

Chloesnavy said:

I've heard things before about type one diabetics having shorter life expectancies,

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There's members on this forum who have lived with type 1 diabetes for several decades and are complication free or have very few, with this in mind you have to remember that many of these people were living with the condition before bg meters, CGM and modern insulin's became available.

For inspiration read the following article, this lady has lived with type 1 for an incredible 80 years:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Your-st...asnt-stopped-me-doing-anything-Ive-wanted-to/

Chloesnavy said:

I was talking to some vile person earlier on a forum and they said "good luck with your f***ed pancreas and short life expectancy!" Which tbh did upset me.

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Don't listen to them, they'll always be idiots around like them who enjoy upsetting good people like yourself, just be thankful that your not like them @Chloesnavy and remember bad Karma will eventually come their way for their behaviour.

Chloesnavy said:

I've been quite a bad diabetic. In the last year or so I'm getting really good. But I'm just worried

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Just keep doing what you've been doing in the last year

.

What a horrid person to say such a thing.

you have done the best thing by trying getting control which helps hugely, I was a terrible Diabetic for .............. well best part of 25 year but took control after a bad hypo/coma.

Do not let it scare you as you never know what life has planned for you Diabetic or not and don't let people like the one said that to you get you down

Chloesnavy said:

I was talking to some vile person earlier on a forum and they said "good luck with your f***ed pancreas and short life expectancy!

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Well, I'd never want to encourage a flame war, but maybe wish them, "good luck with your f***ed brain and low IQ."

Actually, if the poster was a guy, replace that last bit with, "short c**k"!

Life's too short... (oops, that doesn't sound right in this thread).

There's always a silver lining. If you end up paying a bit into a private pension each month, most schemes eventually end up paying out a lot more per month to T1s when you retire because they reckon statistics show we'll maybe not live as long. But that's statistics: I have every intention of taking those extra payments for a long time after I retire. You're young, provided you look after yourself well, you'll not have to think about this stuff for a long time!

If you average all the Type 1's life expectancies sure, it's less than average probably. So what? Obese people's life expectancies is less too, so are Type 2's. But that shouldn't mean anything to an individual. It's all about control. My friend's daughter is 30 and has Type 1 since age 5, and not under good control, she's obese and doesn't eat right, don't know what her A1C is. And she hasn't had any microvascular complications that I've aware of. The OP is under control age 25. That's good.

Chloesnavy said:

I've heard things before about type one diabetics having shorter life expectancies, but I'm not sure. I was talking to some vile person earlier on a forum and they said "good luck with your f***ed pancreas and short life expectancy!" Which tbh did upset me.
Is it all just how well you look after yourself? I'm 24, and most of my life, I've been quite a bad diabetic. In the last year or so I'm getting really good. But I'm just worried

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Chloesnavy - There are horrid people in every walk of life, and let's face it when they're thrashing out they're hardly going to thrash out with "good luck with your long glossy hair and legs that go on forever!". That's just not how it goes.

Not one of us knows how long our lives will be, but I do know I'm going to get on with enjoying mine as much as I can, being as fit and healthy as I can. that doesn't mean I go to bed at 9pm every night and worship at the alter of kale smoothies and everything health foods. It just means I tried as hard as I can, but some days that means I try harder than others. I'm human.

In my locak DUK group there is a wonderful man in his 80s who has his over 60 years of diabetes medal, and looking for ward to receiving his 70 year diabetes medal. He's in his eighties, trudges up and down the hill in our town and still rides his bike every day. He's wonderful.

Just do your best. Don't worry too much about the past; we can't change it, We can make a difference to the future though.

The second time I saw my diabetes nurse I had lost about 6 Kg in 3 months and my HbA1C had dropped from 99 to 59. My blood sugars had dropped from 9.8 to around 6.5. She was amazed how well I had done, but cautioned me that diabetes can be a progressively worsening condition as experienced by many of her patients. I suggested that my success had been because I adopted a LCHF diet, whereas most of her patients were struggling with persistently high blood sugars because they were eating too many carbs.

It is sad that many people seem to not get a grip with diabetes and still have very high blood sugars many years after diagnosis. The bad advice on diet given to diabetics is destroying the health of millions of diabetics. Hence the lower life expectancy experienced by diabetics. I think that if you get to grips with diabetes and get your glucose levels down to normal levels, as many people have done on these forums, then your life expectancy will be similar to the general public, or maybe better as the general public is now overweight and has a poor diet.