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Do you sometimes feel like you read too much?

Cryssi_Rawr

Member
Messages
22
Location
Canada
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hey everyone- thanks again for the warm greeting the other day. Made me smile!

This topic has been trotting in my mind for the past 2-3 weeks, as I seem to pass periods of obsession about learning more about diabetes.

With knowledge, comes worry. Am I truly just T2? Will I get complications? How will this affect me? Will there ever be a "cure"? etc, etc.

There aren't many people that I am close to that I can discuss certain topics with. My fiancé, bless him, does listen and discuss when he can. But I don't want to overload him with information, either.

Today, I've been binge reading on pancreatic cancer. It's scary- the survival rate is so small, there's not much resources out there for detection and treatment varies greatly on detection. There's apparently not enough funding to do more research on it.

I guess that I'm facing my own mortality, and it's terrifying at times. I keep trying to tell myself that I've got the chance to have caught it young enough to make significant changes to my life, and live as long as possible... But sometimes, even that doesn't help.

How about you all? How has this journey been treating you, anything on your brain you'd like to dump out?
 

Yes a lot of the time. There is so much to learn. So many links. So much contradiction. When first diagnosed I went into a state of shock and spent a lot of time researching and following threads that in the end were not relevant to me but I would not necessarily be certain to begin with. I have just directed a nephew to look at the graph "50 shades of diabetes" so that he can gauge how much he needs to worry. Any reason for you looking up pancreatic cancer?
 
For me getting a diagnosis was a wake up call to changing diet and exercise which, if you're lucky enough to be able to carry it off, can significantly improve your life - however long you have to go before the curtain falls. My reflection is that without the diagnosis I would probably not have made the effort and would have descended into a much worse position than I am currently in.
 
Completely agree.. so much so that I'm kind of glad I was diagnosed.. has certainly given me something to do in retirement!
 

No, there wasn't a specific reason. I was just touring along the internet, looking up topics on diabetes, and somehow that came up. I'm a very curious person by nature, so of course, down the rabbit hole I went! Realistically, I know my chances are fairly low, as no one in my immediate family has had it. But, the link is still unclear between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. It's another worry to add to the list!

I'm starting to be in the green zone on that chart you mentioned, which is good. But I may have been in the red for a while without knowing. This is my biggest cause of concern most days about my diabetes, to be honest. I'm gauging I might have had it, uncontrolled, for at least 2 years if I remember when the increased thirst started showing up. It's disappeared ever since I took things in control.
 

Agreed, it certainly has been a wake up call. Everything has changed, and they were changes that will benefit me and my health overall; more exercise (a lot more, actually), and tremendous positive changes to eating habits. That's why I'm glad we caught it at this age, and that I know that my changes are going to have a long-lasting impact on top of it.

I just love life so much. I want to be here for a long, long time.
 
bulkbiker said:
Completely agree.. so much so that I'm kind of glad I was diagnosed.. has certainly given me something to do in retirement!
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I'm glad you can find the positive in it! I'm also glad I found out, since it's given me the (much needed) kick the rear to make these changes.
 
Cryssi_Rawr said:
I'm glad you can find the positive in it! I'm also glad I found out, since it's given me the (much needed) kick the rear to make these changes.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what happened to me that oh sh*t moment when you realise you are slowly killing yourself and decide to do something about it. From 23 stone to just over 15 stone in 20 months and virtually no hunger.
 
I once heard the climber, Andy Kilpatrick, being interviewed on the radio. The interviewer was expressing their fear of the dangers of climbing. Kilpatrick's response was something along the lines of "in climbing there are many things you can manage to reduce the risk: you can make sure your equipment is safe, you can make sure you climb with a partner you trust, you can choose not to climb when the weather forecast is too wet, too windy, too hot or too cold. Sure, there are things that you can't control but if you focus on the things you can control. you minimise the risk and climbing becomes less dangerous."

I feel the same about diabetes - there are many things you can control like diet, medicine, exercise, ... if you control these, you don't take away all the risk of complications but you can minimise the risk.
 

Very well said, and a good thing to remember when things become overwhelming. I'm changing what I can, controlling what I can, and you're definitely right that this will minimise risks. Thank you very much for sharing!
 
Remember that crossing the road is an "assumed risk" activity but we all choose to do it.....
 
I personally love reading. Reading about anything medical. I get in too deep when the journals refer to things which are beyond my understanding due to lack of training.
I should retrain as a doctor but have no financial backing.
Reading only it is for now!
Just remember knowledge is power. Power to change for the best!!!
Keep reading. Also keep in mind you cannot have every ailment you read about, even all different diabetic complications.
Type1s are more prone to dka than type2s. But type2s are more prone to insulin resistance.
Your in the minority if the opposite!

Pass your knowledge on.
Many don't get time to read but appreciate summaries on here (links)
 
Its definately par for the course, for me after diagnosis at least - I cant imagine being oblivious to it as some friends with diabetes are. They are relying on a magical pill that will cure all in years to come, the knowledge available online & in books etc.. is fantastic - to learn about ourselves & broaden our understanding is essential I think. You're right that it can get a bit over the top sometimes, as there is so much out there!
 


I hear you I am doing the same being 28 I was freaked out I would be dead by 50 until I realised there are T1's living into their 60's and when u realise their situation is a whole lot worse than T2 I realise that I can learn to live with my T2.

Lets be honest our bodies for the most part still produce insulin even if its tiny a T1 has Zero which is far more deadly and many eat a 'Normal' diet e.g not low carb.
 
I do believe personally though that there will be a Cure like look how close T1 is

Bio Pancreas
Pump
Pancreas Transplant
Islet Transplant
Longer Acting Insulin

And most of those have only reliably been available since 2005+

Now with Glucose Monitoring where we no longer need to use blood or a continuious monitor these are mini cures. What T2 are looking for is the one they take a pill and it goes away and I dont believe it will be quite like that but I do believe it will be something that works a bit like metformin e.g. removes sugar indirectly

What if you stimulated muscles while sleeping would that not burn carbs and reduce sugar?
 
Yes you could make pss 50 as I am now 71 and have had T1 since 1961,and there are so many inprovments that are mind bocgling
 

Sheepie123, there is a gentleman in my local DUK group who is 81, has been T1 for 66 years. He still rides his bicycle every day, does beautiful wood turning for fun and is as sharp as a tack. If we bear in mind the medical and technological advances in his lifetime, and how things were in his earlier years, it just goes to show that with decent management and a bit of a following wind long, productive and healthy lives are quite possible.

The important thing is that we give this condition a decent amount of respect and we do our best to keep it and ourselves in order.
 
I just noticed some of the discussions (never got the e-mail notification!), and I'm glad people could find some solace and reasons to discuss from this post.
 
I also have also been an avid reader from an early age so no I don't believe I read too much. Though one thing I have learnt is to be a critical reader that is don't believe everything you read. As so much of what is written is contradictory you have to try and sort out the wheat from the chaff.
 
I'm an obsessive reader with a full diagnosis of challenging and concerning autism spectrum disorder and I also have a diagnosis of insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes mellitus, too. I'm always researching my medical conditions online, and comparing websites, opening new tabs, and using Google search to learn of new websites. When I was younger I was a bit of a bookworm, always visiting the public or school library instead of playing rough and reckless games like British Bulldog and Knock Down Ginger like my peers used to play. I never interacted with my peers, rather, I mixed with grown ups. I like writing, too, and write prose and poetry about my experience of living with a health condition like ASD or Diabetes or another medical condition I have called Enuresis which causes incontinence.
 
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