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Is BG harder to control if you are Type 1

I think those who inject insulin have a greater range of variables to deal with, particularly Type 1s who have no or very little insulin production of their own.

Of course those of us on insulin have the choice to eat more things and jab for them, but insulin is unpredictable - as is the impact and timing of ingested carb on BG - potato and bread react very differently for me, so this will almost certainly lead to poor overall control - as is borne out by the national figures on Type 1s attaining 'safe' HbA1cs. We also have to juggle hypo avoidance with complication avoidance, so it's not as simple for us as going as low as we can.

In the end, Type 1s are replacing a closed loop system with an open loop system - non insulin-dependent Type 2s are not. So the control of Type 1 has to be harder.

Smidge
 
smidge said:
I think those who inject insulin have a greater range of variables to deal with, particularly Type 1s who have no or very little insulin production of their own.

Of course those of us on insulin have the choice to eat more things and jab for them, but insulin is unpredictable - as is the impact and timing of ingested carb on BG - potato and bread react very differently for me, so this will almost certainly lead to poor overall control - as is borne out by the national figures on Type 1s attaining 'safe' HbA1cs. We also have to juggle hypo avoidance with complication avoidance, so it's not as simple for us as going as low as we can.

In the end, Type 1s are replacing a closed loop system with an open loop system - non insulin-dependent Type 2s are not. So the control of Type 1 has to be harder.

Smidge
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I think even for type 1's its harder for those that eat more carbs...i know totally where I stand with my food. Whenl I tried to increase carb with porridge n toast just as a breakfast for me it was harder for me.

Sticking to my tolerances of carbs that give me optimum hba1c results is good for me.. However if I was a type 1 having 100 carbs a day (at least) I would struggle....

As is my personal daily living with diabetes is relative easy..one thing I do dread though is ending up in hospital for any reason... I mean I truly dread it..i have no idea how I would cope with their carb load if I had to stay in.... Last time for 3 days was bad enough... What happens when I'm old and may get admitted... My body and brain wouldn't handle it... It is something as a lowish carber and over 50 years old that I dread...
 
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I don't find it hard to control my diabetes with my insulin pump and counting carbohydrates is so much easier I use carbs and cal which is an app or a book to guesstimates my carbohydrate intake is quite accurate with the carbs and cal app
 
SamJB said:
Controlling either type is a huge challenge. If you were to compare national efficacy and safety results, then T1s do much worse than T2s, from HbA1c results to all of the complication results. This implies that controlling T1 is more difficult than T2, but don't forget, T2 is more of a spectrum disorder, where as T1 is not.
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I'm not challenging the stats, but couldn't some of those poorer outcomes be due to the longevity of the diabetes diagnosis? T2s are almost always diagnosed in adulthood, whereas many T1s are much younger, meaning a T1 can be diabetic for many more decades that your average T2?
 
I am Type1 and am with you all the way donnellysdogs on the hospital front. It is my worst nightmare and each time I get ill, which thankfully is not too often I panic and say to myself please don't let it be serious that I might end up in hospital. I then think of the poor elderly lady who died in hospital because her insulin was not administered properly and was actually withheld.
 
As a Type 1 I do- thank goodness- have the luxury of insulin to inject but as has been said the variables and the numerous 'just because' factors don't make it a straightforward case of calculate carbs, inject selected dose then sit back and enjoy the results. It just doesn't happen that way.

The number of people of all types who strictly control what they eat shows what a challenge managing your own glucose control is regardless of medication. I don't eat carborific foods for a reason, yes I can inject for them should I wish but insulin in doesn't equal non diabetic results and a gold star HbA1c. Being totally reliant on synthetic insulin with its own onset time and duration makes it impossible to come close to a normal Beta cell response to blood glucose.

Whatever type of diabetes good outcomes are only achieved with constant hard work, it's one heck of a challenge being handed a piece of your body chemistry to manage for life.
 
For me I am pleased to be Type 1 rather than Type 2. Granted there is more risk of hypoglycaemia and other issues but I am very liberal with what I eat and also liberal with how much insulin I inject.

Also if my bloods sugars are high or I want to treat myself to a piece of cake I can just inject more insulin and bring it down to within the range it should be.
I do not have to worry about time and fundamentally Type 1 diabetics have the privilege to self medicate and be in more control of the illness.

I honestly do not think that I could cope with being Type 2.

You take your meds in the morning and basically if sugar levels rise there is not that much you can do to bring them down. You can't just take a couple more tablets like we can with insulin (though please educate me if there is something you can do to bring levels down if they are high with fast results!)

I still need to work hard being Type 1 but I can have longer periods of good control. I think with Type 2 you are more at risk of longer periods of poor control due to having less freedom. I treated myself to a twix last night and gave myself 2 units of novorapid and my sugars were good. Do that with Type 2 the sugars rise and what can you do. Your then playing catch up !

I am not an expert on Type 2 so please let me know if I have anything wrong here but I will finish by stating that I have every respect for those Type 2's out there that mange to control their diabetes on tablets. I don't think I would be able to do that and I take my hat off to you all.

KevFitz
 
kevinfitzgerald said:
For me I am pleased to be Type 1 rather than Type 2. Granted there is more risk of hypoglycaemia and other issues but I am very liberal with what I eat and also liberal with how much insulin I inject.

Also if my bloods sugars are high or I want to treat myself to a piece of cake I can just inject more insulin and bring it down to within the range it should be.
I do not have to worry about time and fundamentally Type 1 diabetics have the privilege to self medicate and be in more control of the illness.

I honestly do not think that I could cope with being Type 2.

You take your meds in the morning and basically if sugar levels rise there is not that much you can do to bring them down. You can't just take a couple more tablets like we can with insulin (though please educate me if there is something you can do to bring levels down if they are high with fast results!)

I still need to work hard being Type 1 but I can have longer periods of good control. I think with Type 2 you are more at risk of longer periods of poor control due to having less freedom. I treated myself to a twix last night and gave myself 2 units of novorapid and my sugars were good. Do that with Type 2 the sugars rise and what can you do. Your then playing catch up !

I am not an expert on Type 2 so please let me know if I have anything wrong here but I will finish by stating that I have every respect for those Type 2's out there that mange to control their diabetes on tablets. I don't think I would be able to do that and I take my hat off to you all.

KevFitz
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I so agree with this.... Although a natural liw carber Inwould not cope if I was a T2.
 
Speaking as a snowflake, I can only say how glad I am to have my personal variety of type 2.

I read things that other people of ALL types have to deal with, and I am so grateful for my body, my coping mechanisms...

How can you compare one person's situation with another?
 
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