what caused it?

Hi CR,

I do wonder this all the time, not in a feeling sorry for myself way, but out of curiosity. As yourself I had no illness previous to being diagnosed, no other family members had diabetes. However my younger brother has now been diagnosed but the doctors say there is probably no link. My brother's Doctor said there had been a recent influx of kids his age (15) being diagnosed in his town at the same time, and that it often happens that way, following virus' in schools etc.

I found out I was Type 1 when I was 30, but I think it was lurking in the background all of my life, I was always thirsty and tired.

Interesting!

Jessie x

Hi,

Good question, i asked my nurse this very question and she said it's thought that it's caused by some sort of infection that triggers your auto immune system to attack your pancreas resulting in diabetes, I asked if stress could be a cause as i'd heard that it could be and she said it's highly unlikely, obviously nothing can be ruled out for certain i guess!!

I think in my case it was definately genetic, my biological father had type 1 diabetes from the age of 14 and i was diagnosed at 20 so we were both late really.

My nurse also talked about it maybe being a vitamin D defieciancy and i think there's been some studies on that too but i haven't looked into it fully.

Who knows though aye, if a cause could be indefinately identified then maybe that could lead to a cure, or maybe just prevention

Well type 1 is caused by your immune system attacking your pancreas... why your immune system attacks the pancreas is a bit of a unknown but most theory suggests that a viral infection causes your immune system to attack the insulin producing cells in the pancreas by mistake.

This probably holds some truth most type 1's tend to be diagnosed shortly after a big change in environment... i.e. starting primary or high school.. moving house etc... when they are exposed to a fresh set of viral infections.

It is also suggested that some people are genetically more vulnerable to this form of viral attack, there is some observed inherited pre-disposition to type 1 diabetes. If you want to get really scientific!in some specific sets of genome types.. i.e. only certain genetic make-ups will pass on this vulnerability.

Finally I believe some types of pesticide / poisons (although I am not sure they are used in the UK) can and do attack the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

So short answer! no one knows for sure.. a bit generic... maybe viral related.. certainly an auto-immune response in most cases..

My doctors think it was severe stress that caused everything that's wrong with me.
Diabetes, hypothyrodism....you name it. Nothing runs in the family. I had to get over the point of felling sorry for myself because the only thing that carries me through it positivity.

It sucks for us. But what can we do but battle on?

ps: my hair fell out, my periods stopped, I couldn't stop losing weight. All at the age of 21/22. I was under enormous stress trying to hold down 3 jobs, zero family support and trying to battle illness.

I believe what helped me was taking the action to have the most postive outlook I could, cutting the things that were dragging me down and I was prescribed clonazepam (for muscle spasms) but I honestly believe the anxiolytic effects are what helped me get my life back on track. The endocrinologist had no answers for me except 'these things happen' which was so frustrating, But finally getting a brilliant, understanding GP saved my life. My hair grew back, periods came back (the gyno aslo had no answers and said they might never...)
But despite being sick from the gastroparesis I am the best I've been in a long time.
Went travelling, got away from my unsupportive family, got rid of the horrible jobs.

Drastic measures but at the end of the day you gotta do what you gotta do to look after number 1.

Wishing you all the best of health.

Angeldust, I feel like I would like to give you a big motherly hug and just say well done for putting everything behind you and progressing forward.

I was diagnosed as type2 this March and was told by my diabetic nurse that you can't be type 1 as you are only diagnosed as type 1 if you are a child.

Seeing that people of ages 21, 22 and even 37 diagnosed as type 1 puzzels me now.

How do they know if you are type 1 or type 2

all the best to everyone

Sue

Seeing that people of ages 21, 22 and even 37 diagnosed as type 1 puzzels me now.

How do they know if you are type 1 or type 2

Click to expand...

Age doesn't come into it. Joslin a famous US specialist notes 2 peaks of incidence, one in adolescence, followed by another after the age of 40 but his figures show it occurring into the 90s.
I was 53, when diagnosed and was shocked to be admitted to hospital and told I had type 1.Even today over 5 years later,I sometimes think, maybe they got it wrong, maybe I could stop the insulin and control it with diet! (then something goes wrong and I realise that they were probably right!)
How do they diagnose ?


What they use is a certain amount of guesswork.......also known as clinical judgement.
reaction to insulin (type 1 typically needs far less for a similar amount of carbs as they haven't the insulin resistance)
blood tests. There is one that shows how much insulin you are producing and several others that show if you have various antibodies (howver some diagnosed as type 2s also have antibodies.... these are the people more likely to need insulin eventually ; conversely some obvious type 1s in all other respects don't test positive for antibodies)
Unexplained weight loss prior to diagnosis seems to happen more often in those diagnosed type 1, coupled with fairly high fasting glucose .

Just a couple of speculations :
perhaps it is really one big continuum........or several different conditions with high glucose as a symptom. The labels Type 1 and 2 don't really define things properly ...indeed even in the early 1950s Lawrence an eminent British diabetologist described 3 types of diabetics and others have described more since.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I had to go into hospital last March 2009 and for my pre-op I was weighed and was 15.9 stone (oops) and I know that i put even more weight on as I went up a size. But when the DN weighed me I was 14.5 stone so I had lost quite a bit and people at work had noticed before I even realised that I had lost weight.

The DN nurse when she weighed me and I said I was 15.9 stone a year ago and probably put more weight on, she for some reason said you couldn't have lost that much. I had to have day surgery on 13th August and my weight on pre-op was 13.5 stone so I weighed myself when I got home and my scales said the same and I am now 13 stone. What my weight was before I started getting the symptons of diabetis is a guess but I would say at least 16 stone. So why did she think that I couldn't have lost that much.

My starvation BS was 11.9 and told I was diabetic type 2 the test then done by the nurse I was 9.9 and she wanted to increase my metformin but I asked if I could continue to try to help with my diet as I didn't want to increase my tablets so with testing and watching what I eat I am hoping that my next test will be lower.

I have porridge for breakfast and a couple of times I have forgotton to take my metformin (1x500mg morning and evening) but remembered about half hour to hour later - one mornng I forgot again and all of a sudden felt really ill my BS had shot up to 14.3 I was only an hour late in taking my tablet and took it immediately but this didn't happen at the other times I forgot. So why that one time did I spike. Normally after eating my porridge and take my metformin I am 7.1 two hours later.

It would seem that diabetis has a mind of its own. It would seem that its a learning curb all the time and no food is the same all the time what we can eat one day we can't another and after a small break we go back to it and all is okay again.

I think diabetis is a very frustrating illness. :?

Thanks
Sue

Hi,

Just thought id post my thoughts about a very interesting question.

I was diagnosed at 25 with T1 which came as a bit of a shock. I think for me it was a pre-disposition to it as my great-nan had it all her life and apparently lived on cabbage a lot, also on my fathers side of the family my aunts and uncles have got T2 in their 40's.

I like to think that it was the enjoyment and fun i had when i was younger, drinking, smoking, late nights and eating loads of rubbish!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Josie