Know anyone with long term diabetes?

[Mrs.Milo]

My niece was just diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago, at the age of 25. Her initial test was mid-200's, and was put on oral medication. A week later, it was still in the 190's fasting, so she's now on insulin shots. Her Dad had diabetes long term and passed last summer in his early 50's, as well as other family members. She is concerned because she doesn't know anyone who developed it at that early age who lived past age 60. Does anyone have any words of encouragement, or know of someone successfully coping and living with diabetes long term? I would love to try to cheer her up. Thanks.
Lora

 

[BillSears]

My ex wife was diagnosed when she was 2 and has been taking insulin shots since 1958. She's just turned 50 and while she doesn't have perfect health she's doing pretty good.

Considering the advances in treatments for diabetics I'd say your niece should live a long and healthy life.

 

[rie'smom]

My uncle had diabetes and lived to 90. He probably would have lived to 1000 but didn't take care of himself as he should have.

 

[disneymac]

Hi,

I've been a diabetic for 31 years so far - don't know yet how long I'll live, but I'm doing okay so far! I also have 2 neighbors who are diabetic - one is about 60 and has a son in college, the other is probably in his 70's, has 3 children and 7 grandchildren and is very active. We were all diagnosed as children.

Things have changed so much since I was diagnosed! There are so many options and tests to help you know what's going on with your diabetes - it's great.

The best thing that she can do is learn everything that she can and be active. Close management of her blood sugars and regular exercise will really work wonders. I won't lie, it can be tough sometimes, but there are so many things that are so much worse.

Best of luck to your niece and you!

 

[Mrs.Milo]

Bump. Anyone else?

 

[golfgal]

My uncle was diagnosed when he was 13 and died when he was 65, just a few months ago actually. I think people diagnosed in the past 10 years or so and more recently probably have a better life expectancy because the treatments are better and there is more information available to people. I know my uncle took good care of himself but back then it was all about not eating sugar and nothing really about carb counting, etc.

 

[AKLRULZ]

My grandfather had it as long as I could remember - he lived until age 74.

 

[Disney Doll]

My DH has it, although he isn't long term...yet. He was diagnosed when he was about 42. He's 48 now. I am an RN who takes care of a lot of diabetics and sees the complications that can arise if they don't manage themselves well.

First, get a good endocrinologist. Her primary MD may tell her that he/she can manage the disease, but a good endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes management will be more up to date on the most recent therapies, medications, breakthroughs etc. And there have been a lot of breakthroughs in recent years.

Second, go to a dietician/nutritionist who can teach her about diet management to control her blood sugars.

Third, exercise is very important. DH started walking 30 minutes per day when he got diagnosed and it has made a huge difference in his blood sugars, he has lost weight, his circulation is still good because he's keeping that blood pumping!!!!! She doesn't have to join a gym or do anything fancy. Just 30 minutes of walking at least 4 times per week is all it takes. If she wants to do more, all the better, but it doesn't have to be a huge lifestyle change.

Fourth, tell her to keep reading and researching so she can discuss things with her endocrinologist. The American Diabetes Association is a good place to start. Their website is www.diabetes.org. There is a lot of information there. There are also other good websites. Google "diabetes" and they will pop up. Just be careful of the charlatans, because there are a lot of those.

Fifth, tell her to check with her local hospitals to see if they have any diabetes education programs. Some of the larger hospitals even have a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist who works in conjunction with local endocrinologists to do a diabetes "clinic" type thing where they are available as a resource etc.

Sixth, please, please, please tell her to manage her disease now so that she doesn't suffer the consequences later!!!!! I know she's young and she doesn't think that it's any big deal and it's a pain in the neck and she'll worry about the complications when she's 70 and so on and so forth. Diabetes does not have the impact that other diseases such as cancer have, because often the effects usually don't arise until people are older so they are chalked up to "old age". Diseases like cancer or AIDs...you may see a young person suffering from them, bald from chemotherapy or whatever, so it's a much more "visual" thing. This isn't to say that those diseases aren't horrible too, but just to point out one of the "drawbacks" of diabetes....people don't take it as seriously because the effects are not as evident early on. No, she's not 70 now, but someday she will be and does she want to be a good 70 who can travel and play golf or enjoy going to the theater or whatever she likes, or does she want to be a 70 year old tethered to home because she can't walk too far because of bad circulation or, worse yet, can't walk because she has no legs, or has bad kidneys or can't see?

Best of luck to your niece. I will keep her in my prayers. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Laura]

My DH is a type 1 diabetic, and was diagnosed 10 years ago. So far, he's doing great. But I know his life span is expected to be shorter than if he weren't diabetic. And I also know he may have complications from the disease that are extremely unpleasant: blindness, amputation, heart problems. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics have these issues, although both types have vastly different causes. There have been advances in the medical field, yes, and that will continue. But your niece can still expect that her lifespan will be shorter because of the diabetes.

The point is for your niece to take care of herself and do her best to be as healthy as she can be. We don't know what's going to happen to her tomorrow or decades from now. She shouldn't just give up if she doesn't think she'll live long. She has a lot of control over her health, and she needs to be realistic about what this disease could do.

 

[Ginamarie]

Diabetes runs in my family. My great uncle does a wonderful job controlling his. He's been on insulin for at least the last 30 years. He's now 90 years old and one of the strongest old guys I know.

My grandmother is in her 70s and also has been diabetic for a long time. She was on oral medication until about 5 years ago. Now she takes shots.

My dad also has diabetes. He was diagnosed when he was about 30 years old. I wish he would control his eating more, because of all three family members with diabetes, he's probably in the worst shape.

A large part of this disease is remembering that there is no cure! You have to monitor what you're eating and how much you're eating of each thing. If you can do that well, you can live with diabetes for a long time. If not, then it starts to effect your body in debilitating ways.

 

[minkydog]

The advances in treatment of diabetes have revolutionized the prognosis for people who are diagnosed today. Back when I got out of nursing school, we were still giving shots based on inaccurate urine-sugar tests because it was all we had. The diet was extremely restrictive and hardly anyone could really stick with it. Consequently, there was not much good control, and uncontrolled diabetes leads eventually to complications. Most persons of my generation(I'm 50) who were diagnosed as children have complications of kidney disease, heart disease, eye problems or circulatory problems even if they did everything right. Pregnancy could be life-threatening.

Hopefully this new generation will not have to suffer so much. Now they can eat what they want, count carbs, take their shots accordingly. Or they can use an insulin pump which delivers a steady supply. Women with well-controlled diabetes can look forward to being mothers, something which was very, very difficult in my generation. People with diabetes have the tools they need to be as active as they want to be.

My DD13's best friend has had diabetes since she was 6. You'd never know she was different. She goes camping with us all the time and it's not difficult at all. She gives herself 6 shots a day and happily eats what she wants.

The key to managing diabetes at any age is education. Encourage your niece to manage her disease aggressively. Even a little out of control will result is great devastation down the road. But in today's age, she has the potential to live longer and healthier than any generation before her. It's a whole new world

 

[Mrs.Milo]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Looks to me like some good advice here, thanks! I will send to her with a

 

[rhanditresmom]

Just hopping in here...my DS has had diabetes for 12 years. He was diagnosed at age 18 months. He is very healthy...we really keep a close eye on his blood sugars. He is really good about checking himself and giving shots. He has never known any other life. It is amazing how far we have come since he was diagnosed. We were looking toward a life with limited choices and now he can eat and do anything! We are just always so grateful it isn't worse. We could have cancer...anything else, but we are lucky that diabetes is a condition that is manageable.

One day there will be a cure!

 

[N.Bailey]

I don't know how true this is (I really have been meaning to check as FIL suffers from diabetes), but I once read that there is a natural cure but it's hushed because they want you to buy the meds. I am certainly not suggesting stopping medical treatments, but maybe you could Google to see if it's true and use it along with all meds prescribed by the doctor.

If this has proven to be false, I hope someone corrects me.