THAT THEY ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AILMENTS!!!

Seriously, that’s it.  That’s all I want people to know.

If I hear the mom have to explain one more time…..

…….no, the girl didn’t get type 1 diabetes from eating too much sugar….

…….no, a change in her diet won’t cure her type 1 diabetes…..

…….having her consume cinnamon won’t cure it either……

……and yes, she can eat that, this, and everything, we just need to know the carbs so we can give the correct amount of insulin……

…….speaking of insulin, yeah, needles suck, but please don’t wince when the mom or the dad mention it, your’e not helping things…..

…….still speaking of insulin, we’re  glad your cousin was able to get off insulin and go back to just pills, but that doesn’t apply to type 1……..

……no, it’s not the “bad” kind of diabetes…since we didn’t know there was a good one…..

…….and no, type 1 doesn’t turn into type 2 over time…….

…….no, managing type 1 isn’t easy, we just make it look like it is…… (thanks in big part to me…of course…)

……and yes, she is young, but do you need to say it in such a poor baby way….we don’t need your sympathy…..

……and just because she is young doesn’t make it any easier…….

……no, it’s not the girl’s fault, the mom’s fault, or the dad’s fault….or anyone’s fault…..that the girl has type one diabetes……

…….it’s the pancreas’ fault!  It doesn’t make any insulin!

 

So anyways, folks, please remember, type 1 and type 2 are different…..and please don’t make assumptions….

 

Here are the nerdy specifics from the Mayo Clinic:

Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes was formerly called “juvenile diabetes” or “insulin-dependent diabetes,” because 70 percent of diagnoses occur before a person reaches the age of 30. However, it can be diagnosed at any age. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes have this type. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin.

The onset of type 1 diabetes is usually sudden (acute) and clear-cut, when a person goes to their health care provider or the emergency room with symptoms of high blood sugar. Sometimes, a person with new-onset type 1 diabetes needs to be treated in an intensive care unit. Symptoms include increased urination, thirst or dry mouth, hunger, weight loss despite normal or increased eating, blurred vision, frequent or continuous infections and tingling or pain in the hands, feet or both.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll always need to take insulin, either through injections or through an insulin pump. Insulin, nutrition and activity (exercise) need to be kept in balance.

It’s also key that you test your blood sugar level, generally four times a day or more, to avoid extremely high or low blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes
This type of diabetes was previously called “adult onset diabetes.” But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type 2 diabetes has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency over the past 20 years. Ninety percent of those with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. And approximately 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the effects of insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes, which are generally the same as symptoms of type 1, may come on gradually or not be noticed at all.

A healthy diet and exercise may not be enough to lower your blood sugar level to a satisfactory range. Oral or injectable medication may be needed to control your blood sugar level.

Talk with your health care provider to learn whether you need to monitor your blood sugar and, if so, what schedule you should use. Testing your blood sugar and keeping a record on a regular basis is an important tool to help you learn the relationship between food and your blood sugar level.