The Dangers of Diabetes

[Ally]

As a diabetic your expected to take care of yourself, eat the right things stay on top of your blood sugar and just be healthy right?
i was diagnosed when i was three years old, and have had it for 12 years. well i never really took diabetes seriously, i mean it was just something i had to live with something that was always there for as long as i could remember.
this past February, something happened that changed my way of thinking.
i was on face book, when one of my close friends told me that someone i was close with had passed away. i didn’t believe it, i mean how could i. i found a group explaining what happened and everything. She was 18 years old; she had gone off her insulin to lose weight. Her blood sugar went so high that it cut off circulation to her brain, after being on life support for over a week, she died.
i had never really understood the danger with diabetes, I don’t think I will ever think of diabetes the same way again

[abi.thornton]

well.... yeah... diabetes is really dangerous. i am sorry for your friend

but i REALLY REALLY dont suggest going off of your insulin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is NOT a good idea. stupid acctually. think about it this way: i can either be a little chubby and healthy..... or kill myself!! id choose the chubby and happy ! there is other ways to loose weight other than getting off of your insulin!!

[mysnackrifice]

i'm sorry about your friend. i've never heard of anyone actually stopping their insulin altogether, though... that's pretty extreme.

it's an eating disorder though, reducing insulin to lose weight. i admit that i have done it before, just before prom and things...but you should never do things like that to your body.. i felt like absolute garbage the whole time and it might even be why my vision is so lousy.

my pop told me a few weeks ago about i think an oprah episode where they talked about it? she called it an eating disorder that is specific to just diabetics.

[Helaman]

My Wife was telling me about that Oprah episode ...there are a bunch of people that do it to loose weight! ....too dangerous for my liking.

[abi.thornton]

yeah! it is VERY VERY common for type 1s to die because they get off of their insulin to loose weight. it is so sickning to me. i am so supprised that you havent heard of it, 'moderator'!

[LabRat]

It's often referred to as "diabulimia" and can be very dangerous. I knew someone who tried that and ended up hospitalized for 3 days when it got out of control (she was lucky she didn't end up in a coma)... and she is a nurse that has been diabetic for years.

There are far better ways to lose weight, and certainly safer methods. The way I see it, losing 20 lbs now isn't worth failing kidneys & eyes later.

[abi.thornton]

i totally agree

[Helaman]

I also concur! I put my money where my mouth is and had PRK eye surgery 6 months ago....gotta keep those sugars in line or I'll have to start wearing glasses again!

[rmd8715]

Wow. And I just put a posting up about exercise. I think that's the best way (again, if you can stay motivated). I WOULD NEVER reduce my insulin. The BMI (body mass index) needs to be thrown out the window. It's no wonder--people are so pressured these days to be skinny. GET OVER IT. We're diabetics and the most important thing is not the number on the scale (unless you are SERIOUSLY obese and you begin getting complications from that) but it's how healthy you are and how you take care of yourself. It's kind of like-- Does exposing your skin to UV radiation and the possibility of developing melanoma/skin cancer worth being tan and supposedly "attractive." I'm sorry to hear about your friend, it's so unfortunate but a scary reality for so many people.

[mysnackrifice]

yeah i'd definitely heard of people reducing insulin, but stopping it altogether, i've never known anyone who did that.

i shudder to think of the damage i might have done to my eyes, because my vision is poor anyway. i'll have to wonder for the rest of my life, does my vision suck because i reduced my insulin to lose weight in high school?

it does get frustrating to try to lose weight as a diabetic, because of having to change basals and plan for every carb. believe it or not, being a slightly overweight type 1 is actually a pretty good situation, particularly for females.

i know, it's a size 2 society, and i'm not saying, "weigh 400 lbs! it's good for you!" because it's not, but there are more important things to focus on than size. it's not worth dying over.

[abi.thornton]

i totally agree. while i dont want to be morbidly obease...... i would much rather be "pleasantly plump" (haha) than have eye problems, kidney problems ext.

it is crazy!

[eea142]

I heard somewhere that people were also increasing insulin to lose weight..... i'd just like to point out that that is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than no insulin....