World Diabetes Day
It’s my favourite day of the year…or well, one of them. November is National Diabetes Awareness Month (NADM), and today is World Diabetes Day. Diabetes awareness has been a passion of mine since I was 15. I’ve always enjoyed reading all the NADM posts, and I’ve always enjoyed the blog posts I get to write on this subject. This post is factual and informational on the different types of diabetes.
Fun fact: November 14th is the birthday of Sir Fredrick Banting, one of the scientists who co-discovered insulin (along with Charles Best). November 14th officially became World Diabetes Day in 1991.
What is Diabetes? What are the main Types of Diabetes?
Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder when your immune system attacks the beta cells that produce insulin. From there, the pancreas stops producing insulin, and you develop diabetes. Insulin acts as the key that opens the cells for sugar to enter and get converted into energy. The two common types of diabetes are Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes diabetes.
T1D is when the beta cells are killed off, and the pancreas does not produce ANY insulin. People with T1D must rely on injections or a pump to get insulin, and they must check their blood sugar multiple times a day. There is no cure for Type One Diabetes (no amount of cinnamon, okra water, herbal supplements, or exercise will cure it). T1D can occur at any age and with any gender. Type 1 Diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar; it is not contagious.
T2D is when the body produces insulin but either produces too much, too little or has difficulty getting that insulin going. People with T2D tend to be overweight, and primarily through, diet or exercise can control their blood sugar levels. Some people with T2D have to take pills, shots, possibly insulin, and check their blood sugar regularly.
Every T2D case is different, just as every T1D case is different. There is no one size fits all for diabetes.
Fun fact: The pancreas is not dead in people with T1D or T2D (sorry to those in the “dead pancreas gang”). The pancreas also produces enzymes that aid in digestion, and the pancreas still does that in those with T1 or T2D. The only part of the pancreas that does not work.
But wait, Selene, what are the Symptoms of Diabetes? Well, I’m so glad you asked. The symptoms of diabetes can be summed up by the 4T’s.
Other symptoms are blurred vision, sweet or fruity-smelling breath, wounds that won’t heal and numbness/tingling in the hands or feet.
If you show any of the above symptoms, go see your doctor ASAP and tell them your symptoms and that you may have diabetes. Undiagnosed diabetes can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is when ketones are present in the blood. Ketones are toxic sugars in the bloodstream that builds up after a lack of insulin production (such as the phase before a diabetes diagnosis). Undiagnosed DKA can be fatal (see Kisses for Kycie).
There are less commonly known types of diabetes. Those are Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), and Type 3c.
MODY occurs before the age of 25 when there is a strong family history of diabetes and a single gene mutation. Those genes are HNF1-Alpha, HNF1-beta, HNF4-beta, and Glucokinase (for more details on the gene mutations in MODY, click here). MODY most commonly turns into T2D later on except Glucokinase (because the blood sugar levels of people with MODY are slightly higher than normal between 5.5-8mmol (99-144mg/dl. Only some people with MODY will need insulin; their treatment is similar to T2D, and because of that, most people with MODY are misdiagnosed as T2D because MODY is so rare.
Normal blood sugar levels in a non-diabetic are between 3.8-6.6 (70-120mg/dl).
LADA is a slow-processing form of T1. It is also known as T1.5D. This is when the body produces insulin, but not enough and most people get misdiagnosed with T2D because of their age. People with LADA have high blood sugar levels, but those levels aren’t high enough for them to be a T1D. LADA is often treated the same way as T1D.
Type 3c (pancreatogenic) diabetes occurs secondary to pancreatic conditions such as pancreatitis or pancreas removal. In people with Type 3c, the digestive part of the pancreas might not work, and, therefore, they might have to take digestive enzymes and insulin.
If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes, a beautiful community is ready to welcome you with open arms. It’s known as the DOC or Diabetes Online Community. Instagram is a fantastic place to meet a lot of diabetics. There are also many Facebook groups, and some towns/colleges have their own support group. (For a college-based organisation, see College Diabetes Network).
I also highly encourage you to look into the #Insulin4All campaign by T1 International and how companies like JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and ADA (American Diabetes Association) are part of the problem in the high prices of insulin (it’s not as cheap as water).
If you want to read some books about diabetes, my favourites are Last Dance* by Lurlene McDaniel, All The Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel, Sweetblood by Pete Hautman and The Ups and Downs of Audrey May by Missy Mareau Garcia. Also, the 2020 Netflix reboot of the 1980’s book series/tv show The Babysitters Club* features a practically perfect portrayal of diabetes.
(*Please note that Last Dance was written in the 1980s, as was The Babysitters Club, and the treatment of diabetes in those books are different than how it’s treated today).
Fun fact: Diabetes was discovered in 1794 but dated back to the third century B.C.E. The word “diabetes” is greek and means “to pass through”, while the word mellitus is Latin and means “honey or sweet” (this refers to ketones (or sugar) being in the urine, making it “sweet”).
I hope you found this post informational and learned something from it. Don’t forget to give this post a like, leave me a comment, and please share this post, so other people learn about diabetes. Sending you all the light and love in this world.
