more about type one and type two

I have two friends who are type 1, both use insulin pumps, and both were diagnosed in their early to mid 20s. Type 1 can be diagnosed at any age, although the typical newly diagnosed is early adult or younger.

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Both type 1s and 2s are prone to the exact same complications. The big diff is the insulin therapy that type 1s get right from the get-go and the prevalence of the use of insulin pumps for them. They get no mollycoddling from their medical caregivers-- it's insulin for them, right from the get-go, and their treatment is aggressive, right from the get-go.

Type 2s are often several years into their disease process before diagnosis. Then, once labeled, they're often allowed to be less-than-vigilant about good glucose control, while their docs pat them on their little heads and say things like, "That's okay, you just go and lose that 150 extra pounds like a good girl, and while you're at it, take a walk once in a while, okay? That little bit of sugar problem you have is just type 2, so you won't have to bother with that pesky insulin. Here, take a pill every day, you'll be fine. Oh, and testing? Don't bother your pretty little head with all of that-- a couple of times a week will be okay. Y'all come back and see me next year at this time, okay? And we'll see if you've been a good girl." ARGH!

Argh, argh, argh... *hangs head*

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??? Blurred? Type one is type one and type two is type two. The two diseases are no longer called juvenile and adult-onset and haven't been for years.

Yes, a lot of kids now have type two, but just because they're kids doesn't mean their type two is any different from ours. They probably have family history, they're sedentary, overweight, eating a high calorie high carb highly processed diet, and they "come down with" type 2 the same way we did, just a lot earlier. With the typical medical mollycoddling applied, I shudder to think about their rate of complications and the impact to the overall health care situation in the US and other developed nations in the decades to come.

Judy D.