Type 1 Diabetes is NOT the same of Type 2!! It is a SERIOUS medical condition and is NOT caused by lifestyle!

[TIDMum]

Just had the Sky guy here to upgrade internet speed and he asked about DS's glucose monitor alarm going off so I said he's a Type 1 diabetic. He was asking if it was a care alarm then said 'oh so not that serious, just for the blood sugar reading'.

He then said that his wife was Type 1 and we had a little discussion about her GM and what type of insulin pump she's on (which she doesn't actually have!) and he then said 'I blame diet and alcopops really'.

It then became clear his wife was Type 2.

I said 'oh right, I blame COVID actually because you know it's an autoimmune disorder?' He said 'oh right' then was quiet while he finished his work.

DS (age 16) heard this as he was walking past.

DS said he's an idiot but this really annoys me.

I can't count how many times over the last 4 years since his diagnosis, people have started talking to me about their sister, aunt or neighbour having 'Type 1' when it's actually Type 2 they're talking about. He had the teasing at school about too much sugar as well.

I really think if you don't know what Type 1 diabetes, shut up and don't talk about it tbh.

AIBU to get pissed off about this? I can't think of any other serious medical conditions that are mistaken like this.

I’m potentially developing type 2 due to effects of gestational diabetes (wasn’t overweight going into pregnancy if that matters) and it’s very serious for me so I think your own judgment about type 2 is what needs examining.

Geometry was covered in GCSE maths, but I can't tell you the significance of chords and tangents. Actually, I'd forgotten what a chord was called and had to look it up just now!

My late mother had type 2 diabetes , bought on by being on permanent steroids for another autoimmune disease and she was on insulin so it’s not always about lifestyle and for that reason YABU .

Yes that's true but statistically speaking very few T2 are on insulin and those that are will be on basal insulin as that's the starting point when other medication and diet changes haven't worked. Very few T2s will be on bolus insulin which is the bit that's much harder to manage as it requires mathematics and different quantities each time so as OP says can be fatal if you get it wrong.
So while you're correct it will be a handful of T2s on bolus insulin Vs pretty much all T1s. T2 is a very serious condition and can lead to huge complications and all manner of health problems but T1 as all that but also knowing you can die at any time if you fuck up your meds and requires 24/7 monitoring so they are different.

Sounds like you're just as bad. Type 2 isn't always caused by diet and lifestyle. You're being just as ignorant and dismissive as the people you're complaining about.

It's no shock that normal people without medical education don't know the ins and outs of every disease/allergy/condition that other people can suffer with and that they have no first hand experience in.

Look up crushing t1 and you'll see the difference. This is a doctor whose child has t1d every skngle bit of fundraising is going towards curing no wasting money on staff etc.

Unless it directly impacts on an individual, in general, a lot of people will only have a very basic knowledge of something.

They will understand the basics of diabetes but not the very significant differences between type 1 and 2.

I'd focus on supporting your child and not get too worked up about other people's knowledge - or lack of.

You could explain the differences but almost certainly the next time they have any reason to think about diabetes they will have forgotten.

My child has insulin resistance. That's another curveball to try and explain as it's not type 1 or type 2 diabetes but still involves insulin difficulty. That really seems to baffle people.

YABU for repeating inaccurate things about T2, and doubling down on it.

Yep, I am type 2, as a result of a damaged pancreas and medication I have no choice but to take for life, insulin dependent - no it isn't easy to manage and yes if I fuck it up I could die quite easily.

Just a sneaky bout of gastroparesis meaning I don't absorb carbs/sugars the way I predicted I would and dosed for and a silent hypo (which I have too often) ... that'd do it.

It is really fucking annoying when people don't understand your particular medical condition (or that of a loved one/relative) - regardless of what that condition actually is.

@TIDMum “Type 1 is nothing to do with lifestyle, cannot be reversed and there is a completely different reason for the pancreas to shut down. Insulin, and tech literally keeps T1Ds alive from day to day.”

Type 1 diabetes rates are rising worldwide due to environmental and lifestyle changes that trigger autoimmune responses in people with a genetic risk.

Why do you care what some random you will never see again thinks or feels? Just roll your eyes and sigh.
My dad developed insuline dependant diabetes when he was 40, he was an athlete and very fit. It progressed fast from diet, to tablets to insulin. It just wasn´t under control. It runs in his mother´s family. I had serious gestational diabetes and resistant to insulin. I have been told I have a bigger chance of developing type II diabetes as I age. There are several autommune delights in my dad´s family. Thyroid is our favourite. We aren´t all suffing pizza and jumbo full sugar cokes in our garages.

Agree. My DH has type 2 despite doing everything you’re supposed to do to stay healthy. The popular belief is that it’s always caused by lifestyle is bullshit. It’s a mix of genetics, age, ethnicity and daily habits - while poor diet and lack of exercise raise your risk, people with healthy habits can and do develop the condition because of genetic/biological risk factors beyond their control.

Both My DH’s parents had type 2 - his risk of developing it was put at 70% and despite doing everything right he still developed it. Had it been just one parent with the condition the risk would still have been around 40%. So even without bad habits your genetic makeup dictates how well your pancreas makes insulin and stores excess fat.

Your risk increases as you get older too, and in certain ethnicities the risk is two to four times that of the rest of the population and can be developed at a much lower body weight. Thin people can get Type 2 too - overweight is a risk but even those who are a healthy weight are at risk if they store hidden fat around internal organs or their insulin production is weak.

And neither type 1 nor type 2 diabetes can be said to be more of a risk to life than the other because they carry different types of risks - both long and short term. Type 1 is autoimmune and usually appears quickly, leading to life threatening emergency if it leads to DKA, and thereafter the risk is linked to how well the disease is controlled. Type 2 has a higher long term risk because it involves insulin resistance or poor insulin production and develops more slowly. It can stay undiagnosed for years, silently causing severe damage to the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and nerves. The damage is done long before the person realises they have it.

The Sky guy is ignorant because his experience is through a totally different lens. It's OK to put him right.

I've had friends and class mates, and boyfriends of friends who've had type 1 their whole lives or received diagnoses when we were kids so I know what a big deal it is including ambulances called while we were in our uni house (and the huge difference technology's made and the impact it can have and the knock on on e.g. sight and family planning).

However, not all type 2 people are alcopop fiends. My elderly grandad didn't drink much at all. He was also an intelligent guy who knew the difference between his own health situation and that of a young person with type 1. His type 2 was still a serious condition.

Yes it's different.

I never said it was.
But being mad at this guy and complaining about him to his employer isn't going to change her child's health.
I'm sure she has made the complaint already.
As i said earlier in the thread, people in their working lives will just stop making small talk altogether. What a sad world that will be.

Yep. The same is true for other autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

With all due respect Type 2 diabetes is also a serious disease and not always caused by lifestyle. Yes they aren’t the same but both need to be taken seriously.

I expect other people have medical conditions that you aren’t completely clued up about, you sound like you are under a lot of stress and are understandably angry at the situation on your son’s behalf, but people usually share their own situations as an act of empathy.

I’m Type 2 but am 9 stone and lead a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately it’s genetic and very prevalent in my family. My Consultant told me that I was always going to develop it no matter how careful I am so I get annoyed when people assume it’s always down to lifestyle

OP there is a great thread running about complainers, tell us what Sky says, I need a good laugh 😆😆

Not at all, the response on this thread just go to show how little educated people are when it comes to Type1 / Type 2.

It’s just ignorance a lot of people aren’t aware of the difference if it doesn’t affect them. I know a young man with CF because of digestive issues they have to have a high fat diet. Which often leads to them having diabetes which he now has.

My son and daughter have epilepsy some still refer to their seizures as fits.

It is a COMPLETELY different disease. I can see why the OP is cross.

It should have a different name to stop this confusion

I agree with this, having seen numerous threads on MN regarding diabetes and some of the downright dangerous ‘advice’ given by posters who clearly have no idea what they’re talking about and wouldn’t know the difference between types 1 and 2 if it jumped up and bit them. The worst ones are when mums post about possible signs of T1 in their children and they are told absolutely and categorically that it’s not an emergency and they should not waste A&E’s time but wait for a GP appointment. Another absolute cracker advised a parent to give a sugary drink to her T1 child as a precaution to going into diabetic coma.

My DS has type 1. He's 1.5 years diagnosed and I actually haven't yet experienced anyone minimising it or making comments about him eating too much sugar. Honestly I couldn't get worked up about a random person making a comment like that. In reality, before he was diagnosed I knew the bare minimum about type 1. I knew that people with type 1 need insulin injections before eating but that's about it, no idea about how type 1 managment is a full time job. So why would I expect anyone else to know? Type 2 is on the rise, sometimes due to life style, sometimes other factors, but this means that people's perceptions of diabetes has changed as type 1 is now the small minority of cases. Type 1 is not even well represented by organisations like Diabetes UK. It would help is type was was renamed to recognise the autoimmune disease it is. Autoimmune beta-cell disease or such like.

Breakthrough T1D are better if you’re looking for representation for Type 1 diabetes.

Exactly my husband is type two, on insulin and this is just as serious as type one.

@SnappyPenguin
Yes, I'm aware and understand what they're aiming for but ultimately it's an unreachable dream. I have no hope that Crushing will work either.
Money needs to go into helping T1's manage their conditions better so they can live relatively normal pain free lives. ALL current methods of insulin delivery are painful. Finger pricking is painful. CGM's like Libre are costing the NHS a fortune at £40-50 a pop and are painful to attach/detach.
JDRF have been concentrating on reversing T1 at the outset but because GP's are so bad at recognising T1 in kids this doesn't work in practice because it's too late by the time a kid gets into hospital at crisis point to contact them and get on the trials.
My DC is now in adult diabetes care (18+) and T1D care is atrocious. We haven't seen a consultant since leaving juvenile care and just have been left with a phone catch up twice a year. I will die soon and as DC's carer that scares me because there is no safety net that will help us locally because I've been trying for the last 2 years to get some support. It's ridiculously bad.