people: pay attention to your feet!!!!

PJPixie

I am a Type 1 Diabetic and I have been for the past 21 years.

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are two totally different disorders.

Type 1 is completely insulin dependent. The Pancreas completely stops producing insulin therefore the glucose in your blood can not be broken down to normal levels (80-120). This Type of Diabetes requires insulin to be given to keep blood sugar (glucose) levels at a normal range. Diet is also extremey important. Type 1 diabetes has a pretty quick onset (unlike Type 2). You will become symptomatic quickly and require treatment quickly before becoming very very ill.

Type 2 diabetes, usually onsets later in life. Weight, Diet and Family Genetics are huge in this Diagnosis. In Type 2 Diabetes, your pancreas is not secreting enough insulin to keep your blood sugars at a normal level. The pancreas is still working but the insulin it is secreting is not effective (enough). People with Type 2 diabetes can control this disorder very well with diet and exercise, making the insulin that the pancreas DOES secrete work better and more efficiently. If diet and excercise are not effective, they can take oral medications to make the insulin they do have on board work more effectively. This is where a lot of people confuse the two different disorders. Type 2 diabetics can go for quite sometime without diagnosis or treatment because they are "managing to get by".

I'm completely insulin dependent and take my insulin via an insulin pump that is attached to me 24/7. I was on about 5 injections of insulin everyday before I went onto pump therapy about 14 years ago. I have pretty good control of my blood sugars and have never suffered the dreaded complications that go hand in hand with the disease. My feet are in pretty good health as well

brain of c

feet don't fail me now.

mca47

I worked in Dept. of Surgical Pathology as an undergrad. We would get in toes, feet, and in come cases large portions of legs very frequently.
Diabetics really, really need to take care of their extremities and get checked out often!