Recent Posts in General Discussion

Jul 13, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Diesease or Condition...........

What do you refer to it as........?????????

Jul 13, 2010

Jo Penn 24 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Mmm I think of it as a condition; but used to think of it as a disease....
A condition is something you can control; but a disease can be life-limiting.....

Jul 13, 2010

marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

for me a disease is an outside 'agent' that you 'catch'. As far as I understand Type 1 is caused by your own body attacking itself and so is a 'condition'. We won't go into causes as this is potential contentious and not completely clear cut. It could be triggered by a 'disease' and then again maybe not....

Jul 13, 2010

marke 686 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

no sooner do I post than I think of heart 'disease' which is also referred to as a condition. Anyway I still go with condition myself....

Jul 13, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I agree with you marke.............

For me a disease is an outside force entering the body having adverse effects....

A condition is more genetic, or at least comes from inside...... Alzheimers, cancer and so on.....

I thought I would start this thread as I have seen it written as disease many times and totally disagree...

Jul 13, 2010

meltow 78 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Diabetes is a condition
A disease you catch [bacteria or virus], whereas a condition happens, and in the case of diabetes you can't necessarily put your finger on the reason why.

Jul 13, 2010

Angie 3 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

A disease isn't necessarily something you catch - it's defined in medical terms as "any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of any body part, organ, or system that is manifested by a characteristic set of symptoms and signs and whose etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown", which definitely fits diabetes.

I guess I've thought of it as both a disease and a condition somewhat interchangeably, though when I'm having one of those days it does get referred to as "that damn disease!" ;)

Jul 13, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

wow.............lots of jargon there................

Jul 15, 2010

twitch_101 1 post

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I settled with condition on a good day and on a bad day its a disease Razz

Jul 16, 2010

kid127 25 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I asked a doctor once and they said it was a disorder. Definition from google web deictionary:

â€¢a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning

I'd say that sums it up a bit better

Jul 17, 2010

toni 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

i like to refer to my diabetes as a "disorder"

Jul 17, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

that does seem like a happy medium.................well done toni.............welcome to the forum................

Jul 18, 2010

toni 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

thank you novorapidboi!!

Aug 2, 2010

claireadams 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

i dont know what id personally class it as, but if you break disease down its a 'dis-ease' ...and diabetes is certainly that to me!!

Aug 3, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

We will need to change that opinion claire.....

It can be managed with ease if you let it...

Aug 3, 2010

toni 9 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

i have to agree with Novorapidboi life is what you make it, so dont let the diabetes rule you you have to rule it.
I have had diabetes for 30 years now and have two kids with it too, and at the moment im trying to teach my son ( who starts 4 injection regime thursday) that diabetes wont stop him from achieving what he wants to do only he will stop himself!

Aug 3, 2010

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I think you've both missed the point of Claire's clever play on the word 'disease'. She's not saying that it's a disease but more of an inconvenience. That's my interpretation of her comment. anyway.

Alan

Aug 3, 2010

claireadams 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

HAha exactly Alan! Thankyou... thats right, i wouldnt say it was a "disease" but more of a 'dis-ease', and i dont know anyone who would say it wasnt an inconvenience.

Aug 4, 2010

novorapidboi26 1,819 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I understood the point, but I beleive that it is not an inconvenience, its been 11 years now and I dont think claire has been diagnosed that long, but it does become part of life, so much so it becomes normal....its all in the mind.....

Aug 4, 2010

Mark Duncan 4 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I don't get to deep with it. I dont put it in a category. I dont see is as anything more than my life and thats it. I don't like to be labelled.

After 15 years I can honestly say when soemone asks me what it is like to be diabetic I can't really answer it. To me its like asking someone what its like to have size 8 feet or brown hair.

Aug 4, 2010

Alan 49 284 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

I think that life is full of inconveniences: some mornings I find it inconvenient to have to get up; sometimes I find it inconvenient to go shopping or mowing the lawn or putting petrol in the car or shaving. Likewise, I sometimes find it inconvenient to test my BG before a meal or before I drive; to remember to take some glucose tablets with me before I go out; to have to calculate the CPs in a meal; to try not to be conspicuous when I inject at the table in a restaurant. As I said, life is full of inconveniences - be they medical or non-medical, but we deal with them.

Alan

Aug 5, 2010

claireadams 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Everyone has a fair point and i wouldnt rule out anyones opinion. I only got diagnosed 4 years ago, but my brother has had type 1 for about 24 years ... so i did grow up with it... and yes i agree it doesnt have to 'rule' your life, but it does stop you from doing some of the things you want to do, just like other conditions/diseases/illnesses. My brother was desperate to be a stunt man.. wasnt allowed... then join the royal marines...wasnt allowed... be a scuba diving instructor ... wasnt allowed (but he fought for this through PADI for a year and became one). Children with diabetes do have to adapt to it, they cant always do the same things as other children. Just like as adults we have to adapt to it and i suppose it is how you deal with it that is important. Although it is not 'stopping' me from getting pregnant, i would never risk conceiving until my Hba1c is what it should be, therefore having diabetes and waiting to be able to conceive is a HUGE inconvenience. Diabetes doesnt have to be as negative as i generally think it is, but at the moment when all i want in the world is baby, it doesnt feel easy or convenient!
Hopefully, now ive done dafne and found this site i can get advice and opinions from other diabetics, not just health professionals.

Aug 5, 2010

Nat 30 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Hi, I have been diabetic for 19 years. I was diagnosed when I was 19 right in the middle of that growing up stage. I went through my down times but I came out of it the other side stayed with my partner who was great never saw it for anything other than a good diet and jab a few times a day. We got married and I went to all my doctors appointments to find out about the chances of getting pregnant etc and without knowing I had already conceived. I stuck to my diet as closely as possible and at 35 weeks gave birth to a lovely baby girl. For four years I controlled my diabetes ready to have another baby but nothing happened, I gave up basically and what happened number 2 came along and a healthy baby girl again. A year after her birth and after caring for my mum who had been diagnosed with cancer and I was drinking nightly became pregnant again and this time a healthy baby boy! Although in the ideal world by HBA1C could have been better but with good ish control and help and support it all worked out well and they are now 13, 9, 7 and no diabetes yet!!!

Aug 6, 2010

claireadams 12 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Hi Nat,
Really nice to hear that someone has healthy kids, it is a bit scary when youre pregnant hey? (i got diabetes during pregnancy, but was very controlled and gave birth to a healthy boy) ... 3 years later and my hba1c is terrible! was 16% then 13% now 10% ..but im sure its higher then 10 now ... my consultant would be happy if i tried to conceive at 8% but i just cant seem to get it down... hopefully now ive been on dafne it will really help. Can i ask what your hba1c was when you conceived? A girl in my dafne class said hers was 10% and her baby was fine and then she got better control throughout her pregnancy. Although, ive been told conception and the first 8 weeks is the most important for good control. The more desperate i become the more i 'rebel' against the diabetes and give up. On the dafne course they said the risk of a child getting diabetes with a type 1 mother is 1 in 50-100, but for a father with type 1 the risk of the baby getting it is 1 in 20! so at least this is a positive (well for us anyway)

Aug 6, 2010

Nat 30 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Claire
You will be fine to be honest I don't know what my hba1c was on the last count. My first daughter is was well in the 13s as like I said I was so desperate I just went ahead and conceived. I do find though that once I am pregnant things settle down quite well although I am totally white flour intolerant so all the nice stuff was off the list. My babies all varied in weight due to the diabetes 6lb 15oz at 5 weeks early, 9lb 10oz but one week late and 8lb 15oz at 3 weeks early but both my husband and I were 8lb babies so was it all diabetes or something in our genes!! I think as long as you aren't eating chocolate and really bad stuff day in and day out you have to be happy and you can't think that you can't have a family because of it. I was certainly more concerned the second time round and it took me 4 years to conceive and stress certainly plays a big part in your blood sugars. When my middle child was born she was so quick 1 hour 20 mins from start to finish I didn't have time to go on a sliding scale infusion and gave birth on one banana ha ha !!! I have no worries over the children, my first daughter was born with low sugars and they put her on a glucose drip and I didn't know any better but with my second daughter (the banana) I refused to let her have the glucose and demanded that they let me breast feed her as I had read that breast milk (or colostrom - excuse spelling) was better at regulating blood sugars and after a good old feed her sugars were perfect. My son had other (non diabetic related) complications so he had to go to special care and have glucose but it took him a good couple of days to regulate his blood sugars.
Just make sure you take your folic acid as that is very important to and remember that you still have to live and with all the control in world doesn't always mean things work out perfectly so just do your best.

Jul 13, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Diesease or Condition........... What do you refer to it as........?????????

Jul 13, 2010 Jo Penn 24 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Mmm I think of it as a condition; but used to think of it as a disease.... A condition is something you can control; but a disease can be life-limiting.....

Jul 13, 2010 marke 686 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. for me a disease is an outside 'agent' that you 'catch'. As far as I understand Type 1 is caused by your own body attacking itself and so is a 'condition'. We won't go into causes as this is potential contentious and not completely clear cut. It could be triggered by a 'disease' and then again maybe not....

Jul 13, 2010 marke 686 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. no sooner do I post than I think of heart 'disease' which is also referred to as a condition. Anyway I still go with condition myself....

Jul 13, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I agree with you marke............. For me a disease is an outside force entering the body having adverse effects.... A condition is more genetic, or at least comes from inside...... Alzheimers, cancer and so on..... I thought I would start this thread as I have seen it written as disease many times and totally disagree...

Jul 13, 2010 meltow 78 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Diabetes is a condition A disease you catch [bacteria or virus], whereas a condition happens, and in the case of diabetes you can't necessarily put your finger on the reason why.

Jul 13, 2010 Angie 3 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. A disease isn't necessarily something you catch - it's defined in medical terms as "any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of any body part, organ, or system that is manifested by a characteristic set of symptoms and signs and whose etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown", which definitely fits diabetes. I guess I've thought of it as both a disease and a condition somewhat interchangeably, though when I'm having one of those days it does get referred to as "that damn disease!" ;)

Jul 13, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. wow.............lots of jargon there................

Jul 15, 2010 twitch_101 1 post	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I settled with condition on a good day and on a bad day its a disease

Jul 16, 2010 kid127 25 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I asked a doctor once and they said it was a disorder. Definition from google web deictionary: â€¢a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning I'd say that sums it up a bit better

Jul 17, 2010 toni 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. i like to refer to my diabetes as a "disorder"

Jul 17, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. that does seem like a happy medium.................well done toni.............welcome to the forum................

Jul 18, 2010 toni 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. thank you novorapidboi!!

Aug 2, 2010 claireadams 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. i dont know what id personally class it as, but if you break disease down its a 'dis-ease' ...and diabetes is certainly that to me!!

Aug 3, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. We will need to change that opinion claire..... It can be managed with ease if you let it...

Aug 3, 2010 toni 9 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. i have to agree with Novorapidboi life is what you make it, so dont let the diabetes rule you you have to rule it. I have had diabetes for 30 years now and have two kids with it too, and at the moment im trying to teach my son ( who starts 4 injection regime thursday) that diabetes wont stop him from achieving what he wants to do only he will stop himself!

Aug 3, 2010 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I think you've both missed the point of Claire's clever play on the word 'disease'. She's not saying that it's a disease but more of an inconvenience. That's my interpretation of her comment. anyway. Alan

Aug 3, 2010 claireadams 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. HAha exactly Alan! Thankyou... thats right, i wouldnt say it was a "disease" but more of a 'dis-ease', and i dont know anyone who would say it wasnt an inconvenience.

Aug 4, 2010 novorapidboi26 1,819 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I understood the point, but I beleive that it is not an inconvenience, its been 11 years now and I dont think claire has been diagnosed that long, but it does become part of life, so much so it becomes normal....its all in the mind.....

Aug 4, 2010 Mark Duncan 4 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I don't get to deep with it. I dont put it in a category. I dont see is as anything more than my life and thats it. I don't like to be labelled. After 15 years I can honestly say when soemone asks me what it is like to be diabetic I can't really answer it. To me its like asking someone what its like to have size 8 feet or brown hair.

Aug 4, 2010 Alan 49 284 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. I think that life is full of inconveniences: some mornings I find it inconvenient to have to get up; sometimes I find it inconvenient to go shopping or mowing the lawn or putting petrol in the car or shaving. Likewise, I sometimes find it inconvenient to test my BG before a meal or before I drive; to remember to take some glucose tablets with me before I go out; to have to calculate the CPs in a meal; to try not to be conspicuous when I inject at the table in a restaurant. As I said, life is full of inconveniences - be they medical or non-medical, but we deal with them. Alan

Aug 5, 2010 claireadams 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Everyone has a fair point and i wouldnt rule out anyones opinion. I only got diagnosed 4 years ago, but my brother has had type 1 for about 24 years ... so i did grow up with it... and yes i agree it doesnt have to 'rule' your life, but it does stop you from doing some of the things you want to do, just like other conditions/diseases/illnesses. My brother was desperate to be a stunt man.. wasnt allowed... then join the royal marines...wasnt allowed... be a scuba diving instructor ... wasnt allowed (but he fought for this through PADI for a year and became one). Children with diabetes do have to adapt to it, they cant always do the same things as other children. Just like as adults we have to adapt to it and i suppose it is how you deal with it that is important. Although it is not 'stopping' me from getting pregnant, i would never risk conceiving until my Hba1c is what it should be, therefore having diabetes and waiting to be able to conceive is a HUGE inconvenience. Diabetes doesnt have to be as negative as i generally think it is, but at the moment when all i want in the world is baby, it doesnt feel easy or convenient! Hopefully, now ive done dafne and found this site i can get advice and opinions from other diabetics, not just health professionals.

Aug 5, 2010 Nat 30 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Hi, I have been diabetic for 19 years. I was diagnosed when I was 19 right in the middle of that growing up stage. I went through my down times but I came out of it the other side stayed with my partner who was great never saw it for anything other than a good diet and jab a few times a day. We got married and I went to all my doctors appointments to find out about the chances of getting pregnant etc and without knowing I had already conceived. I stuck to my diet as closely as possible and at 35 weeks gave birth to a lovely baby girl. For four years I controlled my diabetes ready to have another baby but nothing happened, I gave up basically and what happened number 2 came along and a healthy baby girl again. A year after her birth and after caring for my mum who had been diagnosed with cancer and I was drinking nightly became pregnant again and this time a healthy baby boy! Although in the ideal world by HBA1C could have been better but with good ish control and help and support it all worked out well and they are now 13, 9, 7 and no diabetes yet!!!

Aug 6, 2010 claireadams 12 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Hi Nat, Really nice to hear that someone has healthy kids, it is a bit scary when youre pregnant hey? (i got diabetes during pregnancy, but was very controlled and gave birth to a healthy boy) ... 3 years later and my hba1c is terrible! was 16% then 13% now 10% ..but im sure its higher then 10 now ... my consultant would be happy if i tried to conceive at 8% but i just cant seem to get it down... hopefully now ive been on dafne it will really help. Can i ask what your hba1c was when you conceived? A girl in my dafne class said hers was 10% and her baby was fine and then she got better control throughout her pregnancy. Although, ive been told conception and the first 8 weeks is the most important for good control. The more desperate i become the more i 'rebel' against the diabetes and give up. On the dafne course they said the risk of a child getting diabetes with a type 1 mother is 1 in 50-100, but for a father with type 1 the risk of the baby getting it is 1 in 20! so at least this is a positive (well for us anyway)

Aug 6, 2010 Nat 30 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Claire You will be fine to be honest I don't know what my hba1c was on the last count. My first daughter is was well in the 13s as like I said I was so desperate I just went ahead and conceived. I do find though that once I am pregnant things settle down quite well although I am totally white flour intolerant so all the nice stuff was off the list. My babies all varied in weight due to the diabetes 6lb 15oz at 5 weeks early, 9lb 10oz but one week late and 8lb 15oz at 3 weeks early but both my husband and I were 8lb babies so was it all diabetes or something in our genes!! I think as long as you aren't eating chocolate and really bad stuff day in and day out you have to be happy and you can't think that you can't have a family because of it. I was certainly more concerned the second time round and it took me 4 years to conceive and stress certainly plays a big part in your blood sugars. When my middle child was born she was so quick 1 hour 20 mins from start to finish I didn't have time to go on a sliding scale infusion and gave birth on one banana ha ha !!! I have no worries over the children, my first daughter was born with low sugars and they put her on a glucose drip and I didn't know any better but with my second daughter (the banana) I refused to let her have the glucose and demanded that they let me breast feed her as I had read that breast milk (or colostrom - excuse spelling) was better at regulating blood sugars and after a good old feed her sugars were perfect. My son had other (non diabetic related) complications so he had to go to special care and have glucose but it took him a good couple of days to regulate his blood sugars. Just make sure you take your folic acid as that is very important to and remember that you still have to live and with all the control in world doesn't always mean things work out perfectly so just do your best.