Day 1 Training; The Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

We had just been admitted to the children's hospital for 3 days of monitoring and educational training on how to take care of our son with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes.  Here we were really still in shock, but also clueless to what it all entailed.  So far we saw that our son had to have some sort of shot before he was able to eat his dinner, but we didn't really understand how it worked, and we didn't know that this was going to be a daily thing or how often.  

The first thing we learned was that Type 1 Diabetes was not Type 2 Diabetes.  

When our son was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, we had so many family members and friends react as if it was no big deal at all.  They figured that Type 1 Diabetes was just not being able to eat that much sugar and having to watch your diet.  They told us not to worry, that it wasn't a big deal and that "they had pills for that".  

Well, they were wrong.  While with Type 2 Diabetes, you may be able to just watch what you eat or take pills, Type 1 Diabetes is different.  In Type 1 Diabetes, your body does not make the right amount of insulin to break down the carbs or sugar in your body.  This is where your pancreas eventually stops producing any insulin at all.  You can't fix it with pills, and you can't just watch what you eat.  You have to take insulin by injections every day and several times a day to help your body break down the sugar or carbs.

It is interesting, as most people are familiar with Type 2 Diabetes, hearing about it from their parents or grandparents who develop it as they get older or after gaining weight, but Juvenile Diabetes is not caused by diet or age or not enough exercise.  It is not something you can prevent.  Sometimes it is hereditary, but sometimes it is not like in our case.  No one in our family has had Type 1 Diabetes.  

Many people told us it wouldn't be that bad because one shot a day isn't a big deal, but it isn't just 1 shot a day.  People with type 1 Diabetes have to give themselves an injection at every meal.  Or, they may have to have more depending if they are going to have a large snack or eat in between meals.  

Also, there are 2 kinds of insulin.  There is a fast acting insulin which must be taken before every meal, but there is also a long acting insulin which must be taken every night to help regulate the level of blood sugar during the day so it doesn't get too low or too high.  

So, really, if you put this all together, then that meant that our son was going to have at least 4 shots a day if not more.  Not only that, but he was going to have to poke himself at least 4 times a day with a needle just to check his blood sugar.  I couldn't stand the thought.  Maybe I'm just a baby, but the finger poke thing at the doctor where they check your iron has always been 10 times more painful to me than if they just took blood out of my arm.  I couldn't imagine my son having to poke his fingers 4 times a day, and from what I had seen so far, it wasn't a matter of just poking.  After poking sometimes the blood wouldn't come out, so there would be a matter of squeezing and pushing, trying to get enough blood to come out to put on the meter.  How awful!

So, yes, while I do feel bad for those out there who have Type 2 Diabetes, I don't feel so bad as for those with Type 1 Diabetes it is a whole other ballgame.