A question about the Difference between T1 and T2 and their respective needs, rather than a new thread…

Status
Not open for further replies.
AnnSebastian

AnnSebastian

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I’ve only logged into this forum recently.

I hadn’t quite understood the difference between T1 and T2.
But reading between the lines it seems that with T1 - BG control is less about carbs and more about compensating for the carbs consumed at each meal with ‘fast-acting’ insulin, rather than an overall need to constantly balance carb intake with BG and BG spikes.

So there is a big difference between ‘managing’ T1 and T2?

Have I understood this correctly?

I’m posting this on the ‘general’ forum because it doesn’t seem to deserve its own ‘thread’ , but I think it’s relevant.
( I am T2)

Maybe a ‘moderator’ could find the most relevant thread to add this to?
 
AnnSebastian said:
I’ve only logged into this forum recently.

I hadn’t quite understood the difference between T1 and T2.
But reading between the lines it seems that with T1 - BG control is less about carbs and more about compensating for the carbs consumed at each meal with ‘fast-acting’ insulin, rather than an overall need to constantly balance carb intake with BG and BG spikes.

So there is a big difference between ‘managing’ T1 and T2?

Have I understood this correctly?

I’m posting this on the ‘general’ forum because it doesn’t seem to deserve its own ‘thread’ , but I think it’s relevant.
( I am T2)

Maybe a ‘moderator’ could find the most relevant thread to add this to?
Click to expand...
I'm fairlly new to this myself so ill try to answer but if i can get somethings thi wrong aomeone correct. Type 1 is auto immune condition where your imume system attacks the cells which produce insulin meaning the prancus can no longer develop insulin and some type 1s have to take it them slefs. Type 2 the panercus does make some insulin but not enough, In some cases this can manged by diet but in others they need medication some might still need insulin.
 
@AnnSebastian One of the main differences I have fallen foul of is that injected insulin works on a different time frame, so someone concerned about - for instance - office party food - could, as a type two, peel off the high carbohydrate bread, pastry, etc and eat the rest, and be able to keep within range, but that would not help a type one as the injected insulin would not work in sync with the digestion of the protein and fat.
 
This is a new thread! A new thread on the General Messageboard, rather than one of the more specific forums. Totally appropriate place to start your new thread.
 
Drummer said:
@AnnSebastian One of the main differences I have fallen foul of is that injected insulin works on a different time frame, so someone concerned about - for instance - office party food - could, as a type two, peel off the high carbohydrate bread, pastry, etc and eat the rest, and be able to keep within range, but that would not help a type one as the injected insulin would not work in sync with the digestion of the protein and fat.
Click to expand...

Quite. I have ‘Type 2’ I use ‘long-acting’ insulin. There is a peak effect time so I have to get to grips with which foods and other issues affect my BG and ‘plan ahead’

I had been reading posts by people with T1 - and was probably ignoring the difference. I get ‘Support’ from primary care. I was looking at posts from T1 - and the use of ‘fast acting’ insulin. But thinking about it, I doubt it would be an option available to people with T2?
 
silentsquirrel said:
This is a new thread! A new thread on the General Messageboard, rather than one of the more specific forums. Totally appropriate place to start your new thread.
Click to expand...

Whatever.

There is no option to ask a general question that probably doesn’t deserve the status of a ‘new thread’ unless it’s posting it on the ‘General Message Board’

It seems to have a couple of replies though? ☺️
 
AnnSebastian said:
I had been reading posts by people with T1 - and was probably ignoring the difference. I get ‘Support’ from primary care. I was looking at posts from T1 - and the use of ‘fast acting’ insulin. But thinking about it, I doubt it would be an option available to people with T2?
Click to expand...
Some people with Type 2 do use short acting insulin, I believe @Lucyr is one. However, the problem for some people with Type 2 is that they are insulin resistant, so the insulin they inject can’t be used effectively by the body, and they end up taking larger and larger doses, to little benefit. As with all types of diabetes, well, according to the consultants at my clinic anyway, the treatment you get, whether it be insulin or otherwise, should be what works for you personally.
 
Some type 2s use fast acting insulin as well, and have a very similar routine to type 1s, but I think it’s more a case of if you need it rather than it being a choice. Type 1s no longer make their own insulin in their pancreas so have no choice but to inject it, you can’t survive without it. Type 2s do still make their own insulin but it either isn’t enough or their body doesn’t use it properly and hence they need a lot more of the stuff to get the job done. So with type 2 there are several ways of managing it and it’s all about finding what works best for you. Some people can manage perfectly well with diet and exercise and never have to consider taking medication, some cannot no matter how hard they try, everyone is different.

One advantage of injecting fast acting insulin (when type 1) is that you can eat what you want as long as you balance it with the correct amount of insulin; it’s not quite that simple though as insulin doesn’t always work at the same speed as your digestive system so there are still peaks and troughs and you might have to experiment with the timing of injections. Also if you eat loads of carbs it will be a lot harder to keep the blood sugar stable even with injected insulin so many type 1s choose to eat a low carb diet just to keep things easier.
 
AnnSebastian said:
Quite. I have ‘Type 2’ I use ‘long-acting’ insulin. There is a peak effect time so I have to get to grips with which foods and other issues affect my BG and ‘plan ahead’

I had been reading posts by people with T1 - and was probably ignoring the difference. I get ‘Support’ from primary care. I was looking at posts from T1 - and the use of ‘fast acting’ insulin. But thinking about it, I doubt it would be an option available to people with T2?
Click to expand...
From long experience - back into my 20s, I suspect that my first response insulin levels are lower than normal - but the whole family have the same problem. At home and with family the things on offer at meal times would have made Dr Atkins smile and nod, I'm sure.
Personally I am far happier with the idea of eating low carb than injecting insulin or even taking tablets, but the tablets made me so very ill that I pushed myself back into normal numbers just by the thought that eating things I can't cope with would result in pressure to go back onto medication.
 
There is also the thought that 'type 2' can actually cover quite a range of different conditions which are lumped together due to their superficial similarity but - I suspect - in future there will be more analysis and different treatments or advice given rather than dealing with the problems which arise from letting things go on until they can't be left any longer.
 
Drummer said:
From long experience - back into my 20s, I suspect that my first response insulin levels are lower than normal - but the whole family have the same problem. At home and with family the things on offer at meal times would have made Dr Atkins smile and nod, I'm sure.
Personally I am far happier with the idea of eating low carb than injecting insulin or even taking tablets, but the tablets made me so very ill that I pushed myself back into normal numbers just by the thought that eating things I can't cope with would result in pressure to go back onto medication.
Click to expand...

Agree. ‘Back in the day’ I lost a massive amount of weight using ‘Atkins’. Things only started to go wrong when I stopped.
Most of the current ‘low carb’ ‘keto’ diets are based on Atkins but adjusted for 21c.

Unfortunately, I need to inject insulin at the moment, but I’m working on controlling my BG with low carb and maybe moving on to reducing or removing my need for mediation later on.

They talk about ‘reversing’ diabetes T2 - but it seems to me to be about ‘remission’ and then the determination to stay there.
 
Just different terms really - I have definitely felt that I was reversing my diabetes using low carb - reversing lack of energy weight gain and feeling old, so I have been doing some work and can take on more if necessary - or rather when, having been looking into our finances.
I am classed as in remission on my medical notes - but I am simply maintaining myself in the way I have always needed to eat all my life.
 
Sally71 said:
Some type 2s use fast acting insulin as well, and have a very similar routine to type 1s, but I think it’s more a case of if you need it rather than it being a choice. Type 1s no longer make their own insulin in their pancreas so have no choice but to inject it, you can’t survive without it. Type 2s do still make their own insulin but it either isn’t enough or their body doesn’t use it properly and hence they need a lot more of the stuff to get the job done. So with type 2 there are several ways of managing it and it’s all about finding what works best for you. Some people can manage perfectly well with diet and exercise and never have to consider taking medication, some cannot no matter how hard they try, everyone is different.

One advantage of injecting fast acting insulin (when type 1) is that you can eat what you want as long as you balance it with the correct amount of insulin; it’s not quite that simple though as insulin doesn’t always work at the same speed as your digestive system so there are still peaks and troughs and you might have to experiment with the timing of injections. Also if you eat loads of carbs it will be a lot harder to keep the blood sugar stable even with injected insulin so many type 1s choose to eat a low carb diet just to keep things easier.
Click to expand...

You’re probably right. I think there is a degree of ‘post code lottery’ - I’ve been using primary care services at my GP surgery, and I haven’t been ‘chased up’ for appointments since COVID19.

I live in South London, and have a feeling that my GP Diabetes nurse would not be up to prescribing ‘fast acting’ insulin for me to use at my own discretion. Pretty sure that would require a referral to a ‘consultant’. Unfortunately, the fact that I have ‘taken back control’ by using Libre and drastically reducing my estimated A1C would automatically exclude me as a T2 priority for referral to the care of a Diabetes hospital consultant.

‘Catch 22’ ?
 
silentsquirrel said:
This is a new thread! A new thread on the General Messageboard, rather than one of the more specific forums. Totally appropriate place to start your new thread.
Click to expand...

You know what?

I’m new to posting on this forum.

But I understand it’s a forum for both general and specific issues around Diabetes - Type 1 - Type2 - and any other types.

I may have misunderstood you - in which case I sincerely apologise - but are you complaining that I posted a ‘question’ in the ‘wrong’ place? Or are you just complaining about me in general?
 
AnnSebastian said:
You know what?

I’m new to posting on this forum.

But I understand it’s a forum for both general and specific issues around Diabetes - Type 1 - Type2 - and any other types.

I may have misunderstood you - in which case I sincerely apologise - but are you complaining that I posted a ‘question’ in the ‘wrong’ place? Or are you just complaining about me in general?
Click to expand...
I think she said you had posted in the appropriate place, that's how I read it anyway.
 
AnnSebastian said:
Whatever.

There is no option to ask a general question that probably doesn’t deserve the status of a ‘new thread’ unless it’s posting it on the ‘General Message Board’

It seems to have a couple of replies though? ☺️
Click to expand...

AnnSebastian said:
You know what?

I’m new to posting on this forum.

But I understand it’s a forum for both general and specific issues around Diabetes - Type 1 - Type2 - and any other types.

I may have misunderstood you - in which case I sincerely apologise - but are you complaining that I posted a ‘question’ in the ‘wrong’ place? Or are you just complaining about me in general?
Click to expand...
I wasn't complaining at all! 🙂 Just trying to help your confusion over posts/ threads/ forums ... Your question was posted as a new thread in the right place. Many threads are questions. Nothing wrong withposting a new thread, and you chose the right place.
 
The NHS guidelines recommend a basal/bolus regime for Type 2s when other options have failed. I remember seeing a kind of flow-chart a few months ago. The deciding factor was diabetes control, if I recall correctly.

Yes, you’re correct @AnnSebastian Type 1 control is less about carbs and more about ‘balancing’ those carbs with the appropriate amount of bolus/fast insulin, just as a non-diabetic body would do.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top