Hi - struggling with type 3c

[nikkigibsonx23]

Hey guys new here hoping I an meet new people with the same illness as me I have type 3c diabetes from chronic pancreatitis I am really struggling on my own

 

[Leadinglights]

Hey guys new here hoping I an meet new people with the same illness as me I have type 3c diabetes from chronic pancreatitis I am really struggling on my own

Welcome to the forum, there are quite a few long standing Type 3cs and some more recently joining the club so I'm sure they will identify with how you are struggling.
It would help people help you if you are able to give some details on how you manage the condition, what meds, do you have a CGM and what support are you getting from your diabetic clinic.
It seems treatment plans can be quite individual.

 

[Alan44]

Hi @nikkigibsonx23 and welcome to the forum.
One thing for sure is you are not alone now as we have several Type 3cs on the forum.

Please ask any questions you want or highlight any worries you may have and someone will pop along to help and advise

Alan 😉

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

I will tag a few of our regular Type 3cs who will no doubt be able to compare notes with you and give you a bit of insight from their experience.
@Proud to be erratic @Wendal @soupdragon

 

[Wendal]

Hi Nikki and welcome to the club no one wants to join but we all have to deal with what is in front of us.
I do feel so sorry for you having CP as I as brought here with one severe AP attack and really would not want to experience that again so you have my full sympathy.
That was in March 2022 and I developed the diabetes in August 2023 and after the initial shock have found that in time you can manage the situation but we are all different and it does take time.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your diagnosis and history of timing and medications you are currently on ( presume you have been on Creon for a long time) and perhaps we can help you in some way.
Type 3c is not well recognised by healthcare professionals but the knowledge and experience on this forum will help you in your journey and maybe allow you to have more informed conversations with your healthcare team to better avail yourself of available support.
BW for the future

 

[Wendal]

PS please let us know more about any specific challenges you are struggling with as important to try and distinguish between specific issues as opposed to the general overwhelming nature of being told you are diabetic which consumes virtually all of us at point of diagnosis.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hey guys new here hoping I an meet new people with the same illness as me I have type 3c diabetes from chronic pancreatitis I am really struggling on my own

Hello @nikkigibsonx23, welcome to the forum you'd rather not need!

As others have said do feel free to tell us a bit more about your diagnosis background and any specific challenges that are perhaps more immediate for you

T3c is a rare form of Diabetes - caused by pancreatic damage - and those of us in this unique club seem to be well under 1% of all people with diabetes (pwd) in the western world.

Just to make matters more difficult that pancreatic damage can be relatively minor and possibly only needing oral meds; that can put someone into a bracket of "as if Type 2", but without the T2 causes which are actually quite different (T2s generally make a lot of their own insulin, but unable to make best use of their own insulin because of strong natural insulin resistance by themselves). T2s are c.90% of all pwd.​

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Some T3cs are considered "as if T1" - totally insulin dependent; but T1s have an autoimmune condition that has resulted in their bodies destroying their own insulin producing beta cells. I am in the extreme end of this "as if T1" category, after a total pancreatectomy to "cure" my pancreatic cancer. I'm totally insulin dependent, but absolutely do NOT have the susceptibility for the autoimmune status and I'm missing all of the normal pancreatic functions; not only no insulin hormone, but no glucagon, somostatin hormones and no digestive enzymes.​

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Other T3cs sit somewhere in between: pancreatic damage reducing their insulin production capability, with possible other damage. Some of these pwd need partial or full extraneous insulin therapy; partial being a background or basal only insulin.​

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Virtually all of us T3cs have a seperate ailment to consider and manage, and often that ailment has to take precedence over their diabetes management. Yet neglecting the D management can make the other ailment worse and even if it doesn't specifically have that secondary consequence, having one's BG too high or low makes us feel dreadful or worse.

Gary Scheiner in his book "Think Like a Pancreas" early on tells his readers that Diabetes is Complicated, Confusing and Contradictory. Scheiner is writing with T1s in mind, but his assessment is even more true for us T3cs. All that said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Things do get easier as you learn to recognise what is happening, learn to respond appropriately and correspondingly your personal D management gets better.

Do feel free to share with us how you are doing. Forum members are very generous in gently helping, sharing their experiences and offering solutions they have found that works for them.

 

[soupdragon]

Welcome @nikkigibsonx23
I'm Type 3c following one attack of severe acute pancreatitis, so I've been treated with insulin from the beginning.
Are you being treated with insulin? If so are you able to let us know which insulin/s? That would help with making any information/advice more relevant. I'm assuming you're also taking Creon (or similar digestive enzymes).
Is there anything you'd like some help with at the moment?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @nikkigibsonx23

I’ve taken the liberty of tweaking your thread title to catch the eye of other T3cs here, but will also tag @eggyg and @martindt1606

Welcome to our happy band of creonistas. How long have you been living with T3c?