Type 2 misconception.

[Steff]

When I read about type 2 and how it is described I often see it says it usually occurs in people over 40, i am seeing more and more that is simply not true, for instance my own case i was 26 and diagnosed and i know some others in here are below 40 years of age and type 2 ..I just think when it is happening more and more often that it should be termed in a better way.
Just my thoughts anyway.

 

[Northerner]

Steffie, I agree with you. Statistically it may still be true that most people are diagnosed Type 2 over 40, but the number below that age is becoming more common.

I have the misconception from the other angle - Type 1 is supposed to afflict people in childhood or early adulthood, but I was 49! As you are finding, I to am finding there are many, many people in their 30s and older getting diagnosed as Type 1. The divisions just help to complicate things for the general public - and some healthcare professionals! - as they make big assumptions about your type according to your age.

 

[tracey w]

Yep, I was 42. And based on that alone was diagnosed as type 2 😱

 

[Copepod]

"Usually" means more often than not, and it's still true that more people when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are over 40 years, just as more people when diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are under 40 years. That doesn't mean that no-one over over years gets type 1 diabetes, nor that no-one under 40 years gets type 2 diabetes. So, as long as "usually" is always in the statement, I hope that includes 26 year olds diagnosed with type 2 diabetes like Steff and 49 year olds diagnosed with type 1 diabetes like Northerner. I feel the more important issue is that everyone, regardless of age or condition gets appropriate support and treatment. The NHS can't do everything, which is why I hope this board is useful to some, whether they post or lurk.

As an alternative example - how many assume that everyone diagnosed with breast cancer is female? Some men are diagnosed every year - and probably find pink waiting rooms and talk about bras less than helpful.

 

[karinagal]

As an alternative example - how many assume that everyone diagnosed with breast cancer is female? Some men are diagnosed every year - and probably find pink waiting rooms and talk about bras less than helpful.

This is true, and from what I have seen/heard there is a HUGE stigma attached to it. Along with the fact that it is even harder for a man to have a mammogram..

There are misconceptions attached to virtually all illnesses/conditions, and I think as you say Copepod as long as we get the right treatment/help/diagnosis we can learn to live with the confusion caused when we find ourselves in the 'outwith the accepted norm' category!

 

[Steff]

Thank you some good points made.

 

[Copepod]

Karinagal - Always good to see / hear "outwith" - doesn't happen often in England, but luckily I learned it from my Scottish grandparents, who still used the word, despite moving to England in 1930s, until their deaths in 1990s.

 

[williammcd]

there are so many misconception associated with type 2, in about 20 years time they will finally admit that being overweight is only a contributing factor not the cause ,my father was like a pin yet was type 2 /my older sister like me is overweight I'm [4stne according to my nurse] both type 2 ,my younger sister i would`nt say is overweight type 2 ,
as for myself i was told by my doc the biggest contributing factor to me was that i was on cimetadine and other tummy drugs for over 40 years after drinking domestos as a child as my mother lay flat out in a diabetic sleep way back in 1964-65,

 

[karinagal]

Karinagal - Always good to see / hear "outwith" - doesn't happen often in England, but luckily I learned it from my Scottish grandparents, who still used the word, despite moving to England in 1930s, until their deaths in 1990s.

That's what happens when you're a civil servant, you find ways to use words/language that nobody knows/understands!! It's all in the handbook that we get at the induction course... 😉😉