Jo's Cafe

Okay, so some of you read the “sticky” post and went .. “What the heck is Type II Diabetes?”

Well, from KidsHealth.org via Yahoo! News …

What Is Type 2 Diabetes? There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes cause blood sugar levels to become higher than normal. However, they cause high blood sugar levels to occur in different ways.

Type 1 diabetes (formerly called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes) occurs when the person’s own immune system attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Children with type 1 diabetes need insulin to help keep their blood sugar levels within a normal range.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes) is different. In contrast to someone with type 1 diabetes, someone with type 2 diabetes still produces insulin. But the body doesn’t respond to the insulin normally. Glucose is less able to enter the cells and do its job of supplying energy (doctors call this insulin resistance). This causes the blood sugar level to rise, making the pancreas produce even more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can wear out from working overtime to produce extra insulin. Then, the pancreas may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to keep a person’s blood sugar levels within a normal range.

People with insulin resistance may or may not develop type 2 diabetes – it all depends on whether the pancreas can produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal. Repeatedly high blood sugar levels are a sign that a person has developed diabetes.

Children and teens with type 2 diabetes use diet, exercise, and medicines that improve the body’s response to insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Sometimes kids and teens with type 2 diabetes may need to take insulin shots or use an insulin pump, too.

This is the condition I have. I went from a size 14 to a size 6 within a six month time period. Now some of you might say, “Well aren’t all women trying to loose weight?” Har har … that is true and at first I was so glad to be out of them HUGE ass size 14s. I felt like a whale. At 5′3″, I looked likes ass too. BUT, there was a point toward the diagnoses time that I was loosing too much too fast. I went from a size 10 to a size 6 in 3 weeks. Yes, that’s right, 3 weeks. I was buying new clothes at different sizes every weekend. I finally called the doctor and said, “Okay, size 6 at 123# is great, but I look like I’ve escaped from a concentration camp.” He did a blood glucose test on me and at 2:30 in the afternoon, my blood sugar was a 447. Normal, per the ADA and my doctor, is between 90 and 110. (Just if you’re wondering — this mornings fasting BG was 92.) I went on medication, got a meter, started exercising and eating semi-right. The medication put weight back on me, mainly because it was helping my body to use the sugar like it was suppose to – storing it into my fat cells.

I am no longer a size 6 or 123#. I’m almost back to a 12 (ugh) and we won’t discuss the weight. However, as I noted above, due to the medication I’m taking (another post for that), I no longer look unhealthy and hopefully my body is not damaged from the time I was not in control.