Type 2 diabetes is easier to live with than type 1. The difficulty it is not a matter of choice. If a selection could be made then it would obviously be preferable to decline the experience of any type of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a usually diagnosed in the young. Both types are lifelong diseases. With type 1 insulin producing cells in the pancreas are damaged or destroyed leaving insufficient to produce necessary quantities of this vital enzyme.
For juvenile onset diabetes as type 1 is also known there is only one treatment option. Insulin has to be taken by injection or via an insulin pump. It is perfectly possible to lead a normal lifestyle with type 1 diabetes. Indeed some have achieved great success in sporting endeavours in spite of the disease. Ham Richardson, the top U.S. tennis player in the mid-fifties, was diagnosed at the age of fifteen and he lived to be 73 (New York Times).
With insulin resistant diabetes, as type 2 is often known, the body still produces insulin but it is not used properly. The symptoms of both types of diabetes are the same. The patient experiences thirst, the need to urinate frequently, urinary tract and skin infections, moodiness and unexplained fatigue (My Dr). Type 2 diabetes is often not diagnosed until the patient is over 50 years old.
The treatment options for type 2 diabetes are far more varied compared with the “insulin only” possibility with the type 1 disease (Mayo Clinic). Bad lifestyle choices are often given as a reason for the development of type 2 diabetes (Better Health Channel). Healthier choices of food and exercise are often enough to successfully control type 2 diabetes but there are drugs that are useful also (Diabetes Australia). The effectiveness and progress of treatment is monitored by the use of a glucometer (Northern Territory Government). This instrument provides a reading from a sample of blood produced by a pinprick at a fingertip of the body’s glucose level.
Whatever treatment regime is proposed it is important to follow it closely. There is no cure for either type of diabetes. The consequences of untreated or badly managed diabetes are severe and often irreversible. These include heart disease, stroke, blindness and amputations (Live Strong). An exercise program and a healthy diet is a small price to pay for avoiding these outcomes.
Given the problems that can result from diabetes and the relative ease of treatment and monitoring it would be very foolish not to adopt a proven course of treatment. This is especially the case because, with care, a close to normal lifestyle is possible well into late old age. Living with diabetes is easier than dealing with most other chronic conditions and need not be a cause for alarm and despondency.
References:
New York Times : http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/sports/tennis/08richardson.html
My Dr : http://www.mydr.com.au/diabetes/type-2-diabetes
Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
Better Health Channel : http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Diabetes_Type_2
Diabetes Australia : http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Living-with-Diabetes/Type-2-Diabetes/Managing-Type-2-Diabetes/
Northern Territory Government : Health Department : http://remotehealthatlas.nt.gov.au/glucometers.pdf
Live Strong : http://www.livestrong.com/article/161822-consequences-of-untreated-diabetes/