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Almost Supermom

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Top 10 Myths About Type 1 Diabetes

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diabetes myths

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. When my oldest daughter was 2 we received the devastating news that she had type 1 diabetes. Since her diagnosis we have had to put to rest many false ideas about what type 1 diabetes really is. I thought it would be great to put all those misconceptions in one place and address the most common myths we hear.

1. People with type 1 diabetes can’t eat sugar –

In reality people with type 1 diabetes can eat anything they want, as long as they give themselves enough insulin to cover the sugar or carbs they eat. It must be said though that sugar isn’t really good for anybody and should be eaten in moderation, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

2. Type 1 diabetes is caused by being overweight –

Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune disease caused by the body attacking the pancreas. It has nothing to do with weight or diet.

3. Adults can’t get type 1 diabetes –

While it is more rare for an adult to get type 1, it happens. My best friend’s husband was diagnosed as an adult. Mary Tyler Moore was also diagnosed as an adult. It can happen at any age.

4. Kids will grow out of type 1 diabetes –

Well meaning friends or family members told me this when my daughter was first diagnosed. “don’t worry, she’ll grow out of it” Sadly that is not the case. She will be insulin dependant for the rest of her life.

5. Artificial sweeteners are good for people with type 1 diabetes –

This one may cause some controversy, but it drives me nuts when kids with diabetes are given artificial sweeteners. There is absolutely no reason for artificial sweeteners in a child’s diet, especially a diabetics. Artificial sweeteners can in fact cause insulin to not function as well.

6. Type 1 diabetes is hereditary –

This one is complicated. Type 1 diabetes is not hereditary. Nobody in my family has ever had type 1 diabetes. However, the autoimmune gene that can cause diabetes, as well as a number of other diseases, can be hereditary.

7. You get type 1 diabetes from eating too much sugar –

Nope, nu-uh, no way. As stated in number 2, nothing that you eat will cause type 1 diabetes. Eating too much sugar can cause a tummy ache, but not diabetes.

8. People with type 1 diabetes can’t play sports –

Bleh! I hate this one. People with type 1 diabetes can play any sports they want, there are many athletes that have type 1 diabetes such as Gary Hall, gold medal winning swimmer in the 2000 summer Olympics and NBA star Adam Morrison.

9. The insulin pump cures type 1 diabetes –

Well meaning friend or stranger: “Isn’t she on a pump?” Me: “Yes, but…” Friend/Stranger: “Well then she is cured, right?” Nope. Not even close. The pump is an amazing piece of equipment that has made our life so much easier, but it hasn’t cured her diabetes, it will never cure her diabetes. She will always need insulin, the pump just makes delivery of that insulin easier and more accurate.

10. Type 1 diabetes can be cured with diet and exercise –

I blame Halle Berry for this one. Halle Berry was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1989. In 2007, she claimed in an interview that she had weaned herself off insulin after changing her diet, pretty much curing her diabetes. Um, what? That is not physically possible, it’s a death sentence to stop insulin if you have type 1 diabetes. The fact is that Ms. Berry was probably misdiagnosed and had type 2 diabetes all along. There is no cure for type 1 diabetes.

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Lovely comments

  1. QueenB says

    November 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    it's amazing to me how many myths there are about SO many illnesses!! thank you for sharing :)
    Reply
  2. DeDa Studios says

    November 5, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    Great tips....I will also be posting about Diabetic Awareness! Such an important topic!
    Reply
  3. Terri @ WDW Hints says

    November 5, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    I couldn't agree more!! You get it!! ;o) I have been given 'looks of shame' when being seen eating a dessert. I have been accused of giving myself Diabetes by eating too much sugar as a kid. And I have even been told that I can cure it by eating a 'better' diet or by eating gluten-free. I've been gluten-free for 5+ years now... nope, still not cured. I just 'love' professional/medical opinions from those who have no experience with Type 1 Diabetes. ;o)
    Reply
    • Almost Supermom says

      November 5, 2013 at 6:51 pm

      I'm SHOCKED at how many "health professionals" no NOTHING about type 1 diabetes. The things I have been told by doctors are unreal!
      Reply
  4. Virginia Higgins says

    November 5, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    Thanks for posting to bring more awareness and debunking the myths!
    Reply
  5. Shauna Torres says

    November 5, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    Thank you for posting this information... very helpful. I remember reading about Bret Micheal having been diabetic for a child and that there is no growing out of it :(
    Reply
  6. Casey Lindberg-Coghill says

    November 5, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Thanks for sharing this information; I will admit that I was in the dark about a few of these things. I have a close friend who has been in shape his entire life and was recently diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. People are always saying things like, "What? But you're not overweight!" to him, just proving how misunderstood the disease really is!
    Reply
  7. Jen B says

    November 5, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    This is great information and many of these myths I was not aware of at all!
    Reply
  8. Helene Bludman says

    November 5, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    Knowledge is power, right? I didn't know about all the myths and I'm sure there are many others like me. I hope your post gets plenty of traction with this important information.
    Reply
  9. Victoria says

    November 5, 2013 at 9:13 pm

    This is a very informative post. I love posts like this where you can find out what is myths and what is facts.
    Reply
  10. Shannah @ Just Us Four says

    November 6, 2013 at 12:19 am

    This is such important information and it really needs to be shared more to get the information out there.
    Reply
  11. k balman says

    November 6, 2013 at 1:09 am

    Great post! I am always astounded by the misconceptions. Even the paramedics and Drs have these misconceptions which is even scarier.
    Reply
  12. Have Kids Will Coupon says

    November 6, 2013 at 1:55 am

    I had no idea. Thanks for the informative post!
    Reply
  13. Mama to 5 says

    November 6, 2013 at 2:12 am

    thank you for the tips, diabetes runs in my family and always worries me that it will carry down to me and my kids.
    Reply
  14. Elizabeth says

    November 6, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Thanks for sharing!!!
    Reply
  15. Jazmin Rode says

    November 6, 2013 at 3:29 am

    I must admit I didn't know a few of these. The one about artificial sweeteners being potentially bad for those with Type 1 diabetes really surprised me. I always figured it was safe.
    Reply
  16. Janeane Davis says

    November 6, 2013 at 4:49 am

    It was great for you to share this information. This is a popular diseases, but many people on't know anything about it. For those of us who read this post, that is no longer the case.
    Reply
  17. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says

    November 6, 2013 at 6:17 am

    I'm glad you're dispelling some of these false beliefs many people have held!
    Reply
  18. Dawn Lopez says

    November 6, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing all of these myth busters, I was definitely in the dark about a lot of these!
    Reply
  19. Emmy Barnes says

    November 7, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    I hate the myth that type 1 diabetes is caused by weight. I have even had doctors to be rude to my sister saying if she wasn't so big she wouldn't have diabetes. Its a genetic disease, just wish doctors were not so rude sometimes.

    By the way my sister is not even close to fat.
    Reply
    • Almost Supermom says

      November 10, 2013 at 1:10 pm

      That is awful!!
      Reply
  20. Shanna says

    November 8, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    Type 1 diabetes is so scary. And quite common. I know 2 adults with it.
    Reply
  21. KatrinaScraps says

    December 21, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    Great article. My daughter is 9 and is a type 1 diabetic. She is an active kid and plays softball. She was once questioned by a family friend at the park when they were celebrating a birthday and she wanted ice cream with a small slice of cake that she wasn't allowed to eat those things. My daughter said that it was fine once in awhile and that I would give her insulin to cover. The family friend then went on to give my then 8 year old a lecture on how she was "TO DEPENDENT" on her insulin, and she needed to learn self-contrtol NOW that she was young! Needless to say that I was not happy and my daughter was crushed. I had words with her but she felt since she was a P.E. teacher and took nutrition that she knew better... It just breaks my heart that she is gonna deal with this FOREVER!!
    Reply
    • Almost Supermom says

      December 30, 2013 at 3:27 pm

      UGH! So sorry that y'all have to go through this too. I spend so much time trying to explain type 1 to people. Fortunately my daughter has a thick skin and will very kindly correct people when they try to tell her how to take care of a disease that she has had for almost 13 years....sigh.... Hugs momma!
      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      February 20, 2014 at 11:44 am

      oh my goodness as a 13 yr old t1d i cant even begin to feel how you and your daughter must have felt to her that, for someone to say she was too dependent on insulin when t1d are insulin dependent people say that they are these professionals but really its the people that live with it every day that should be the professionals!!!
      Reply
  22. Sarah Biesen says

    December 30, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    My son is 5, and he was diagnosed with T1D September 2012. We knew nothing about it when he was diagnosed. We thought that it was something hereditary, but, as you've said, it's complicated. Also, the chances of having another T1D child go up, if you already have a T1D child. It is definitely a learning and teaching experience! :)
    Reply
    • Olivia Ivey says

      March 11, 2015 at 5:59 am

      Hello Sarah, My brother and I both were diagnosed with Type I Diabetes a year apart to the day. If you have more than one child the chance of it happening again is probably extremely worrisome. I just wanted to let you know, even if you eventually have more children that are diagnosed with this disease, it is not all bad news. My brother and I relied on each other and growing up really helped each other cope. It is hard to deal with this, however, it is easier to know as a child that you are not alone. In a way it brought us closer during our childhood, and now it is not a "big deal" to either one of us because we always had each other to confide in and relate to during those difficult childhood years. If you would like to ask any questions or communicate please feel free to contact me, and good luck on your journey through this learning experience!
      Reply
  23. Barbara Micklo says

    January 1, 2014 at 6:35 am

    IT'S SO HAD TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE ABOUT TYPE 1 MY FAVORITE ONE I GET ALL THE TIME IS " BUT YOUR KIDS ARE NOT FAT THERE THIN" REALLY THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE DIABETES. MY 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MY 6 YR OLD SON BOTH HAVE TYPE 1. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS
    Reply
  24. Jenni says

    May 30, 2014 at 3:33 am

    yep, I wish type 1 and 2 and different names. Or maybe type 1 was just called "broken pancreas disease" And I agree about the artificial sweeteners, most of the them are terrible, especially aspartame and I would never give my child with type 1, but there are some "sugar substitutes" like xylitol, that are healthy and safe and that don't raise my daughters blood sugar at all.
    Reply
  25. Sinea Pies says

    June 5, 2014 at 1:19 am

    My husband went from type 2 to being insulin dependent. Does that make him now type 1 or is it "curable" with diet and exercise. I have been very unclear about that. Sinea Pies recently posted...Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop #76My Profile
    Reply
    • Jordyn says

      June 5, 2014 at 3:04 am

      Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune condition where the pancreas doesn't produce insulin at all. Type 2 is when the body still produces insulin, just not enough to support the body completely. It is possible to be dependent on insulin when you are type 2. Type 2 can be controlled and cured by diet and exercise. I'm not a doctor, but I suspect that your husband is an insulin dependent type 2, but the only way to know for sure is to have his doctor perform and antibody test. Does that help a bit?
      Reply
      • Sinea Pies says

        June 5, 2014 at 4:07 am

        Sure does. Thank you. Sinea Pies recently posted...Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop #76My Profile
        Reply
  26. Olivia Ivey says

    March 11, 2015 at 5:45 am

    Thank you for making this list! I have had type I diabetes since I was 15 months old. I can not remember a time I did not have this disease. I am now 26 years old and have encountered every one of these myths. I have been told that people with serious diseases should be sterilized so as to prevent the disease from spreading further.I have been told that anyone with any form of Diabetes deserves it because they must have been living unhealthy lifestyles. It really is insane to hear some of the things that come out of ignorant mouths in regards to this disease. Consolation for me rested in knowing that some people are ignorant and it is their decision to remain uneducated. So again, thank you for trying to educate people on very common myths about Type I Diabetes.
    Reply
  27. Sheila says

    April 7, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    Great post! My daughter was diagnosed with T1D when she was five. Only 6 months ago. We too have heard all those myths. It can be so frustrating. My daughter and I both have Celiac Disease and have to eat gluten free - I'll be checking out those recipes! :)
    Reply
  28. Richard says

    February 16, 2017 at 7:34 am

    I'm curious to know where these myths come from. Some is just ordinary ignorance, with type 2 now being all over the news, with little to no explanation provided by the reporter as to it being different to type 1 there's confusion, but I hear very little from Diabetes UK in raising awareness of what type 1 actually is and clarifying it is not type 2 and isn't caused in the same way. General diabetes education is very, very poor, I've encountered doctors and nurses who told me that I could get off insulin if I lost weight. I hope they got refunds from their medical schools...
    Reply

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