type 2 diabetes

i think i'm going to have type 2 diabetes. not now, not yet i hope, but later on in my life. perhaps when i get pregnant, or perhaps around my thirties to fourties.

i have a family history of diabetes.

i have a family member with Type 2 diabetes. let's call her Z.

Research has shown that people are more at risk if there is a history of diabetes in close family members. The closer the relative, the greater your risk of diabetes.

Z, she's got diabetes sometime when she got pregnant. That would be gestational diabetes. it occurs in some women who get pregnant, but it's usually temporary and disappears when pregnancy is over. however, they have greater risks of developing type 2 diabetes in their later life. that's what happened to her i suppose, not only that, she gave birth to a large baby (>4 kg), which also increases the risks of getting diabetes. she's got type 2 diabetes now and she's on medication and everything.

i nv realised what it really means until now. i had to research on diabetes for options and to think i nv even bothered to find out more about diabetes when someone so close to me has it. and others, too, who have it too. now i know so much more about it, everything just fits. whoa.

oh well it's not really a big deal having diabetes. it's just whether u can find out u have it early enough or not. if not...

you can have vision problems, kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart attack, circulation problems, nerve and blood vessel damage, infections and stuff. u can die.

but it's not really a big deal if you have diabetes, u just need to watch your diet and exercise and take medication on time. at least i would be getting type 2, not type 1. type 1 diabetes is more severe, and u need injections daily. no cure yet, kindof more serious than type 2.

still, look at these facts. they call diabetes an "epidemic". more and more ppl are developing diabetes, thanks to lifestyle changes.

Did You Know?

The epidemic nature of diabetes continues to affect ever-increasing numbers of people around the world while public awareness remains low.
- Diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 380 million by 2025.
- Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes.
- Each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes. An even greater number die from cardiovascular disease made worse by diabetes-related lipid disorders and hypertension.
- Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes. (LOOK AT THATT!!!!)
- Every 10 seconds two people develop diabetes.
- Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of global death by disease.
- At least 50% of all people with diabetes are unaware of their condition. In some countries this figure may reach 80%. (THAT'S THE PROBLEM ISN'T IT! >.<)
- Up to 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity. (YES GOOD TO HEAR THAT)
- Diabetes is the largest cause of kidney failure in developed countries and is responsible for huge dialysis costs.
- Type 2 diabetes has become the most frequent condition in people with kidney failure in countries of the Western world. The reported incidence varies between 30% and 40% in countries such as Germany and the USA.
- 10% to 20% of people with diabetes die of renal failure.
- On average, people with type 2 diabetes will die 5-10 years before people without diabetes, mostly due to cardiovascular disease. (I DON'T WANT TO DIE EARLY)
- Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in diabetes, accounting for some 50% of all diabetes fatalities, and much disability.
- People with type 2 diabetes are over twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as people who do not have diabetes. Indeed, people with type 2 diabetes are as likely to suffer a heart attack as people without diabetes who have already had a heart attack.

Sigh but healthy diet, exercise and all won't work so well all the time. T.T

it's kindof weird to know you may be getting some chronic disease, but just not knowing when or whether you really will get it. life can just be so full of surprises.

i kindof feel sad for both boo and Z. especially boo. she's been living with it since 6, i think. sigh. -hugs for boo-

p.s. i still can't believe i've been so apathetic about it when so many i know have diabetes. to think i thought i knew a lot about it. at least i knew more than what some people did, so that's not too bad...still. no wonder they say there's low public awareness

p.s.s. i feel awful about it. i've been taking things for granted and being overconfident about myself.

p.s.s.s. to think i would nv have found out more about diabetes and nv would have bothered to without this options homework! gosh.