My niece has type 1 diabetes at age 13, and has to inject insulin. Does that mean her lifespan will be shorter? Worried for her.?

Not necessarily. With insulin and various other medications, she can live a full, long life, get married, have children, play sports and do everything that any non-diabetic can do.

The key is control. It is challenging, but millions of insulin using diabetics manage every day. If she has not already received it, she may want to get training in carb counting, and to learn what her carb:insulin ratio is - that is, what number of grams of carbs requires what number of unit of insulin. Once you know that and are accustomed to assessing the amount of carbs in everything you eat, then you can make each insulin injection just large enough to deal with the cabs in that meal.

She also needs to carry her blood glucose meter, lancing device, test strips and glucose tablets with her ALWAYS. She needs to test frequenter. Before and after each meal and before bedtime as a minimum. If she is involved in any sports, then she should also test before and after the event - and during the event is she feels light headed. Exercise, even mild, can cause large drops in blood sugar levels when one is using insulin, so she needs to know how it affects her

She should always, always have one or more rolls of glucose tablets with her. Low blood sugars can occur at any time and having glucose tablets available can, literally, be a life saving accessory.

She should also be able to get a prescription for a Glucagon pen. That is an injection kit of a substance called glucagon. That can be used for an emergency injection in the event of her passing out from having too low glucose levels. Glucagon stimulates an immediate release of glucose from the liver and can save her life. A teacher, school nurse, coach, parent or other responsible person(s) can have that with them and can use it if the need arises.

The most serious complications that she <<can>> avoid with good control are eye, kidney and nerve problems.

I have been dealing with type 2 diabetes for almost 50 years, have been on oral medications, meal time insulin, long acting insulin and other medications in some combination for much of that time. I have experienced lows that needed immediate glucose tablets or a sugary drink, highs that needed extra insulin and some of the complications. Aside from seeing more doctors more often than non-diabetics, my life has been quite a lot like everyone one else I know. I have traveled internationally, married, had children, played sports and done anything that I really wanted to do.

Some locales have support groups where she can meet other diabetics and talk about what they are doing, how their treatments are working, what they are worried about and so on. Her doctor may be able to tell her about those, or you may find one through the ADA website:

http://www.diabetes.org/

The main thing is to be able to adapt. Diabetes is NOT a disability. It is simply a condition to which you adjust and which you treat appropriately. She can live as normal a life as anyone else.

Good luck to her and to you as you support her as she learns how to cope.

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The reality is that Type 1's today have an average lifespan of about 10-15 years less than those without Type 1. Yes, we have amazing tools that we didn't have when I was diagnosed 30+ years ago like insulin pumps, meters, and continuous glucose monitoring, but these are not a substitute for a functioning pancreas. Insulin is not a cure. My analogy is living in an old drafty house that you have to keep constantly between 65-67 degrees or it will get another crack each time. But your thermostat is broken and you only have a wood stove, a fan and an icebox. You do the best you can to simulate the work that a thermostat automatically does, but it doesn't always work. And over time this can take a toll on the body, because nearly everything in our bodies is affected by our circulatory system. The great news is that she will probably be able to lead a full and long life. Just be supportive and let her vent sometimes, because it's a struggle she will have to keep up 24/7.

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No, not necessarily. If she looks after herself properly and does everything right, then no. If she takes control of it every day she will most likely lead a perfectly, normal and healthy lifestyle. I've lived with type 1 diabetes for 16 years now and I'm in perfectly good health and I'm planning to keep it that way.

She will be fine :) as long as she eats properly, never misses her insulin, does regular blood tests, keeps up with doctors appointments etc.. she can live just as long as anyone else. :)

I've been a type 1 for 25 years now, had a perfect pregnancy with my son, who was born 100% healthy with no problems at all and didn't take long to get pregnant with him either, lol and my recent check up and tests showed that my kidneys, liver, heart etc... are all still in perfect condition.

So being diabetic doesn't mean things will get bad and your life will be cut short.

my grandfather lived to 85 with type 1 diabetes, my father to age 78

If she watches her diet and folows doctors instuctions with the insuin etc she should lead a normal life, probably have probems conceiving and might die a few years before other elderly people.

Doesnt decrease life span.

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