Down at the ‘sharp end’ of diabetes (pun intended), I think we all realise that the needs of T1s and T2s, though similar, are fundamentally different.
For years after I was first diagnosed I insisted that ‘diabetic was diabetic’ and it took me a long time to appreciate the difference between pancreatic dysfunction and insulin resistance. This fundamental difference in the afflictions means a fundamental difference in the management of them, but the consequences of mismanagement are the same! What this says to me is that although we need to talk about and treat T1 and T2 diabetes separately, the victims of both types need to present a united face to the world, and especially the powers that be.
I’ve gained so much from this site, which, although it was intended for T1s has made me very welcome as a token T2. It has given me insight into a world that is vastly different from my own, but where we are tied together by a need to artificially control our blood sugars. I didn’t realise for instance, that a couple of units of insulin can make the difference between stable and hypo, and I’m sure some of you T1s didn’t realise that I could inject quantities of insulin that would put you T1s into an irreversible coma. @neobrainless mentioned prevention, and whilst I agree that many T2s could have been prevented, mainly by controlling obesity, I can’t see any way that T1 diabetes can be foreseen, let alone prevented, and the same goes for a core number of T2s.
What we have to remember though. is that the prognosis for both types can potentially lead to life changing events like blindness, kidney failure, amputation, and heart failure. T1 or T2, the consequences of mismanagement are the same, and this is why we must present a united face to the world.
The causes may be different, but we are all insulin dependant!