Suggestion...

Claire,

It's not the wrong place, it's just that there is only so much bandwidth available to the website owner and since he makes the decisions about forums he prefers the diabetes people all go to one place. The only suggestion I can offer is that the T1 's set up their own chat night to share ideas in the chat room and also that you preface your posts with "T1" in the subject to catch their attention.

This isn't a perfect solution but it's the best I can offer. Also, one of the T1 members could offer their help to Moderate the T1 posts. Your knowlege about T1 is valuable to all the T1 members and your needs often differ from the T2's. I wish I could be more helpful and I hope you understand the space issue.

Hi Jeannie and Sunday - thanks for your replies.

I have to be honest I was being quite simplistic and didn't really think through how complicated it would be to set up separate forums.  The only thing I can think of is that we specify whether it's t1 or t2 related in the subject header when posting new threads, but that doesn't stop all people contributing (and shouldn't really).  I just think it gets really complicated, especially for newly diagnosed t1s, when they get advice from t2s - I don't doubt for a second it's well meaning, of course.  I guess we just need to point out to t2s that these are really two different diseases and maybe we call need to ponder a moment about whether the advice we give really is useful or not.

For any people reading who are not sure what the differences are I'll try to briefly explain:

Type 1 (was called Juvenile) usually occurs in young people and children.  It's an autoimmune disease where the insulin-producing cells are attacked by our own antibodies (probably after a virus) and therefore the body no longer makes insulin.  This is why we have to inject insulin.

Type 2 usually occurs in older people (but not always).  It can be caused by lifestyle and/or genetic pre-disposition (I'm not implying that all people who develop it bring it on themselves, though) and happens because the body no longer can absorb the insulin even though it still makes it.  Type 2s use any combination of diet, medication, exercise and insulin.

I don't know anything about gestational diabetes so I won't even comment about that, and there are other forms such as 'water' diabetes but I won't go into them either as I don't know much at all.  I just wanted to point out how very different the types really are.  I'm really not using this to attack anyone and would hate for anyone to be offended at all.  The moderators especially are excellent here and I agree with what Sunday has said about Jeannie.

Claire x

Hi Sunday and Claire,

I bite my tongue in frustration sooooo many times with the irrelavent posts that happen in a thread addressing T1 problems.  It IS a very different incarnation of the same disease and people don't realize the implications for how you have to dose your meds, the psycological aspects, as well as the different physiological complications.  Your points are well taken and Jeannie and I will do our best to identify T1 topics when they are posted and try to keep people on track.  Since it is a support forum I will never discourage anyone from offering heart felt support but I certainly will discourage people from trying to post dietary, herbal, (you know the type) of solutions to type one questions!  I think because there are crossover topics, T1's can actually teach T2's that become insulin dependant lottsa useful things so this is one of the reasons I favor having the two topics under one roof.

So, yes, I will pay more attention to weeding out the irrelavence in T1 topics and try to make these threads more meaningful. (and I didn't mean to exclude Jeannie as Im sure she will also)

Warren

You two make a terrific team. Thanks.

Oops; Rookie mistake. Thanks for reminding us of Al aka Pin Cushion's presence and role.

The differences are not small, desertdiabetic. Ask any board-certified endocrinologist. My own endo would like to see them re-named! I respectfully submit that you are Wrong. And that's the point of this thread. That there are substantial differences and a large number of t2s don't understand that fact! You've had t2 for about 17 months. I've been t1 for over 40 years. Friends whom have known me for most of my life and therefore know quite a bit about t1 by now - and whom have recently be diagnosed t2 will tell you that you don't have clue if you honestly believe that the "differences are really small."

Just off the top of my head:
Cause.
Treatment.
Duration.
Complications (chronologies, risk profiles, risk and side-effects of long-term preventative treatments such as statins and kidney medications prior to complication diagnoses, ETC.)
Mortality rates.
The lists within these categories are extensive.

I see the cause, that is obvious - though it should not make any difference in understanding the disease - once a type 1 is diagnosed the cause is only academic - other than when a 'cure' is found. Though a cure for type 1 would be very useful for a type to also.

Treatment is similar in many cases. I don't take insulin and you probably don't take medications I do - though some type 1's do.

Duration I don't understand what you mean by that. There are only 24 hours in a day and only one lifetime. Type 1 does not go away nor does type 2 it that is what you meant.

Complications I don't believe are any different. the reason for the complicatons come from the same basic cause - Type 2 is progressive while type 1 is severe from day one(so to speak - I know it sometimes comes on more slowly for some, but is very quick in the big picture). The insulin resistence in type 2 and being progressive takes away some of the ability to stay in ranges that hold off complications while type 1's don't develop the insulin resistance in time - though there is some talk about this happening to some degree.

Mortality rate - I have no clue what any mortality rate is for any disease. I do know type 2's die at a terrible rate due to complications.

After you get over the way we contract diabetes what is done day to day so different? Again, I am not referring to you and I, I am talking about diabetics overall. I have been yelled at for saying that there are different stages of type 2. I already understand that you deal with a 'life threatening' situation every day - insulin where as I do not. There are so many differences within type 2 just on the subject of diet - some people cannot give up eating their favorite foods - it is a mental thing - not a difference in types

I am not tryin to be difficult here - I have been on both sides of the road here. I think there are many differences - but not the type of differences that make helping each other not possible. I find that thinking demeaning to someone - not necessarily to me. I don't comment on insulin threads unless there is a general point that can be made. i agree with you on the endless answers that don't take into consideration what the differences are. i do take exception to what you(Sunday) said about not getting envolved in type 2 threads because you don't have any experience there. You are wrong there. You probably understand the cause and affect with foods and what exercise does to blood glucose levels or --- well, many things. It helps type 2's to know your experiences as well as just type 2's. A lot of people read these forums that get something from just about everybodies answers if they apply to them - you don't know who you are talking to when you answer - I go periods of time when I don't answer, just observe - and learn a lot, sometimes.

Personally,(stupid statement really, who else would I be talking about) I think we are better off finding things that make us similar than keeping with what makes us different.

I think it would be much different. I can't think of any sub-topic (cause, treatment, complications, exercise, diet, lifestyle, research, cures, mortality, etc.) where the information is all the same or the experiences comes from the same background.

I also think that the contentiousness is growing and I'm not wanting for it to get any worse, so I'm going to read but not post here anymore. I don't think I'm helping and my frustration isn't shared by the majority here who are t2. Perhaps the better part of valor is to simply recognize that t1s are a much smaller group and that t2s as a general population might not understand the differences. That said, I hope our t1 numbers stay small, and that one day, both types (and type 1.5, too!) are cured.

Namaste.