Type II Diabetes

Hi I know diabetes type 1 is not genetic or contagious but I was wondering if pancreatis could give you diabetes or anything else such as giving your body to much sugar so the insulin cannot keep up and works so vigorously, the beta cells get worn out. Any help would be appreciated! I was just curious!

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body is attacking itself. In this case, the body is destroying its own beta cells, which are the cells that help produce insulin. It usually develops in younger people, usually under the age of 15 or 20. You can’t give yourself type 1 diabetes, and you can’t do anything to avoid getting it.

People can increase their chances of developing type 2 by not exercising, having bad eating habits, or taking certain prescription medications like the steroid Prednisone for long periods of time. Untreated pancreatitis can also increase the chances of developing type 2, and in some cases, directly cause its onset.

There’s a theory floating around that giving yourself just a little bit of insulin everyday for a long period of time can cause your body to slowly stop producing its own and become dependent on the outside source. This could cause diabetes, but it’s only an idea as far as I know. No one in their right mind would be dumb enough to test it because too much insulin is dangerous, low blood sugar sucks, and there’s no guide as to the "safe" level for outside insulin in non diabetics.

Hope this at least partly satisfied your curiosity!

Is this normal progress? I went from one pill for 14 days, to 2 pills. I have cut sugar and am following a low carb diet…Doctor seems ok w/progress. Anything else I should be doing? Original count was 288. Thanks in advance.

If your original count was 288, count your blessings! You are making great strides. Be sure to know that getting your blood glucose levels under control is something that does not happen overnight for everyone. It’s a process.

I am the Program Director for ADA in Chesapeake, VA. I am not sure if you are local, but no matter where you go, people will tell you to keep doing what you’re doing and add exercise to it. Working out is another huge proponent in getting your blood glucose under control. For someone with diabetes to go from 288 to 140, you are doing well. 140 is not horrible. Good job.

If you would like to ask more questions, feel free to email me at jthompson@diabetes.org. I would be glad to help you if I can, it seems like you’re on the right track by yourself.

While type 2 diabetes cannot be reverse, complications can be prevented by maintaining a healthy body weight, eating several small meals a day and exercising regularly. Take diabetes medications as prescribed by a doctor with advice from a family nurse practitioner in this free video on diabetes treatments.

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