[mountainlion]

Even if the biggest discovery in medical treatments is made it will be questioned because of our current disaster.

[Phlap]

My doctor told me the bad news was that I had diabetes but the good news was that I had type 1, so I could be hopeful for a cure to be found. Not optimistic but hopeful. That was in 1981. Since then the insulin has improved but I still need to take it by injection. Initially it was once a day but now it is 4 times a day. On the upside, most of the people diagnosed on the same day I was are no longer with us.

[Myrddin]

My wife was termed a type 2 diabetic, but required insulin. She was really a type 1 and that was driven home when she had Diabetic Keto Acidosis (DKA) that triggered a grand mal (tonic/clonic) seizure. Her glucose was about 480 and her ketones were high. DKA occurs when insufficient insulin is injected. The body is "starving" for glucose even with a high level of blood glucose. A shift to ketone metabolism occurs in an attempt to survive. It's a dangerous shift. The body seeks to get rid of the ketones with increased breathing. That drives out the proper balance of C02 setting the stage for a seizure. After the seizure, an ambulance ride, lots of tests. $100k in medical expenses.

Another seizure occurred months later. Ketones and blood glucose were just fine. Diagnosis: abnormal waveforms on the left parietal lobe. Epileptic medication is now added to a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump. It's still a challenge to control blood glucose.