Finally delurking

[fr8pilot1]

Boris,

Welcome to HF.

[SlowBro]

5% of the US population is diagnosed with diabetes and another 2% to 10% are undiagnosed with a lesser degree of diabetes. That diagnosis usually comes because they have hypoinsulinemia in which the body doesn't produce enough (or any) insulin and the options are to either fall over dead or start managing it. If somebody is sweaty, trembling, fainting, etc, it's pretty obvious that they need medical help and they end up with a diagnosis and a treatment. On the other end of the homo sapiens bell curve, hyperinsulemia doesn't cause those easy symptoms. Instead its symptoms are weight gain, sugar cravings, intense hunger, fatigue, memory loss, emotional instability, and lack of motivation. In other words fat, lazy, and cranky but NOT passing out or dying so nobody calls an ambulance, there's no diagnosis other than being shunned by society, and there's no treatment.

Actually the stats are that the vast majority of diabetics in the US are Type 2 or insulin resistant diabetes. They generally make plenty of insulin, but their bodies can't use it very well. They are insensitive to insulin to some degree. As a result their bodies make too much insulin trying to compensate. Type 1 diabetics (they don't make any insulin) make up only 5-10 percent of diabetics in the US and Type 1 is much more prevalent in kids than adults. Folks with "weight gain, sugar cravings, intense hunger, fatigue, memory loss, emotional instability, and lack of motivation" and I'll include increased thirst, and increased urination are exhibiting most of the symptoms of early Type 2 diabetics. Checking a blood test called a Hemoglobin A1C can confirm the diagnosis. Weight gain is one of the triggers of type 2 diabetes in people who are predisposed by genetics (i.e their parents were diabetic).

BL- I am really impressed with your before and after pics. Quite an accomplisment.
-Mark