TMI thread. Discussion of sensitive ADULT issues/triggers. Enter with awareness!

[APerfectLie]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

So John, how much of diabetes is genetic?
Does it run in your family?

Type 1 diabetes is tricky. Type 2 diabetes is very clearly caused by genetics, age, and/or lifestyle. They know that type one diabetes is not caused by your lifestyle or age, however, it is not clearly genetic either. I am the only person in my family with type one diabetes, but some families seem to have multiple type one diabetics. They don't know what causes diabetes, but it is clearly autoimmune. Something causes the immune system to attack the insulin producing cells. Some argue it is caused by a lack of vitamin d, some say it is because our environment has been made so clean the immune system no longer has to spend its time attacking so many foreign invaders that it decides to kill time by attacking the bodies own parts, others say it is strictly genetics. But at the end of the day, we still don't know.

[APerfectLie]

Originally Posted by Nikolaj

No-one answered, what's the difference between a tampon and a pad? Is one more comfortable than the other one, and do both do the job as well?

I believe a pad is simply a pad that stays on the outside and absorbs the blood, whereas a tampon is shoved inside the vag.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by petep9000

I would think the pad feels wet and mushy when it's ready to be changed. Tampons probably are better.

I can't imagine having to deal with that, several days a month....

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

Type 1 diabetes is tricky. Type 2 diabetes is very clearly caused by genetics, age, and/or lifestyle. They know that type one diabetes is not caused by your lifestyle or age, however, it is not clearly genetic either. I am the only person in my family with type one diabetes, but some families seem to have multiple type one diabetics. They don't know what causes diabetes, but it is clearly autoimmune. Something causes the immune system to attack the insulin producing cells. Some argue it is caused by a lack of vitamin d, some say it is because our environment has been made so clean the immune system no longer has to spend its time attacking so many foreign invaders that it decides to kill time by attacking the bodies own parts, others say it is strictly genetics. But at the end of the day, we still don't know.

So how long have you been diabetic? Does the "illness" progressively get worse?

[TerraRhiannon]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

I believe a pad is simply a pad that stays on the outside and absorbs the blood, whereas a tampon is shoved inside the vag.

I so wish I could 'like' posts. Like, damn. Good description, John, couldn't have described it better myself. 'shoved'. And to whomever asked, pads don't really get mushy or wet when they're ready to come off, at least mine don't. Of course if they overflow they will, but technically they're alright.

[bucklind17]

Originally Posted by TerraRhiannon

I so wish I could 'like' posts. Like, damn. Good description, John, couldn't have described it better myself. 'shoved'. And to whomever asked, pads don't really get mushy or wet when they're ready to come off, at least mine don't. Of course if they overflow they will, but technically they're alright.

Yes, because women would actually stand for walking around with mushy and wet stuff in their pants. They're very absorbant and very thin.

[TerraRhiannon]

Originally Posted by bucklind17

Yes, because women would actually stand for walking around with mushy and wet stuff in their pants. They're very absorbant and very thin.

Yea exactly, this is something I guess men will just never comprehend or understand fully,

[APerfectLie]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

So how long have you been diabetic? Does the "illness" progressively get worse?

I've been a diabetic for 7 years. The illness itself does not really get progressively worse. If you gain weight or become less active, your blood sugar can become harder to manage, but the disease does not become progressively worse on its own such as cancer or AIDS. People usually do not die from diabetes or high blood sugar itself (even tho it does happen), what people usually die from are the complications that arise from diabetes. When your blood sugar is high, it causes damage to every organ and blood vessel in the body. Over time, this can lead to poor circulation and nerve problems, which can make injuries turn into gangrene very quickly, cause blindness, loss of feeling, kidney failure, heart failure, heart attacks and strokes. The disease itself is a bitch, but the things that arise from the disease are even more of a bitch. Diabetes accounts for 44% of new cases of kidney failure, 60% of amputations, and is the leading cause of blindness.

[HomerMcvie]

Ah, I never really understood why so many diabetics were amputees. Now, I understand.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with this sh*t.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

I've been a diabetic for 7 years. The illness itself does not really get progressively worse. If you gain weight or become less active, your blood sugar can become harder to manage, but the disease does not become progressively worse on its own such as cancer or AIDS. People usually do not die from diabetes or high blood sugar itself (even tho it does happen), what people usually die from are the complications that arise from diabetes. When your blood sugar is high, it causes damage to every organ and blood vessel in the body. Over time, this can lead to poor circulation and nerve problems, which can make injuries turn into gangrene very quickly, cause blindness, loss of feeling, kidney failure, heart failure, heart attacks and strokes. The disease itself is a bitch, but the things that arise from the disease are even more of a bitch. Diabetes accounts for 44% of new cases of kidney failure, 60% of amputations, and is the leading cause of blindness.

Well, it does get worse in the sense that the pancreatic beta cells producing endogenous insulin die off over time as the underlying pathology (i.e., autoimmune process) continues unabated. This invariably means having to increase meds/insulin to compensate. But, yes, it's the complications of the disease that are the most worrisome rather than the disease itself. I am confident that a cure for Type 1 diabetes that addresses it from the immune side of things will be found in our lifetimes.

[Nikolaj]

My mom's been diabetic for about 33 years, and has been legally blind for about 5 years now.
Thanks for all the info a while back, a perfectlie. Her doctor said she isn't a candidate for the insulin pump because of her age (70s) and that while the pump is great for many diabetics, not for her. We were disappointed. So, it's still testing 3 times a day, and Novaflex 3 times a day (insulin pen) and then Lantis before bed. She's been shooting up insulin 4 times a day for many years now.
It seems now that she's older, the 'highs' aren't nearly as dangerous as the low numbers, and her doctor has adjusted the insulin so she runs a little bit high to keep her readings from being under 100. It's been working.
But it was probably the highs during the decades that caused her vision to go.
The hard part now is keeping her appetite up, so she can take the Insulin.
I think it's time for new questions, Hejira so far was the one who came up with the qs that jumpstarted this idea. Next post--

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by TerraRhiannon

Yea exactly, this is something I guess men will just never comprehend or understand fully,

I just remember as a kid back in the 1970s that my mother (who was totally about the pad; you're welcome.) had boxes of these ginormous pads in her closet. I mean, each one literally looked like one of those travel-size boxes of facial tissue. I used to imagine that, on those really heavy flow days, that the pad wearer would feel a glurb of fluid sloshing around the nether regions every time she sat down. It was probably not unlike wearing a wet diaper. And being the inquisitive imp that I was, I used to conduct experiments with them- how much fluid one of these things could hold without leaking. I only recall that it wasn't as much as I had assumed.

Okay, now for all you tampon wearers... once it's in, are you constantly reminded that something is jammed up there, or do you not notice it? If so, do you ever forget to take it out? Has the string ever accidentally broken off? Have you ever lost track of the calendar or forgotten to take pre-emptive measures? Do you cringe every time you hear U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday?"

[bucklind17]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I just remember as a kid back in the 1970s that my mother (who was totally about the pad; you're welcome.) had boxes of these ginormous pads in her closet. I mean, each one literally looked like one of those travel-size boxes of facial tissue. I used to imagine that, on those really heavy flow days, that the pad wearer would feel a glurb of fluid sloshing around the nether regions every time she sat down. It was probably not unlike wearing a wet diaper. And being the inquisitive imp that I was, I used to conduct experiments with them- how much fluid one of these things could hold without leaking. I only recall that it wasn't as much as I had assumed.

Okay, now for all you tampon wearers... once it's in, are you constantly reminded that something is jammed up there, or do you not notice it? If so, do you ever forget to take it out? Has the string ever accidentally broken off? Have you ever lost track of the calendar or forgotten to take pre-emptive measures? Do you cringe every time you hear U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday?"

I grew up reading "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret", so when the time came, I thought I was going to need a belt and all that stuff. Luckily, technology had greatly improved the system by then though and everything is so much easier these days! I don't envy the ladies who had to deal with this stuff starting with like, 25 years ago and can you imagine before plumbing, oh goodness.

You don't know something's up there unless you didn't really get it in right. It's really not "jammed", it pretty much slides right in and stops where it's supposed to stop. I pee enough in a day to never forget it's there (the string is a nice reminder, haha) and I've never had the string break off. I think the worst thing about wearing tampon is if you sometimes need to get one out and it hasn't really had much to absorb. Ouch.

[mezzoforte]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Okay, now for all you tampon wearers... once it's in, are you constantly reminded that something is jammed up there, or do you not notice it? If so, do you ever forget to take it out? Has the string ever accidentally broken off? Have you ever lost track of the calendar or forgotten to take pre-emptive measures? Do you cringe every time you hear U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday?"

I find it endlessly amusing to hear how men envision periods :-)

Tampons are a breeze. You can't feel them at all--if you're aware of it, it's not inserted correctly. The string is REALLY firmly attached--it has to be, because if it did break off and you couldn't get it out, you'd probably have to go to the hospital (risk for toxic shock if one is left in). I never keep track of the calender, and I'm not very regular anyway. I try to keep a pad or something in most of my bags just in case, but honestly, periods are normally very, very light on the first day. At least time to find another woman who will share one.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

I find it endlessly amusing to hear how men envision periods :-)

Tampons are a breeze. You can't feel them at all--if you're aware of it, it's not inserted correctly. The string is REALLY firmly attached--it has to be, because if it did break off and you couldn't get it out, you'd probably have to go to the hospital (risk for toxic shock if one is left in). I never keep track of the calender, and I'm not very regular anyway. I try to keep a pad or something in most of my bags just in case, but honestly, periods are normally very, very light on the first day. At least time to find another woman who will share one.

Interesting... So do you just come right out and say, "Hey Gladys, I'm on the rag. Can you help a sistah out?" Or is there some kind of unspoken hand signal or gesture that is universally understood?