Diabetic Recipes
I've been doing some reading on diabulimia. It's not a recognized eating disorder, but it certainly sounds like it should be.
Diabulimia is a means of weight loss, primarily suffered by young women. In order to lose weight, they use far less, sometimes even no insulin and let their blood sugars run very high. It means they can eat whatever they want without it having any repercussions on their weight. I remember how skinny Olivia was when she was diagnosed, just before her 3rd birthday. She only weighed 24 lbs. Her body was eating itself.
I can understand how it would be easy to fall into diabulimia. The whole mind set of watching your food intake, of measuring every bite, every sip, borders on obsessive, the same way someone with anorexia behaves. Both diseases are a form of control. And since insulin can make you gain weight anyway, denying yourself those shots could be seen as a different form of control - controlling your body when your disease controls you.
Given the emphasis on stick-thin as the beauty ideal, it's surprising that there aren't more teens and young women with this condition. To be perfectly frank, if I had diabetes, I would be sorely tempted. I know how I am about food and body image and I struggle not to pass those issues on to my daughter. But it does worry me.
Julia, you are right to be aware of "diabulimia." I have come across several articles on it lately (see http://www.self.com/livingwell/articles/2007/10/1022diabulimia and http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3287566). I have had T1 since I was 6 years old, and, thankfully, I had very supportive parents (like you!) and I never struggled with this. But when I was a senior in high school, I was on the swim team and really struggled to keep my bg down-- for some reason, my numbers were really high as a result of swimming and my schedule. I dropped about 15-20 lbs very quickly, and everyone kept telling me how great I looked (although I have never been overweight). So I can understand how tempting it might be for teenage women to cut back on or skip their insulin, to keep their numbers high.
One of my acquaintances who had T1 died of complications from diabulimia. We were diagnosed at the same time in the hospital (that's how we met), and we went to the same church, although she was a few years older than me. By the time she got to college, she could barely walk due to pain from neuropathy, and died 3 years ago, I believe due to renal failure. She went to several treatment programs for eating disorders, but they never helped.
I hope parents are aware of this risk, and know to look out for it. God bless you and your daughter.
Please PLEASE be wary, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and the possibility of diabulemia. At age ten i thought i was cursed, and when i reached high school desperate to lose weight i began manipulating my insulin. I did drop a lot of weight and i had decided that diabetes was clearly a blessing in disguise. However after 4 and a half years of abusing my insulin i wasn't so sure. Diagnosed with neuropathy and the loss of my perfect 20 20 vision. 6 months later i was diagnosed with a life threatening staph infection in the base of my spine and was forced to drop out of college. 2 months and a lot of heartache and hospital visits later i went into an intensive 3 month inpatient treatment center. I've been out for almost a month now but it's a struggle every day, every meal, and EVERY shot.
Be wary if she becomes thirstier than normal, starts eating in bouts, nothing for a day then alot the next, it mean's she's skipping shots. This is not a disease to take lightly, it kills. If you have any questions or concerns and you want information or resources please don't hesitate to contact me!! My email is crazytexan26@hotmail.com
If you need more information on diabulemia contact diabulemia_helpline@hotmail.com or visit http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20504517571&ref=ts for more information and resources.
I have set up a new website for people dealing with this condition please come and join
www.sugarrushme.synthasite.com