How type 1 and type 2 diabetes changes your lifestyle

Caring for a child with diabetes can be challenging, especially if you’ve been diagnosed yourself. Kim and Brittany share their experiences with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and outline the lifestyle changes they’ve made as a result.

Transcript

00:00

How has it been different for you with your type of diabetes versus caring for me

00:06

with my type of diabetes? I don't think about mine nearly as much as I thought about yours.

00:14

Because you're my mom or because yours is easier to manage than mine was? Both, to be honest with you.

00:21

I couldn't stand the thought of you getting sick, and your diabetes tore me up, the fact

00:28

that I couldn't fix it. See, it makes me feel guilty that you didn't want to tell me because you thought I would judge you. I let you down.

00:34

I didn't do what-- I just didn't want you to let yourself down. I know. But I mean, I saw changes you were making, and I don't know.

00:42

Do you feel like your life changed a lot because I saw a lot of differences in your social behaviors.

00:48

When they diagnosed you as prediabetic, you changed a lot of things, like always having a sweet tea in your hand to water and unsweet tea.

00:58

I mainly drink water now. Before, I had water if that was the only option. It was always sweet tea.

01:05

What do you see me do that you think is the most different from what you have to do?

01:12

You have to count your carbs a lot closer than what I had to. Do you count your carbs, or do you try to stick to a range?

01:21

I tried to stick to a range. I did go to one of the classes that the doctor's office offered, and they said that for a female at my age,

01:31

I should have somewhere between 45 and 60 grams of carbs. Per meal or per day? Per meal, which I've heard some people

01:40

talk that their doctors I don't want them to have 45 grams all day long. And I'm like-- [INTERPOSING VOICES]

01:47

Do you remember that time that they cut me down like that, and we realized that a 1 inch square of corn bread had that much?

01:54

That was not pleasant. It was awful. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We cannot live. I miss corn bread.

02:01

I bet you really miss corn bread. That was an awakening. Well, this whole thing has been an awakening.

02:07

It truly has. I mean-- So what do you think you took for granted that I complained about, and you thought

02:13

I was just being a big baby? Probably pricking your finger. Really? Yeah. I think that's probably gotten to be the easiest.

02:21

I guess that's kind of what you were talking about. It was harder for you being my mom and worrying about it than it is for you to worry about yourself.

02:28

And I see that now as a mom too. Yeah.