I’m Cherie, your new Diabetes notes blogger.  I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for about 20 years and am a strong advocate for great care and research.  I can’t wait to share news and updates with you, and hope to get your feedback on what you’d like going forward in this blog. 

To give you some of my background, I thought I’d tell you about my diagnosis.  When I was in my early 20s I felt lousy.  I went to the doctor and he rudely told me that I was a young girl and there was nothing wrong with me.  I insisted that he at least take some blood work.  I knew there was SOMETHING wrong with me but I didn’t have any inkling that it would be diabetes.  I worked out constantly and never had a low-blood episode.

After the blood work came in, he never called me with the results.  I finally called and he wouldn’t speak to me, instead he shouted to his nurse, “Tell her she’s a young girl and she’s fine.” 

The nurse said to me, “You’re the diabetic, aren’t you?” 

I was shocked.  Diabetic?   No, I said.

She scheduled an appointment for me anyways, despite what the doctor said.  When I came in, he STILL insisted there was nothing wrong with me.  When I told him the nurse had called me “the diabetic,” he told me to ignore her because she is “just his assistant.”

And that was my first introduction to some of the health care professionals you meet when you’re diabetic.  I went to another doctor shortly after this episode, and he immediately ran blood work and confirmed that I was diabetic.  I’ve been his patient ever since.

Diabetes can be a struggle for many reasons.  Healthcare people that are uninformed or rude are just one aspect.  I don’t think people always understand how arguing with insurance or pharmacies can weigh on your mind when you’re diabetic.  And that’s not including testing or injections.  We diabetics deal with a lot.

So let’s talk about some of the stuff we deal with going forward.  I’m going to give you some updates but what I hope to achieve is great conversation.  Go ahead and comment.  Argue with me.  Agree.  Tell a joke.  Share your experience. 

Post from: Blisstree

Hello!

You do not carry any copies of the deCODE T2 risk marker. This means that you do not have this specific, genetic risk factor for diabetes.

I received my results from DNA Direct yesterday. I was a little surprised at first. My test showed that I did not test positive for the T2 risk marker for type 2 diabetes. But don’t I have type 2 diabetes?

Yes, indeed I do. Just ask my poor ol’ fingers and glucometer. But when you get down to the nitty gritty of this test…

About 1 in 5 diabetics (18%) carry two copies of this marker compared to about 1 in 10 people (8-11%) in the general population, so having two copies of the marker doubles a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

So, while the test can indeed show if you may be at risk for type 2 diabetes in the future, it can only be as accurate as it can be. Catch my drift?

It is also important to understand that the deCODE T2 test does not diagnose diabetes.

Was the testing process simple? Yes! I simply swabbed my cheeks, the upper ones people, and dropped the DNA in a pre-paid Fed ex package, and sent it on it’s merry way. Simple as that. They sent me email verification that they received the packages and kept me up to date on progress.

My results did take 5 weeks or so to come back, but their normal turn around time is 3 weeks. DNA direct sent me a little email hello to let me know my results were ready, and I just clicked the mouse, logged in and yee-ha, there they were. DNA direct explains the test results in depth and provides many resources to better understand them. They even offer a letter that can be printed out and taken to your doctor. How cool.

They also have a whole team of geneticists and specialists that can provide support and guidance for each individual “tester”. There is a plethra of websites and phone numbers that are also offered too all those that choose to complete deCode’s T2 risk marker test.

And that brings me to the only real negative in the whole testing process. Because the deCode T2 Risk factor test is a choice and not a necessary, the cost is $500. You really could argue either way. “Isn’t $500 worth knowing your future and how to prevent diabetes?” The other… “Why pay $500 to find out that you might be at risk. Just eat right and exercise, and that’s all you can do!”

What do you think? Would you be interested in taking the test? Do you think it is just a waste of your hard earned money?

Post from: Blisstree

This Diabetic Lady Tested Negative For The DeCode T2 Marker Test!