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Hello,
I have been a type 1 insulin-dependent diabetic since age 8. I am now 34 and what most considre too old to have a baby. I am mostly resolved that I will never have kids because it is too risky due to my brittle diabetes.
I would like to hear from anyone who is an insulin depedent diabetic who either had kids or decided not to. I would like to know if anyone has had their tubes tied as I am considering it.
I am really interested in any input on this topic whether you have decided to have kids or not. Is it true that diabetics usually have large babies? I am not a very big person and this could be a disaster.
Also, I would like to hear from any women who experience frequent urinary tract infections. Is this something diabetics commonly get? I have had so many of them and it is hard to deal with it. The antibiotics make me very ill.
I'd love to hear from fellow diabetics. I'll be watching this board and reading any posts.
Thanks so much for your time,
Ryan
Age 34, married, female, wears insulin pump, brittle diabetic, some neuropathy, chronic urinary tract infections, mild anemia, gastroparesis, happy anyways. |
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I'm 34 also. I'm not type one, but they think now I'm type 1.5... after the twins come along I have to have further testing. :( YUCKY!
I'm on insulin now. It has been a difficult transition for me. But we've made it. I report in once a week my sugars, and if the insulin needs adjusting we do it.
I was told in January that I couldn't have any more babies. So I stopped preventing pregnancy. In June I got pregnant. July 27th I found out twins. There are tons of things they're watching me for... mostly due to the diabetes, but because I had awesome control prior, the babies are at little risk of birth defects. They tell me that they can be normal sized as long as I continue to have good control. I'm working very hard on that one. So far they are right on for size. I will be getting my tubes tied after this pregnancy ends... but not because of the diabetes. I only ever dreamed of two kids, and with the twins I'll have 3. I also carry a hemophilia gene, so that requires extra care during the pregnancy and birth. UTI's... you might as well just call them "teri's problem". I'm a frequent flyer too. I currently have one. I too have a great deal of difficulty with antibiotics. I often take cipro for them, and that helps the most. I can't while pregnant take that one, so it's keflex this time. I hope it works.
Take care teri |
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Welcome to the group, Ryan! I was diagnosed at 15. At 16, my gyno told me, "You can't have babies" which I took to mean that I couldn't get pregnant. Oops! Well, at about 23, I did. Unfortunately, I miscarried. That fluctuation in hormones caused my first comlication...a papillopathy in my eye (blood flow stopped to the optic nerve). At 31, I was married, and again got pregnant. Speaking of UTIs, I got one of those, too. The intense fever of 105 caused another miscariiage, and yet another complication resulted...my first kidney failure. So while babies are great for some diabetic women, it just never worked out for me. I suppose I was on a different track. While most of my girlfriends were getting their kids back to school clothing, I got to redecorate my house! I never need a babysitter to go out. So if you decide not to have children, there are lots of good points, too...and I hope you feel really good about your decision. Tubes tied? I hit the "change" at 36, so it wasn't too much of an issue for me. But I think it is a great option, once you are certain of your decision. Much more convenient if you are in a monogamous relationship..if you know what I mean! UTI's and yeast infections are pretty common in diabetic women. You just have to be careful the the UTI doesn't advance to the kidney. And the antibiotics can cause the yeast, too, as well as the sugar in the urine. You seem to have a good handle on things, Ryan. Good to meet you! sheryl |
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Hello. I too am a type 1 on the insulin pump. I've been type one since I was 9 and will be 30 in November. I have several posts on here...I'm sure they are very old now. My son just turned one in July and I had a healthy pregnancy. You just need to have very good control of your sugars before getting pregnant and of course during your pregnancy. I was testing about 7 times a day and still continue to do so. Doctors should monitor you to make sure the baby isn't getting too large as it is common for diabetics to have large babies. Mine was a little larger than normal and my doctor was going to induce delivery 3 weeks before the due date to prevent any complications from a large baby but turns out I didn't need it. He came out early on his own! 5 weeks early but he was a healthy 6 lbs 14 oz. They did take him to intensive care right away to check for any problems and to check his blood sugar. He was fine and returned to me within a few hours. Diabetics can definitely have babies but you need to have your sugars in control. Of course there are those who don't take care of their sugars and have fine babies but I wouldn't take the chance. You could be that small percent who has problems and why not avoid them if you can?? A specialist will watch over you carefully. I went in every 2 weeks and then weekly once I hit 28 weeks. Lots of ultrasounds and I had a nurse take my blood sugars every week and report to the doctor to make any necessary changes. I think if you really want a baby you should do it and do it soon as after 35 you become more high risk. My doctor told me to have my A1c at 6.5 or less when I was ready to conceive. It wouldn't hurt to have a consultation with a specialist in order to help make your decision. That's what I did. Good luck. Michelle |
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Hi.. and thank you for the welcome. I have to admit that I am totally frustrated right now. I had written a very long response to these nice emails here only to have it disappear when I tried to add graphics.
I would like to thank you for your posts and found them very helpful to me!!
Now that I am crabby, I'll be going. I plan to post later. Things are very hectic and busy right now but I am pleased to meet you all and look forward to dropping in here.
Sincerly,
Ryan |
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P.S. I currently have a U.T.I now too. It would not go away. I have developed an immunity to cipro. Now the alternative antibio they give me causes me to get severe diarrhea.. the kind where you wake up 7-10 times a night. I am dehydrated and exhausted. I don't know how I am going to work like this with this happening to me every month. Ok, I think I better go and come back when I am in a better mood. LOL
Don't worry, I am usually a pretty positive person and not a "Debbie Downer." It's a hard time right now.
Thanks for your ears and for your kindness. I liked reading about each different person's experience.
:)
Ryan |
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Sorry you are going through a rough time of it, Ryan. I know how difficult it is when you are having "tummy troubles" on top of the diabetes. Makes everything just a bit harder! Try to drink as much water as you can, to avoid being dehydrated. Water can also help "flush out" the UTI and antibiotics. Hope you are feeling better soon. Take care! sheryl |
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Hi! Just to give you the other side of the coin, I am 35 years old, have had type 1 diabetes since I was 28. I have no children, and I will not ever have children, partly because of my current age and the diabetes, and partly for socioeconomic and political reasons. It is not necessary to have children to have a happy and fulfilling life. I made my decision to not have children even before I got diabetes, and even if it wasn't set in stone then it sure was after developing diabetes. I will not risk my health that much, or the health of a child. I know, I know, people with type 1 diabetes have healthy babies "all the time", except that is not always true, and even if the baby is healthy, what if the pregnancy causes kidney failure or something like that and shortens your life to the point you leave behind a child who will not have a mother. And I personally could not live iwth the guilt I would feel if the child developed type 1 diabetes, no matter how small the risk of that it could still happen. Just my opinion. On the issue of having your tubes tied, there is a new procedure that I am planning to have done next month. It's called the Essure procedure, and it is a noninvasive procedure that is just as effective as having your tubes tied. Instead of cutting you open and tying your tubes they vaginally insert what they call "microinserts" that block the tubes. It takes 3 months for them to become effective, but there's no cutting so the healing time is about 1, maybe 2 days. Melissa |
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| | | From: bkiah | Sent: 10/2/2005 3:31 AM |
I have been Type 1 for 46 years and for many years had urinary infections. When I learned tight control of my Diabetes during the 1990s I not longer had any type of infections. I was classified for most of my life as a brittle Diabetic. During my early 30s I wanted to have a child but alas it never happened....I'm thankful. Although I did get to raise a child and enjoyed every minute of it. So that proves you don't have to birth children to know the joys of motherhood. Betty |
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Ryan, I was diagnosed with type 1 at age 27, got married at age 28 and had my first child at age 29, my second at age 31 and my third at age 33. At age 38 I adopted twins from Vietnam. Pregnancy wasn't easy, but my children were all perfect when they were born.. I spent a lot of time visiting both my ob and my internist, and I did spend a week in the hosp with lots of lows during my first pregnancy until we learned how OFTEN i had to test (5-8 times per day) As a precaution, I wasn't alone too much during the first half of each pregnancy, since that is when the baby tends to "suck up" the sugar in my blood (with lots of corresponding lows) My family learned quickly how to give me OJ or spoonfuls of sugar to pull me out. It was definitely worth the risk to have each and every one of my kids. They are now 19, 17, 15 and the twins are 11. Each brings me great joy and trials - as any child will. I can recommend either way of adding to your family most whole-heartedly. Totally separately, I had each of my girls via c-section, since I had surgery before I got married that invaded my uterine wall and worried the ob-gyn. We think that my over-enthusiastic response to surgery (my immune system went crazy) is what brought on the diabetes. Fo years, my kids talked about when they would have children, and the doctor would "put their tummy to sleep and pop the baby out" - so funny! I fould that the c-section was an easy recovery, and the doc told me that it was much easier to monitor and treat the diabetes with that type of delivery, rather than the long "natural" type of delivery. And the babies are so pretty right after a c-section! No smooshed heads! Sorry this ran so long - but I would be happy to hear from you if you have any questions or comments.... |
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Hi, My name is Jackie I am 35, I was dx'ed at 21 with type 1. I had my first baby at 26 and just had another one at 34(turned 35 three months later). And I think that after everything I went through with my last little girl, my body would never be able to do it again....so I had my tubes tied. I only got U.T.I.'s while I was pregnant.....not sure why. My kidney funtion is going down hill and I found out, when I was pg that I have diabetic retinopathy(sp?) So I have been hanging out at the opthamologist's office....it is almost like my second home! Take care! Jackie |
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I wanted to just update.
I'm now 23 1/2 weeks pregnant with TWINS. Two placentas, means twice the work on my body... sugars especially.
That said... my a1c's have been 5.1 to 5.8 since getting pregnant. I'm on insulin, and doing great. I've gained 15 pounds, and the babies are healthy little boys. They even talked me into the amniocentesis's and they are perfect. Not even a cleft palet.
Teri |
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