Diabetes and fibromyalgia are both disorders that can cause a lot of pain and stress for those who are trying to cope with the symptoms of the disorders. But, is there a relationship between the two?
If you have Type 1 Diabetes (which you are usually born with or develop during early childhood), do you also deal with the pain associated with fibromyalgia as your life moves forward? Let’s look at the links between these two disorders and determine how they’re connected.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Before we start getting into how type 1 diabetes is related to fibromyalgia, it’s important for us to figure out exactly what type 1 diabetes is. Type 1 diabetes is better known as “juvenile diabetes.” This disorder is, typically, discovered before someone gets out of late adolescence (which is, at this point, considered to be before the age of 25).
Most of the people under the age of 25 who have diabetes have been diagnosed with type 1. Unlike type 2 diabetes, there really isn’t a lot of preventative care that is associated with it. It’s basically genetic, and it means that your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin to allow the body to use sugar properly.
Type 1 diabetes may also be referred to as “insulin dependent” diabetes, because the people who are dealing with it absolutely must use insulin injections, or they won’t be able to survive. They will often use an insulin pump or some other sort of regulation device in order to keep their blood sugar regulated, instead of using the old fashioned techniques that made it difficult to prevent spikes and falls from happening.
Why Are Fibromyalgia and Type 1 Diabetes Related?
The main reason that the two are connected is because of a hormone called hbA1c. This hormone is incredibly important because it’s the main one that helps your glucose to be controlled. If you have too much of it in your body, then you’re going to have a harder time keeping your glucose under control.
Basically, it will go all over the place and you won’t be able to take care of it properly at all. With type 1 diabetes, you will find that the body has immense amounts of it. Even though they aren’t as elevated with fibromyalgia, they’re still elevated enough to be of concern.
Another reason that the two are connected is because of all of the overlap that happens between their symptoms. When you’re dealing with diabetes and/or fibromyalgia, you’re a lot more likely to have areas of your body that hurt when you touch them. These soft spots can cause a number of problems.
People who have one or the other also have a more difficult time sleeping, they’re more likely to feel exhausted during the day, and they end up having a lot more headaches as well, which makes it miserable. This is exacerbated if the patient has both, because the intensity of the pain is, essentially, multiplied. You may also have symptoms related to one and not the other, which could make it difficult to determine how those symptoms should be dealt with.
Does this mean that those with type 1 diabetes are definitely going to end up having fibromyalgia as they get older? No, but it does mean that there’s a bit of a higher chance of dealing with both of the disorders at some point in their life. According to studies, there is actually more of a correlation between fibromyalgia and type 2 diabetes, rather than type 1. We will look at that more in another one of our articles, which focuses on type 2 diabetes and its relationship with fibro patients.
What Can Be Done About Both Disorders?
Treatment for both disorders can be difficult, since type 1 diabetes is something that people end up dealing with from a young age. Because of the nature of type 1 diabetes, doctors will often focus on ensuring that the diabetes is under control before they deal with anything related to the fibromyalgia. This usually includes regulations related to the pump.
Then, as time goes on, they will add treatments into your regimen slowly. If they do so too quickly, it could result in major changes in your blood sugar, which can be dangerous. Because of that, they may add physical therapy, but then keep an eye on your sugars to make sure that they don’t go out of control when you start the new regimen. Any change in your diet and/or exercise can make it difficult for you to keep your sugar under control, so it’s important to keep an eye on (and note) any changes that may occur when you’re adding more activity to your routine.
Your diet is also important to keep an eye on when you’re trying to cope with everything that is related to your fibromyalgia problems. Since there are so many different diets out there for both disorders, it’s important to do your research and see which one is going to meet the needs that you have related to both of them.
Once again, you’re going to have to keep an eye on your sugar to make sure that it doesn’t have a negative effect on your body, but it will regulate over time and your doctor can give you guidance as to how you should move forward.
Even though it can be frustrating and disheartening to try and determine the best course of action when it comes to type 1 diabetes and fibromyalgia, you aren’t stuck in it alone.
Your medical professional can give you a good idea as to how you can deal with the disorders, and they will give you some guidance on the best course of treatment, whatever that may be. Talk to your doctor about how you can cope with both diabetes and fibromyalgia, and you will start to see a major difference in how both of these are taken care of.
Further reading:
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20520705,00.html
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Fibromyalgia-and-Diabetes.aspx
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/conditions/diabetes-and-fibromyalgia-syndrome.html
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