The American Diabetes Association has good information on the risks of potential complications with diabetes, and also research that shows with good blood sugar management the risk of these complications is decreased. Check out http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/ It's great that you're being proactive and taking care of yourself. ~Lynn /Glucerna

Remember that medical outcomes are probability based. Any life expectancy or complication likelihood stats quoted would be based on data of populations of people and have little usefulness in predictions about an individual. If someone said you had a 60/40 chance of something bad happening to you, does that actually help you know whether or not it will happen?

No. It doesn't. It will either happen, or it won't.

If whether or not you get a complication is similar to someone who's blindfolded throwing darts at your dartboard.. Diabetes is actively trying to make larger complication "spots" on your board. Your job is to paint over as much of those spots as you can by good management with medical intervention, diet and exercise.

My current understanding, is you can make many, if not all of those spots quite small.

But the fact remains. It's possible for the dart thrower to sometimes get "lucky".

Worrying doesn't help. Making your "target spots" smaller does. Enjoying yourself and enjoying what you CAN do to promote your health, that's where it's at.

Oh, and stick around here. There's alotta smart people here who have years of experience who can help.

I suppose with total disregard for diet and neglecting treatment, yes, a shorter life expectancy can be expected. The big thing is to not get to that point.

Bellyemporer, I can feel the fear in your posts. We all have those fears. I guess the only advice I can offer is the healthier you get, the more you control your diabetes (and not let it control you), the fewer of these thoughts you will have.

I used to have wicked bad anxiety attacks over having a heart attack or dying. I actually sought counseling to help me with this. Now days, the more I exercise and the better my numbers get, the less I have these feelings. Everytime I exercise, I know my heart is pumping with rich blood and providing fresh oxygen to my organs and making my heart stronger. Everytime I test with good numbers, I am beating diabetes. That's how I see it now. I'm going to live a long healthy life.

It looks like I'm the only one confident in my ability to have a long & healthy life, barring getting hit by a bus :laugh:

I also am free of diabetic complications & plan to do all I can to maintain.

My mom's a nurse & she loooooves to talk to older people. She's particularly fascinated with octogenarians who have been living with T2D since their early 20-30's. She likes to chat them up while taking a thorough history during appointments.

She always asks them how they kept so healthy for so long (as in how are they managing their T2D with either minimal meds or none at all). She defines healthy as walking without assistance, keeping well, active, none to little neuropathy, etc. Basically, no diabetic complications.

They all say the same thing. They kept their blood sugars as close to normal as possible & avoided sugar & starch.

She tells me about them ALL. THE. TIME. :huh: Right down to the pretty pin 'so & so' came in wearing today, & the lavender hat with matching shoes & scarf, etc. :laugh:

Just before I was diagnosed, it was Feb in NY & I slipped on some ice in the wee early morning & skinned my knee.

3 weeks after the incident, I had an event to go to & was wondering why the hell I still had the stupid scab & it didn't appear to have any hopes of loosening up to fall off really slow granulation bed development -__- I wore my cute dress that night, complete with skinned knee showing.

Shortly after that, I was diagnosed & had all the same questions, the exact thought that popped into my head was 'so THIS is how it's gonna happen, eh?':frown: Incidentally, once I got my sugars under control, cuts granulate & heal up within 2-3 days.

These things do not happen when blood sugar is of normal levels.

Even though you are diabetic, you have the RIGHT to normal blood sugars.

bloodsugar101.com helped me to understand.

Good luck people, you are in complete control of your T2D if you choose to be :drinker: