I did as well!

I'm in my 20s too and also diabetic for 8 years! I'll send you a request.

I'm a new T1 also. I have had hypothyroid for about 20 years. I am always hungry and sometimes binge out on sugar foods. Overall, I'm trying to control my food intake and limit binging. I've been doing a lower carb diet and it is helpful to decrease my cravings, but I think I'm addicted to sugar! Terrible because the thing I want, I want in abundance and I cannot moderate! ...and it is a killer for us... Anyhow, please add me, I don't know how to add friends.

Natanya1981 wrote: »

Makes me wonder how many of us T1 have thyroid issues, my thyroid was removed in my 20s. I am now in my forties and have been a T1 since I was 4. I have let the weight creep up and need to lose quite a bit.

I don't know about thyroid removal, but many type 1's have Hashimoto's. Here is why:

To get type 1 diabetes, a person needs 2 things... only 1 of these without the other will not result in type 1 diabetes. First, the patient must have the HLA genes (chromosome 6) that confuse our immune system. Then, they need a trigger for the auto-immune response. Only around 1 in 20 of those with genes end up getting type 1 because they don't get an auto-immune trigger.

To get Hashimoto's (or any other auto-immune disease), it is a similar issue... you have to have the problem HLA genes and a trigger. For some reason I don't understand, some of us tend to get a lot more triggers than others. In my case, I have both Type 1 and Hashimoto's. I've noticed that many others have similar issues, or they have other auto-immune diseases like Celiac.

I've had T1 for 17 years. I've had celiac disease for 20 years, had thyroid cancer at the age of 26. My Mom has hashimotos, & thinks I do too but none of my doctors will test me but I was told since I don't have a thyroid gland anymore, I can't have hashimotos. I'm so confused!

Yeah, the co-occurrence of autoimmune disease is common. Something like 20% of T1's diagnosed in childhood have another autoimmune disease by age 6, and by the time you reach 65 y.o., 50% of T1's have a second autoimmune disease.

For me, Hashimoto's (15 years ago) preceded T1 (1 year ago). They checked me for celiac just in case, too, since they co-occur, but I've dodged that bullet so far.

And yeah, I'm still trying to lose weight too. I was initially diagnosed T2 because I'd been overweight my whole life but changed endocrinologists and found that I'd been misdiagnosed. A this point I've lost 155# and have about 30# to go. It can be a struggle, certainly.

Wow. I am a type 1 and also have Hashimoto's. I never knew the connection until I followed this conversation. Learned something already.