What type of diabetes do i have?

I just found out i have diabetes 2 days ago. The results are not in yet to say what type i have. Im 17 years old and im not overweight, but throughout my family generations people had diabetes such as my uncle, and my great grandfather, etc. Woyuld i have type 1 or type 2? I know they say people over 45 usually have type 2 but is it possible i can have type 2 as well to?

Do You Have Diabetes?
Millions of people have diabetes mellitus, commonly called diabetes. You may be surprised to know that many of these people don鈥檛 even know they have it.

Diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored. If you have it, correct treatment can help you live a long and healthy life.

What Is Diabetes?
If you have diabetes, your body can鈥檛 make or use insulin. Insulin helps change sugar into energy to keep you alive.

There are different kinds of diabetes. The main ones are type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 Diabetes
This type of diabetes is mostly found in children and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin and you must inject insulin daily.

You May:
urinate often
be very thirsty
be very hungry
lose a lot of weight
be very tired
be irritable
have blurred vision
have trouble seeing.
Type 2 Diabetes
Most people with diabetes have this form of the disease. Type 2 is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don鈥檛 exercise, and who have cholesterol problems. It is also common in certain racial and ethnic groups (blacks, American Indians, and Hispanics) and in women who had diabetes when they were pregnant. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body cannot make enough insulin or correctly use it. Treatment is diabetes pills and sometimes insulin injections, as well as diet and exercise.

You May Have:
any of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes
a lot of infections
cuts or bruises that heal slowly
tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
skin, gum, or bladder infections that keep coming back.
Controlling Diabetes
Daily monitoring and careful control of blood sugar levels are the most important steps to take for people with diabetes. If not treated, diabetes can cause:

High blood sugar (which could make you thirsty, tired, lose weight, urinate often, or give you infections that won鈥檛 go away)
Many serious health problems (which could hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves, or heart).
Warning: Low Blood Sugar
People with diabetes may develop low blood sugar because their blood has too much insulin or other blood sugar-lowering medication or from not eating enough food. It is important to follow the eating and medication schedule your doctor has prescribed to avoid low blood sugar.

Low blood sugar could make you shaky, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have a headache, have pale skin color, have sudden mood or behavior changes, have clumsy or jerky movements, have difficulty paying attention, feel confused, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Taking Care of Your Diabetes
The best way to take care of your diabetes is to make sure the levels or amount of sugar in your blood are near the normal range. This will make you feel better and help you stay healthy.

Your doctor will tell you how often to check your blood sugar level. To do this, you will need to take a drop of your blood and place it on a special test strip. Then a device, called a blood glucose meter, reads the strip. This device measures the amount of sugar in your blood.

Writing down this level, along with the time and date, will help you see how well your treatment plan is working.

Remember:
A person鈥檚 blood sugar level rises after eating any meal that contains carbohydrates or protein. Table sugar (also called ?sucrose) counts as a carbohydrate. Artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame (NutraSweet), and sucralose (Splenda), do not count as carbohydrates or fats. They make food taste sweet. But they do not raise blood sugar levels and have little or no calories.

What Else Can You Do?
Eat well-balanced meals. The right amount of healthy food will keep your weight under control and help manage your diabetes.

Your body needs food from the four main food groups every day:

Fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples, bananas, carrots, and spinach)
Whole grains, cereals, and bread (wheat, rice, oats, bran, and barley)
Dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt)
Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dried beans, and nuts.
Remember:
Too much fat and cholesterol in your diet can be very harmful to people with diabetes. Food that is high in fat includes red meat, dairy products (whole milk, cream, cheese, and ice cream), egg yolks, butter, salad dressings, vegetable oils, and many desserts.

Can You Do Anything Else?
Exercise is important for good diabetes control. It usually lowers blood sugar and may help insulin work better. Exercise and a healthy diet can also help you take off extra pounds if you are overweight.

Warning:
Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. You may need a snack before or during the activity to avoid having low blood sugar while you exercise.

Probably Type I diabetes. Type II is a consequence of obesity and aging.

Contrary to popular belief, Type I diabetes doesn't just affect young children.

While it isn't used much today to clarify Type 1 and Type 2, Type one is known as diabetes mellitus or insulin dependent and Type 2 is non insulin dependent. Diabetes is also sometimes called juvenile diabetes which is insulin dependent and adult onset diabetes which is often non insulin dependent initially but often progresses to that. Generally speaking it is referred to as insulin dependent or non insulin dependent and the Type 1 and Type 2 are no longer used. Until you begin treatment you won't be able to put your diabetes into a category.

If you are taking injections of insulin daily, you are type I.

If you are treating it with pills/oral medication, you are type 2.

Sometimes Type 2 diabetics that don't respond to pills eventually have to take injections also, but it is not the traditional route for initial treatment.

There is no way to say whether you are type 1 or type 2 until your physician has checked your blood for C-peptide or insulin level. Type 2 diabetes is no longer a disorder of 'older' people. It is increasingly seen in teenagers - but - in association with obesity. If your body mass index is less than 25 kg/m2 you are most likely to be type 1. To calculate your body mass index type those words into a search engine. You will have numberous sites that will calculate it for you if you input your height and weight. I am sorry to hear that you have diabetes but the good news is that we now have medications that allow us to control glucose to near 'normal' levels - something not possible 5 to 10 years ago. Best wishes for good health and may God bless.