My 17 year old daughter, who has had type�1 diabetes for six months, has a thyroid goiter (benign) and right now, she is overweight (5 feet 4 inches tall and about 175 pounds). I know she really wants to diet, but since she is are waiting to get on the pump soon, she can’t even think about it. How will diabetes and thyroid disease affect her life expectancy?

Life expectancy with diabetes can be normal if no complications of diabetes happen. To decrease her risk for complications of diabetes, it is exceedingly important to maintain a normal weight, a healthy diet and good blood sugar control. Her diabetes care provider is your best resource to discuss your concerns and help her establish a healthy lifestyle that will minimize the risk for complications. I would encourage you to discuss your concerns with your daughter team.

MSB

[Editor’s comment: If your daughter is not concerned about her weight, I would not harp on her too much as this could lead to an eating disorder. However, during her pump start, I’m sure your daughter will be consulting with a dietitian who will be assessing her needs. At that time, your daughter and the dietitian can develop a meal plan that will meet her lifestyle needs along with weight and blood glucose control goals.

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