Just the cursory discussions about HIV and Bipolar Disorder in this thread, and anything else that we think we know about but really know little about, demonstrates how each of us can be guilty of being insensitive unintentionally.
There was nothing written indicating being insensitive or ignorant to any of these other said conditions or topics. why do you assume comments made were made out of ignorance?
That's why I toss the sciency article out in conversations like this. I've also sent the link around to some people @ work, etc. who've approached me with "my doctor said I have to watch out for diabetes..." sort of deals and, while I don't leap into "banzai" mode and test their blood sugar, I try to recount my friends (Manny, BSC, Melitta, etc., by no means a complete list...) experiences and I'll tell them "a lot of doctors don't know everything. This article is pretty dense but it's pretty comprehensive about what we know now...it's important to figure this stuff out quickly..."
Excellent at you Judith, what a valuable lesson from your Dad, for sure and a beautiful way to share it! I also like the one about beating a dead horse, that one is a more common saying but much the same.
I agree we shouldn't have to teach the health care community but, what the health care community have taught many of us is, in fact, wrong. Not to mention that we've paid them to teach us the wrong information in good faith that they will tell us how to take care of ourselves, because we can't know ourselves because we're not "professionals" but that's I think why a lot of us question any argument that says "my doctor says 140 or 180 or 200 after meals is ok. Yeah, you can survive and yeah, you can survive ok but if you can survive better with a different approach, why not try to figure a different approach out? People trying these different approaches are not going to get any support from the medical community because they won't do studies of people running < 6.0 A1Cs or aiming for 120 postprandial BG because we are all dangerous lunatics who don't listen to our doctors. So, in the absence of any data such a study might reveal, we will continue to be instructed to aim for less than normal BG.
I believe my reply was to FHS. so, how do you know it's superficial, someone made a comparison of these topics, I gave my suggestions - thoughts as well, as are you. i wasn't claiming to be an expert, neither are you, i would imagine. I said HIV and AIDS are different, different stages, different treatments, etc.. I mentioned that there is no known cause for Bipolar Disorder, both of these statements are facts, nothing else. No emotion was put into these statements. Again, I'd prefer not to be a teacher to the health care community, specific to type 1...if you do, that's of course your choice. Additionally, my feelings, thoughts, true life experiences regarding supporting a name change couldn't be further from superficial nor does it display any lack of knowledge. So, sorry. The idea and context of this post was supporting awareness to type 1 and type 2, there is no scientific data needed to support this or not, it's an opinion. my 'opinions' about the subject stem from MY experiences.
It has nothing to do with "bludgeon people into believing."...believing what, that there's a difference between the onset of type 1 and type 2? There's nothing to believe or not to believe, that has nothing to do with it. We're talking facts here. Additionally, just because I state these facts that doesn't imply judgement towards anything, it is what it is.
Additionally, Judith, since you commented back and seem to continually want to engage in this directly with me when there are plenty of other posters supporting the exact same issue; your profile states you're a type 2 and able to control your metabolic syndrome with diet and exercise, which is great. I'm a type 1 and the only way to manage type 1, for me, is insulin. That's the scientific data. There's no 'good, bad, better, worse, harder, easier, etc.. or judgement. it's just a fact, there is a difference.
YES, I agree AR. I did go see another endo this week, to try to get another perspective, I left thinking, "are you kidding me". he was suggesting fastings at 150 before meals. I said, "why would I want to be 150 before a meal or at anytime." He also said an A1C of 7% or less is fine, there is not scientific data that supports having a lower A1C will prevent complications and is considered dangerous to get much lower. I don't know if that's true..but at least try to encourage patients to do better, ya know. I think like with everything, there are good and bad teachers, doctors, ones who care, will take the time, and some just don't have the bandwidth to do it, some endos, i believe, truly don't have enough type 1's or experience with them.
again, this has nothing to do with tudiabetes and supporting or not supporting other members, it's why we're ALL here. this was a post written by a 19 year old girl - young woman, for which I supported her thoughts and feelings and concurred with them. that's it. it was relating her life experiences to and with 'the real world', not simply on a website, ya know. so, please stop dilberately (which it seems) responding back, as this isn't about a conversation between you and me, thanks!
BINGO....." There's no "good, bad, better, worse, harder, easier..."
Now....let us move on and call this one DONE!
HIV and full blown AIDS (using your example) are not the same. If some has HIV but hasn't developed into full blown AIDS, I believe the distinction is made, the treatments and outcome are very different, from what I know about the virus.
huh, i'm sure if someone has HIV and got it through a blood transfusion, rather then the ways you mentioned (sex, IV drug use), there would certainly be a clarification.
You are so certain of these things yet you have no experience as an HIV positive individual to speak of, do you? How do you know, exactly, that a person who has to deal, on a daily basis, with HIV is going to have clarification provided for them regarding stereotypical responses to those who are HIV positive? How do you even now what they have to deal with on a daily basis?
Said out of ignorance or not, are you certain that these comments could not be construed as insensitive by those who are HIV positive?
Clinically, AIDS is diagnosed when T-cell concentration in the blood drops bellow 300 cells/dl in a person who is HIV positive. That is strictly a clinical description but I'm not going to even pretend to understand that can encapsulate what it means to either be HIV positive or have full blown AIDS.
You assume a lot based on your knowledge.
The same can be said for diabetes regardless of whether it's T1, T2 or any other form of diabetes. I'm never surprised anymore when people assume, well meaning or not, that they know "a lot" about diabetes either, and that what they say is simply informative.
again, i'm done with this converstaion. when and where in my post did i mention knowing ANYTHING about how a HIV or an AIDS patient feels or suggested knowing what they live with on a daily basis and how do you know I don't know anyone (personally) with this disease - who has been deeply affected with this, YOU do not. So, WHO's assuming here? I was not the one to use this analogy at all. I said they are different, different stages, i.e, someone who has HIV doesn't necessarily have full blown AIDs and may never develop into full blown AIDs virus, that was the comparison i used. A type 1 diabetic is not a type 2 diabetic and vice versa. And, incidentally, FYI, i'm fully aware of the clinical diagnosis and discription of the two, but that's not the point.
yes...please. good grief! done, done, done! seems if one agrees with someone they're attacked with it. so, with apologies to the original poster.
That's fine. Be done.
I posted on the thread, you responded to me. Sorry, I haven't gone back to read all the responses to you that seem to have you at your end.
I'm simply responding to you.
Specifically, I said your comments could be construed as being insensitive.
Are they? I don't know either, but neither one of us has grounds to claim anything without actually being HIV positive or having AIDS. It's the same exact thing as people who insist they are simply being informative about diabetes, perhaps even like the teacher in the OP.
The same exact thing.
We are so willing to have everybody else be as informed about our condition that we can't even see that we can't possibly make the same effort regarding everybody else on this planet that deserves equal consideration. Yet we can and do continue to make comments and assumptions about the conditions of others, not even knowing if they are equally as insensitive as the comments made towards our condition.
That's the point. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough. If you disagree, that's fine too, but understand that I'm not even attacking you personally or accusing you of doing anything that I haven't done myself countless times.
seriously, i don't even know what you're talking about. I have NO idea how you're relating what i posted to being insensitive to anyone, especially and MOST specifically to anyone with HIV - AIDS, and you have NO idea regarding my history about anything. So, I suggest (please) you stop making assumptions. You have totally misconstrued anything I posted, clearly you have not read the thread. I take GREAT offense to this comment. This isn't a matter of disagreeing with you. You are coming from a place of complete ignorance regarding this issue, which isn't even the topic of this post. And your comment about not making an effort for others who are suffering or have other conditions, etc..if you're throwing that at me, you ARE WRONG and that is extremely offensive. So, I'm hoping the admin will close this discussion down. I was not the one to bring AIDS into this discussion in the first place, or any other condition, nor would i EVER mock or say anything negative to anyone about that or anything else. You are WAY OfF BASE HERE, SIR! And maybe you 'continually make comments and assumptions about conditions of others' but I have not and do not, nor would I ever. You have no idea of my background, including charity work and focus. So, i suggest you make this about you and not me. DONE!
I agree Acid. The question is, what are we to do about it once we've questioned our health care providers and reach the conclusion that they are ill-informed?
Again, all we really have to compare is our own experiences which equates to a sample size of 1. You said it yourself, the data, even from proponents of very tight control like Dr B, simply do not exist. What we are left with amounts to anectdotal evidence which is meaningless unless it works for us personally.
Personally, I'm not here to educate healthcare workers. Yes, that's selfish, but at the same time, I don't have to deal with Average Joe/Jane diabetic who either doesn't make the effort to become informed about their condition by coming to a place like Tudiabetes, or simply doesn't care to make the effort. We simply cannot claim that every diabetic out there is not experiencing near normal BGs because they are ill-informed. Some simply choose not to.
There are healthcare workers out there who are well informed. They may not be the Dr B's of the world, but they do support our crazy goals and encourage them. The tragedy is that every diabetic who does aspire for better control does not have access to adequate healthcare to meet their goals. The real tragedy is that diabetics are nit the only people who can say this.
Oh, and regarding fact versus wrong. Even on these boards, it's all relative. We have healthy discourse regarding everything from diet to pump choice. It's healthy and encourages progress towards deeper understanding.
On the one hand, I haven't exactly done a 180 regarding low card diets enough to adopt one, but I have learned a lot and have gained a healthy amount of respect for those who choose one. On the other, my pet crusade now, as you've found out, is Standard Deviation.
=P
Wow.
Ok.
Definition of DONE
1: arrived at or brought to an end
Anyway, y’all carry on and keep calm.
Why don't we all stop replying, please. Let it die.
True, spock. People have told me they are amazed that I am still alive with diabetes for 45 years.