Let's put our energy into coming up with and sharing some concrete ideas about how we can begin to change the public perception of D wrote jrtpup. I also do the same things. I am an extrovert and I educate when the opprtunity comes up. Last week at a banquet,I noticed the person next to me looking at my glucometer and pump as I went through the pre-meal ritual. I simply told her I was a diabetic on insulin, a "type one" and this is what I do. She asked a few questions about diabetes,and was pleased to get answers to them;, as many in her family were diabetic and had suffered from its complications. I took the opportunity to help. Plus, as jrtpup wroteI'm also too old to let ignorant comments bother me personally, ruin my day, upset me....
Here here!! I am all for doing something positive.
I feel sorry that you had to go through such an experience, OP Sarahhope. School environments can be incredibly cruel and insensitive ( I worked in public schools for 33 years, so I know ). FNS,I do not envy those who cannot feel or do not have to feel what I feel as a diabetic; but we can do the best we can to tell them the facts when the opportunity comes up; as I am sure you do everyday. Knowledge dissemination is your job, dare I say your "calling" if you are still at it?lol
We've had our fair share of ignorant comments too. "If you keep eating like that, you'll end up like your (diabetic) brother" or "Diabetes is becoming an epidemic". Sometimes I say something to correct them and sometimes I don't say anything. I certainly don't expect non-diabetics to understand diabetes but they shouldn't make ignorant comments about Diabetes either. It's very irritating.
The other side of the story is that we really have no grounds to expect people who don’t have diabetes to know any more about it than we ourselves know about any disease that has never affected our lives.
As I've read through this long discussion, I think what is being asked by the OP isn't so much that the general public (which just about all of us were before dx) know all about diabetes. But, that the info that is out there is correct, and that (and this brings up the wish for separate names for type 1 and type 2 diabetes)type 1 and type 2 are so very different in important ways. Just the facts regarding the genetic basis for type 2 is an important fact. (as an example) A person who looks like Halle Berry, is active, but not aware of the type 2 diabetes in her family, needs to know it is there. I've always thought that having type 1 was a better thing than type 2 because at least my symptoms came on real fast and I knew something was wrong and got help. Having correct info means that someone who is an adult doesn't write off type 1 diabetes because all too often it is associated with children.
Now is the time to start preparing our communication to our local news media so that when National Diabetes Month arrives, the right info is out there, and people who need to know about diabetes (especially those who don't know its lurking there) can ask the right questions. The media has done a great job regarding suggesting that women with certain cancers in their family start getting screened. So let's see to it that while we can't cure either type of diabetes, with prompt diagnosis and attention the complications don't have to be inevitable.
The point is that they're two entirely unrelated conditions. Both deal with elevated glucose levels, but we don't call depression, multiple sclerosis, anemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, mono, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, hepatitis a, hepatitis b, hepatitis c, lung cancer, mumps, syphilis, bird flu and others the same thing simply because they share fatigue...
I too was misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes (at 25) I was 10 pounds underweight at the time, and my doctor at the time nearly killed me with his Metformin, Avandia and Glyburide, each time a new drug and a "come back in a couple of weeks, we'll see how you're doing". I was finally referred (by my eye doctor) to the leading endocrinologist in our area who put me on insulin and within 6 hours had my 800 mg/dl blood sugars back to normal, and they remained normal with insulin therapy.
Tight control has caused me to gain weight - if you believe that 3500 extra calories equal a pound, that amounts to gaining about 3 pounds a year if you just consume one extra 200 calorie snack to deal with low blood sugar a week.
Just one extra 200 calorie snack a week. If you have diabetes 20 years, that is 60 pounds. Two 200 calorie boosts a week and that is 120 pounds in 20 years. I have been type 1 diabetic for a while now and have gained weight. I too experience all the type 1 and type 2 diabetic nonsense that people like to spout. I have stopped trying to explain. Diabetes is a very labor intensive disease, and I don't have that kind of time. I just tell everyone that if they are unable to communicate with me, to call an ambulance. (I have VERY good insurance)
My life is important to me and there is no way I want someone I work with administering first aid. People try (sort of) to understand... they get me diet pop for low blood sugar (diabetics should NEVER drink regular pop, right?) My co-worker, bless her, she is really nice, asked me if I needed her to open a window so I could get more oxygen... I carry a backpack the size of a tank because I am the one that I want making my treatment decisions, so I try to be prepared and catch it early. The bottom line is people care, but they don't really CARE, not enough to get over their preconceived notions about what THEY think is really going on. Its about what THEY think I need to do, not what my doctor has told me what to do. I have never been able to get more than one sentence out before people tune out. So, now all I say is this: "if I am not making sense, call 911" and I change the subject.
Thank god for diabetic blogs, because you guys get it.
I disagree with you on this, Sam. I agree that origin isn't all that important as time passes which is why I don't bother identifying myself as LADA. I'm Type 1, that is what's important. I only explain slow onset if someone makes the assumption that I've had Type 1 all my life (like my cardiologist when assessing risk factors - 6 years vs 60 makes a big difference!).
But the differences are more than just origin, they are about treatment. If I were to walk into a doctor's office now and be diagnosed as Type 2 they would suggest diet and exercise and perhaps oral meds, none of which would do me any good. (well I still have about 6-8 pounds to lose at this point)They would tell me to test, what, 2-4 times a day? And they would want my pump back! So, ads on tv about "diabetes" don't really speak to me.
Not to mention my own personal favorite: "diabetes is known to cause nerve pain". No, UNCONTROLLED diabetes CAN cause nerve pain. And I hate those people saying, " I have diabetic nerve pain". Do they think neuropathy is too big a word for the public?
UPDATE: I had contacted the local NBC station after a story was aired on diabetes. It addressed type 2 - but didn't specify. In my email I talked about the differences, especially the value of checking one's family tree for type 2 etc. Last night there was a story on childhood obesity, the said "Type 2"!! The health desk reporter got it!
From what I understand, I think the point was "genetically predisposed to autoimmune issues". From what I understand, which would make much more sense :)
I agree with you Zoe. I think the real problem of lumping diabetes into one gigantic pool is in the initial stages of the disease! The incorrect treatment for T1 (dx by bias, cultural norms, etc) could cause tremendously bad outcomes! Not to exclude T2 from this discussion, I'm just not well versed in initial treatments for T2 and the affects incorrect treatment would cause. A difference needs to be distinguished for BOTH types to ensure a great quality of life/health/help for BOTH types. The lumping doesn't assist anybody.
