Very good point. Insulin causing weight gain is about as logical an argument as saying umbrellas cause it to rain.
I suspect (and hope) that as more non-invasive insulin delivery mechanisms come to market, such as inhaleables like Afrezza. these options will result in insulin being considered more as a first line therapy and it will lose some of it's stigma as the therapy of last resort for "failed T2's."
I am very active in the DOC. I'll check out posts on all the boards, newbies, PWD1's Parents etc. And I check out the PWD2 boards. All too often I read :"The doctor told me if I don't start "behaving" (sic) he'll put me on the needle." Ads for insulins can tell the idea that insulin is a great tool in the diabetes tool kit. Often, as a person with type 1 for 30+ years I am asked by friends with type 2 about how bad is it. And of course, a lot of the responsibility lies with the healthcare providers who treat PWD2's. It is a major disservice that they don't educate PWD2's that Type 2 is progressive - meds will change.
Fully agree. Much of the stigma and misinformation is driven by the medical community itself, unfortunately. Their ignorance about diabetes is inexcusable.
My own personal favorite is the "it is known that diabetes damages nerves." No, it is known that uncontrolled diabetes can damage nerves" In that same ad they refer to neuropathy as "diabetic nerve pain". Do they think neuropathy is too big a word for your average viewer?
...I tend to be very hypertensive. My BP is normal again.
LOL, you go girl!
I'm right there with you! I work in a hospital and constantly find "teachable moments" with health care workers who should know better.
I have the T-shirt - literally. From Bill Polonsky's organization . The front says "News Flash! Well controlled diabetes leads to...." On the back it says "Absolutely Nothing1" I wear it with pride - especially as I hunt for a new and good Endo.
And regarding the ads ab9ut nuerapathy, I have a good friend with neurapathy in her feet - no, she does not have diabetes.
Check out Melitta's Rapid Onset type 1 in adults. Talk about horror stories regarding medical ignorance.
Christopher, check out Melitta's post on the type 1 board about Rapid Onset type 1 in Adults. She refers to an excellent white paper she wrote. Happens still....
Good one, artwoman!
Every pharmaceutical advertisement is insulting to some degree, as for any product. Just a few examples: depression/anxiety, always women; toothpaste, always shiny white and perfectly aligned teeth; incontinence, almost always women; shaving cream, always white men; breast cancer, almost always white women...
My life could be so much happier if only I took Zoloft, brushed with Colgate, shaved with a triple-blade razor, ate Dannon yogurt, and drank Corona beer. *sigh*
Yes, I know. Melitta has written some outstanding posts on how to test for T1, etc. I was originally misdiagnosed as a T2 too, but it was due to her posts and the information I got from Jenny Ruhl's books that I ordered antibody tests, and when they came back positive, demanded to be put on insulin immediately. It made a huge difference in my quality of life, allowing me to extend my honeymoon while learning to master insulin.
I'm Kris in her report
Wow. That's a terrifying experience. I could have faced a similar scenario had it not been for the information I got from this site. I was lucky in that I was diagnosed as a T2 with my BG in the low 200's. I initially responded well to Metformin because I had pancreatic function left and switched to a low-carb diet. In fact, my Endo didn't even want to test for T1, so I went so far as to forge his authorization for antibody tests on one of my regular blood draw requests soon after diagnosis. He felt pretty stupid when they all came back positive. I then demanded insulin and started an MDI regime with tiny doses that increased as my pancreatic function began to wane.
One of my all time #1 hot buttons is the notion that insulin is a punishment or a "last resort". That sends me ballistic every time I run across it. I've ranted at great length about this time and again so I won't repeat it here. It's just bull**** pure and simple.
Insulin is the most powerful weapon we have. I just wish I had asked for it 10 years sooner than I did; I might have a few beta cells left. If you had a broken leg would you consider a cast a "last resort" to be put off as long as possible?
Joslin now starts newly diagnosed T2s on insulin right away. D'ya think maybe they know something???
There you go, Muragaki. Well said. Stereotypes rule! We could start a whole separate discussion, like that old discussion of pet peeves, about disgusting ads!
That's one of my big issues with how type 2's are treated and I'm a type 1 not involved in the treatment of diabetics other than myself. Like I had a type 2 neighbor growing up who refused to use insulin , even though her doctor was practically begging her and telling her she'd die...because she saw it as a punishment. She did end up dying of pancreatic/liver cancer like a week after being diagnosed with the cancers, and not diabetes, but I imagine her life would of been a lot easier if she didn't see insulin as a punishment and took it. I don't even understand why they treat insulin as a punishment because insulin is one of the best treatments for diabetes anyway when it's super effective and isn't as much of a your mileage may vary drug like the type 2 drugs on the market. It gets people to think about their disease and put time into managing it too, it all really helps.
Kind of ironic, don't you think, that the same doctors who introduce insulin as a "threat" or "punishment" if you are not "good". (Can we say infantalizing?) are surprised when their patients are reluctant to start using it?
I know when I was misdiagnosed, the nurse was like "oh we don't want you using shots, you're too young!" ....seriously? Let's just ignore the type 1 children who have to use insulin. You're never too young for diabetes , especially not type 1 .
I'm a T2 and not overweight. I've dealt with lots of ongoing stereotypes, misunderstandings, outright insults and the stigma that diabetes is caused by overweight. But in the case of something like Victoza I think we have to understand, the drug has a major benefit that it leads to weight loss. It is even being used with T1s to help with weight loss. So their target population is actually overweight patients.
I don't really get upset over the ads. What really upsets me is the government "silver bullet" for preventing the entire US population from getting diabetes, namely to have them eat a low fat calorie restricted diet so they don't get fat. And I have to get a big shout out to my former endo ("He who shall not be named") who always told me that the reason I had diabetes was because I was fat and then despite rotating triple combinations of medications still refused to prescribe insulin.
I understand a doctor's motivation for trying to "scare" Type 2s into compliance. I would go about it differently. What if a doctor just had Type 1s who do MDIs introduce Type 2s to what diabetes means? Telling them that their best CHANCE for NOT using insulin is changing their eating and exercise habits (if they need to) takes on a whole new meaning if you observe a T1 injecting. At the same time, the T1 can also say that there are no guarantees that you WON'T need insulin.
The bottom line either way is that doing what will make you healthiest should seem much more attractive if there is a CHANCE you won't need insulin. I'd rather NOT give myself shots and/or take insulin, but I don't have a choice at this time. There is nothing wrong with a Type 1 telling a Type 2, "If you have a chance to NOT need insulin, grab hold of that!"