Article states the late musician B. B. King died due to a series of mini-strokes due to Type 2 diabetes.
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I will be very happy if I can make it to 89 years old.
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B.B. King is a legend for me. For g’ness sake - he was 89 years old and only 4 months away from being 90!! This man had an epic talent and was able to share it with us for most of his living days. So I hope we can allow him to RIP without being a headline.
I don’t understand what you are saying …(without being a headline)
He is for many. RIP King of Blues.
In the article it states Multi-infarct Dementia (vascular). I didn’t realize that was linked to Diabetes and always thought it was due to lack of oxygen from Emphysema. My father who just turned 85 has this type of dementia and is getting progressively worse- he also has Type 2 although controlled. Scary thinking about it…I thought my mom’s neuropathy was bad.
Karen, I am not making him into a headline. If anything it can give others real and valuable information into the far reaching impact of diabetes on one’s body. I have heard of TIAs and CVAs but not the medical condition mentioned in the article. Hopefully the article has educated someone besides me to look further into complications of diabetes.
I think it or is imperative as diabetics or PWDsn we know all the possible risks and complications associated with this horrible disease. If you are aware of all possible complications associated then I am the first to applaud you, because I do not.
Furthermore, I thought of him as one of the many heros in entertainment and in general who was very public about his fight with the disease. I would think he would want us to learn as much as we can to help ourselves and others.
That was the purpose of my post. I did not know this link either to diabetes. It was not for exploitation purposes as Karen suggested
sts.
Well, he died in his sleep, so at least he was resting when he left the stage. As said before, he was nearly 90 years old!
I just don’t see why T2, mini strokes need to be “headlined” (by anyone). I wonder why they didn’t add that he was a smoker, too?? Bunch of yahoo for sure.
Why would it be yahoo if it spotlights something and educates others who are ignorant the ravages of diabetes? And he died in hospice care at home. I think your view is quite narrow minded to say the least. A little biased with ageism as well–like it was time for him to go. When my mom was in the hospital there was a 101 year old woman there too. Would you tell the doctors not to give her the same care as a 25 year old? Life is still valuable whether you are a Type 1 or Type 2. Or are you saying Type 2 lives are less important—the circumstances shouldn’t even be addressed or shared for future consideration?
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My dad died for the same reasons in 1989 in his early 70s. While he and Mom knew he was diabetic, he wasn’t taught to test his blood sugar or anything else. He basically retired and wanted to enjoy his cabin in the Northwoods that we all helped him build–and write the Great American Novel. But within a couple months, he started having these mini-strokes.
We kids had no idea he was diabetic until long after he died. Years later, when I was dx, I revisited dad’s death and learned a lot. Until then, I hadn’t even thought about the relationship between the D and stroke. With so much misinformation floating around out there about our common scourge, I’m glad when news reports relate the two. Dad’s death certificate just said stroke with no mention of what might have caused them…
RIP and blessings on a great artist who lived an inspiring life right up to the end…
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You explained my point perfectly Judith. Thank you.
That’s the reason I posted the article because many times the media will say “complications due to diabetes” but do not give the details–heart attack, kidney failure, or strokes, etc. I think in March, BB had suffered a heart attack, which is what I assumed he succumbed to at his death. The follow-up article could reach someone (who was an admirer or fan) and put diabetes in a new perspective. I, who have been around diabetics all my life had never heard of this type of stroke before so I even learned something new.
My mom has always been a huge fan of Mary Tyler Moore. Even though Mom had immediate family members who suffered from diabetes, when Mom heard and read Mary’s story about the denial process MTM went through and having I think a pinky toe amputated, it really hit home for her.
Not because she hadn’t saw first hand the adverse effects of the disease up close, but because someone she admired and saw on television was going through a real life medical experience that her family members’ were also going through. It also made Mom feel better in accepting her own feelings about her diabetes and understand that she could not be OCD/perfectionist about BG control.
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I was posting on another board about early retirement and someone said - well, see, he lived a long time with diabetes. It’s no big deal. I had to school this person and let them know, he wasn’t a healthy 89 by any means and I’m sure his life was difficult because of it, DESPITE his money. RIP BB.
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[quote=“Kate25, post:10, topic:46249”]Why would it be yahoo if it spotlights something and educates others who are ignorant the ravages of diabetes?[/quote]I really just wish that the yahoo line B.B. King had was about his LIFE rather than how he died. “due to T2 diabetes” just doesn’t jingle for me. Yahoo is not the first headline I saw (I follow the music world pretty closely), but it’s the first one that had that type of detail in the line. Also, I am just one of those folks who does not get my education and understanding from news headlines. And even inside the article I remember that this is a reporter writing about it. Not an expert by any means!
[quote=“Kate25, post:10, topic:46249”]
I think your view is quite narrow minded to say the least. A little biased with ageism as well–like it was time for him to go.[/quote]Okay then! I was actually trying to say that he got to do his thing for most of his days, and yes he was kind of old and still able to do that almost to the end of his days. So YAY. THAT is a headline in my book. Sigh
[quote=“Kate25, post:10, topic:46249”] When my mom was in the hospital there was a 101 year old woman there too. Would you tell the doctors not to give her the same care as a 25 year old?[/quote]Wow, WTH?? And to answer any of that I’d need to know what she was in there for. When I’ve been in the hospital there were folks of all ages and I would have no reason to tell anyone what kind of care to give them. I do know that there are caregivers and institutions and even governments who would determine the care based on age.
[quote=“Kate25, post:10, topic:46249”]Life is still valuable whether you are a Type 1 or Type 2.[/quote]Right! And when I die I hope I get a really nice headline that does not call out my health issues.
[quote=“Kate25, post:10, topic:46249”]Or are you saying Type 2 lives are less important—the circumstances shouldn’t even be addressed or shared for future consideration?[/quote]Well, not only did I NEVER say those things, I sure don’t appreciate you putting those words in my hands in any way.
[quote=“Kate25, post:12, topic:46249, full:true”]
I, who have been around diabetics all my life had never heard of this type of stroke before so I even learned something new.[/quote]Diabetes is running around in my own family, and so we’re pretty aware of the complications, management needs, and so on. I don’t wish for any troubles that may result because of my health be the headline on my epitaph (of course I am not famous…yet 
). I have had two “strokes”, and diabetes had nothing to do with them. The idea that the mini strokes were caused by his T2 may or may not be a fact. It is likely that B.B. King had a multitude of the risk factors for MID.
And finally - I don’t see death as an opportunity to educate and create understanding. That is something we can and for those of us who find a calling to do so should be doing it while we are living.
Sometimes death of a love one or a person admired is the only wake up call some people will respond to–not everyone responds the same way. There may be someone out there that this can help, then again may be not. But to brush it off as non-news with a wide brushstroke is quite apathetic to say the least.
If this posting rubbed you the wrong way so deeply–why respond–why didn’t you just ignore it? Due to him suffering a heart attack in March and prior heart troubles, I think the information was released because many people assumed that’s how he died rather than from the strokes the coroner confirmed. I posted it due to the type of stroke he had—again, I and as others have stated, we did not know these strokes were associated with diabetes.
Again, since you know more than me (and others) I will be glad to defer to your knowledge in the future, but I feel that if we as a DOC do not share information, others cannot be educated about the disease and the complications. Is this not the purpose of the boards?
In the future I will be sure to run any posts by you before I place them on the boards to be sure not to offend. I don’t wan to post something you feel is unnecessary, trivial, or doesn’t qualify for the level of diabetic conversation for DOC.
The key question isn’t “did diabetes kill BB King” but “What %age of 89 year olds with diabetes die vs. how many straight 89 year olds die?”. Once you hit 77, you are beating the actuarial tables (less for guys…) so 89 is pretty much a solid victory with or without diabetes. It’s unfortunate that they don’t talk about BB’s diabetes victories as he was an effective spokesman for T2 and being out there as a guy who kept rocking as long as he could. I hope to keep rocking half that long. Oh wait, I have just encountered another opportunity to play with somebody and I’m 47, so I guess I have?
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I couldn’t agree more AR. Rock on! 
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Just read this article. It includes Type 2 as well.
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bjm2363, I saw that article too. I wanted to post it, but since I got some heat from a certain person about the BB/mini-stroke article, I didn’t dare post it.
I’m glad you did. There is also a correlation to a certain type of dementia in those with diabetes/hypertension who are long-term dialysis patients. Mom who is 78 and will be 79 in June has suffered with hypertension since she was 16 years old and with diabetes since she was 47 years old. She’s been a dialysis patient for 8 years.
The neurologist who worked my mom’s case after her diabetic coma (due to low blood sugar) in February informed me that her CT scan reflected this type of dementia rather than a CVA or stroke. Basically, the stress of dialysis treatments on the vascular system results in “wear and tear”–the signs are forgetfulness of events but not Alzheimzer’s–rather laypeople would say signs of old age.
Now HERE is a HEADLINE: Homicide probe to be launched into B.B. King’s death