Couch Potatoes and Twinkies

I’ve just finished with day 5 of NaNoWriMo and it’s getting intense. This post is a bit controversial, I will warn you ahead of time.

Couch Potatoes and Twinkies

That was a complicated post for me to read. I know that writing at that volume every day is complicated, and I know that your work is intensely personal and drawn from your life experiences. And I certainly respect that, and the effort you put into managing your disease, and the determination and drive with which you approach your life.

I’m certainly not thin, but I’m not fat, either. I’m somewhere in between. I’m a type 1 diabetic. I walk at least 30 minutes a day.

My father in law is a type 2 diabetic, and he’s 6’8" and 200 pounds. His diet is decent and he has always been physically active, but he still needs metformin. I saw that you acknowledged this type of type 2 briefly.

What I struggle with in your article is the lack of sympathy for the overweight, brought-it-on-themselves type 2. Yes, there are diabetics who fit that profile. To me, though, the greater question is why? Why can’t they follow the doctor’s orders? Why can’t they loose the weight?

It is impossible to know what lies at the center of another person. Maybe it’s fear; if they lose the weight, if they do what they need to do, then diabetes becomes real. Maybe it’s that they are so paralyzed by the magnitude of changes that need to happen that they can’t take that first small step. Maybe it’s depression. Maybe its hormonal; underactive thyroid (which I also have) can lead to fatigue, weight gain, and inactivity.

Whatever it is, from all of those things to laziness to something beyond my ability to imagine, the world’s opinion of a type 2 diabetic does not affect my life. I don’t have any anger towards them. I have sympathy, and compassion, but no anger. What other people may assume about me because of a type 2 diabetic is little more than an inconvenience. I know what I am, and I don’t worry too much about anything else. Offering a type 2 diabetic compassion and understanding seems like the most valuable contribution I can make towards their journey of self care.

I see how, as someone who has fought for the ability to be athletic and succeed and what you do (and you do it very well), you would hold these opinions. I don’t share them, but I respect your work ethic and perseverance.

Beth:

I thank you for respecting my opinion.

I hope you didn’t think I was angered by the Type 2 Diabetics. I’m not, I’m merely frustrated by them and it stems from the fact that I have watched people in my family let themselves go simply because they don’t care. I have a father who was in the Navy who is now over 400 lbs and doesn’t care, he’s got Type 2 diabetes and doesn’t seem to care. I have a sister who was model material and decided that she didn’t care what her weight was and she’s now pre-diabetic. I have a grandmother who knew full well she needed to be taking care of herself and she didn’t, she’s got Type 2 diabetes, and now she only does a mediocre job of taking care of herself. That there is my frustration.

I have a friend who’s probably close to 300 lbs the doctor has told him he needs to make changes and he’s not. There’s frustration.

I just can’t fathom why if you could stop it you wouldn’t. That causes frustration, especially when all these people know what I’ve gone through. All the stories of the Type 2 diabetics I know are similar. It’s hard for me to have sympathy for them.

You give me a Type 2 diabetic that didn’t do it to themselves, and I’ll have sympathy for them…You give me a Type 2 diabetic that is trying to get themselves together, I’ll have sympathy for them. You give me a Type 2 diabetic that let themselves go, I have no sympathy for them and it may seem harsh, but people had no sympathy for me when I let myself go. It’s the same thing. Most of us know what we’re doing when we let ourselves go and we don’t deserve sympathy. We need help, but you can’t help the people that don’t want to be helped and those are the Type 2 diabetics I know and the basis of that writing.

Courtney—i am with you all the way—although there are exceptions to every rule—i find the exact frustrations—I had plenty of teachers claim my sugar eating ‘caused’ my T1 diabetes—they said i had 'Sugar Diabetes’
I was 4 at diagnosis—come on.