There was a discussion at work yesterday, I wasn't part of it but it was pretty loud so I heard parts of it. Apparently it was about the smoking commercials on TV and people who have lost their arms and legs from smoking. One of the women kept saying I bet they had sugar diabetes, that's why they lost their arms and legs, not from smoking. I have never heard of anyone losing their arms from diabetes, legs yes, but arms? Anyone heard of this?
Yes A women that lived behind me was diabetic and she lost both legs one arm and the other arm only had the pinky left on it. This was a wake up call for me.
I would have jumped in and said, "You don't lose limbs from having diabetes; you can lose limbs from having unmanaged diabetes." That's a big difference.
Exacly, Zoe. There is such a lack of knowledge out there. It's scary.
I hate those commercials because they are painful to watch, but they certainly get attention. A couple of the people on the commercials have said that they have diabetes, one Type 2 and one Type 1. Both were smokers with diabetes - bad combination. When I was first diagnosed, one of my doctors told me that the biggest thing I had going in my favor was that I have never smoked.
Yes. Well controlled diabetes is the leading cause of nothing!
Please excuse my digression.
“Sugar diabetes” is a stubborn part of our lexicon. I wonder why the term started and what people think when they use the term. Is sugar diabetes different from diabetes? Do they think it’s “the bad kind?” Is this a regional thing?
I have read about (and have friends with personal experience with) the loss of "limbs" and while more often than not, it's legs and/or feet, arms and hands are also affected. I googled it just now and saw a story of a woman who got a cat scratch on her hand that led to amputation.
I don't know if she was keeping her diabetes under control or not. never found out but I assume she wasn't. The 2 leading causes of loss of limb is disease and motorcycle accidents. I actually know more people resulting in motorcycle accidents.
ER workers refer to them as "donorcycles". True fact.
Not sure if it's regional; I'm near Rochester NY. She probably equates diabetes with sugar. I suppose I could have jumped in and educated her, but this person is a talker and she carries on and dominates long conversations with the other employees and I was hoping the conversation would end sooner than later because I was getting uncomfortable, even though I wasn't in the immediate area.
Well, just being pedantic here and playing at amateur lexicographer, the full name of the disease is diabetes mellitus, which as we know, translates as "sugary urine". So (possibly) "sugar diabetes" developed as a way of saying that without resorting completely to latin. Just a possibility.
There is also "diabetes insipidus" which has nothing to do with sugar or insulin.
All the more reason to be specific, then.
When I was diagnosed (a third of a century ago!) the "diabetes education" at the local hospital consisted of them showing me pictures of gangrenous and/or amputated feet, hands, arms and legs in a medical textbook. For better or worse that was sort of the front line of diabetes knowledge at the time. Stone knives and bearskins! Things are so much better now!
Oh yes. The Fright Show used to be the standard indoctrination. And the further back you go, the worse it was. Check this.
mellītus m (feminine mellīta, neuter mellītum); first/second declension
1.Of or pertaining to honey.
2.Sweetened with honey, honey-sweet, honeyed.
diabetes n, from Latin, from Greek, siphon
diabetes mellitus translates from the Latin as "a siphon of honey"
to be even more pedantic than you David
I must not really have diabetes then...I can be really cranky sometimes so I'm obviously not that sweet. :)
Honestly alot of older people where I live say "sugar diabetus". I just smile and nod... I pick my battles.
Even my endo, a very intelligent and educated man will say "your sugars", probably because people around here understand him when he says that.
I hate that terminology. It is glucose. I am very stubborn about this.
The ad on tv that was probably being referred to showed people with Buerger's Disease. And yes they had amputations from smoking. Diabetes was never mentioned and I hate it when people make assumptions.
I was on dialysis for 14 months due to complications from cancer surgery. (I am fine now.)
Not to frighten anyone, but there were several pwd's on my shift that had amputations, both lower and upper limbs. Yes, it still happens.
That's why control is important.