Frustration

So today I went to the eye doctor and the first question they asked me was “When did you GET diabetes?” Really when did I GET diabetes? I told the girl that I did not get diabetes. I am a type 1 diabetic and I was diagnosed when I was 13 years old. I told her that Type 1 diabetes is not preventable and its not just something you get. Its not preventable.She said I know that. I really wish people could understand the difference between the types of diabetes. Am I wrong for getting upset about this?

Hmmm, interesting. I am not sure I would expect an assistant at an eye doctor’s office to be much more than clueless? For a long time I was always like “1984 or 85, I can’t ever remember” so they’d raise their eyebrows but my A1C usually made them think “he must know what he’s doing” although I was sort of seriously whacked out of my gourd a lot of the time from like 1987 until 2008? I managed about 7 years w/o any doctor’s appointments or tests at all b/c my doctor’s staff was too lazy to cut me off and Walgreen’s staff did a great job getting rx’s refilled despite the threats to cut me off.

The whole medical management of diabetes issue amazes me. At work, I evaluate claims for people injured in car accidents some of whom, of course, have diabetes. I’m always amazed by the lack of detail in reports even when, for whatever reason, we subpoena stuff from endos just in case there’s something about the MVA stuff in there, the notes are really sparse, like A1C, doses, maybe an adjustment or two. Compared to the stuff people talk about around here, it is really amazing. Or it is amazing that we and our insurance companies pay for what we are getting?

I need to agree with others …Your first visit at this eye Doc ??
You got diabetes, when you were diagnosed ( or …possibly before you were diagnosed and untill it was diagnosed with resulting numbers ) … best not being frustrated in this case …hang in christie .

Hmm, I still agree with Christie but I will admit that I’m sort of particular about language and diabetes. You don’t “get” it, your body, or at least a very important part of it, fails and you have the pathology. Get implies that something “gave” it to you. I’d probably just answer the question but I’d be peevish about the visit. I think that it’s good that Christie told her her feelings and will certainly pay more attention when/ if I get back to the opthamologist.

I agree with the other posts, asking when did you get diabetes is not saying that you have type 2 or you caused diabetes. I guess a better question should be when were you diagnosed. Let me ask you something do you understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 when it comes to vision because the complications are the same when you have high bgs from type 1 or type 2. No difference in going blind. Blind is blind from high bgs wether they are caused by type 1 or type 2.

I have been going to the eye doctor for a very long time and there is a difference in the eye exam of a non-diabetic person and a type 2 or type 1 person. I asked my eye doctor and an eye specialist who works with diabetic patients a lot of question on treatment of a type 1 and a type 2 patient from a vision point of view when I was first diagnosed. My glucose leves were so high at the time of diagnosis that my eyes actually reshaped themselves and I could see 20 20 without contacts or glasses. He said there are no differences in complications in the eyes in either type and blind is blind either way if you dont take care of bgs on either patient.

Also if you noticed that when they bill you for exam usually a diabetic gets billed under medical and not vision. I have one set of test that are billed for a general exam and I have another set of test that are billed under medical. It makes the visit cheaper according to my eye doctor. I asked if there was a difference when it comes treatment between type 1 and type 2 and he said no difference.

So I do try to read about both treatments for both types before I talk to doctors to see if different protocols are followed.

Yes, I agree Acid…, it’s in the language …but there is maybe where you and you and you and I differ …for me the treatment is most important …do I not receive what works , then I will look at other possibilities …I recall being diagnosed , 1983 with diabetes …Doc did not call it type 1, 2,3 , other …but perscribed meds …they did not work …I asked for insulin, Doc listened …and insulin worked .

Type 2 is not preventable either. Makes it sound like you were insulted to be possibly considered a T2 who “got” diabetes?

Like the nurse, medical assistant, whatever, when I went to Urgent Care. She looked up my meds on the computer and wanted to know why a “pen” was a prescription since a pen is something you write with. lol

I suppose you here on this earth to train " them " …but at least she asked the question :slight_smile:

I can understand your frustrations but you need to look at it with some perspective. Although you would expect a certain level of knowledge from the Medical community in all truth they know very little about diabetes- any type. I have decided to simply ignore anyone I don’t trust unless they give me some reason to. If they ask me questions about my diabetes I answer as succinctly as possible and try to head to the next thing they need or want to know from me.

Nope. Not insulted at all. But thanks for the concern. The point is that if someone wants a doctor to know the difference between type 1 and type 2 they should know both sides of the coin also. I once believed I was type 1. That is what the doctor told me until I got the Holly Berry type 1 diabetic cure(sarcasm here, I dont believe a cure exists just management and she is a type 2 and not a type 1) . You could look back at some of the heated debates I had with LizMari when she was here about how I accepted that my lifestyle was a possible culprit for my acquisition of diabetes and she said that it was not my fault. The landmine was there, I just happen to step on it.

I am one of those type 2’s who believes my earlier behaviour had a major role in me getting the disease. I do believe some level of type 2 is preventable and the complications under certain conditions. Maybe I am just a freak of nature but when i slimed down my insulin requirements went down to zero and even to this day when I lose 10 pounds or so my pills level goes down. So my levels go up and down depending how hard I work out and control diet. I “got” the diabetes cant complain now and cant be offended since you cant step out of a door without throwing a rock and hitting a type 2 diabetic these days(sarcasm again). All I can do is deal day to day.

I don’t find the question offensive at all. I don’t think her language implies it was preventable. When did you get strep throat? When did you get the Chicken Pox? That’s just the standard language of a nurse doing an intake. I can be a little pissy about Type 1 lingo, but this one doesn’t bother me for some reason.

I gotz the diabetes a year ago at 43 years old, shortly before the time I was diagnosed. I may be a bit resentful of T2s being lumped in with me, but doesn’t seem like thats the issue here. I would be more concerned with those doctor friends of mine that say “but your not fat” when they hear I am diabetic. I am about to quit explaining it to them and just going to answer “yah, that’s strange isn’t it”.

I am also not that concerned with the useage of “got”. If you consider it a mistake it certainly is a small mistake and the comments could have been worse. Earlier this year, I started seeing a new eye doctor. Nice enough guy with just a slight accent. Told him my A1C of 6.5 and he went on to check my eyeballs. He told me I had no signs of complications (whew) and then went on to say if I could get my A1c even lower I could CURE my diabetes.

I was somewhat dumbfounded and taken back. I am not sure if his slight accent played any role in this. After a stuter or 2 to catch my place I told him that no mater what my A1C was my diabetes would not be cured and that this was impossible. The poor guy looked like a deer caught in headlights (or at least what I could make out with my blurry vision from the drops). He quickly appoligized and agreed with me that diabetes was not curable and added something to the effect of curing anything related to eyes. I don’t think that he is used to people correcting his mistakes by the look of his nurse in the room, but I will gladly correct the medical profession for gross errors like this. I think he likely knew he messed up and the wrong thing slipped out, but I am not positive. I just hope he does good work with eyeballs.

I’m not really offended by this statement either. I’ve come to accept that not everyone understands my disease, but I don’t understand anything about their lives either. It’s not necessary for the receptionist to know the details of my life. The doctor’s opinion and how much he understands my disease is much more important to me. (but even that I take with a grain of salt. I’m really my own doctor- they just write the scrips)

Everyone else, it’s just like “need to know basis” only. I try not to get caught up in the small things- else I’d be pissed off all day long. There are lots of ignorant people out there, but when someone talks to me about some form of cancer their nephew just got diagnosed with… I’m clueless as they are about my disease. I can’t expect everyone to be as involved with this disease as I am. Because when I leave their view, 5 minutes later, they’ve forgotten what I’ve told them about the disease anyway. Just like I’ve forgotten why they have that scar on their chest 5 minutes after they walk away.



Type 1 for 13 years and going strong.

I know it’s sometimes hard not to take things personally but I believe, it was just a question. She wasn’t accusing you. It just means when were you diagnosed like; when did you get pneumonia or when did you get cancer or when did you get Asthma. She just needed a date.

Another thought …maybe English secongd language ???( as is mine !) …I have been forgiven a lot , for how I say things and how the words sound …but could you do any better in my Mother tongue ?? …by the way I can’t either …Dutch has been mixed with Canadian since 1963 :slight_smile: …so keep it light .

My comment was a question to Christie:) She sounds somewhat offended to be thought a T2, which isn’t something people can prevent.

We are all entitled to our own opinions. I still think that GET is not the proper choice for asking someone when they were diagnosed with diabetes. I am a type 1 diabetic that is true and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. So forgive me if I feel offended when someone asks when I GOT it. It’s not like I went and got a purse or something. It was there all along and was discovered or diagnosed when I was 13. So the MC (medically correct) way to ask the question in my opinion would be “When were you diagnosed with diabetes?”

Get that alot too. People are always saying you don’t look like a diabetic. I just explain the different types. It amazes me how little some people know about diabetes.