I will give those ignorant people a break if they will allow me to educate them on the truth.
I really wish people would stop believing everything they see on the TV. That really bugs me - it makes it harder for people with diseases to be understood.
I knew nothing except for that I thought you had to be fat to get diabetes. And I was never fat and I still am not. I am too thin! I look forward to the day when you see someone on the news saying that Type 2 is genetic. All of those news reports show fat, fat and more fat.
Like another member said, I thought a lot people who got diabetes were those super huge people who spend their lives in McDonalds.
I thought because I was a vegetarian this could never happen to me. I was 20 years veg before this happened. I knew about nutrition in that I thought I was doing good by not eating meat because of salt and saturated fat so no high blood pressure or cholestrol (which is true for me).
I have always been thin so the only thing I really looked at on nutrition labels was to make sure the product was veg and didnāt have to many artifical things in it. I never looked at carbs, sugar - I did look at protein and fat sometimes.
I had no idea that Type 2 was genetic - or even that it is ran in my family! Mom never told me - probably because like everyone else she thought because I was a veg that I could never āget itā. Thanks Mom (of course she told me about all the cancers and other stuff). I think she feels bad now.
Just more stereotypes, see? Even my cousin who has diabetes said to me when she found out I had it āHow could you get diabetes? You are a vegetarian.ā That is like saying that meat causes diabetes. (my cousin isnāt really all that educated on these things so it doesnāt bother me).
It took me a while to figure out the carb and sugar and portion sizes stuff. And a lot of reading on here and books and other places to understand how this happened to me.
Even a doctor friend of mine who is also a veg told me that there was probably no way I could have avoided it since I was already on a good diet - you canāt sidestep your genes. (although I think she slightly believes that myth that diet can prevent you from developing this - but she was knowledgable about the genetic part).
I always hear that but donāt know why. I have great blood pressure and I donāt eat a lot of processed foods so I donāt worry about it. Perhaps another thing I should educate myself onā¦
It doesnāt ācureā it (they just say it that way to sell book and products, you know?)- but, sans too much fruit, it is very low in carbs for the most part so it will give you pretty good numbers and make it easy to control. Also because it is a very limited diet. You canāt ācureā your genes. I eat half raw diet because it give me more energy too. I like to keep an open mind. I know it wonāt ācureā me because the food choices make it easier for me to have lower numbers. Different things work for different people - so I donāt think there is only one way to do this and all other ways should get thrown out the window. Everyone should do what works for them.
Interesting KimKat! We share some similarities. Iāve also been a vegetarian (now vegan) for 17 years and I had a hard time getting a doctor to test me for diabetes because I didnāt fit the profile- in pretty good shape and 30 years old. Turns out mine was autoimmune but itās crazy how profiles and stereotypes can influence even doctors! Thatās why I donāt put much faith in them:)
I was just teasing! Itās something I hear at work a lot- from customers or vendor repsā¦I work at Whole Foods Market so I have an interesting audience, often more educated about health and food than the general population.
Asking isnāt a problem itās more the people who āknowā everything and are really ignorant or the people who should know and donāt. My wife( a hairdresser) had a EMT in her chair while I was in the hospital and mentioned why I was in. Her client asked type 1 or 2, she said type 1 he turned around and said so they just have him on pills. Then proceeded to tell her it was probably brought on by my diet.
When it come to dealing with people who have any condition I have never presumed. I have always asked. My wife cousin has Proteus Syndrome(one of only a handful in the world) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus_syndrome when I met him I treated him as anyone else. Anyone with any condition just wants to be treated normal and most are happy to talk about it. Itās when people tell them about it that ignorance is shown.
You sound like a very thoughtful person and Iām sure your friends feel lucky to have you in their life.
But so often people just arenāt what you wish them to be and I guess Iāve accepted that as part of life. Donāt confuse me with an apathetic, passive person though! i speak up when I need to.
Basically the only time I get upset by ignorance is when itās shown through insensitivity. For instance, if iām having a hard time at work because iāve been high for hours or had a couple lows or both and my boss says she thought the pump was supposed to āfix all thatā then I feel momentarily frustrated. It minimizes how difficult maintaining good BG levels can be sometimes.
I always say itās hard to think like a pancreas. and that generally makes people think.
My preferred protein intake method is animal protein which Im sure is always salted for taste. So, if I can start putting it on the table now (is that a pun?) I can watch out for it in my daily meal plans.
I think I knew more than most, but only because my job (as a medical/science editor) had brought a couple of nephrology journals and at least one book on managing diabetes my way. I knew enough to make the correct diagnosis when the symptoms became obvious, and to know the difference between type 1 and type 2. I did not know about basal vs bolus insulin, nor how to handle severe hypoglycemia, and most of all I did not understand that type 1 diabetes is something a person can live with and be healthy into adulthood with good control. When Eric was diagnosed, I thought it meant he wouldnāt live very longā¦ all those scary articles about diabetic nephropathy didnāt serve me well in that instance!
Well I knew very little but I do now
They said I prob had it years before I found out
I am looking for info on getting suplies cheaper etc I am not working waiting till disability (
Several issues)
I canāt even afford to be sick etc and buy test strips is anyone out there
Finding help?
Please let me know
Thank you
I was one of those who grew up with itā¦but I remember in school prolly between 6-10 grade yearsā¦we were going over the different systems in the body (e.g. central nerve system, endocrine etc.)ā¦ and the book also discussed medical issues that happenedā¦e.g. diabetes islets of langrahan in the endocrine system. It was a whole paragraphā¦ though I doubt I would have remembered or really noted it if I didnāt have diabetes at the timeā¦
I also have to say that even growing up with it there was (still is) a lot to learnā¦ in part because weāve learned more (itās not just a simple count up carbs and inject X units or further back ā¦ to sliding scales and no sugar!!)ā¦ also where T1 and T2 interconnect and splitā¦ so knowing that thereās a lot I donāt know I donāt expect the average person to know eitherā¦
There is ignoranceā¦but from what people have said in the thread and what Iāve seen in other discussionsā¦ it not the expected ignorance that seems to bother peopleā¦but when youād expect people to know more (e.g., medical profession, people youāve already talked tooā¦esp. if itās multiple times, food police and others who think they know more than you, and media who should have time and resources to get the right information)ā¦
What surprises me most is the horse pucky we get feed so often from the medical establishment. I think there is good that can come from western med., but the lack of awareness and knowledge is amazing and to think we pay for their advise!
I grew up with it (DX @ 9) and have had renewed interest in my control throughout my life. I cant really knock people for not knowing a lot. Its even hard for a lot of PWD to educate them selves. There is so many different ideas and thoughts about whats good and what isnt, as well as such a large profit making opportunity, that sometimes its all you can do just to keep up.
I am a vegan too! I was a veg for 15 years and vegan for 5 and than bam! the Big D!
I found out by accident - I went in for treatment for a urinary track infection and the nurse found sugar in my urine and said I should get tested. I thought she was crazy and mixed my pee up with someone elseās! Two weeks later I tested with a Fasting BG of 205.
I was/am 40 and I am 5ā4" and I weight 130 pounds at diagnosis. This was just over 6 months ago (I lost 30 pounds since than - not even trying! LOL!)
So I didnāt fit the profile either. The doctor that diagnosed me called me āfresh produceā (LOL) - I think he was shocked himself (so my vegan student doctor friend!) Yep, I think you and I are a good "poster childrenā against all those stereotypes!
(of course she told me about all the cancers and other stuff). I think she feels bad now.