MWWIAD: Media (Movies, TV, books, etc) With Weird Ideas About Diabetes (and/or PWD)

When I saw DrBB’s post below, I decided it should be spun off to start it’s own series, so … doing that. :smirk_cat: :astonished: :wink:

Continuing the discussion from My Apple Watch!:

1 Like

More examples of Rule #1: Con Air with Nick Cage. Cage has gotta risk his life to get some guy an insulin shot! Or the guy will die! Well, yeah, kinda sorta, but y’know, eventually. In the movie it takes like an hour and he’s at death’s door.

Not a movie, but more than one episode of Columbo uses diabetes as a plot point. My favorite silly diabetes moment is Columbo’s discovery of a shirt worn the night before by that episode’s resident diabetic. The shirt has a stain on it. Columbo sniffs it and asks, “Can diabetics eat garlic? Because I smell garlic.” Now whenever someone says something silly about diabetes, my husband and I look at each other and ask, “Can diabetics eat garlic?”

2 Likes

Wait–you’re saying we can eat garlic? Get me a clove, stat!

3 Likes

two cloves please…

2 Likes

That pretty much describes my main pet peeve with how PWDs are portrayed — we are all just so amazingly fragile! :astonished: :open_mouth: Basically the lot of us are always just one small misstep away from a quick death! :scream_cat:

Usually it’s going to be from lapsing into a hyperglycemic coma … aka the sleep of death … because of the need to insert the obligatory “S/He needs a shot!” scene. But every now and then they’ll throw down hypoglycemia just to change it up a little.

If someone goes hypo in the movies or TV you can be sure that they are going to be near death. Only the paramedics & an intravenous feed will be able to save them. Maybe. One scene I never expect to see is someone going hypo, popping a few glucose tabs, and then “OK. I’m fine now.” :wink: You’ll probably also never see the other alternative of someone waking up covered in sweat, feeling & looking like death warmed over, and saying “Oh, crap! Why did that happen?”

“Give him a can of Coke or he’s gonna die!”

A lot less dramatic, but possibly better for product-placement revenue.

4 Likes

I could see how it could work in a Seth Rogen movie, maybe? :smile:

1 Like

I thought the issue in Con Air was that the guy was hypo and Cage was trying to get the guy an insulin shot to save his life.

You could be right. I was giving 'em the benefit of the doubt, but they’re usually so unspecific on the details that it’s just
a) Diabetics can pass out at any time!
b) Diabetics have to take a shot!
Therefore
c) When they’re about to pass out, they need a shot!

1 Like

Yes, nice summary. But it also does make you wonder why the medical community wastes so much time droning on, no? It’s simple — just give ‘em the frickin’ shot. Right? :open_mouth: :angry:

Oh goodness, to think no-one ever told me I might not be able to eat garlic - get me a shot (of brandy please).

1 Like

omg, what’s better coke or pepsi … we pause for this commercial break…where two PWD test whether coke or pepsi is better.

And, of course, within 30 seconds of getting the miracle shot he’ll bounce right back up, tons of energy, sharp clear thinking, ready to fight off three Spetznatz special forces dudes with large knives, all with his bare handed Kung Fu.

Just like the rest of us. That’s just the way it works for me, how about the rest of you?

:smile:

As John Belushi on SNL would say, “No Coke, Pepsi!”

1 Like

Thanks you guys for making this place feel like home again!

1 Like

And so it goes on and on and on …

BBC Drama Treats a Low with Insulin

According to a report in the Mirror (U.K.), the season finale of The Syndicate featured a character with Type 1, Amy, who declared she was suffering from low blood sugar. A pharmacist goes to get an insulin pen. Amy’s low is apparently treated with insulin, which, as many people with diabetes pointed out, would probably have killed her.

###“Hollywood Does Diabetes” (on YouTube)

Me tooplease garlic

I read some mystery last winter in which the ptrotagonist was Type 1 and talked a lot about having her supplies, needing to test or eat a snack…but not ONCE did she test her BG!! It was so bad I didn’t finish it and can’t remember the title. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: