I often hear people sharing that when they were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, their doctors sometimes (often) told them a rather specific time-frame for a cure - in the next 5 years, in the next 10 years....it surprises me, as I was never told anything of the sorts. "Diabetes is a life-long chronic disease, and that's that" was the message pretty much.
Maybe I did not have the most optimistic doctor...but I wonder what is worse - given hope for a cure that is not met, or not being told anything at all?
I was diagnosed when I was 8 years old (27 years ago) and I seem to remember hearing the doctor tell my mother that a cure was right around the corner.
I was diagnosed in 1973 and my Dr then told me that a cure would be in the next 5 years. I kinda think he missed it. 39 years and counting. When my daughter was diagnosed in 1999 that's when I finally heard from her dr that it was a life long disease that no "cure" was on the horizon.
I did not get the cure promise, I got the worse case scenario lecture. I gave up on "cure" more than 30 years ago when I realized the cure was not going to happen in my lifetime and the folks who claim a cure is on the way are just looking for money/support for their effort. We have had some pretty amazing advances in management, though.
Until the cause of my own condition - T1 autoimmune is identified...a cure will not happen.
I was diagnosed 16 years ago and I recall the pediatric endo telling my mother that any day now there would be a cure. I don't know that he truly believed it based on the research at that time, or if it was a sort of standard comment to lessen the blow. I'd long forgotten the statement until I read it a few times when I joined Tudiabetes and I thought to myself, "Hey, that's what my doc said". Oh well, we can always hope.
I had the 5 year promise when I was diagnosed in 1987. I have gotten that same promise 1000 times since then , It is to the point I tell a new doctor that I am seeing, " Please don't tell me the 5 year LIE "
The best we can hope for in 5 years is better or easier control.
I was diagnosed 10 years ago and was told there would be a cure in 10 years back then. Looks like (according to my first endo at least) 2012 will be a really big year for all of us then! HAHAHA.
When the DCCT came out I was told that it was just a matter of time.
When the Edmonton Protocol was announced (islet transplantation) I was told a year or two.
When the Minimed Paradigm came out, I was told it was a matter if time until it would be soon when it would be an automated closed loop system (just a matter of software).
{toe tapping (while I can still feel them) and lots of cricket chirping...}
I was 4yrs old when I was Dx that was in 1990, I've had 3 Dr's total (endo's to be exact) not one has ever told me the cure is right around or anything of that sort..
This post really kind of makes me sad. I hadn't thought about it in a long time. I was DXed in 1972, when I was three years old, so I of course don't remember, but my mother later told me, rather bitterly, that the doctors had told her there would be a cure in 5 years. And then as I was seeing doctors throughout my life, I had this thought in my head that it would be in the next 5, so they must have told me that too. When I reached adulthood I was upset to realize how many 5-year periods had passed (8 at current count) and I sort of quit thinking about it all together. Why do you think this is the mantra? Did they believe it, or were they just trying to make us feel better?
I was diagnosed in 1968. The doctors told my parents my life expectancy was 20 years. I have outlived four endocrinologists and I completed a marathon last year. So much for their predictions. Doctors also make predictions on cure dates so that parents have some sort of hope. In 1968, The prediction for a cure was 5 years.
I was diagnosed since i was 6 years old, now I'm 24 but i never heard that diabetes can be cured, yes it can be controlled but that's it. Lifestyle change is sort of a cure but that's change we need to do to accept the situation. My doctor never told me that, she even told me that i would have my insulin for life. From then on, i learned to love syringes and lancets :)
I agree. I think research towards a cure is a good thing, but so is the progress in treating diabetes that makes us lucky to live in 2012, not 1912. Nobody ever told me a cure would be here in 5 years, or 10, though it would be nice if it were. I was older when diagnosed. If my great niece who is 4, was diagnosed today I might think she would see a cure in her lifetime, but I'd also help her to look at things exactly like Jastine did and learn to have a good life despite D.
Same here. I was given 5 yrs. which was in 1995. They obviously got that one wrong. I agree though that it is easier to be told just to "deal" with it instead of being lied to about a "cure". Many younger diabetics wait for the announcement and get very disappointed when it doesn't come.
