You Did Not Take Care Of Yourself
Have you ever been told that caused your diabetes? The lady in the article below discusses this. The article appears in the July issue of the Diabetes Forecast. How do/would you react to someone who told you this?
I've never been told that and if I was I'd raise sh*t and ask the alleged expert how he/she figures that. I've got heredity against me as both parents had t2, so the odds were pretty good I'd end up with it and I did. I don't take kindly to rude remarks like that.
I've heard this said about other diabetics , even from health care professionals during my clinicals to get my unit secretary certificate. It's really wrong, and I hate it. People without diabetes often just don't get it that taking care of yourself when you have diabetes is a full time job ,no matter how much you want to say diabetes doesn't have you, it's still a full time job. Some people can't handle that or some people work differently and those things make people think that they don't care about themselves.
This whole attitude is pervasive, and for people with T2 it is deeply encoded in the public policy and training for medical professionals. Diabetes is a disease of lifestyle. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) which is the government's silver bullet for preventing diabetes in the 89 million Americans with prediabetes teaches us very simply. You got diabetes because you overate fat, failed to exercise and got fat. The way to prevent diabetes is simply to "fix" your lifestyle. This is not only wrong, it is harmful. I won't even comment on how total stupid those ideas are for T1.
After 68 years of type 1, I was never told that. If someone does suggest my diabetes resulted from my not taking care of myself, I will try to educate them so they will not keep telling people this.
The sad thing is, I've experienced this attitude most often from my healthcare professionals. My own doctors.
But people with T1 get blamed all the time for complications like they didn't take care of themselves. I remember one story about Joslin medals. Elliot Joslin used to give out medals to those who reach certain ages without complications. One woman had reached something like 25 years with just a small touch of retinopathy I believe. Because of that Joslin refused her a medal. She had done everything right and Joslin was very demanding. That is the stuff that I'm talking about. Stuff happens. We get old. We do our best to take care of ourselves and it is just wrong to be judged on outcomes that we have no control over. That woman deserved a medal and I'm glad they changed the rules.
I think they are insensitive and crude boobs!!! To hell with them and their holier than thou attitudes! Everybody has their own cross(es) to bear and it is of no use to take this attitude. Time was I would take that kind of cr*pola from people. BUT now I tell them off!
Lois
What good does it do? Everyone (including everyone here) always had and always will make ignorant assumptions about something they know nothing about. We will never change that… So why try?
Isn't it wonderful how English can be manipulated to turn a question into an accusation, usually showing a mix of malice and/or complete ignorance by the one asking the question. In some cases I will lean towards "complete ignorance" but really when questions are asked like this, it's with actual malice.
- You Did Not Take Care of Yourself???
- Why are you hitting yourself???
- Do you still beat your wife???
What's most malicious is that "You Did Not Take Care of Yourself???" usually surfaces at the times we are trying to take care of ourselves (visiting a medical provider, taking insulin, checking bg.) They take evidence that we are taking care of ourselves and turn it into an accusation that we didn't take care of oursevles. Isn't that just over the top in terms of maliciousness? Ranks up there with bullies asking "Why are you hitting yourself???"
Brian, that is an interesting story. There is a Facebook group called "The Joslin Medalists". I am going to ask them if they have heard about the strict rule that used to be enforced. Most of the medalists in the group have some minor diabetes related complications, but nothing serious. Not many of us would have medals if the old rule still existed. I had some retinopathy in the past, but tighter control eliminated that problem. I have some mild neuropathy, but it rarely bothers me.
I've been asked if I ate too much sugar or if I was fat as a kid. I have T1, so it's sort of the same thing. I just say no, that my diabetes was caused entirely by genetics. Some people really have no idea and they're curious, as opposed to being rude.
Richard I had a d dr years ago that tried thatr crap on me. changed drs realfast! I don't think ppl shout;d they that most ppl with d know what the can and can't eat and expecilaay the portions of that they eat
sorry I could say LOADS more but i'll be quiet
Doris, I agre with you.It is also different among us type 1 people. Each of us needs to find by trial and error, what foods we can handle and what portion sizes we need.
I found where I had read that, it is in the book "Bittersweet" by Chris Feudtner. I quote:
Beginning in 1947, Joslin would give a Victory Medal to any patients who had had diabetes for twenty-five years or longer and were found—after a thorough physical and ophthalmologic examination, an X-ray study of the major arteries, and an analysis of the urine—to be in perfect health.
Then in the same book it relates the story of Tracy who (pg 187-189) was found to have had only minor signs of retinopathy and was denied a a 25 year medal by Joslin even after pleading with him for some years.
Whether this story is true or not I cannot tell. Please don't ask how I remember this stuff.
Brian, thanks so much for this. I am going to look on amazon to see if Feudtner's book is still available.