Comedians And Diabetes

[prancer53]

Maybe. But as a T1 for 45 years - and it nearly killed me when I got it - I get tired of being lumped in with T2’s and my kids being told that “your dad must be really fat” at school. It’s the same as making fun of people for Celiacs when they think they’re taking aim at people who profess gluten intolerance.

Must admit I get fed up also with being lumped together with type 2 s, especially by doctors and when I'm told by type 2 s I should have it bit of cake or whatever as I have to enjoy life like they do (I want to enjoy life which is why I don't have that cake, xmas pud or whatever)!!!!

 

[zand]

Must admit I get fed up also with being lumped together with type 2 s, especially by doctors and when I'm told by type 2 s I should have it bit of cake or whatever as I have to enjoy life like they do (I want to enjoy life which is why I don't have that cake, xmas pud or whatever)!!!!

The cake thing is interesting because for me it's the other way round. As far as I am concerned as a diet controlled T2 I don't have cake. I don't like it enough to make low carb versions, never was much of a cake eater. I often see T1s making comments about why shouldn't they enjoy their food and have cake or whatever else they like? And rightly so, they can if they want to

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Must admit I get fed up also with being lumped together with type 2 s, especially by doctors and when I'm told by type 2 s I should have it bit of cake or whatever as I have to enjoy life like they do (I want to enjoy life which is why I don't have that cake, xmas pud or whatever)!!!!

Talking of cake, at the AGM of Health Watch the presenter encouraged us all to eat the cakes baked by the team. Eat up or they'll be disappointed. I pointed out that I didn't eat cake because I was diabetic.

Oh, he says, I know about that. I've a friend who is diabetic. She just injects a bit more insulin.

As you can see from my sig. I don't use insulin.

I wondered who this patronising {expletive} was. Turns out he was a GP.

So at that point I was not pleased to be lumped in with T1s, especially by someone who should know better. The thing that annoyed me, obviously, was the patronising and ill informed assumption that I didn't know what was good for me and this {expletive} did. From an acquaintance, not even from professional training.

I wouldn't tell a T1 to have cake so they can enjoy themselves like a T2; I have given up a lot to try and stay healthy, including cake.

Sounds like the T2s you have been talking to don't take care of themselves and are proud of it. There are some who boast that they haven't changed their lifestyle, they have just been given some pills. They may, of course, be fine but one can't help thinking that they are in for a nasty shock in a few years time.

Gah. Rant. And, breeeaaathe.

 

[Guzzler]

Reminds me that being ugly is also the butt of jokes and has no easy fix.

As in the Winston Churchill quote:

Landlady: Sir, you are drunk!
Churchill: Madam, you are ugly. But tomorrow, I will be sober.

Forgot where I started, now. Oh, yes, comedy does say the unsayable which is the opposite of Political Correctness. Usually I vote for comedy.

I'm pretty sure it was Lady Astor who told Churchill he was drunk. It's a great quote though.

 

[Kisacat]

I can usually ignore most remarks made by comedians that I find offensive or non-funny but I was listening to the News Quiz on Radio 4 yesterday which I normally enjoy however one, supposedly funny, comment really annoyed me. One of the questions was about banning the sale of high energy drinks to under 16s due to the high sugar content and all the comments were fairly ben

I can usually ignore most remarks made by comedians that I find offensive or non-funny but I was listening to the News Quiz on Radio 4 yesterday which I normally enjoy however one, supposedly funny, comment really annoyed me. One of the questions was about banning the sale of high energy drinks to under 16s due to the high sugar content and all the comments were fairly benign until one of the women panel members said ‘now you can go into Clinton cards and buy a balloon with ‘Diabetes today’ written on it’ which I felt trivialised the condition (all types as she didn’t specify) and re-enforced the blame culture prevalent in most media diabetes discussions. Whilst everyone else seemed to think it was funny for some reason that comment really annoyed me - perhaps I am getting ‘over sensitive’. Apologises for the rant but I felt that I had to go into print

 

[Kisacat]

I can usually ignore most remarks made by comedians that I find offensive or non-funny but I was listening to the News Quiz on Radio 4 yesterday which I normally enjoy however one, supposedly funny, comment really annoyed me. One of the questions was about banning the sale of high energy drinks to under 16s due to the high sugar content and all the comments were fairly benign until one of the women panel members said ‘now you can go into Clinton cards and buy a balloon with ‘Diabetes today’ written on it’ which I felt trivialised the condition (all types as she didn’t specify) and re-enforced the blame culture prevalent in most media diabetes discussions. Whilst everyone else seemed to think it was funny for some reason that comment really annoyed me - perhaps I am getting ‘over sensitive’. Apologises for the rant but I felt that I had to go into print

I heard this and I laughed. I've had T1 for over half a century so any sensitivity I may have had has long since rubbed off. I remember reading a Woody Allen sketch when I was about 20 and he had a character called 'Diabetes' - it was based in ancient Greece. I felt offended then, but it makes me smile now.

You've enough to concern yourself with as it is. Rise above it.

 

[TScott]

Maybe. But as a T1 for 45 years - and it nearly killed me when I got it - I get tired of being lumped in with T2’s and my kids being told that “your dad must be really fat” at school. It’s the same as making fun of people for Celiacs when they think they’re taking aim at people who profess gluten intolerance.

Why is it the most hurtful and judgemental comments I have come across as a T2 have been on this site with members who should really understand. I have other medical issues affecting my weight and have found it difficult to get a grasp on loosing it. All the medical profession tell us is to go low fat....which in turn ends up harmful in its own way. So please don't make hurtful comments abt being 'lumped in with T2'. We should all be supporting each other no matter what type we are.

 

[prancer53]

Talking of cake, at the AGM of Health Watch the presenter encouraged us all to eat the cakes baked by the team. Eat up or they'll be disappointed. I pointed out that I didn't eat cake because I was diabetic.

Oh, he says, I know about that. I've a friend who is diabetic. She just injects a bit more insulin.

As you can see from my sig. I don't use insulin.

I wondered who this patronising {expletive} was. Turns out he was a GP.

So at that point I was not pleased to be lumped in with T1s, especially by someone who should know better. The thing that annoyed me, obviously, was the patronising and ill informed assumption that I didn't know what was good for me and this {expletive} did. From an acquaintance, not even from professional training.

I wouldn't tell a T1 to have cake so they can enjoy themselves like a T2; I have given up a lot to try and stay healthy, including cake.

Sounds like the T2s you have been talking to don't take care of themselves and are proud of it. There are some who boast that they haven't changed their lifestyle, they have just been given some pills. They may, of course, be fine but one can't help thinking that they are in for a nasty shock in a few years time.

Gah. Rant. And, breeeaaathe.

I actually think they don't understand diabetes. They moved recently to be opposite their GP surgery. I really thought they were joking.......

 

[prancer53]

Why is it the most hurtful and judgemental comments I have come across as a T2 have been on this site with members who should really understand. I have other medical issues affecting my weight and have found it difficult to get a grasp on loosing it. All the medical profession tell us is to go low fat....which in turn ends up harmful in its own way. So please don't make hurtful comments abt being 'lumped in with T2'. We should all be supporting each other no matter what type we are.

.....but the reason it is annoying is because the 2 conditions are so different in terms of management eg my doc told me not to have anything sweet because it would cause my pancreas to produce more insulin so I would become hypo.....I have had type 1 for 57 years and my pancreas ceased to produce insulin when I was 8 years old and not another drop has been secreted by my pancreas or entered my blood stream other than through injections so it is unlikely to produce insulin if I eat something sweet---the reverse, in fact!! This would however happen with most type 2 s. Another time I was told I had metabolic syndrome because of diabetes and an underactive thyroid gland. The two conditions are autoimmune not due to metabolic syndrome (am not overweight, blood pressure is fine et al) even though both affect my metabolism. I have recently become a pensioner and everyone, including, medics refer to my diabetes as type 2 and deliver (wrong) advice as a result.....believe you me it is exceedingly annoying to say the least, not to mention dangerous if I did not understand the mechanics of good management for my condition. Sorry to go on, & I do appreciate your point, but I hope you can understand where I am coming from also.........

 

[LittleGreyCat]

.....but the reason it is annoying is because the 2 conditions are so different in terms of management eg my doc told me not to have anything sweet because it would cause my pancreas to produce more insulin so I would become hypo.....<snip>....

The same but opposite for me as a T2 being told to eat some cake and just inject more insulin.

I think your/our issue is really with so called Health Care Professionals who should know at least the minimum about diabetes but who don't, and instead blithely rely on snippets of hearsay to give inexpert "advice".

People with diabetes are more often then not fully aware of the differences (having had to learn rapidly after first diagnosis). One problem is the lack of ongoing training for HCPs. I have heard that the total training on diabetes for GPs can be one lecture somewhere in the middle of their initial training. Nursing staff have a similar issue. Training which covers everything from adenoids to zygotes doesn’t have room for much detail. The training could also have been 20 years ago.

What is lacking is an awareness of how little they know. Or perhaps they are afraid to admit ignorance because they think it might undermine their authority.

Oh, and although the route to the condition is different, I assume that insulin dependent T2s have mainly the same issues as T1s?

 

[LooperCat]

@prancer53 & @LittleGreyCat - this is exactly why we need totally different names for the two conditions. Pancreatic failure v insulin resistance that just happen to have similar symptoms if left untreated and under-managed.

 

[Phoenix55]

There are some who boast that they haven't changed their lifestyle, they have just been given some pills. They may, of course, be fine but one can't help thinking that they are in for a nasty shock in a few years time.
That is exactly where I would be if I did not notice the sympathetic glance between nurses and a delayed prescription until after Christmas and became suspicious. It was the first time in my life that I looked up the known side effects of a prescribed drug on the internet. I had to find a way to avoid the medication if at all possible; bought a meter, taught myself how to use it and then stumbled on this site. I count myself very fortunate.
Recent media publicity has focussed on T2 diabetes and the tendency has always been to associate T1 with young people, T2 with older. We are now learning that there are a good many exceptions to this general rule. Both deserve respect, yet it helps to retain a sense of humour. Having said that I have a feeling I must take a look around and pack mine before I go on holiday this year.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

@prancer53 & @LittleGreyCat - this is exactly why we need totally different names for the two conditions. Pancreatic failure v insulin resistance that just happen to have similar symptoms if left untreated and under-managed.

It does make things complicated for T2s with a failing pancreas. At what point are you suffering from pancreatic failure and not insulin resistance? Or should the term be total pancreatic failure?

Also, I think people with T1 can also have insulin resistance which would cloud the issue.

 

[LooperCat]

It does make things complicated for T2s with a failing pancreas. At what point are you suffering from pancreatic failure and not insulin resistance? Or should the term be total pancreatic failure?

Also, I think people with T1 can also have insulin resistance which would cloud the issue.

Aye, it’s really difficult, which I imagine is why nobody has come up with a better form of classification yet! Something like autoimmune diabetes and insulin resistant diabetes would be better. But it’ll still all get shortened to Diabetes and confuse people!

 

[Guzzler]

In his and Cummins book Gerber refers to T2 as MIRS i.e Metabolic Insulin Resistance Syndrome. I'm on the fence with this one.

 

[liarsdance]

Type 2's no more like being (or deserve to be) judged than Type 1's.

**** right...

 

[Pinkorchid]

I was shocked to see Diabetes UK holding a fund raising day in a well known supermaket forecourt who held a free raffle to all who stopped to view their stand. The 1st prize was a food hamper full of georgeous and 'poisonous' goodies. Their third prize was a cream cake with butter icing.
This has come up before about the raffles for Diabetes UK in Tesco. I can never understand why people are so bothered about it The raffle is not about trying to get people or diabetics to eat a different way. Prizes have to appeal to the general public so they will buy tickets it is about raising money A food hamper usually contains the sort of goodies and treats that the majority of people like to eat so they will buy tickets hoping to win and who can blame them. It is their choice how to eat just as diabetics it is our choice not to eat that kind of food

 

[zand]

There is concern about an obesity epidemic though isn't there? So should food be given as a prize at all?

 

[satindoll]

@prancer53 & @LittleGreyCat - this is exactly why we need totally different names for the two conditions. Pancreatic failure v insulin resistance that just happen to have similar symptoms if left untreated and under-managed.

As a non producer ie: pancreas given up the ghost......where does that leave me........what condition would you say I have......

 

[zand]

As a non producer ie: pancreas given up the ghost......where does that leave me........what condition would you say I have......

Has to be 'pancreatic failure' given those two options...which means you can disassociate yourself from me and the rest of us ''who caused this ourselves' lol. (yeh I know you're too nice to do that )