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Another media slam...

I think I take the criticism, misdirected criticism, to heart because it follow years of unwarranted criticism and abuse, going back to childhood,so I dont have that protective shell around me which enables me to be unhurt by the unwarranted criticism i get for having type 2 diabetes. I admire those who have the ability to recognise it isnt about them. Unfortunately, when it is said to your face that you have only yourself to blame, it still hurts me, even when i know they are ignorant people who dont know (or need to know) my back story.

I am proud to still be here, still fighting depression and all that goes with it. Harsh comments from uneducated public and media doesnt help with that. It just doesnt. I want compassion and recognition that it isnt my fault, and i get that on here and with the members of my family I still associate with. But the outside world often feels hard and judgmental and a place I dont want to be in.

And the media reports like the ones mentioned on this thread makes it harder for those of us like me, who have food issues and type 2 diabetes to contend with as collateral damage from our past. Not everyone who is overweight and type 2 has been stuffing their faces. And even if they have been stuffing down their emotions with food, in place of drinking or drug addiction, why not look at it with compassion and understanding instead of condemnation and negative judgement?

I have been reading some interesting stuff about how people can be what farmers call "good doers" - the cattle who fatten up with less feeding because they process food in a different way to other cattle. Those of us who lay down fat easily are the ones who survived in famines.

(falls off my soapbox and runs to get some cheese)
 
 
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Late to the party, but I do like a challenge @Oldvatr , - North Korea, Bolivia, Ghana, Macedonia, Bermuda, Zimbabwe, Iceland, Montenegro, Cambodia, Nepal, Kazakhstan,,,,,, http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1303215/mapped-countries-dont-mcdonalds/
 
Suppose another reason that T2 diabetes is growing is down to age. We are living longer. I have 2 siblings and both are diabetic. Everyone asks who else in your family had it? Answer no one that we are aware of. Our dad died at 59 and my mum at 60. Would either of them have developed diabetes?
 
I am surprised iceland does not. I wonder what these countries have in regards diabetes rates? How do they compare to the WHO statistics? Not that I necessarily blame Macdonalds for the worlds ills.... There are other contenders. But I tend to view Macdonalds as an indication of western dietary influence spreading. One could use beer or cola sales instead i suppose.
 
So here is a perfect example of an article I find annoying (not to be misinterpreted as "offensive"): http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/04/06/study-skim-and-low-fat-milk-increases-diabetes-risk

Why I'm annoyed: because there is a significant amount of evidence to suggest a link between milk consumption and an autoimmune attack on your pancreas (type 1), yet we also know that "fat free" products are often high in sugar and cause a blood sugar spike in most of us.

Bottom line, there are possible links between milk consumption and type 1 as well as milk consumption and type 2. Both possible relationships are likely unrelated to one another, yet this article failed to capture that.
 
The problem here is that people are not able to comprehend. What is said is generally pretty clear. Unless you see something that says "Only ramming food down your face causes diabetes. Nothing else, just pure glutony while watching Jeremy Kyle", most of the complaints on here are null and void. Saying that type 2 diabetes can be related to poor lifestyle is correct. Saying it can be related to genetic issues is correct. Saying that it can be related to age is correct. They have all been shown to be causal links in different cases. The most common causal link at the moment (and the reason we have so much coverage) is poor lifestyle.

We also have people complaining that "they just say 'diabetes' and don't distinguish which one". Here's a newsflash, not everybody is obsessed with this. Some people are rather particular about other things....but don't start frothing at the mouth campaigns whenever someone utters something slightly wrong. An example? OK, how about the "disabled" label that has recently been forced upon type 1s? I'm not disabled, and for most of my 30 years with diabetes I haven't been considered disabled. But now, apparently I am technically disabled. Now a lot of diabetics have pounced on this and forced it upon me (wrongly) because, lets be honest, they want an excuse. They want a "thing" that they can use to their advantage (....it is no advantage if you want to live a normal life). That label there is far worse than leaving the word "type 2" out of a piece on diabetes. Lets think about the kind of "awareness" we want to raise before moaning about this.
 
There's a few people on here failing to see what is offensive about the artcle, and FYI I doubt any of us who have taken exception to the article are looking to be offended, that's just ludicrous!
But d'you know what, I am fed-up and nothing is going to change that! I like many of you am T1. I did NOTHING to end up with this condition, it was just pure sh*te luck & a shoddy immune system. So yeah, I think it's understandable that I get pretty fed-up by ignorance on the condition, and because there has been such a huge rise in lifestlye related T2 over the last decade, the media just publishes that and groups all diabetes together to the point that despite being T1, people still assume I brought it on myself! How could I not be mad with that!?! Just like all the T2 people on here who are in the same boat and did not eat themselves into a T2 state!
I would bet that if I stopped 100 people on the street & asked them what diabetes is, a massive if not majority chunk would say it's something you get when you're fat/have a bad diet.
@jekyll79 as far as the disabled thing goes, I don't know about that, IMO technically I think we are, in the sense that we have something seriously wrong with us - how else would you put it? But I suppose it depends entirely on how you define "disabled". One of my best friends died from cancer. She wasn't in a wheelchair, or missing limbs...but she qualified as disabled.
 
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Iceland doesn't have any Macdonalds now, but did have some outlets until the financial crash. It does have Icelandic owned burger joints.
 

OK, let me put it another way. What does it matter if some people don't understand the difference between type 1 and type 2, and what causes them? It irritates me a little when I hear type 1s moaning about people approaching them and accusing them of having a poor diet because it doesn't happen very often at all. In my 30 years of being diabetic (injecting and blood testing in public) very few people have made a comment to me about causing it myself. Those that have got close usual;y say something along the lines of "but you don't look fat". Great. Thanks. What is the issue? I think 2 people have used it against me in arguments and I really don't care. I'm clearly not fat. Who cares?!

However, something I do care about are the NHS' resources. I don't have a pump. I don't have a CGM. I have the same medication that I have has for the last 25 years (I used to use syringes but upgraded to a pen when I was a kid). The NHS don't have endless resources. So, if "diabetes" is the threat for eating and living poorly, I don't care so long as it has an effect. Eating and living poorly IS a cause of type 2. It IS a major cause of it. If we could reduce the number of people getting type 2, maybe the NHS would have the funds to provide ALL type 1 diabetics with the equipment that practically ALL kids and the *needy* diabetics are offered. Personally I don't want a pump, I just want a CGM. I think CGMs are the biggest advancement in diabetes treatment and would massively aid in reducing long term issues. However I can't get one without buying one myself.

On the not of being classed as disabled, I have this to say. I can run 5km quicker than many non diabetics my age. I can play many non diabetics my age off of a tennis court. I run my own company. I have worked all over the world. I have never needed a carer. Any issues I may have with diabetes I deal with on my own, not impacting anyone else. So no, I am NOT disabled. However, because there are a lot of diabetics who claim disability to their advantage, I am now noticing a lot of areas where diabetic freedoms are being restricted. A simple example of this is booking a holiday. I like to take part in active holidays. However, because I am diabetic I have to jump through hoops in order to go. Hoops that people who are obviously closer to a heart than I am, never have to jump through. At the minimum it costs me £50.00 extra (that is the minimum) and several trips to the doctors (when you work for yourself, time off costs money) just to get a medical form filled in.

There are many irritations to be found living with diabetes. I don't understand why people have to go on and on and on and on and on and on and on....................................................................and on and on and.........on and on about "awareness" about what causes it. Who cares? If I asked many diabetics to tell me all about cystic fibrosis or cerebral palsy, they couldn't. Does it matter? No. What does matter is that a message is sent out to the public to stop more type 2s from being created.
 
That's absolutely fine, that is your opinion & you are entitled to it. As am I and the other people who agree with me. If the thread annoys you, or you don't agree with it, don't comment. Simples!
 
EDITED-Too many sensitive people on this forum.
 
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If the BBC journalist who wrote the article that you objected to @zoze_j, was delivering it in a public forum, would you stay silent and not comment? Would that be "simples"? Since this discussion keeps rearing its ugly head and it is so ridiculous, I'll state the logical, reasoned argument to counter the emotional and illogical one.
 
Oldvatr said:
I am surprised iceland does not. I wonder what these countries have in regards diabetes rates? How do they compare to the WHO statistics? Not that I necessarily blame.
Click to expand...

Wonder no more...
http://www.idf.org/membership/eur/iceland

You can use that site to look up an compare any country you'd like, as long as they are members of the IDF.
 

Would I? In all honesty, probably. It's something I feel very strongly about & I feel like this section of the forum is for just that purpose? Please don't patronise & insult me by calling me emotional & illogical, that's not cool. Like I said before, I respect you're entitled to an opinion & I wouldn't slate you for it.
 
I have to agree with the post above. It would be equally valid to say if the you didn't agree with the report annoys you, don't comment.
I'm not getting involved with the tone of the post, both sides are running with logic, and both with emotions, and we're all saying things that could be read and interpreted differently.
But I'm certain no one is trying to do anything other than convey what they see.

But it's a forum for all diabetics, of all types, and it seems fair to give all equal voice.
It seems unfair to ban those that don't agree.

If we can make a difference, or if others can, I will support them, and if it does offend me personally, I can swallow my pain and hope others benefit from it.
 
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