A guest, We can around and around in circles with this issue and you and I are never going to agree, tho I can and do see where you are coming from.
I am not sure what we disagree on, other than Type I diabetics don't really have a choice, dear lola (peace to you!).
I take issue with your flip attitude towards what is for millions of Americans a very serious illness. It’s not just a case of taking insulin shots but also all the medical issues that can arise from having diabetes (tho admittedly many people manage the disease well).
My SINCERE apologies, but I wasn't being flip with YOU... not at ALL! NVL, perhaps, but certainly not you. I was just trying to show that although I have a disease... it is NOT as "bad" as everyone tends to say/believe it is, IMHO. Counting carbs is inconvenient, yes. But it isn't much different from counting calories. And, yeah, needles "pinch" from time to time. But so do shin splints. And insurance premiums can be costly. But isn't, for example, "good" (perhaps even organic) food?
You have been dealing with this illness your whole life
Well, no, that's not accurate... and it's yet another misconception people have about diabetes. I was diagnosed out at age 38. As a result, I was misdiagnosed for several years. That's because many... including doctors... and particularly MY doctors... erroneously believe that "adult on-set" diabetes is automatically "Type II" diabetes; however, that's not true at all. WHEN one develops diabetes is irrelevant - which is why they're now "seeing" (i.e., acknowledging) Type II diabetes in children.
The TYPE of diabetes one has is based on on'es output of insulin. A Type II diabetic either puts out little insulin... or cannot optimally utilize whatever insulin he/she does put... or has a body that is "resistant" to his/her insulin output (which might be quite a bit). To the contrary, a Type I diabetic... DOES NOT PUT OUT INSULIN... and as a result has to TAKE it. True, taking insulin will help some Type II diabetics better control their glucose levels... but such folks still MAKE insulin. Type I diabetics either have NO beta cells... DESTROYED beta cells... or NO insulin output from their beta cells. My beta cells... do not make insulin. They were destroyed by the steroids.
but lots of people let themselves go until they get a harsh wake up call, they either have a heart attack or suffer from other medical conditions that then require treatment,
Yes... YES! But let themselves go HOW? (1) To not keep their blood levels in check because they (a) do not regularly check their blood sugar levels, and/or (2) don't take their medicine. Their is a misconception that "all diabetes is the same diabetes" but that is NOT true. While a Type II diabetic may be able to absolutely control their blood sugar levels with what they eat, a Type I diabetic would have to absolutely eat NO carbs... even those in milk, fruits, and vegetables. Otherwise, he or she must STILL take insulin... because their body doesn't MAKE any.
many shorten their lives because they were unwilling to make the necessary changes that would have led them to a longer life and less health problems.
But dear one, that is the SAME... for smokers... drinkers... users... abusers... people who put themselves in line to get STD's/AIDS... and so on. That was my point.
In your previous post you used several examples of things that can cause discomfort but it’s not really a fair comparison, you don’t have to take a hike, you don’t have to run 5k, you don’t have to count calories but if you have a medical condition like diabetes you can’t ignore it
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EXACTLY!!! That was my POINT! That SOME people have weight and health problems that they really have NO CHOICE about... and summing it all up under "they're fat and lazy" (i.e., they're just not doing anything about it)... is, IMHO, a display of real ignorance. Then you make the comment that:
You can't say that giving yourself shots and counting carbs is a pleasant thing! Financially having diabetes is costly! You pay higher heath insurance premiums (if you can even get coverage), highere auto insurance payments, the cost of the insulin itself is high (Novoloc costs a cool 400.00 for one pen!), I'm only touching on the financials of having something like diabetes, I'm not even going into the possibility of someone with it passing out while driving or having complications because of it.
Which, to ME, someone who is a diabetic and DOES give herself insulin shots... sounds tantamount to a leper! "Who would want THAT??" No one wants that, dear lola. But your comments tend to lump all diabetics in the same, well, lump. Which isn't fair, IMHO... anymore than someone who USED to be overweight now saying that have "100% disdain" for someone who is. Personally, I don't get that...
You may want to turn this into a shallow conversation about judging people by their looks but it’s not what I’m doing,
Nor did I intimate that you were. I also don't think it should be a "let's make fat/overweight/diabetic/ill people feel bad about themselves" conversation, either.
you are very lucky to have a job that offers health care and you were fortunate enough to receive a policy thru an insurance company,
Indeed, I am! Although some here would say "luck" had nothing to do with it, but more hard work and getting an education. I would say... praise JAH! But I say that for not having succumbed to diabetes... or a car wreck, too!
the sad truth is that in America you are an exception to the rule, millions go without health care, they can’t afford a doctors visit let alone medication to treat high blood pressure or insulin to treat their diabetes,
I actually don't agree with that, dear lola. This is ONE country where, although you may not be able to get FOOD... you can get drugs. Insulin is one of the easiest to get. If you are indigent, unemployed, without insurance, you only need to go to the local Free Clinic or County Hospital. Or, apply with the manufacturer. Now, AIDS drugs?? Viagra?? Yeah, you might have to go without that... But Wal-Mart sells diabetes medicine (pills and insulin)... for $4/month... or $10/3-month supply. And you don't even need to live near a Wal-Mart. The pharmacy/clinic/doctor/hospital... can fax over the prescription... and they'll MAIL it to you... FREE!
It's people who don't TAKE their medicine that call in the category you're "afraid" of.
You make it seem like it’s such an easy thing to treat and it’s not...
NO, dear one! I am NOT the one who saying it's "easy" to treat! YOU are! YOU are saying that all one needs to do is eat "right" and "exercise" and POOF! Diabetes "taken care of." I am saying to you... it is NOT that easy. Truly. For SOME... it simply CANNOT be done. But rather than beat myself up about it... and live a life angry at the manufacturers of the drug that brought it on... and doctors that repeatedly ignored and/or misdiagnosed me... I have it... I'll live with it... and I am not going to spend a single minute "decrying" my "condition." What a waste, IMHO...
the complications from an illness like it could kill you...
Dear lola... Luther Vandross had diabetes. And once he learned that he dropped a lot of weight. A LOT. BUT... he didn't control his blood sugar. And as a result... he had a massive stroke. MASSIVE. And died. Let me give you another "reality" check: the medical industry is MORE than willing to give someone, say, 300 pounds... but WITHOUT diabetes or high blood pressure... a lapband/gastric bypass surgery (which is knonw/proven to cause weight loss)... so that they don't "DEVELOP" diabetes. Because they are "at risk." However, they won't give someone who is, say 160 pounds WITH diabetes... and LOW TO NORMAL blood pressure... the surgery that would remove the fatty tissue around their navel... although... IT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO CURE THE DISEASE. I ask you... why IS that? I will tell you: because the second person either (1) "isn't fat ENOUGH"... or (2) "doesn't LOOK fat." Even though the procedure would COMPLETELY cure them.
Now, the FIRST group... do not have diabetes. So, they're not "going to die"... yet. They're only at RISK of developing a disease that MIGHT kill them. The second group, however, HAVE the disease, and most likely WILL die from it. Tell me... what's wrong with this picture? I will tell you: the PICTURE.
We would rather LOOK at a person who isn't too overweight... but may die from a disease they have... than at a person who doesn't HAVE the disease... but may GET it. THEM... we don't want to LOOK at.
So, please...please... don't tell me it's all about "health." Please. Because with Type II diabetes... it really isn't. It's about how we SEE... how others LOOK... to US... in this country. We will look at a cocaine addict traipse down the catwalk with NO problem. Even if she's dead a week later from an overdose. But a FATTY... who has normal blood sugar... normal blood pressure... normal cholesterol? Uh-uh. Don't bring that "mess" in front of our eyes.
and for a lot of families it can cripple them financially if daddy suddenly got too sick to work,
It can cripple them financially if daddy gets in a head-on collision as a result of that last beer he drank, dear lola. Not to mention what it will do the family emotionally... and to the other family. Same thing if daddy' uses drugs. Or gets caught with a hooker. Or mommy is a hooker. Or addict. Or it gets out that daddy is actually gay. Or mommy. Or... any of the others things I listed. So long as no one LOOKS like they "have a problem"... it's all good.
But with overweight people, even if they're in PERFECT health... the fact that they don't LOOK it... is a problem.
It’s foolish to ignore all the financial and more importantly medical problems that you can end up with when you live your life in such an unhealthy way.
As I said, you could say the exact same thing about smoking. And drinking. And drugging. And hooking. And hanging out with hookers. And, in some instances, being homosexual... or heterosexual... if you sleep around and don't use protection. Or the protection fails (which it sometimes does). However, d iabetes isn't always about how one lives one's life, dear lola. Smoking always is, though. And drinking. And drugging . And most of the other things I mentioned (and some are not, but some of "us" still don't "like" it).
I do understand where you're coming from. I just hope you understand where I am coming from.
I bid you peace.
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
