Not sure why but I found the following hilarious. I was talking to a mom of a child with type 1 who took umbrage that someone pronounced diabetes as dye-a-beat-ess. She did not like that pronunciation one bit as she said it should be dye-a-beat-eees. Then just a few days later I had the opportunity to hear two people with long-term type 1 diabetes speak. One has had type 1 for 30+ years and the other for 40+ years. Both of them are medical professionals in the diabetes world and both of them said dye-a-beat-ess. That just made me chuckle when I heard them pronounce it that way. It still brings a giggle when I think about it. Maybe the one pronunciation is more "old school" than dye-a-beat-eees.
Sometimes all of us get a little too uptight over words. Personally, I'm not a fan of the word diabetic. It sounds more sinister than saying "my child has diabetes". Oh, the folly of words and their pronounciation...
i was thinking about this the other day. i can't stand that some people call it diabeetus. i also think it's a generation thing and maybe it's all in where you are from. i just say i am diabetic because saying i have diabetes is a mouthful i'm too lazy to throw in the extra words. haha
Oh man, I complained about this in a different post. I'd love to change the name for one of the groups. It is so dangerous sharing the name it causes confusion in nursing homes and other places where it shoudn't, causing the wrong drugs to be given to patients!
I also imagine the word meaning "dieing from beatings" o.o
We go with dye-a-beat-eees, but to throw in to your realm of ha-ha, I've also heard it pronounced dye-a-beets by a drug rep at a JDRF conference.
The OCD in me in compelling me to research the origins of the word and find correct pronouciation, but I highly suspect this to be a toe-mate-oh, to-maht-oh thing...
It's definitely dye-a-beet-ees. Diabeet-ess just sounds weird and wrong. Then again, neither pronounciations are very likeable. It should definitely be liveabetes. Also, I agree that diabetic sounds too serious. It's almost offensive. No one calls people with cancer "canceroids" or people with allergies "allergetics." Although there are "asthmatics", but that doesn't sound right either.
Omg i love that medicare commercial where that guy is like " if you have diabetusss…" is hilarious. Me and my friends now call it that. My friend sounds exactly like the guy too so its hilarious when he says it.
Hey Katie, thanks for your post about changing the name to "livabetes." I love it! It must just be the frame of mind I'm in right now, but I giggled until there were tears in my eyes about your comment on "no one calls people with cancer 'canceroids' or people with allergies "allergetics." Hahahaha!!! You should do stand up comedy!
I have a funny/cute story to share about my son, Graham. Last year at school, one of the kids said to him... "I know what diabeetees is - my gradma has them."
Some of my "elderly" relatives call it "sugar diabeatus." How's THAT for "old school" and annoying? I think the reason that "diabatus" annoys me is because (fairly or unfairly) it makes me think of people who don't know anything about Type 1 and who are pretty sure that you brought it on yourself by eating too much sugar or by being overweight! Grrr.
I kind of prefer diabetic to diabetes. I usually trip over the last sylable because I can't make up my mind on how I want to say it. It sounds odd to me either way.
There's a very funny picture of a disgruntled cat with "DIABEETUS" next to it, which cracked me up when I first saw it. I dislike the pronunciation, though. I always say dia-be-tees. My dad says it the other way though, and my mom and I joke about it all the time.
That guy is hilarious. My sister cut out a picture of him and stuck it to my bedroom door onetime with a caption that said "I have Diabetus" she used to say it with the best acsent just like him.
XD Sometimes, my boyfriend will come up to me and say "WHO GOT THE 'BEETUS?!" while dancing around. He is such a four year old, but hey, it makes me laugh hysterically. He showed me the picture.
My 6 year old who was diagnosed at 5 used to call it DiaVeetees!!! We thought it was so cute - and now he has Justin BeiVer fever!!! lol!!!
Also, it made me cringe when Brett Michaels pronounced it Diabetus on The apprentice show. Here he had an audience of zillions, and he was pronouncing it that way!! Guess it is "old school" - so I'll deal!!!