If anyone's local paper runs the Dr. Gott column (where people write in with medical questions), and reading mistruths about our disease doesn't send you into a blind fury, go ahead and read today's column. The question was "I have had type 2 diabetes for four years now. What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?"
And guess what, kids? He gets it wrong! Again! Again, another visible member of the medical community misinforms the public.
He claims that insulin-dependent type 2 is type 1, and that type 2 can lead to type 1, unless you exercise, watch your diet, etc.
I am so angry right now, that I'm pretty sure I startled my fellow co-worker in the lunch room just now at work. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!"
I have a letter to write! And hopefully, some of you will also feel compelled to write in.
You can write to Dr. Gott in care of United Media, 200 Madison Ave., Fourth Floor, New York, NY, 10016. I tried to find an online version of the article, but have thusfar been unsuccessful. If anyone else finds it, please post a link, would you?
Arg -- I've never heard of that column, but it sounds like that's a good thing for my blood pressure. Seriously, D can affect all systems of your body, so I find it RIDICULOUS that a doctor in ANY specialty wouldn't understand it. Great -- now you've got me all worked up!!!
We should start a "Juvenation Wall of Shame" on the homepage for these types of articles.
We should start a "Juvenation Wall of Shame" on the homepage for these types of articles.
[/quote]
OH MY GOSH YES!!!! :D
What I may end up doing is scanning it tonight and posting it, if I can get the image to post in a thread. (Yes, I stole the paper from the breakroom...shhhh...)
Ok what an idiot, and I am certainly not defending him but I think he meant to say "to avoid beoming insulin dependent" not "becoming type 1."
I really hate the misconception of the two. I am so sick of parents giving me the stink eye when Emmie is eating something like ice cream or cake. I can only imagine how you older type 1's deal with this on a daily basis, how fustrating.
Oh, good grief. What he should state is that type 2 can progress to insulin dependence, not to "type 1." Insulin-dependent type 2 diabetics are still type 2 diabetics - they don't suddenly "become" type 1 diabetics. Stating it in that way makes it sound to people like type 1 results from poorly controlled type 2. Ugh!
That must be a common misconception. I have a friend I was discussing my daughter's diabetes with a few weeks ago. He told me his dad, who is overweight and type 2, was "converting to type 1". I was confused because I didn't think that was possible, but I read through the "basics" on the ADA website, and it defines type 1 as someone who produces no insulin, and type 2 as someone who doesn't produce enough insulin or has insulin resistance.
So what would it mean if a person with type 2 stopped producing their own insulin? Would they be a type 1, or a type 1 and 2 (because I assume if they have insulin resistance, that would continue even if the insulin was synthetic)? In a sense I would think it would be both, though the type 1 would probably supercede the type 2.
I know a guy who is in his early 40's and developed type 1 a couple of years ago after some virus he had. He's only type 1, but suppose he'd been type 2 prior to that. I guess he'd only be type 1 afterwards because the type 2 would be rendered irrelevant.
I guess the distinction is that the two conditions are unrelated and therefore must be kept separated so folks don't start meshing the two. Maybe there should be a type 3; i.e. 2 and 1 combined...
Oh, forgot to mention - not only did he make the error I already mentioned, but he also neglected to acknowledge gestational and LADA.
Type 1 is an auto-immune disease. Type 2 is a metabolic disease. I think the ADA site is over-simplifying it a bit with the definitions they gave.
Type 1's can acquire insulin resistance, which is a hallmark of Type 2. Type 2's can become insulin dependent, which is a hallmark of Type 1. You can understand why some people get confused... but I hold doctors to a higher standard than the general public, in terms of diabetes knowledge.
Good point, And thank you for reminding me of the auto-immune vs metabolic issue. I completely agree that doctors should be held to a higher standard. Maybe someone should suggest to the ADA that they update and clarify their definition. I went to the ADA site when my friend was telling me about his dad's converstion from 2 to 1, and it certainly didn't answer my questions...
Oh, forgot to mention - not only did he make the error I already mentioned, but he also neglected to acknowledge gestational and LADA.
Type 1 is an auto-immune disease. Type 2 is a metabolic disease. I think the ADA site is over-simplifying it a bit with the definitions they gave.
Type 1's can acquire insulin resistance, which is a hallmark of Type 2. Type 2's can become insulin dependent, which is a hallmark of Type 1's. You can understand why some people get confused... but I hold doctors to a higher standard than the general public, in terms of diabetes knowledge.
[/quote]
It makes me furious to know how STUPID people are. Once of my distantly related relatives, and she said to me you have gestational diabetes right? i looked at her like she was CRAZY. i'm still in high school and i have never been pregnant, or will be pregnant for a very long time! Needless to say i gave her a 15 min. lecture about each of the 3 types (gestational, type 1, type 2) And, its common knowledge what Gestational diabetes is if you have had to take a health class in high school. Honestly, what she said hurt me, i'm skinny, and i mean come on, in todays day in age we all have computers GOOGLE IT! People shouldn't assume its just wrong.
I don't know if she misunderstood, or if her doctor was an idiot, but I had a friend in college tell me, "My doctor told me that now I not only have type 2 diabetes, but type 1, too. And I'm just like, 'Oh, great!'"
And yet... I never saw her take insulin even once in all the times we ate together. Nor did I ever see any evidence of carb counting or moderation. So, I don't know what the heck was up with that. (I suppose it's possible she was just really good at keeping that out of sight, or really terrible at taking care of herself. But I don't think that was the case.)
Poor thing, though... She had other health issues that required surgery and then developed an awful gluten allergy. She lots tons of weight from those issue and wound up on what was pretty much a celiac's diet. :(