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The Question

08/09/09 06:32 PM

"As a type 1 diabetic, i feel I'm to blame for the complications that may result. Why does the medical community blame us for their own shortcomings?"

Asked By: vanner

Category: Coping And Emotional Issues

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Expert Answers (1)

08/11/09 10:25 AM

Good question! I don't think the issue is blame, but responsibility. Diabetes is basically a self care disease. You are the one who decides what, when, how much to eat. You decide if & when to take your medication or to exercise. You decide whether to make & keep your regular appointments and annual eye exams. You decide when to check your blood sugars & if you will do anything about the results that are not in target. Physicians, nurses, dieticians, CDE's - we are just part of your team to teach & support & help you problem solve to keep your blood sugars as close to target as possible to prevent & delay complications. High sugars cause damage & complications - not having diabetes. Not everyone in the medical community keeps up with current trends & treatments in Diabetes - you find those who do & get the best on your team. You have had diabetes a long time & have seen many changes in care. Stay knowledgeable & proactive in taking the best care of yourself that is possible. Build a strong support team & don't worry about the "blamers" out there!

Answered By: Beth McKinzie

Accreditations: RN, BSN, CDE

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03/24/12 07:21 PM

I can relate to you. I've had Type 1 for over 47 years now. The only doctor I have ever had in my life that understood and was not critical or judgmental was my family doctor who first diagnosed me. He was so understanding and comforting and I actually looked forward to going to the doctor with my mother when I was a child to see him. His mother had diabetes and that had a lot to do with his relationship and understanding of the disease. Since then, I have been so disappointed with the little "REAL"knowledge by doctors who only know the "book version" of this disease. When I was a teen with this disease a doctor repeatedly blamed me for a poor A1C test, when there were really no tools available (home glucose monitors, better insulin like we have now, no real knowledge of how diet affects bs -- they used to believe that everything we ate affected it, etc.) to control it. It still makes me angry when I think about those times and how critical doctors were (and still are) because they really don't understand the disease unless they live with it. Even recently, I had my endo relate the message to me that she thought I wasn't ready to have an insulin pump (she didn't even have the nerve to tell me, she had a staff member tell me). I mean REALLY? After 47 years of living with this disease, I'm not READY? How insulting that comment was!!!They put children on the insulin pump right after diagnosis now.So believe me, I can share in your frustration. Many doctors do not have a clue what some Type 1's go through on a daily basis. If they did, they would be much more understanding. Also, every diabetic is different and they don't seem to understand that either.And,furthermore,"brittle" diabetics still exist because I am one of them. I have blood sugars that make no sense after doing "everything by the book" and still getting a bs that doesn't make any sense at all.A dr. who lives with this disease is the only one who will truly understand -- I'm convinced of that.

Answered By: smmsmile9

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08/15/11 01:32 AM

Yes I think you are absolutely right about these "professionals" blaming us. Thankyou for saying this b/c it is one of my pet peives. I feel like at most of these doctor visits that I've been to over the years...The doctors/nurses have blamed me, yes, and thought to themselves: "Well my goodness, if I were diabetic I would just CONTROL my diabetes SO WELL and it would just be so EASY. I would just eat this and not eat that.... and take my insulin at this time and check my sugar at that time and my blood sugar would be PERFECT... just like everything else about me. I mean its not that HAAARRDD............. " Oh, come doc, you are not perfect and unless u ARE diabetic, you have absolutely no idea and u have no room to talk. So shut up!

Answered By: ml66

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