Diet (carb) compliance and the diabetics you know IRL (in real life; a.k.a. not just online)

I am consistently impressed with the efforts made by the TuD community as a whole in terms of taking this beast seriously and working hard to maintain control of their health. There is no question that it is hard even for the most compliant of us.

However...!

When I look at the diabetics I know at work, family, school, and everywhere I go in the "real world" I find that I am an island of control in a sea of folks significantly out of control. I am amazed that many of those people know the details well. They know the underlying metabolic functions and what can be done to address them. They know the complications and the statistics. Yet they persist in having 5 slices of pizza, or saying "I'll have the diet soda, but I can't give up my evening ice cream or my pasta for lunch."

There is a broad spectrum of control of course. Not everyone is going to be in the "5" or even the "6" club (referring to groups on TuD based on A1c #s), but everyone here is here because they care and are trying. I seem to keep finding a lack of that effort and dedication in the people I know and meet and that freaks me out a bit. How do you not take this beast seriously.

So my question to you all (finally!) is: do you know/meet people in the real world that take their diabetes seriously and work hard at controlling it, or do you find those people few and far between?

I do not in any way mean to come off condescending on this issue. Getting my own diet and bg under control has been a monumental task (and remains a day to day challenge). I am simply astounded by the situations I keep finding people in and am sincerely concerned by it.

Views: 1439

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I would also be clueless without the DOC. I was also dx as a T2, then insulin dependant T2, then my doc decided to do a GAD ( love him!) when my c-peptide came back super low. I did LC years ago for a couple of years and loved it, so no problem getting back to it.

My doc also calls me his poster child for control/management, but it's not only my determination - I'd be nowhere without TuD.

I've been castigated by the diabetes police in a million different ways since I was a little kid. But I can't see how me turning myself into a member of the carb police could be useful at all.

I know that I drank milk all the time when I was a kid despite being a T1. That was 30 years ago when the diabetes police were out there patrolling against sugar and they probably didn't even know what carbs were. (Obviously as a T1 diabetic who'd been taught carb counting I knew that milk had carbs but I wasn't about to tell the diabetes police who kept watch over me.) I'd hate to put myself into the shoes of being the carb police now, especially with T1 kids. I can think of a million other ways, as an adult with T1 for a third of a century, I can be a good role model. But the carb police doesn't seem like a good role model.

WHEN I WAS A KID ( NOW 78 ) HAVE HAD TYPE 1 SINCE I WAS NOT YET 3...I NEVER TOUCHED ANYTHING I SHOULD NOT EAT.WE ALSO DID NOT HAVE SUGARFREE CHOCO.CANDY.JAM.ETC...I JUST ATE A BALANCED MEAL...HEALTHY FOOD...BUT NOW SINCE I'M ON THE PUMP (11YEARS)I JUST COUNT CARBS & BOLUS ACCORDINGLY ( MORE OR LESS ) .I WAS TOLD BY MY DIETICIAN THAT 5-6 A1C IS TOO LOW FOR ME...BECAUSE OF AGE..LENGHS OF T1 & HYPOANAWARENESS.

I was diagnosed with diabetes, possibly type 2, corrected diagnosis of type 1, last January 6th, 2011. I could not believe it, I was an active fairly slim mountain bike rider and occassional racer. I started off in January with a 10.7 A1C but by May 22nd my A1C was 5.2. Now I am slowly losing control as the last of my Beta cells are killed off, I expect my A1C will be over 6.0, I am hoping the Endo will finally "get it" and start me on Insulin with the next visit. I will also be getting a second opinion in early May, so this will probably begin the long journey towards complete Insulin dependency. I was unaware of the inappropriate care I was receiving until I found TUdiabetes, I had frequented other sites, but this one was the catalyst to finally search for a second opinion. I believe my diabetes management will be much better for finding this site.
Parrformance

Glad you found us! My story is similar. Glad you're looking for and endo who will give you the tx YOU want!

"I believe my diabetes management will be much better for finding this site."

I'd venture to guess the majority of us can say the same!

RSS

Advertisement



REsources

From the Diabetes Hands Foundation blog...

Congratulations Diabetes Advocates Scholarship Recipients!

The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were …
Continue Reading

La Familia de EsTuDiabetes Sigue Creciendo

El Centro Nacional de Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas y Promoción de la Salud en el Estados Unidos encontró que a partir de 2002-2009, el 11,8% de los hispanos mayores de 20 años, que viven en los EU, viven con diabetes …
Continue Reading

TuDiabetes Team

DHF STAFF

Manny Hernandez
(Co-Founder, Editor, has LADA)

Emily Coles
(Head of Communities, has type 1)

Emily Walton
(Business Manager)

Mike Lawson
(Head of Experience, has type 1)

Corinna Cornejo
(Development Manager, has type 2)

Heather Gabel
(Administrative and Programs Assistant, has type 1)

DHF VOLUNTEERS


Lead Administrator
Bradford (has type 1)

Administrators
Lorraine (mother of type 1)
Marie B (has type 1)

Teena (has type 2)

Brian (bsc) (has type 2)

jrtpup (has type 1)

 

LIKE us on Facebook

Spread the word

Loading…

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

© 2013   A community of people touched by diabetes, run by the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

Badges  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Service