Comment by The Diabetic Welfare Queen on August 23, 2010 at 11:27am

I *am* writing my own... I am writing my own to the person who wrote the letter. :) I am sure that had I written a letter with which what you thought was bad information, that you would be trying to correct me on it, too. We should ALL be each other's advocates.

I am not against you for helping these girls. They need the help. And while people with regular eating disorders may not die immediately, as a Type 1 with an eating disorder may, they will eventually die, too, without intervention.... From heart attacks, among other issues, etc.

I am not asking you to run a charity for Type 2's... nor about Type 2's with eating disorders... anymore than you are asking Channel 4 to become a Type 1 Advocate, and run their own charity.

But I am asking to sort of stop the blame game. I could go and blame any person for having an eating disorder, and simply say it was their own fault they got heart disease for keeping themselves from eating and exercising too much, and whatever else... But I don't believe that, and I won't. A LOT of people believe that, though, and it doesn't make it any more real than the simple "bad diet and sedentary lifestyle" belief. Everything is a lot more than just what it appears... There are a lot more variables at play, for everyone (and not just that 20%)... THAT is what I'm getting at. We ALL want to be represented accurately.

Any way, good luck with you, and the girls. Their problem is a problem of self image -- it is NOT a Type 2's fault, or an overweight person's fault in any way. It is their own sense of warped self image, and at the end of the day it is not that they do not want to be associated with Type 2's... but that they are deathly afraid of being overweight... and they only do themselves more harm by associating Type 2 with "self-induced" obesity.

Comment by Jacq Allan on August 23, 2010 at 2:18pm

Again lizmarie - my issue is with the media's portrayal of T2 and not T2's themselves and I'm not saying that that is the cause of a T1 eating disorder. I am saying that from my own experience of both recovering from anorexia/ bulimia/ deliberate insulin ommission and working with over 500 t1'ds who have ed's, this portayal is a contributory factor. I have already have 4 of them tell me that they don't want to inject because they don't wan't to be seen as fat and lazy (as portrayed by the programme). I also respectfully argue that you would need to have experience of working with these girls to make any valid comment on the reasons behind their eating disorder

Comment by Marie on August 26, 2010 at 6:22am

Unlike many of the people replying here I did watch the programme and fully support your letter.
The JDFR statement about the programme puts it very well.

On various internet forums I have come across too many young people but more often their parents or even spouses who have had problems of the type described in the programme. I know of at least 2 who have subsequently died. one from DKA, the other from the consequences of alcohol and injecting at bedtime (just as one of the young girls suggested she would do.that night).
The programme concerned is concerned with young peoples lifestyles and the effect on their health. One week it was about the results of knife crime;this week it continued with drink, drugs and liver problems. Part of it's aim seems to be to shock so for the diabetes week it had shocking images of young people 'out of control' . These young people were shown as irresponsible by not taking their injections, by drinking excessive alcohol, by disregarding dangerously high glucose levels and by not following a diet (this was the type 2 young woman) To emphasise the possible complications they they included a graphic.amputation, a difficult pregnancy and a young man who was on dialysis.
Unfortunately, It did nothing to explore the psychological problems of young people with diabetes there was no attempt at understanding their denial, why they 'couldn't be bovered'. Neither was their any positive role models, no real suggestions as to how these young people might be helped .
Then on top of it there was the blame, even coming from the mouth of the consultant blaming diabetes on obesity and lifestyle.
The media forms peoples perceptions and people believe it especially when it comes from the mouths of doctors. Even though I weighed barely 50kg on diagnosis, the first person I met when I came out of hospital said 'Oh it must have been our good French food'. I was in my fifties and able to point out the nonsense of the statement. I was also able to deal with emotionally with my return to normal weight and mature enough to be able to cope with injections, carb counting and blood testing. Not nearly so easy when you are in your teens.
Good luck with your Charity Jacqueline, this support is desparately needed.

Comment by Jacq Allan on August 26, 2010 at 7:02am

Hi Marie,

If you read my other blog then you'll see that it was not for entirely selfless reasons that I set up the charity. I had ed's before I was T1 and the difference between the care and help I was offered then and when I was ommitting was disturbing. It's weird I never really imagined that I'd end up doing what I do but then no one else is doing anything in the UK. It's shocking

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