Type Two

Who is educating type 2 diabetics? Are type 2 diabetics being diagnosed and sent off on their own? Why do type 2 diabetics not even know what type of diabetes they have? What is going on?

I am not a type 2 diabetic, I am type 1 and the whole whose what type is a big to do in the diabetic community. Frankly, it comes from stereotypes, if I were to ask the average joe what a diabetic looks like some words might be like fat, old, obese, lazy etc. Well, I am none of those things, yet I hold the name diabetic.

When someone hears that a child with diagnosed with diabetes, their reactions are, "Oh, they must have ate a lot of candy!" or "Child Obesity, shame on the fast food industry." There are so many negative stereotypes connected to diabetes that it is disgusting; however, there are many other things that hold stereotypes in particular race, gender and religion.

My main concern is that type 2 diabetics have no clue what diabetes is all about. They seem to be given a pill thinking that will be the cure all and they are expected to control by diet and fitness. As much as I hate taking needles and wearing a pump, I cannot imagine trying to manage diabetes with a simple pill and lack of education.

Can you imagine? Being diagnosed with diabetes (the disease of fat and old people) and then given one single pill to take for the day. Yes, type 2's are producing some insulin, but what about those who aren't and don't even know that insulin is an option or know how insulin can help them.

Now, I don't usually talk about type 2 diabetes and I hate when people think that I have type 2 or try to tell me that I must because I am not a 'juvenile' however, as I listen to type 2's speak about their diabetes I wonder if they even know what they have?

At Clinton's hockey there is an older man has type 2 diabetes and last night he asked what I was doing when I was checking my sugar....wait, what? I don't know if he even checks his sugar or not, but the thought of me checking my sugar was a little foreign to him was alarming. He also insisted that I was cheating by taking insulin for my hot chocolate...that also confused me - does he not know that taking insulin is not cheating; rather, part of my life.

See, this man does take insulin, in fact he takes one injection of triple the amount of insulin I take a day. He eats horribly at the games and laughs it off by making the hand motions of a pen injection to his arm to me. It just makes me wonder if this man has any idea what diabetes is all about and if he really knows the complications it brings.

I know in my family my grandparents who are both type 2 are not so familiar with the disease. They had diabetes before I did and to this day I am constantly teaching them different things despite are differences in medication and treatment. My Grandma and Grandpa were not educated on eating habits, etc. they both rely on my knowledge to help control their diabetes.

Maybe there is something I don't know that is going on behind the scenes for type 2's. I don't like bashing type 2's because I know many people that have it. Even though type 1's have more fun (Haha!) we are all dealing with a handicap pancreas! We all deserve some education on the topic.

Kayla