morning coffee musings: rant-style

The word on the street is that November is Diabetes Month. Well, that's exciting! I'll use that as an opportunity to educate myself. Right now, they are talking about obesity on The View. I am having mixed emotions. They are chatting with people who are battling their weight. These individuals and their loved ones pushed for change toward a healthier lifestyle due to a fear of developing health complications like Diabetes. I think we can all agree that this a good thing - whatever catalyzes change, right? The mixed emotions come in because in discussions such as these, they talk about Diabetes as though it is akin to a death sentence. I understand the "scare tactic", but very disconcerting as someone living with Diabetes. First of all, obesity didn't put me in the Diabetes camp. Even if it did, I wouldn't want to be talked to like a ticking time bomb. Here's a gal, on The View, diagnosed with Type 2 at age 12. She no longer has to take Metformin because she utilized diet and exercise to improve her Diabetes. Paula Dean just said, "that's the beauty of Type 2 Diabetes, it is reversible." I'm happy for Paula and this gal on The View, but as someone who is likely going to need medical assistance forever, it offers me little comfort regarding my own management. I am back to the weight I was before diagnosis, thanks to being off of Novolog and on Metformin. There's no more weight to be lost to improve my Diabetes, in line with the advice they give obese Type 2s. I was the most active I had ever been when I was diagnosed. To me, that points to Type 1. The fact that I produce half the insulin I need and have lovely blood sugar levels on Metformin points to Type 2, commonly associated with insulin resistance. All this talk about TYPES seems unproductive. I wish this disease would be more solution-oriented. Regardless of the type, let's do what works for us and delivers the good numbers. If it is diet and exercise, power to you - your solution is in your hands! If it is oral medications, let's use those. If it is injected insulin, let it be your lifeblood. I wish the medical community would just admit that Diabetes is not cut and dry. There are versions of Diabetes called MODY and LADA. Those haven't always been in the realm of consciousness. It seems that, for insurance purposes, physicians try to squeeze square pegs into round holes. I am not blaming anyone, except the system...maybe. Lord knows where I'd be without these physicians. I just like to call a spade to spade and acknowledge nuances. Well, that is a morning rant, my friends. Now I can get on with my week.