Wednesday, May 03, 2006

TYPE 1 DIABETES GETS SHORT- SCHRIFT

At my Primary Care Physician's office there are a number of R.N.'s who give classes to those with Insulin Resistance Disease(Type 2 Diabetes) to help provide better management. I met one of these nurses in the elevator today and asked her whether her patients were compliant or non-compliant? She did not know who I was, so I told her that I had Type 1 Diabetes and find that people with T1DM are usually better motivated, knowledgeable and compliant compared with Insulin Resistant Disease. In addition, I said that we for the most part do not have a "weight problem". I went on to tell her that when I was being treated by Fellows in the Endocrinology Department at that hospital that advertises, "don't you deserve this level of care", they (the Fellows) had a mind-set and disposition into just treating Insulin Resistant Disease(Type 2 Diabetes). In so doing, people with T1DM were at a disadvantage and getting "short-schrift". All she said was that most of Diabetes (90%) is of Type 2 and so Physicians will orientate themselves in that direction. This is what I propose:
1. People with T1DM should be treated by Clinical Immunilogists rather than Endocrinologists, since T1DM is "Auto-Immune" in etiology and a mind-set/bias appears in those Physicians who are trained in Endocrinology to just "handle" Insulin Resistant Disease.
2. A new medical nomenclature should be established where those with Insulin Resistant Disease should no longer be called Diabetic or having Diabetes, since it takes away from the true meaning of the word in those with T1DM as well as the fact that these are distinctly TWO DIFFERENT DISEASE ENTITIES.

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New York, New York, United States
I do not give up my Autonomy,especially to the Medical Profession. Passionate, Creative, Able to see Beauty within Simplicity, I Am Not A Diabetic, rather I have Diabetes (there is a big difference between the two on many levels).Type 1 Diabetes since 5 years of age. Belief in G-D