Change4life - Diabetes - Complaints

Miss_Cinnabon

know what you mean about the schools, had our fair share of trouble with them!

maytaurus, omg that was awful, not diagnosed for years:eek: just terrible, my son started symptons at that age too, was diagnosed when he was 2 and a half, dr we saw at the time said he was too young to have diabetes and not to think about that:mad:

the public need to know the difference between the 2 types, if diabetes is mentioned, then all they are seeing is some lazy, fat person who has brought it on themselves which is not true

need to do more complaining today:D

alba37

Broken_hearted wrote: »

TBH I don't think the general public understand the difference and most info is aimed at type 2 lifestyle diabetes, the attitude is anyone saved is a bonus.
Like all disabilities those who don't have it don't have any understanding or connection with its consequences.

They don't, and that's where the problem lies. Even T2's and GP's struggle knowing anything about T1.

I have no idea how many times people have said to my son, you must have been so fat to get diabetes.... this ad is just adding fuel to the fire. It's opening a big door to bullying by telling the public kids get diabetes when they're fat.

I don't even feel adding T2 to the ad is enough, the public need to learn the difference between T2 and T1, for the sake of T1's. Or maybe if they use the words T2 and miss out 'diabetes'?? lol!!

alba37

Good news, the Change4life website has changed it's wording!

Worrying though that plans are to show the ads in schools... hopefully with enough pressure they'll change that too, before it's shown.

A x

alba37

A big thanks to everyone who signed the petition. There are more than 500 signatures now!

There's still room for more, so if anyone has a minute to spare, here's the link again

You'll get a confirmation email, and you click the link to confirm.

My son drew a picture showing how he feels about the ad:

anguk

It's not just type 1 that is unpreventable either, my husband was diagnosed as diabetic at the age of 20 and has been on insulin injections ever since. He'd always been told he was type 1 but last year had tests done (he was going to be put on the transplant list for pancreas & kidney) and they realised, after 25 years, that he was actually producing a tiny amount of insulin so was infact type 2.

He's not type 2 because he was fat or unhealthy, it's just his pancreas doesn't work properly and we were also told it was probably genetic.

I really feel for young children who have to go through this, it's bad enough getting it in your 20's and then to have ad campaigns like this saying that it's your own fault, it's terrible! Sadly the general public just don't realise that some cases of diabetes can be preventable but some can't! Even people who have experience with type 1 think that type 2 is completely preventable and down to your lifestyle, when that is not necessarily the case.

alba37

That's all very true. There is a statistic that says 40% of type 2's are within ideal weight at diagnosis. That's a lot of people, over a million in the UK, then if you consider many people are just out with the "ideal weight" range, it doesn't mean they are obese. There is also the chicken and egg theory, does diabetes cause weight gain, or weight gain cause diabetes?

The campaign is wrong in all counts, and stigmatising all "diabetics" The man who started the petition, has a young T1 son.

Your husband has had a terrible time of it, I hope he's doing ok. No one who goes through an illness such as diabetes (and lots of others too) need to be told (inaccurately) it's their own fault through lifestyle choices.

anguk

alba37 wrote: »

Your husband has had a terrible time of it, I hope he's doing ok. No one who goes through an illness such as diabetes (and lots of others too) need to be told (inaccurately) it's their own fault through lifestyle choices.

Thank you, it's nice to find people who understand! Unfortunately he seems as though he's got every diabetic complication going! He's on enough medication to down an elephant, had laser treatment for bleeds in his eyes, he had his leg amputated below the knee at the age of 40 and he is now on dialysis 3 times a week because he's got kidney failure. Other than that he's fit & healthy. :rotfl:

Seriously though it's bad enough dealing with that without people thinking it's his own fault! :mad:

alba37

anguk wrote: »

Thank you, it's nice to find people who understand! Unfortunately he seems as though he's got every diabetic complication going! He's on enough medication to down an elephant, had laser treatment for bleeds in his eyes, he had his leg amputated below the knee at the age of 40 and he is now on dialysis 3 times a week because he's got kidney failure. Other than that he's fit & healthy. :rotfl:

Seriously though it's bad enough dealing with that without people thinking it's his own fault! :mad:

OMG, I'm so sorry to hear that. I know there are quite often mis-diagnosis. At 20 years old, they have automatically put him the Type 1 catogory, probably without doing further tests at the time. It's (in general) young to develope T2. That's one of the problems I think, they don't even get the right diagnosis, they generalise. The public and many professionals need diabetes education. Sending out the wrong message is just so bad. There is a long way to go as far as diabetes is concerned, and the public understanding it.

I was diagnosed T2 at 39. They're not even 100% sure that's what I have now (3 years on) I'm only on tablets and it's quite well controlled. My son was then diagnosed with T1. But he's not progressed as they expected he would, they have doubts if he's T1 or MODY (the genetic diabetes) His diabetes is difficult to control, and he doesn't take a lot of insulin, or has far too many hypos. He has approx 1 hypo a day, but reduce insulin a little and he's always high! So now they think I could have been mis-diagnosed too! Anyway he's had tests done recently but the results can take 6 months to come back. I probably won't make any difference to treatment whatever the outcome though! Oh the joys of diabetes.

I hate to think of the future, it not always bright being diabetic, but we have to make the most of it.

Take care & thanks for telling me your story. I really hope things don't get any worse for your husband.

sak46

Have just received this email, well done to everyone who signed up, and thank you to the person who posted link to number 10
Sak 46





You recently signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "Ensure the
Change4life campaign specifies ONLY Type2 Diabetes CAN be brought on by
lifestyle & Type1 cannot as it is an autoimmune disease"
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/change4life/

You may wish to be aware that following discussions with Diabetes UK, the
Department of Health have decided to modify the Change4Life advertising
materials to make clear that obesity leads to type 2 diabetes.

Prime Minister's Office

Petition information - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/change4life/

If you would like to opt out of receiving further mail on this or any other
petitions you signed, please email [EMAIL="optout@petitions.pm.gov.uk"]optout@petitions.pm.gov.uk[/EMAIL]

alba37

Yes, a big thanks to everyone who signed. It's rare an e-petition over turns anything!

Big problem with the wording of the response though "to make clear that obesity leads to type 2 diabetes" This isn't true!

Experts believe there may be a link to Type 2 diabetes ... this statement could cause a lot more problems!