Comments on: Type 1 vs. Type 2 and Other Diabetes Confusion

By: Katharine Swan

Katharine Swan — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:49:36 +0000

I just ran across this story, but so far I see no mention of what *I* think is going on here.

I am a type 1 diabetic, and I have been told numerous times that during pregnancy, a diabetic woman needs CONSIDERABLY less insulin, sometimes even none at all.

Halle’s baby was born recently, but so far I haven’t found anything saying that her need for insulin returned. However, I am guessing that it will (or probably already has, and she is just too embarrassed to tell the press).

By: kate

kate — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:57:02 +0000

this says nothing about how both the diabeties work this is a bunch of bullshit!

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:51:06 +0000

I've been eating raw and I'm trying to get my mother to go raw. She has diabetes and I want to help her. Anyone heard of "Raw For 30 Days"? It's a film about diabetics who eat only raw and improve their health. take a look and see what you think. http://youtube.com/watch?v=jSuqCMld00w

By: AmyT

AmyT — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:58:53 +0000

Good one, jvj. If she were “just” a Hollywood starlet, I wouldn’t have been so critical. But when she signed on for this national diabetes awareness campaign http://www.diabetesaware.com, supported by the IDF, Halle volunteered herself as a figurehead for diabetes awareness and information. To my mind, she’s reneged on that responsibility with her recent (ridiculous) diabetes-related statements.

By: jvj24601

jvj24601 — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:23:21 +0000

I don’t know about you guys, but I always get my information about diabetes from Hollywood Starlets.

What better source to learn the best way to combat this disease and stay on top of medical information?

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 02:52:19 +0000

Sara,
Sorry, just read your post. I agree with everything you have said. Sadly, there are still many DOCTORS and I have seen a few like this in the past 5 years (only once, then I move on) who still define Type I as insulin dependent and Type II as non-insulin dependent. As I mentioned above, I no longer define myself as a “type” and I am very clear with people that my godson (unrelated) has an auto immune disease and that he parents did nothing to cause his diabetes.
I was also very careful to point out that my godson will probably not be able to live without insulin, even tho I was diagnosed as a child and I do.
I went on the pump prior to getting pregnant and you should have seen the fits I gave the OB’s trying to put a label on me in the chart. “Juvenile Onset, Non-Insulin Dependent, but on a Pump for the purpose of delivering a healthy baby.”

Peace to all, its hard enough!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 02:40:39 +0000

And I have quoted you.

“So, if she was misdiagnosed then THAT should have been her comment.”

And we are all perfect in front of the media and exactly accurate with everything we say? Again, she does not hold herself out as a spokesperson. Before I knew about MODY I called myself a “Juvenile Onset, Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetic”. Every doctor wrote TYPE I on my chart because I was diagnosed as a kid. It is also quite possible that HB knows nothing about MODY and did what I did in college, I stopped taking insulin and found I was doing just fine on diet and exercise. That would seem to be weaning oneself off insulin.

I will not argue that the Type I and Type II lingo is confusing as the two types are different diseases.

By: RichW

RichW — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:48:55 +0000

If Halle said she weaned herself off insulin thanks to a healthy diet and good living, she is misinformed. If T1 and T2 were treated as two completely different diseases, which they are, people would be less likely to make the mistake of believing you can transition from one to the other.

I have coronary artery disease. It’s lumped under heart disease but it’s far different from valvular heart disease which is a disease involving one or more valves of the heart. I can’t imagine anyone saying that thanks to a healthy diet and good living I’ve weaned myself off Lipitor. I now put myself in the valvular heart disease category.

People understand the difference when it comes to cancer and heart disease but not diabetes. Maybe it’s the Type 1 and Type 2 terminology. We might see a better understanding if the two were divided into three types: insulin dependent, insulin resistant, and insulin deficient.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:03:14 +0000

“The poor woman does not put herself out there as a champion of the disease and now she is being vilified for one simple quote, which may actually be TRUE for her.”

Chris I have quoted your comment above. The truth is…what SHE said is that she is a type I who is now a type II that is NOT true for her. If she went to some Big Endo’s and found out she has a different diagnosis than she should have said that! A type I does not come off insulin…period. Not unless they have been cured. A type I does not “turn into” or “morph” into a type II! A type I does not “turn into” MODY. Again, it’s a misdiagnosis not a “I’ve changed to a different type of diabetes”. It doesn’t work that way. So, if she was misdiagnosed then THAT should have been her comment.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:55:35 +0000

Amy,
Please let me add that maybe with your access you can interview HB and find out what is behind her confusing quote. Perhaps it is legit not a “wtf”. Maybe there are some other MODY’s out there who are unaware of their category but if offered the list of symptoms might find that they can make the move from Type I to Type II.