But, people have the same misconceptions about transplants too.

Thank you for writing this and educating people out there

When I saw Steel Magnolias over ten years later, I realized that Shelby’s case must be very unusual and hard to manage. What she experiences is not typical for many, and adds to the drama and pain. The most ridiculous part that I found wasn’t the depiction of diabetes, but the fact that Shelby and her husband were not allowed to adopt -at all- because of her medical history. They weren’t even given a chance. (There is a reason so many people go overseas to adopt. The regulations in this country are just absurd.)

Dr. Dyer, I greatly appreciate your efforts to educate the public as to diabetes.

Yes, there’s a ‘but’.

I would kindly suggest that, before posting or submitting an article, you have someone you trust review it. Someone who is willing to criticize, explain, and help. Many of the previous comments about your article do highlight weaknesses in the article structure and the details it covers.

Thank you for listening.

I one of a long line of diabetics, who has seen grandmother in and out of the hospital at a time before there was the measurements and controls there are now; as well as watching my mother destroy her ability to make insulin because of the early drugs that caused that destruction, to watching her, receive no treatment at the hands of a callous doctor, his beliefs that old people don’t matter, and turning her treatment around because I am bull-headed and know more can be done. Still, that was not enough.

I can relate just how horrible a hypoglycaemic episode is as I have some dramatic and terrible times where I thought I could manage, but for those seemingly unending 15 minutes to half hour, I was not sure I would ever stop shaking, and feel normal again. I do make some of my insulin, and have an insulin pump–which is a revelation in caring for myself. Still I have glaucoma and neuropathy, and, like most diabetics, face the real possibility that it will be kidney failure that will eventually get me. All that damage to the nerves takes its toll.

A quick search on the internet for gestational diabetes will reveal much about the temporary condition that can come to some mothers. I would think, but do not know, keeping one’s blood sugar at fairly steady levels, when some part of your body is working against you, can’t be easy. (When I have muscle pain, for example, my blood sugar levels run much higher than ordinary, so those episodes require more monitoring. Even banging your toe, or almost anything, can set the body into attempting to compensate, so that just adds more burden to the system; I have crashed from some events, but was near my desired normal, so there was little leeway for error; or the liver has decided to dump sugar into the system).)

I will say that the film does present a simplistic view of diabetes and its dimensions and its complications.

Even the author of the article leaves much “in fill” explanations fall far short of presenting a reasonable “why” for the film’s shortcoming in presenting the true nature of Shelby’s condition, so it could be understood by an audience.

Yes, one does get a hint that something is changing when one begins to crash. One can also get a sense when the blood glucose it rising. I think it would have been helpful to have mentioned neuropathy, at least….

Drama or not, I have found that reality is often much more dramatic than theatrical drama.

It mentions that she did, in fact, die after a kidney transplant but it also says that some aspects of her story were “exaggerated” in the play/movie.

The woman on whom “Shelby” is based undoubtedly did not have the kind of care that is standard now; much of it simply didn’t exist back then. Still, even with monitoring, hypoglycemic episodes and insulin shock are a constant possibility (my mom’s SO has had several such incidents, some requiring hospitalization, in spite of twice-daily meaurements).

This article’s last line says it all. This is a comedy-drama about six friends, one of who _happens_ to have type-1 diabetes, and not a documentary about diabetes and how to treat it.

For the most part, Shelby’s diabetes isn’t the major focus of the movie. It is mostly a light-hearted drama about funny southern women who find strength in eachother.