Paula Deen is a diabetic! That phrase makes me cringe. It has nothing to do with Paula Deen’s preparation of unhealthy meals or the uproar that has ensued since she opened up about her diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. It has to do with the label “diabetic.” I have heard and seen that term too many times over the past week, on radio, TV and the web.
Paula Deen is not a diabetic; she is a person with diabetes.
Do you call your friend with lupus a “lupusetic,” or your sister with cancer a “canceretic”? A patient is a person, not just their disease state.
When a patient says to me, “I am a diabetic, so I can’t…” they are pointing out the restrictions of their disease, not the possibilities for better health. It is as if they have surrendered to their disease. “I am a diabetic, and there is nothing I can do about it,” as opposed to, “I am a person who happens to have diabetes. I can still do the things that I enjoy.”
If you want advice on a healthy diet for diabetes, or what to eat to prevent diabetes, look to a Registered Dietitian or a Certified Diabetes Educator, not to the lady who prepares deep fried macaroni and cheese.
Do your patients ever refer to themselves as diabetic, and if so, do you encourage them not to use that term? Do you refer to patients as diabetics? Does putting a label on a patient matter?
Cathy
Great thought! I do not refer to my patients as diabetics but I am now more aware to make sure they do not define themselves in this way! Thanks for the insight.
I agree I too try and tell people they have diabetes, and discourage labeling people as “diabetics”.
Thanks Cathy!
Probably I have asked the question “how long have you been a diabetic.” From here on it will be how long have you had diabetes? Keep the conversation going Cathy!