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"The Hospital" CH4 Prog on Diabetes Mon 16th August 9pm

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
I didnt think much of the programme either, did not like the doctor at all.. Find it hard to believe that the whole time it was filmed the clinic was always empty, as mine is always busy!!:confused:

I didnt like how it was suggested that only diabetics with poor control are likely to develop complications, when everything I have been told is that good control will only slow complications down.

The programe was not even worth the watch in my opinion, I have had diabetes since 5 yrs old and could hardly relate to a thing (and I aint always been perfect)
 
Here there be dragons... My letter to channel 4, hopefully in the post tomorrow!

Dear Sir/Madame,

Having watched your documentary (or should I call it a Mockumentary as it seems to completely defeat the point of the aforementioned type of programme?) on the subject of diabetes in teenagers suffering from both type one and type two diabetes I am thoroughly disgusted and feel obliged to raise this with yourselves.
My primary complaint is that as a teenage diabetic myself and a well controlled one at that, is that you have tarred all teenage diabetics with the same brush. Your programme would have the general public believe that none of us who have the misfortune to be diabetic actually give a damn about their health. Quite the opposite is true, as I have previously stated I am a well controlled diabetic (most recent HbA1c 7.1% or 54 mmol/mol) yet your documentary would indicate to the uninitiated that we come about as frequently as Hailey’s comet. I feel obliged to point out that you are very, very far from the truth. In fact, you are almost as far from the truth as it is possible to be. I would hasten to point out that the way in which you have tarred all teenage diabetics with the same brush will have had something on a negative effect upon those of us who care for ourselves and make the point of staying in good health and attending their appointments.
Furthermore, your documentary failed to explain in any decent terms the differences between type one and type two. Any programme that has two similar sounding but fundamentally different items discussed should make it patently obvious what the differences are and what implications there are related to both subjects. Your programme is the perfect example of quad erat demonstrandum. For those of lacking a smattering of latin or merely a wide vocabulary that would mean “which proves the point in hand”.
Adding to what is frankly a comedy of errors there is a total lack of an explication as to what treatments are available for both type one and type two diabetics. You do not make it known that there are a variety of education programmes that many NHS trusts/PCT’s run to educate diabetics to successful manage their conditions. I am a graduate of one such course as are many of my closest friends. You fail to highlight that there are different ways of administering insulin other than a hypodermic. I myself use an insulin pump which is a whole world away, there is an increasing number of pump users out there. This doesn’t make up for your absolute lack of research into the differing types of treatment for both types of diabetes.
To conclude my disgusted diatribe against your incompetent researchers and the halfwits behind this disgraceful attempt at a documentary I must once again make clear my disgust for the fact that you clearly cannot research something fully and to a high degree. I also must express my sadness in the fact that you contribute to what will doubtlessly come around to harm other diabetics, be they type one or two. It also saddens me that in a day and age of boundless information being available so readily that the research which should have been done was not. Whichever person was responsible for this atrocity of a programme should answer for it as should my sense of curiosity for enticing me into watching it. Then again over my fourteen years of being diabetic I have developed something of an elephant thick skin for just this kind of insensitivity and stupidity.

Yours disgusted,



Tom Hreben
 
Just a thought...

Why doesn't someone (I'm thinking of you, Northerner!:D) write a letter to the BBC and ask to make a documentary programme with a more balanced view of diabetics??? I have more faith in the BBC than Channel4 and in my opinion, BBC are better and usually less biased at documentaries. I don't feel confident in contacting them myself, because it's still a new experience to me and I have only just started understanding the condition of diabetes. I'm also quite shy and would dread contacting them myself!

The programme could possibly focus on normal diabetic situations, not just worst case conditions. It also possibly could show people's daily struggle in taking control; and of their real experience, successes and failures. It won't have a shock value as in the channel 4's documentary, but would be more realistic in sharing people's experience, much more closer to the likes of me as a diabetic individual.🙂
 
I think we should make our own documentary :D
 
The program for me was a FAIL!!!!! 😱
 
I missed the programme. By the sound of it, im quite glad that i did 😱
 
Just a quick but big 'thank you' to Twitchy and Northerner for their supportive comments and info, and to anyone else who complains to Channel 4 like I did. I went on the Channel 4 website and used the 'contact us' bit, I hope to receive a reply soon.
 
KayC said:
Just a thought...

Why doesn't someone (I'm thinking of you, Northerner!:D) write a letter to the BBC and ask to make a documentary programme with a more balanced view of diabetics??? I have more faith in the BBC than Channel4 and in my opinion, BBC are better and usually less biased at documentaries. I don't feel confident in contacting them myself, because it's still a new experience to me and I have only just started understanding the condition of diabetes. I'm also quite shy and would dread contacting them myself!

The programme could possibly focus on normal diabetic situations, not just worst case conditions. It also possibly could show people's daily struggle in taking control; and of their real experience, successes and failures. It won't have a shock value as in the channel 4's documentary, but would be more realistic in sharing people's experience, much more closer to the likes of me as a diabetic individual.🙂
Click to expand...

I'm not sure who the health correspondent is now but i've dealt with Fergus Walsh from the BBC before. There was going to be a news bit when Rose was not allowed in school. Fergus Walsh listened, was very helpful and wanted to help people with diabetes. Just a thought.....

Am now watching C4 tonight - there is a bit about obesity, they had better not mention type 1 or type 2!!
 
Becca said:
There is also this discussion on FB DUK boards: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/topic.php?uid=20583485166&topic=14599

It might raise a few eyebrows about the program?
Click to expand...

She might have a point about the series as a whole focusing on teens abusing their health in various ways. The problem is that this is probably the only hour long programme about diabetes I've seen on mainstream telly since I was diagnosed. Given that I would be actively looking out for such programmes, the general public must have never seen a similar length programme devoted to a more balanced and well researched overview of diabetes. Ergo, they probably think we're all like that!
 
TomH said:
Here there be dragons... My letter to channel 4, hopefully in the post tomorrow!

Dear Sir/Madame,

Having watched your documentary (or should I call it a Mockumentary as it seems to completely defeat the point of the aforementioned type of programme?) on the subject of diabetes in teenagers suffering from both type one and type two diabetes I am thoroughly disgusted and feel obliged to raise this with yourselves.
My primary complaint is that as a teenage diabetic myself and a well controlled one at that, is that you have tarred all teenage diabetics with the same brush. Your programme would have the general public believe that none of us who have the misfortune to be diabetic actually give a damn about their health. Quite the opposite is true, as I have previously stated I am a well controlled diabetic (most recent HbA1c 7.1% or 54 mmol/mol) yet your documentary would indicate to the uninitiated that we come about as frequently as Hailey?s comet. I feel obliged to point out that you are very, very far from the truth. In fact, you are almost as far from the truth as it is possible to be. I would hasten to point out that the way in which you have tarred all teenage diabetics with the same brush will have had something on a negative effect upon those of us who care for ourselves and make the point of staying in good health and attending their appointments.
Furthermore, your documentary failed to explain in any decent terms the differences between type one and type two. Any programme that has two similar sounding but fundamentally different items discussed should make it patently obvious what the differences are and what implications there are related to both subjects. Your programme is the perfect example of quad erat demonstrandum. For those of lacking a smattering of latin or merely a wide vocabulary that would mean ?which proves the point in hand?.
Adding to what is frankly a comedy of errors there is a total lack of an explication as to what treatments are available for both type one and type two diabetics. You do not make it known that there are a variety of education programmes that many NHS trusts/PCT?s run to educate diabetics to successful manage their conditions. I am a graduate of one such course as are many of my closest friends. You fail to highlight that there are different ways of administering insulin other than a hypodermic. I myself use an insulin pump which is a whole world away, there is an increasing number of pump users out there. This doesn?t make up for your absolute lack of research into the differing types of treatment for both types of diabetes.
To conclude my disgusted diatribe against your incompetent researchers and the halfwits behind this disgraceful attempt at a documentary I must once again make clear my disgust for the fact that you clearly cannot research something fully and to a high degree. I also must express my sadness in the fact that you contribute to what will doubtlessly come around to harm other diabetics, be they type one or two. It also saddens me that in a day and age of boundless information being available so readily that the research which should have been done was not. Whichever person was responsible for this atrocity of a programme should answer for it as should my sense of curiosity for enticing me into watching it. Then again over my fourteen years of being diabetic I have developed something of an elephant thick skin for just this kind of insensitivity and stupidity.

Yours disgusted,



Tom Hreben
Click to expand...

Excellent letter Tom, I wonder what sort of response you will get, full of , "we tried to blah blah blah and we did not wish to blah blah blah blah and more blah blah blah, we tried to show in this programme- GUESS WHAT even more blah blah bah bla blah, and I'm being polite!😡 Good for you for putting your views across. Sheena
 
Go Tom! 🙂 Great ending......!

I bet its a standard return though, remember the 'diabetes v Hollyoaks' not that long ago and all the C4 replies were the same.

I think Im scared by this program, Ive thought about it all day....
 
Marvellous program!

Now I feel 1000 times worse about having T2 diabetes. I'm going to die before my mum, having spent the prior years alone and unloved due to the size of my arse, and the fact that the stroke and the heart attack and the amputation mean I won't be able to have any kind of active social life. To add to that, I will have been ostracised by those arround me for bringing it on myself, and the NHS that I work bloody hard to pay into will withdraw care because I can't get down to a size 8.

Melodrama? Maybe, but I could cry right now. The irony? It makes me want to comfort eat hahah...
 
Thinking about documetaries, it reminded me of Lee Nevitt's excellent video about his experiences with autonomic neuropathy. This is a complication that rarely gets mentioned - usually it's kidneys, blindness and amputations (which are pretty bad, I agree!) - but autonomic neuropathy is possibly one of the most frightening for me. Worth taking a(nother) look:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=8444

I bet the team who produced this could do a cracking documentary telling it how it REALLY is! 🙂
 
I don't understand why people are getting upset about it.

The whole series, not just this episode, is about teenagers and their attitude to life and lifestyle which is causing problems for the NHS. It is not about well managed diabetics or even the struggle that people have managing their diabetes.

Next week it is about liver disease now prevalent in people in their early twenties due to excessive alcohol consumption. If you drink in moderation will that mean that the programme will not be to your liking and will you complain that you are being stereotyped because you enjoy a drink?

What I did notice in the comments on Channel4 website is that there are some really indignant Type 1's who buy into the media stereotyping of Type 2's. We brought it on ourselves through gluttony and inactivity. I am sure some of them would like our foreheads tattooed with Type 2 so that people will know the difference. More and more research is uncovering clues about why people get Type 2 and hopefully one day we will not be seen as "those fat people who brought it on themselves".
 
I thinkk for me Cherrypie is that everyone I have told so far re diabetes has reacted in the same way - its because you are overweight and eat too much sugar. there has been very little coverage of diabetes generally on the tv so people assume. I think the doctors comments on lettuce and water did little to improve this and constant comments re weight made me wince. It did seem to be very one sided in its portrayal, maybe showing a teenager who was showing willingness and good control and maybe wasn't overweight would have balanced it a little more. Personally i now wish the program hadn't been aired as i am now battling the 'its because your overweight' comments all over again.
 
Have to say i agree with Cherrypie, but we all haver our own opinions.

For some people the programme was ok others it was way off the mark, 99 per cent of us are managing our diabetes ok, lets not let what we saw on a tv porgramme change that, the tv programme gave there opinion/slant on diabetes and whether thats right or wrong its happened. We have alot more to worry about then what was on a tv programme.
 
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