Mary Lincoln and the American "Sweet Tooth"

[LincolnToddFan]

(07-30-2014 08:28 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Definitely - there's no way she suffered form type I diabetes. This always begins before adulthood, and would have been fatal at early age without taking insulin, thus in those days. The beginning you describe ("my cousin was a seemingly healthy, active normal boy of 13, skinny as a rail but he loved to eat. One morning almost without warning he became groggy and passed out at the breakfast table in front of his entire family") is 100% typical, though not each case comes to such an ending at that age. I'm sorry to learn what you and yours went through, Toia!

Thanks Eva,

Chris actually lived with his disease for over 30 years before succumbing to complications of it shortly before Christmas last year. He was incredibly brave, and he never complained. When we were kids I used to look at all the needles he used to inject himself with his daily insulin and I would shudder with horror. I simply could not imagine living like that, then or now.

BTW...when I used the word "merciless" to describe diabetes I was referring to how it operates if left untreated, like in Mary Lincoln's case. The final years and months of her life sound like torture and the poor woman had no idea why she was going blind-she thought she had gone blind from weeping so much apparently- on top of the bladder problems. So sad!