My names Molly. I just joined this group/website.
I've had type 1 diabetes for 14 years.
How long have ya'll had diabetes?
Hi Molly, My name is Becca. Welcome to Juvenation! :) I love this website! Its so inspirational and helpful, as I'm sure you'll find. Wow...so you've had diabetes for 14 years?! I can't imagine having it that long, though I know tons of people have had it for a reeeeeeally long time. I've only had it for six. But you've probably had diabetes your whole life... I was diagnosed when I was nine.
Well I hope you have a good time on here. See yah around!
I'm just curious, how long have you had diabetes?
I know whenever I write about my diabetes, I take 6 x 365 x 11 (pokes a day x days in a year x years I've had diabetes) It makes people feel sad when you say that you've had to do approximately 25,000 pokes, not including the shots, and that number continues to grow everyday.
Another point you could bring up is the constant worry about is my sugar too high or low? Will my diabetes restrict me from doing this?
You could talk about, if it applies, how you've been questioned, outcasted, made fun of, etc. because of your diabetes.
Side effects of diabetes (kidney disease, heart disease, eye problems, etc.) are also a good thing to talk about.
Hhopefully those are some helpful prompts?
Diabetes is life changing, it is unfortunate for those diagnosed and the people close to them. There is no way around the sadness of that but the truth is, it is part of our lives and we, as diabetics, become accustomed to living with it. If you really want to open peoples eyes I would suggest telling them what it was like, for you and your family, when you learned of your diagnosis. How did your family handle it and what changed around the house and in your daily routine because of it? How are the decisions you make today influenced by having diabetes? Share what you know and what you've experienced and I'm sure you will blow it out of the water. Good luck Nikki!
Watch out for making your speech too "sad". Yeah, being a diabetic is tough and I have my down times, but almost never in public. I personally don'tt allow it. And that's not to hide it, which I've learned not to do. It's just that presenting yourself as positive no matter the circumstances is a far better stance to take when faced with a problem.
The earlier suggestions made are all good. In fact, I'd think about using the number of pokes you make in a year times xxx years and find a way to turn that into something humorous. Or use some other related humor to lighten things up.
Good luck
[quote user="Nikki xoxox"]
Im writting a speech and it's for a cooperate breakfast it is about my life with diabetes and how it effects everthing . So any ideas you have would be great ! It's suppose to be sad .
[/quote]Why is it supposed to be sad? Just curious.
Maybe you could start the speech and then stop to take your BG? Something along the lines of you are always needing to think about it, before and after any activity.
Or you could talk about the sometimes ridiculous things that people say to people with Diabetes - like "you can't eat that.", "if you would have eaten healthier, you wouldn't have D", etc. Talk about how those things make you feel, because they aren't true.
Good luck!
are you trying to raise money, what company are you representing? Are they a cure organization or an aide organization? all things to consider.
i usually add in there tha part about type 1 being tha 4 top death causing disease. that gets through ta people if you add it in there at a sensitive part(so almost any where really). im doing tha same thing for tha school i just started in Nov. ba for an assembly im trying ta get tha school ta let me have.
Here is a link to a list of etiquette guidelines for people w/o diabetes.
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/12/07/6474/etiquette-for-people-without-diabetes/
Another good way to demo the T1D life is to use a scale. The pointer is BG, one side has everything that will raise BG (food, illness, condition, drugs, hormones, etc.) and the other side has everything that will lower BG (Insulin, drugs, exercise, activity, etc.). This can demo the daily, hourly, by the minute and second balancing that is necessary to maintain BG in the normal range.
You could have a few volunteers come up and have one on the lower the BG side and another on the higher BG side. Have them place and remove things on the scale to try and maintain a "normal" BG. Let them continue to balance the scale as you add or subtract items from the scale, while continuing your presentation.
Thanks this really helped um i have had diabetes for either 7 or 8 years i thinks it's my 8th
You should definitely read up on the statistics sheet on the JDRF website, its so sad. Right now we are asking people for donations and people are donating just because of the stories on that sheet.
Usually you explain how many injections of insulin you have to take each day and how many times you have to poke your finger to check your blood sugar. Explain how lows and highs effect you. Also what really tends to scare people is when you mention that if you don't take good enough care of your diabetes that your at a very high risk of being blind, having a heart attack, having a stroke, getting amputations and things when your older. That usually knocks the wind out of them and it gets to me sometimes when I think about it.
Nicki read up on the JDRF web site.... www.jdrf.org
also there is a you tube you should watch... look for Type 1 mom...is funny but sad at the same time,,,its actually everyday life for most moms at one time or another...
Tell them about how long you have had type 1, How they found out you had it,. How many finger pricks you do a day and a year and how many you have had since you were diaginised.
Also the same for shots or injections. Tell them and show them all the stuff you have to carry ...meter, strips, juice box, glucagon pen, gel, glucose tablets, needles, insulin, etc...lay it all out on a table if you have to! Tell them what its like when you go low...or high....
Good luck i do not know how old you are but if you are a kid you can really show your feelings of how hard it is... good luck!