Hey everyone if you could tell the US about what living with diabetes its really like what would u tell the nation. One Fact that really pisses u off thats false about diabetics. Thanks its for a speech in one of my classes.
1. People with diabetes can't have sugar.
2. All we have to do is take a shot and everything is normal.--or if we have a pump, the pump fixes everything.
To tell the nation
Every day(24/7) is like walking a tightrope. One wrong move and your balance might be shifting and shakey--too high or too low You might find yourself dangling and trying to hold on to that rope. Sometimes there's a safety net below, but never know when there might not be one.
Not a falsehood ....but...
Just wish people could see that YES My son can do anything that he could before. We are blessed with wonderful educators, great team of care providers and supportive family situation...and for that we are grateful. I think because he has a good attitude, has been doing a great job with A1c and forces himself to continue everything that he was doing before ( and MORE)..... BUT they just do not see the draining reality of dealing with Diabetes. As a teen at an age where he longs for more and more independence --to KNOW that he has to rely on someone else if he were to go low, at an age where he longs for more freedom - to have to be watched and monitored more closely, at an age where everyone is trying to fit in --to have a disease that sets you apart, at an age where reckless abandon is the norm--- to have to think before he so much as eats a jelly bean, & at an age where friends feel invincible --to have come face to face with your own mortality.
As a mom one of the hardest things in the world is watching your own child in pain.... The pain he had in the hospital, the emotional burden of this disease the exhaustion and headaches from the extreme levels are tough. But ya know what I am still not used to...those 8-10 finger pokes a day and the daily 5-6 injections, Yes they have become routine, and yes he takes them in stride. But the slight wince that comes with every needle just breaks my heart.
Good Luck with your speech!
#1: Using the proper tools available (frequent testing, eating correctly, staying positive, exercising - both physically and mentally) there's absolutely nothing that cannot be done. We can downhill ski, run, drink wine with dinner, bike, body surf, travel anywhere we want, eat good food, go to the theater, and, basically do just about anything and everything we can afford at a given time.
#2: The other side is always - using the proper tools is not exactly easy, it's a daily job that requires constant acceptance of the situation and recognition that monitoring it, in an attempt to maintain the best numbers you can achieve, cannot be allowed to slip.
Good Luck,
Jerry
INSULIN IS NOT A CURE! INSULIN IS NOT A CURE! INSULIN IS NOT A CURE! INSULIN IS NOT A CURE! INSULIN IS NOT A CURE!
Nobody has diabetes "really bad" or "just a little." Diabetics come in a variety of control (good, pretty good, OK, not so good, bad, etc. etc.). The level of their control doesn't make them a "good diabetic" or a "bad diabetic." Many many people make instant, unfounded, unfair, and negative assumptions about a person's entire character once they hear that person is a "bad diabetic." Conversely, many also make instant, unfounded, unfair, and positive assumptions about a person's entire character once they hear that a person is a "good diabetic." Hey, people who have control of the disease can STILL be real jerks!
What's more, I HATE being called a diabetic. I am NOT my disease. (My identity is defined by SO MUCH MORE than this disease.) I am a person WITH a disease, and it's called diabetes. Therefore, I am a person who among many other things, has diabetes.
I hate when people look at me (including medical professionals) and say "you don't look like a diabetic". I wish that knowledge of the difference between type 1 and 2 was more abundant, people often assume that you must be fat and lazy to be someone that has diabetes. Good luck:)
I second all of the above statements. I am a very skinny diabetic, 140 lbs, and so people don't think I have it.
Insulin is not a cure, it is a drug that helps control, just like sythroid for people with hypothyroidism.
Sugar is not the enemy for T1's, it is carbs!!! Check out plain SF vanilla ice cream and regular vanilla, almost the same amount of total carbs.
Control is a myth. You can thankfully influence your diabetes but trying to control it can cause much stress. Saying control is like saying that someones cancer is in control because she is on chemo. Or that his depression is under control because he is on anti-depressants.
That is one fact that I love and hate!
It's not about what you CAN'T have or CAN'T do. So, I hate it when people gawk at me and say, "Are you aloud to eat that?!" when I have half of a cupcake for the day. Well, it's not easy to eat just half of a cup cake, but while other people are stuffing their mouths with 2 or 3 and then have none for later, I'm not packing on all of those calories in one shot and I'll still have another half to treat myself for another day! It's more about being healthier: proportioning your foods (so not to over-eat like most average Americans) & having colorful meals (to get all your nutrients and not just carbs or what not), balancing your life (work & play, relieving stress & having fun), exercise (whether you're taking the stairs instead of an elevator, joining a sport or gym, or playing the Wii Fit - EVERYONE should add some sort of exercise into their daily lives, not just Diabetics), and just being overall well-rounded & disciplined. The discipline is probably the most difficult part about being diabetic.