god i know what you mean. As a high schooler who was recently diagnosed, i get it horribly. They dont seem to understand the differnce between type 1 and type 2. The problem is because even though diabeties is a huge deal, schools dont teach it in there health class. So that means they only get infromation from other reasorcues wiich probaly are dialuted to the point where it means nothing. I just think that we need more education in schools about the subject
at school over the years people have given me the nickname diabetic. so it doesnt bother me when people call me by it. Like Hey! Diabetic! or something. IF me and the other guy thats a diabetic in my class are in the same class we'll both turn around and see who they are refering to.
thats not the annoying thing. the other day i was talking wiht someone and they random;ly asked me "so do you have the bad kind or good kind?"
i was kinda confused until i figured out what they meant. so i replied "there isnt a bad kind, its only bad if you dont control your sugars and dont take care of yourself."
"so you have the bad kind."
i find it mindboggling how little people know avout diabetes when its all around them. it still amazes me that peopel are ignorant enough to actually just assume that i have the bad kind of diabetes. its almost like all i tell them goes in one ear and out the other.
Wow, you took the words right out of my mouth! It aggravates me so much when people who don't know anything about diabetes talk as if they are doctors! They automatically assume they are right when they are completely the opposite. They say " oh yeah I understand how you feel" Really ? you do, you have diabetes too? oh, you dontt?? THEN YOU HAVE NO CLUE HOW I FEEL!
hahaa, goodness, people these days.
Izzy:
i was dxed with diabetes the day after my b-day and i always joke that diabetes is the one present i cant regift. well...after ppl hear that i was dxed on my bday they start into a rant that sounds like this " well i bet you had a huge peice of cake and so it your own fault and you should be greatful that you didnt lose a leg from your frickin sweettooth" by this time i am mad as all HE DOUBLE HOCKEYSTICKS and i usually get up and walk away fuming (i cant hjelp it im angry) thes rants last anywhere from 5-10 min btw
That is evil that someone would say that. I hear the horror stories from time to time. People who tell "now, now, let this be a lesson to YOU" horror stories should be forced to be T1 for a week.
2. picture me at a party sitting down and about to dig into a nice chocochip cookie...my BG is 90 and im all clear....i take a bite annnnnddddd......somebody takes the cookie away "WHAT R U DOING!!!! YOUR DIABETIC AND U CANT EAT SUGAR!!!!!!! THAT HOW U GAVE YOURSLEF DIABETES IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!! DO U WANT TO GET WORSE!!!! WHATS THE MATTER WITH YOU~!!!!!!!" they take the cookie away tell my mom i was gonna eat it and then walk away with my cookie and deliberately drop it in the bin right in front of me....i procede to get a bigger cookie and eat it right in their facewell at least you dont have cancer or a real disease
I would have gone to where the cookie was placed, taken the cookie, and made it an offense by shoving it into the closest nostril of the annoying person who said that. Then, while the annoying person was trying to extract the cookie from his or her nose, I would pick up another cookie and eat it slowly, right in front of him or her. Sometimes, I just show the menu plan in my insulin pump. It says right there in the menu: chocolate cake, regular soda...der. Some people.
5. this is my fav " you need to repent your sins and ask jesus christ our lord and savior to forgive u and take you under his wing...then you wont have diabetes, because diabetes is for sinners" and yes Luke 2:13 "And GOD SAID LET IZZYS PANCREAS NO LONGER WORK"
Ba...hahahaha that was hilarious. I have never heard it said better.
6. "i feel so bad about eating this in front of u" says some person that is stuffing their face in front of me" i know your diabetic" i explain nicely that i can eat whatever i want " oh no need to make up excuses"
I have heard this one too. For some reason, it strikes me as very strange. I mean, I have never been asked if the reason that I didn't eat something was because I just don't like it! It's a good excuse (although perpetuating ignorance) to use when you are offered something gross to eat...lol :-)
8. dont eat the cake....that piece is to big. i can eat the cake. no u cant. yes, i can. fine screw up you health
Argh...people are so dense and self-centered. Why is it that sugarless ideas seem to be like a religious dogma for some people? Why are people so strangely-intense and plainly-dumb about food?
Thanks for making me laugh out loud though.
I loathe the whole "at least it's not cancer" garbage. Cancer is evil...T1 is...what? Good? A (pardon the pun) piece of cake? I am ungrateful because Mr. X sees me having an insulin reaction and eating sugar and has not the first clue how many times I have plunged a needle, lancet, etc. etc. into myself...and the up and down day after day...and the insurance panic when I get a letter from what little I have left, and I wonder how much more my "easy" life will cost, and whether I will have to once again stop some basic care, and truly "screw up my health" because some person behind a desk also believe that "at least it's not cancer?"
BAH on ignrance! Down with dense people! If all of us T1's just banded together, we'd be a formidable lot, wouldn't we? Eventually, someone would have to actually open their un-used brains and listen to us for a change!
Vent over...
OK, don't anyone get too upset with me for this......My son was 8 when diagnosed, and I used to tell everyone I knew that it was NOT hereditary. My dad's entire side of his fathers family was all Type 2. My Grandpa's father had Diabetes, he had 9 children. One DID NOT have diabetes at all, 7 had Type 2, one had Type 1. The Type 1 died at age 30. My dad got Type 2 9 months after my son. Several of my dad's cousins have Type 2, but I also found out that one has Type 1. I KNOW medical stats SAY Type 1 IS NOT hereditary, BUT......I am trying to be open minded about it. MAYBE, JUST MAYBE there is some kind of link.....I am not a medical professional, but when I look at our family history, and see that each generation has Type 1, and all the others are Type 2, it does leave you pondering. I hate this disease as much as everyone else does. I have lost several relatives to Type 2.......They were otherwise healthy, and NOT obese. Theres had a lot to do with stress. I am praying for that cure!!! I hate to see diabetics dealing with what they have to deal with day to day. As long as we keep spreading awareness, and drilling people about the differences, that's all we can do. I am grateful for the family history I have on Diabetes, some are not that lucky..........ONE DAY AT A TIME...... :):):)
Trish:
MAN! I hate that statement: "Diabetes is diabetes." I loathe that statement. Blar.
Don't you love it, though, when people get to hear it from the horse's mouth? I like to think my voice counts for something, but sometimes, since it seems that only an Mdiety will be listened to, I wish I had a Mdiety pill (like those add water aliens) in my pocket and a jug of water, and whenever some _____ person started in, I could pull out the Mdiety and add water and POOF instant reality check!
Ever seen Marvin the Martian with the whole add water alien dispenser? If you haven't, I hope you don't think my blood sugar is low...
Hi Crochet Nut.
I love Marvin The Martian. I still have PJs with him on it. :)
I have spent the last 2 1/2 years learning everything I can (and still learning) about diabetes, but my voice doesn't seem to count for much. People get too hung up on what they think they know to hear anything. (I'm not talking about anybody here, I'm referring to personal acquaintances, mostly family.)
I'm getting tired of people's eyes popping out of their head when (oh no!) I give Brandan a peice of cake or a cookie or something and in response they ask "Won't you have to give him insulin now?" like I did something bad or mean.
And every time I talk to my dad about an extreme high or a lot of highs or a low he says "TRISH" like it's my fault! Like I don't do the best I can every day to keep his sugar in range. Like I don't already feel bad enough when my best isn't good enough!
One more thing: When I was pregnant with my second child my brother asked me; "What if this one has diabetes too?" I was like, "What if it does?" He said; "Well, if this one has diabetes you shouldn't have anymore, it's not fair to put a kid through that if you can help it." I won't elaborate on that discussion.
OOPS. Didn't mean to vent again, but it feels good. :)
I hate the one you are too small to have diabetes though!
Trish...
Man. I had no idea that parents of T1 were treated so poorly...I guess I need to really work on my awareness of what parents hear and feel because I tend to have tunnel vision...T1 tunnel vision. It would make me furious to the point at which I would embarrass myself and everyone around me if someone did that. I can't imagine how people can work up the nerve to blame a parent for something like that. All I can say is that I hope that you have found some support that keeps what sounds like awful, awful reactions in the circular file where they belong. It makes me wonder once again what in the world is wrong with people?
Jessica, I am what is known in these parts as thick. This is not fat. Just not thin. I wish I could explain the difference...smaller than a Lane Bryant model. Anyway. I don't get the "you're too skinny" comments. I get the smug, "Of course you have the diabeeetus" comments. I am not physiologically obese, flabby, gargantuan, at all. I am third generation Danish, so I have broad shoulders, am tall, have lots of muscles, and, well...I hear lots of dumb things. The things that I hear make me contemplate how I would look in orange. I have yet to decide to react as my emotions wish me to because I have not liked orange enough to do so.
Anyway.
I haven't had to deal with it long, but so far my biggest pet peeve of type 1 is "Can you eat this? Can you eat that?" And family members who suddenly gained an MD in the time it takes me to enlighten them on a glucagon kit.
I dunno, I think people are generally well-meaning and interactions like this are an opporunity to educate someone.
[quote user="Crochet Nut"]
Trish...
Man. I had no idea that parents of T1 were treated so poorly...I guess I need to really work on my awareness of what parents hear and feel because I tend to have tunnel vision...T1 tunnel vision. It would make me furious to the point at which I would embarrass myself and everyone around me if someone did that. I can't imagine how people can work up the nerve to blame a parent for something like that. All I can say is that I hope that you have found some support that keeps what sounds like awful, awful reactions in the circular file where they belong. It makes me wonder once again what in the world is wrong with people?
[/quote] I don't see you as having tunnel vision. You have given me a lot to think about in your posts too, in a very good way. ie: "the half experts" I didn't come off as playing a victim here, did I? It wasn't my intention.Let me give kudos to my "second family". The family who owns the company my husband manages for have adopted us as their own. They are awesome with Brandan. They know how to let him be a kid and cope with his diabetes at the same time. They never ask me ignorant or annoying questions and they never deprive him of anything! I tell them once how to handle something and they listen and learn! I have the freedom to enjoy their parties/gatherings and not stay next to Brandan the whole time because they always have my back, counting what he eats and so on. Yay Madden family!
Trish,
I am sorry that it took me so long to respond. Of course I didn't think you were playing the victim. From my perspective, you were demonstrating how to survive. I get in a funk about some of the things that I hear. Corey was talking about that...the list of (I hope I got the person right...shoot...it's everyone on here saying that!) things that never, ever get said about T1 in any form...it's all T2.
Was it Lauren...I am Right There With You. I can't STAND when people assume things. I think it's issues with body image. Goodness knows there's only one body type that any person can be...thin as a rail. Please no one on here who is thin take this as an insult. I look at the 19th century images of women and sigh. CHLjoe talks about the origins of BMI on here, and I am very grateful.
It's hilarious...when I get into a strict exercise regime, I build poundage and muscles like nobody's business. I get like the Terminator. Ah, well...
Kate (again, I hope I get the poster right), I am in the process of trying to memorize your response. It is ideal. I think being T1 or being a parent of a T1 is...how can I say this...like being a walking temperament check. We're like inkblot tests. People look at us and show their way of being/perceiving. Some listen (I need to make a list of those because they are wonderful encounters). Some, well...don't sorry if I was ranting a little earlier. It just. Drives. Me. NUTS!
This thread is wonderful. The posts are wonderful. You people rock. I have read this thread many times. It always gives me a morale boost. I think we need to have a convention. Sort of a meeting of all the juvenation people. Can I put a vote in for upstate South Carolina? Maybe North Carolina? Anyway.
the dumbest question i have ever gotten was from an ND at my camp (ironically diabetes camp) she asked me does you pancreas always hurt or did u get used to it?
My son is bald because he has alopecia. I understand that cancer is the first thing that comes to one's mind. A lot of people go ahead and kindly ask "Is he sick?" instead of assuming things. (I have to take a little extra time when explaining his conditions to make it very clear that diabetes does not cause hair loss.) The response is almost always "At least it's not cancer." (sigh) The first hundred or so times I just smiled politely and agreed. But lately I've lost patience and that smile has turned into more of an eat sh.. look.
Hello, World, he can hear you!
"Will he grow out of it?" "Will he always need insulin?" "How could you tell he has it?" Innocent, harmless questions. Glad to answer and educate. But don't ask me how long my son is expected to live while he's standing here! Also, I appreciate the gesture, but don't feel sorry for ME. I'm not sorry that I have this child to care for and I sure don't want him to feel sorry for being my son and being who he is.
This happens to me to much. Seriously I understand some people mean well but just let the people who have it and know what there doing handle it themselves. My old crazy eye doctor. Some how said that I did not really have a diabetes but severe algeric reactions and that western medicine is not always right. He also said that diet can help change it. My mom went crazy on him. Last I ever saw of old Dr. Christopher...
Well, I have another gem...I applied and was hired to do a part time instructing thing with international students. So I proceed to speak with this person about how I probably need to just give a heads up. The thing is on Fridays for two to three hours. So I tell her that I am an autoimmune T1. Her response? "Oh, my dad had (had...!!!) that." My response: "This is not a metabolic disease like T2. This is a rare disorder. It is autoimmune, in the same class as lupus and MS." Her: "Well, I see no reason at ALL why it would interfere with this!"
I think the term for this lovely assumption is "dingelberryitis." As in, when one thinks a certain thing that is so foul, so inaccurate, so dimwitted, and then blurts it out...
Words that are soon parted from the brain are often foolish. She, evidently, helped "care" for her father. So she, like, knows EVERYTHING about a completely different disease. Jackass. Ugh. How do you say, nicely, "You don't know anything, you arrogant jerk" ?
[quote user="Crochet Nut"]
I think the term for this lovely assumption is "dingelberryitis." As in, when one thinks a certain thing that is so foul, so inaccurate, so dimwitted, and then blurts it out...
[/quote]Haha I love that!
[quote user="Crochet Nut"]How do you say, nicely, "You don't know anything, you arrogant jerk" ?[/quote]
If you ever figure that one out let me know 'cause I don't know how much longer I can be nice about it to some people.
I have a few more family moments to share.
My mom was here visiting a few days ago. The baby was taking a nap when Brandan ate a whole pack of crackers and a bowl of something, I forgot what it was. The little one woke up maybe 10 minutes after Brandan finished snacking and got his insulin. He wanted a bowl of cereal to snack on. Brandan said he wants some cereal too. I knew he wasn't hungry so I just told him that he already had plenty to eat and his brother didn't get a snack yet. Brandan was fine with it, but my mom said, "Trish, that's mean. You can't let Logan just eat in front of him like that." Guess what? Brandan decided to agree with her and suddenly he insisted that he's still hungry. I gave him a bowl of cereal. Surprise, surprise, he only ate about half. While he was in my mom's lap I came to him with a syringe to give him insulin. She opened her big mouth again, "You just gave him a shot!" She's never gonna get why I do what I do. She makes me want to scream!
We got to see his other grandma (my mother-in-law) this weekend. She had some cookies in her hotel. Brandan saw them and picked up the pack. "I want some cookies!" he said. She said, "Oh, you can have those, they're sugar free!" She has type 2. I explained to her that sugar free doesn't mean carb free and that he can still have them, but he still needs insulin. But she said, "Just give him one, he'll be fine." So I had to explain that just one was enough to make his sugar go up, but not enough to give him insulin since we still use syringes. Besides, when does a 3 year old ever eat ONE cookie?!
Same day; I start telling how I finally got his sugar back in range after a lot of highs. My brother said, "Good, maybe he's getting better, maybe it will go away." Where have these people been the last 2 1/2 years? uugghhh!
Too bad you couldn't ask these "experts" to help at the next famiy gathering - like how about you get a saline shot every time Branden does when he eats. You eat, you get a shot so Brandon can see his family cares. That would shut them up and give you some peace.