While many of us with diabetes are very open to talking about the disease, others are much more private. Some feel frustration at others’ reaction to their disease, their unsolicited advice or their outright ignorance about the disease. We ran an item this morning on Diabetes New Hound entitled: Diabetes Etiquette for Non-Diabetics
Do you have any faux-pas or helpful hints to add to this list?
i think the one i run into the most and hate/get tired of is the you cant have sugar thing. I hate that because I CAN have sugar, i just have to watch them amount i have. sometimes i eat more candy than i should, but im on a pump and correct for it, other days i decline all the sweet stuff.
Mine is a pretty small one. I hate when I go to an event (party, etc) and there is no diet soda ot sugar free drinks !!!!!!!!!! Of course I hate it when someone acts like they are a know it all about the disease when they truly haven't a clue.
A girl I worked with said to me "it's cute that you wear a step counter!" while pointing to my insulin pump. Others constantly ask if it's a beeper. Really?!
I would have to agree with Jason about not having accessible drinks. I'll drink water, but I would much rather have something with flavor (it also frustrates me that restaurants, usually, only have one diet drink choice).
I can't really think of anything else that bothers me about non-diabetics.
I also get frustrated when I hear/read about diabetics that feel like their condition is the worst thing that could possibly happen to them. I understand that it isn't easy for some people to talk about. But, diabetes certainly isn't a death sentence.
I hate when people tell me I can't have something because I am diabetic. i have gotten to the point of telling people i am a grown woman who has been dealing with this for 30 years now and i know what i can and cannot eat or drink. My daughter is 5 and has it as well and i found a shirt for her that says "My mom and dad know what i can eat, not you!" and i love it. i wish i could get one.
i also hate when people assume I have to be fat to have it. i often here people say that they thought fat people got diabetes. apparently they are thinking T2 but it just shows how uneducated people really are about T1.
I just had a situation with ignorance, I stared to feel faint in a facualty meeting at my work, a health issue that had nothing to do with diabetes but the "expert" who was brought in to help said "well you just need apple juice." My blood sugars were perfectly normal and I felt as if apple juice was being shoved down my throat. I hate being placed in those situations where people seem to think they know what going on in my body better than myself.
Just last night I was at a friend's house and I had just told his mom about how I had been recently diagnosed. She said "well, I have friends who have really severe diabetes, at least you aren't like that" - To which I thought, okay, I don't know what I am supposed to look like to seem like I have severe diabetes, but alright, then she continued - "I mean, you aren't insulin dependent yet, and you won't have to live with this forever, right?" - And sadly I had to say, yes, I am insulin dependent, and yes, I probably will have to live with this for the rest of my life.
What are "severe" diabetics who are insulin dependent SUPPOSED to LOOK like?
Not to mention that although there is an association between obesity and Type 2, you don’t need to be overweight to get type 2. In fact, an increasing number oif thin people and kids are developing type 2
i dont like that people assume we cant have sugar. i can eat sugar just as a non diabetic can. i can eat what i want as long as i give insulin for it.that is one myth about diabetes that bugs me!
That was an awsome article! I agree, and i would like to add i hate when people think you have to be fat to get it. All the type 2 adds just get people to believe type 2 (being obese) is the only diabetes. And when people just try to give me there nasty sugar free stuff, i'm nahh its okay i'll take that one with the sugar over there, and just bolus.
That was an awesome article! I agree, and i would like to add i hate when people think you have to be fat to get it. All the type 2 adds just get people to believe type 2 (being obese) is the only diabetes. And when people just try to give me there nasty sugar free stuff, i'm nahh its okay i'll take that one with the sugar over there, and just bolus.
I personally can't stand anything sugar-free that normally has natural SUGAR in it and so if people insist that I have the awful sugar-free kind and won't let me eat what they're eating...grrrrrr.
[quote user="DiabetesNewsHound"]Not to mention that although there is an association between obesity and Type 2, you don't need to be overweight to get type 2. In fact, an increasing number oif thin people and kids are developing type 2
[/quote]
actually the increased number in kids is due to overweight children. It is very rare for a child to have type 2 without being overweight. There are cases of thin adults with type 2 though. But among children not really...for a child to have type 2 diabetes they mainly have to be overweight.
i also hate when non-diabetics say you cant have sugar. my friend was lecturing me because i was eating a few skittles and she was like, Lauren dont you want to live a full life. i wouldnt eat that if you wanna live for a long time. i was like its 8 skittles and i can eat it but in moderation. it bugs me how ppl who dont have diabetes try to control our lives. they can act like backseat drivers in my opinion. i love my friends, dont get me wrong, but sometimes i wish they would let me know what i can and cannot eat.
i also hate when non-diabetics say you cant have sugar. my friend was lecturing me because i was eating a few skittles and she was like, Lauren dont you want to live a full life. i wouldnt eat that if you wanna live for a long time. i was like its 8 skittles and i can eat it but in moderation. it bugs me how ppl who dont have diabetes try to control our lives. they can act like backseat drivers in my opinion. i love my friends, dont get me wrong, but sometimes i wish they would let me know what i can and cannot eat.