I've had Type 1 diabetes for about half my life now, and there's one thing that bugs me about it more than anything else. No, it isn't eating healthy, injecting shots, or even testing my blood sugar. It's the dumb things people say to me.
I'm not sure why people around me (in the offices I've worked in or even total strangers, for that matter) feel the need to comment about my disease. What's worse, their comments make me wonder where they get their information from. Here are some of the dumbest things people have to said to me about my diabetes.
Diabetes Is Almost Cured Now
The reason this statement is dumb is because I've heard it for twenty-five years now. Sure, diabetes may be "close" to a cure, but what does that mean exactly? The cure was "close" a quarter century ago when I first started hearing this from a few friends, and in that time I've given myself three to five shots a day since then.
The word "close" is a dangerous one, because what it implies in the research community and what it means in the practical world for diabetics might be two very different things.
The other reason this is a dumb statement is because it gives a subtle message that diabetes is somehow less serious of a disease since we're "so close" to a cure. I actually had a friend tell me, "Well, you won't have to do shots for very long" while telling me that diabetes was almost cured. And yet, I've been doing them for a quarter century. It was as if she was shrugging off the things I dealt with because one day diabetics might not have to deal with them.
Should You Be Eating That?
I call people that comment on someone's plate the "food police," because they think they know exactly what diabetics should and shouldn't eat. The problem with this logic is that a lot more goes into the daily maintenance of diabetes other than food. You don't know what the person's current blood sugar level is, what type of exercise they've done, if they are getting sick, if they just injected insulin, or what their diet has been like for the last week.
There have been times when my blood sugar has been low and I've been "scolded" for drinking juice (which is exactly what I should have done to bring it back up). There have also been times I've been hollered at for eating things like fruit or a piece of bread. If you comment on someone's plate, you're not only being rude but you might reveal your lack of real knowledge when it comes to diabetes. Just because you know someone that has it (or you've seen diabetics portrayed on TV), doesn't mean you're educated about it.
I Could Never Give Myself Shots
People seem to be fascinated with the fact that some diabetics need to give themselves shots each day. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't let your curiosity allow you to say something dumb like, "I could never give myself shots every day!"
The reason this line is dumb is because if you had to in order to live, you could do it and you would. Maybe a better line should be, "I'm sorry you have to give yourself shots" or "I can't imagine what you go through every day."
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