Hello
In my view, the correct way to handle such people or situations depends on the type of person you are and what behavior/reaction of yours makes you feel more comfortable.
Please let me explain what I mean. There are people with diabetes (some of them in this forum) who are very open regarding our condition. They are also very bold and can stand up for what is happening to them and how they handle our condition. They are not afraid to explain themselves in public and even pick up fights to support our diabetes.
I like them, I really do and I admire them for having the patience and the stamina and the strength to be alert and ready to defend themselves at all times.
And, there are people like myself… I can feel hurt by others as my diabetes is still a raw spot for me. I have heard so many clumsy and unpleasant (borderline rude) comments regarding my condition and… I do not argue or defend myself. Instead, I cry silently at the office’s restroom… in the car when driving home… in my bathroom while taking off my make up… in the shower… before I go to sleep.
So, for me, it is easier to keep my diabetes silent and private… just like I keep everything else in my life silent and private.
I cry silently. I suffer silently. I worry silently. I struggle silently.
And, I inject silently.
When in the office I either inject in the ladies room or I do a free carbs meal to avoid the injection.
I know that injecting in the restroom is unhygienic but, I feel that if anyone complains that injecting in public is unpleasant/uncomfortable to watch then, I would perceive this as a direct insult about myself. As if my diabetes has made me an unpleasant person that brings discomfort to others.
My aim in life is to simplify, as much as I can; Simplify my diabetes, simplify my relations with others, simplify the way I live each day so that I can end each day with comfort in my soul. So, I can’t pick up a fight… In between all the things in my life that I have to be brave for, I can’t be brave for this too… having to explain myself and my condition to any idiot who comes along…
Doing things silently and privately is an easier way for me to cope with my own reality. It helps me keep my sanity. It doesn’t make me feel embarrassed (for something that we should not be embarrassed in the first place) and it doesn’t give people food for gossip (because people LOVE to gossip).
Therefore, I think, the only wrong way to handle such a situation is the way that makes you feel uncomfortable with yourself.
Regards
Josephine.