• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Ignorant people

Karenchq

Karenchq

Well-Known Member
While suffering a bad low, my neighbor stepped in to tell me to get over it and that it was nothing to worry about because diabetes isn't serious like some other disease. I wanted to let her have it, but was to weak to try to reason with her. How do you deal with ignorant comments such as this?
 
Long term untreated diabetes has horrendous side effects such as being the the number 1 cause of blindness in the UK.
Unlike most diseases where knowing what causes it doesn't really help; in the case of diabetes the more you know about it; the more you can avoid the misery of its consequences and even reverse it for some.
 
Karenchq said:
While suffering a bad low, my neighbor stepped in to tell me to get over it and that it was nothing to worry about because diabetes isn't serious like some other disease. I wanted to let her have it, but was to weak to try to reason with her. How do you deal with ignorant comments such as this?
Click to expand...
She must handle mild hypos that come on gradually very well and assume everyone experiences the same?
Many don't get how fast type1 hypos and hypers come on. They also assume carbs influence it all.
 
Karenchq said:
While suffering a bad low, my neighbor stepped in to tell me to get over it and that it was nothing to worry about because diabetes isn't serious like some other disease. I wanted to let her have it, but was to weak to try to reason with her. How do you deal with ignorant comments such as this?
Click to expand...
How do you deal with any sort of ignorance? It's so sad that ignorant people are judgemental. I'm afraid I can't be bothered to waste my time ie my life trying to educate them anymore. I just shake my head and get on with my life and eating a fruit pastille to get over the low.
 
Well, as it's a neighbour, I'd probably have a word next time you see her. Explain that untreated low blood sugar can kill T1s such as yourself and unfortunately you weren't able to explain this when she criticised you because your blood sugar was too low for rational thinking. Or maybe write a note.

Dear Ignorant Neighbour (you probably should just put her name here)
I am a T1 diabetic, which means that my body no longer produces any insulin and without multiple daily injections of insulin I would die. Although insulin saves my life, if there is too much in my system (either because of too little food or too much exercise or just because my metabolism is slightly off that day) my blood sugar can go too low, initially causing confusion (my brain is starved of nutrition) and potentially, if untreated, causing coma and even death. This is called hypoglycemia (hypo for short). I wasn't able to explain this to you when I saw you because my cognitive processes were already impaired and I was concentrating on raising my blood sugar before I passed out. And unfortunately I can't just keep my blood sugar high all the time to avoid hypos, because high blood sugar kills too, just much more slowly, via complications such as blindness, renal failure and limb amputation.
I am telling you this because if you ever meet a confused hypo T1 diabetic you may actually be able to save their life by giving them sugar.
 
Normally I would have added a smiley face or made a humorous remark so I did a blood test thinking I'm a bit on the low side but no everything is tickety boo............
 
Dont worry it happens to us all, like “Type 2 isnt the real diabetes” or “thats a lifestyle disease” which I have had. Agree with Guzzler you cant reason with idiots though a lot of people who say these things should know better like my podiatrst!
 
Ignorant is normally used as a slur, bur literally means that one doesn't know something.
So it's possible that people are getting wrong conclusions because they don't know anything about a subject.

There are a lot of people that don't know nothing about Raspberry Pi. I have know a lot of computer programmers that have never seen a VMS prompt on a VAXMate computer. I could easily explain them what are they and eventually that is relatively easy to make them work together. On the other hand if people aren't willing to learn, it' another story.
 
Karenchq said:
diabetes isn't serious like some other disease.
Click to expand...

It would be nice to think that it was just a bad choice of words, obviously "it is serious like some diseases", but not necessarily in the same way.

Karenchq said:
I wanted to let her have it
Click to expand...

As soon as you get annoyed you lose the ability to explain the error of their ways, maybe the next time you have a chance, perhaps when she "pops in", you can ask her what she meant and then explain where she's wrong.
 
Karenchq said:
While suffering a bad low, my neighbor stepped in to tell me to get over it and that it was nothing to worry about because diabetes isn't serious like some other disease. I wanted to let her have it, but was to weak to try to reason with her. How do you deal with ignorant comments such as this?
Click to expand...

Dreadful! I would tell her what for! I sometimes get comments telling me off for having anxiety about low blood sugars, even from medical professionals! (At the dentist I had fluoride put on my teeth, they told me no eating/drinking for half an hour, I said my blood sugar is going down I will probably need to have something, they argued that I probably wouldn't get low and implied I was worried about nothing. Sure enough my blood sugar continued going down just like I said. What a surprise, I know my own body!) If people don't know much about diabetes I usually use it as a chance to educate. I explain how low blood sugar can make you pass out, have seizures, brain damage and even death! I explain about normal ranges of blood sugar, and about the devices I use, and how I treat a low.

People think there is nothing to worry about because they have usually never seen anybody having a hypo, and if they've met diabetics before they are usually badly controlled ones who are perpetually high and therefore hypos never came up. Diabetes is extremely serious!! Don't let her get you down, you know you're right and she just has no idea.
 
Don’t know about the explaining and getting people to understand. I’ve tried to and then I find myself repeating it over and over. So I gave up and will not even discuss it with anyone who has demonstrated that comprehension on this subject is beyond them. It just adds stress and stress can spike your sugar levels.
 
Karenchq said:
While suffering a bad low, my neighbor stepped in to tell me to get over it and that it was nothing to worry about because diabetes isn't serious like some other disease. I wanted to let her have it, but was to weak to try to reason with her. How do you deal with ignorant comments such as this?
Click to expand...
I would be mortified if someone said this to me. I haven’t had anything like this but I have had a few say “ aww! Your t1 diabetic my cousin/mother/aunt is diabetic but they are a bad diabetic!!!! What does that even mean t1 is t1 no??? I live a normal life I work and have a young family so try and manage things as best I can. Does this mean my t1 is not as bad as theirs?? Have never said anything to these people as I know it is just ignorance but still very frustrating
 
Someone on here mentioned a battling handbag, some people like a good lipstick, personally I prefer nail enamel, bright, sparkly, with gems and stickers and.....everything
Then I can just smile to myself and know what I have overcome to get here. I suppose it depends on the outcome you want, as to whether you are kind enough to explain it or whether you prefer to just walk away. x
 
I am struggling to think of anything I might have said which would be printable! I suppose the only polite thing I could say is that the best way to become an expert on diabetes is to get it and want to live. No excuse for bigotry from the ignorant though. The important thing is you know the dangers of your situation. Sod the ignorant, look after yourself!
 
I have started to say, "That's great you know so much about it - could you tell that to my life insurance underwriters? They seem to have a different idea. I'll go get the phone number!..." and then smile wickedly.

I have yet to come up against someone who isn't frozen by this. (Frozen, I think, in this situation is exactly what you want them to be!) Anything to do with insurance, or death, or actually having to stand by their ignorant comments to an authority, seems to have a good freezing effect on folks. Talking about medical experts just doesn't seem to have the same impact. In the past I found an earnest response just got them to carry on and say even worse things.

Coping with other people's ignorance and incredible oafishness in actually sharing that kind of thing is very difficult indeed. Being able to smile wickedly in response helps me hugely! :)
 
Back
Top