At the beginning of every yoga class, when you are to tell the teacher of any ailments - I stick my hand up and I say "I need to let you know that I am a Type 1 diabetic and I will probably test my blood sugar in the middle of the class" at best the response is "ok, thanks for letting me know". Often I get, "just listen to your body, you know it will tell you...." and they go on for a minute or so and I have to stop my self from being sarcastic and mean. THAT'S ALL I DO IS MONITOR THIS BODY, I'm dying to shout. Sometimes the instructor looks slightly terrified and I have to comfort them. I think to my self in these moments, why am I telling them. I am going regularly to the same place now and some of them remember sometimes and we exchange a remembering face/wink/smile thing which is good.
Once, having been to the same weekly yoga class on 4 consecutive weeks, having said it each time. "has anyone got anything wrong with their body that I need to know about?" she goes round the class. I wearily looked up with my monitor and glucose tablets on display, full to the brim with fed-up-ness. "Its a bit tiresome for me to say every week" I say wondering where the f*** that came from. "well I teach a lot of people, so everyone needs to say at the beginning...." I interrupt her like a teenager, "Fine, yes, ok. I have type 1 diabetes and I will probably test my blood sugar in the middle of the class". I never go to her class again.
Went into the lido on Saturday morning asking if anyone had handed in my blood sugar monitor... the lady said "No.". I was a bit startled at her tone and said "just No?" "I've looked this morning and there is nothing like that" she snarled.
Phoned 4 pharmacies, none of them supplied them (I felt a horrible dread, WHY DON'T I HAVE A SPARE!! I might be destroying my sight, my nerves, shortening my life). On the next call they confirmed that they had it. I was specific about the strips. Drove 4 miles there. picked it up, elated, relieved. Bought the £25 monitor, went out side, ripped open the box, wrong strips.... went back to the pharmacy, told them, asked them if I had the other that I asked for on the phone... they had thought that it was the right one too. Went home to bed and cried. From bed emailed the diabetic nurse at the hospital that only works on Thursday and put in my diary to sort it out on Monday. I have 10 strips, its going to be ok, stop worrying about it. Got up, went to a weird comedy thing with my Aunt laughed a lot, drank tea (not drinking because I am on anti biotics for an infection that my body can't expel). Sunday morning, go to the lido with a friend. "Oh - did you come in yesterday looking for a thing that......" turns to the other receptionist "I think this is the lady that we sent the email around about that lost the thing". "My blood sugar monitor????????" "Yes" the receptionist said... GRRRRRRRR.....