Type 1 and people not listening

[Scarjaws]

Hi guys and girls
I was recently diagnosed as a type 1 about 5/6 weeks ago and I found that no matter what you try and tell colleagues and friends they just don't want to listen. They keep saying I brought it on myself and that it's all the sugar I used to eat but what they don't understand or want to understand is that I ate all that sugar as my body was telling me I needed it. I was recently told to go home and get help by a councillor or something because I had a mental breakdown in front of my boss. But he doesn't understand that it's because I'm being shunned because of this condition. He actually told me I need to go and hide when I do my testing and injecting, he said I shouldn't be "flaunting" it in front of my colleagues. Apparently thats attention seeking somehow, he also said that I shouldn't tell people when I'm having a hypo as it makes me look lazy. Has anything similar happened to anyone else or is this just me?

Sent from my E6653 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

 

[Ann1982]

Oh poor you. You will find helpful people here who can advise you and also inform you of your rights as a T1 diabetic in the workplace. Ignore these people but if you have a first aid person or nurse in your workplace you should at least inform them of your diabetes. Always carry your diabetes supplies and hypo kit with you. You will find more sympathetic people especially here. Take care and try not to get too disheartened

 

[Jaylee]

Hi @Scarjaws ,

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like a tough deal at work. What a great "gaffer" you have. (Irony.)
Is this also a general instutionalised "ethos" with other colleague's health conditions in the your work place.?

I'm sorry to hear this.

Here is a little info regarding diabetes in the work environment. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-and-jobs-faqs.html

Sound off here as much as you wish.

 

[Snapsy]

@Scarjaws I am so sorry to hear this. Sending strength and hugs.

This thread might help you to explain to them some of the mahooooooosive stuff you're dealing with - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/explaining-what-its-really-like-to-live-with-type-1.103794/

As for the whole 'you've brought this on yourself' thing - I despair of people, really I do - I've pinched the following from diabetes.co.uk. Your colleagues and friends would do well to note that the reasons people develop type 1 are are unknown, and the causes of type 2 too are many and varied. Blaming people for either is a sign of lamentable ignorance and a complete lack of humanity.

How type 1 diabetes develops
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means it results from the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the body. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the immune system incorrectly targets insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

Nobody knows why this occurs, or how to stop it. The immune systems of people with type 1 diabetes continue to attack beta cells until the pancreas is incapable of producing insulin.

People with type 1 diabetes need to inject themselves with insulin to compensate for the death of their beta cells. Everyone with type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent.

How type 2 diabetes develops
Type 2 diabetes is different. The autoimmune systems of people with type 2 diabetes don't attack beta cells. Instead, type 2 diabetes is characterised by the body losing its ability to respond to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance.

The body compensates for the ineffectiveness of its insulin by producing more, but it can't always produce enough. Over time, the strain placed on the beta cells by this level of insulin production can destroy them, diminishing insulin production.

Love Snapsy

 

[Jaylee]

Hi again @Scarjaws ,

Tagging in a couple of guys that have "been around the block" who may just have some input on this too...

@GrantGam & @Scott-C also @noblehead

 

[Spencer67]

Hello and welcome @Scarjaws, other people suck when it comes to being Type 1, they have about as much empathy and understanding as a fresh born newt. It is very tough being diabetic in most workplaces, but they are not allowed to discriminate and must make allowances by law, if you are really having trouble record all instances of discrimination and follow any internal grievance procedure you have available then when you feel it has become intolerable to work in the place you are at take them to a work place tribunal and take legal action, sue them, most employers are not aware but if you methodically plan and do it at the right time they are skating on very thin ice.

Know your rights ... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-and-discrimination.html

 

[noblehead]

Tagging in a couple of guys that have "been around the block" who may just have some input on this too...

What are you trying to say @Jaylee

Regards to the comments about eating sugar causing your type 1 @Scarjaws , personally I'd ignore them if they are unwilling to listen to your explanation, but with regards to your boss, if there's someone above him then I'd make an official complaint, if there isn't then have a word with a Solicitor or Citizen's Advice as it's a blatant case of discrimination, under the The Equality Act 2010 people with diabetes are protected from such behaviour.

Best wishes.

 

[kimlala]

Hi guys and girls
I was recently diagnosed as a type 1 about 5/6 weeks ago and I found that no matter what you try and tell colleagues and friends they just don't want to listen. They keep saying I brought it on myself and that it's all the sugar I used to eat but what they don't understand or want to understand is that I ate all that sugar as my body was telling me I needed it. I was recently told to go home and get help by a councillor or something because I had a mental breakdown in front of my boss. But he doesn't understand that it's because I'm being shunned because of this condition. He actually told me I need to go and hide when I do my testing and injecting, he said I shouldn't be "flaunting" it in front of my colleagues. Apparently thats attention seeking somehow, he also said that I shouldn't tell people when I'm having a hypo as it makes me look lazy. Has anything similar happened to anyone else or is this just me?

Sent from my E6653 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

@Scarjaws, I am so sorry to hear this. I know some of my family members had a difficult time understanding. I would explain about insulin and my need for it and afterwards, they would ask if I was on insulin. I would walk away shaking my head. However, I can't imagine this happening at work and being shamed for something you have no control of. This seems like discrimination and I wonder if you could look into your statutes, or speak to legal aid. The whole 'go hide' thing is appalling, and I realize you just can't walk away from your boss. Sending you a hug!

 

[Scott-C]

Cheers for the tag @Jaylee .

@Scarjaws , dx is obviously a big shock. I went through a couple of phases. I recall when I was dx'd it kind of took over my life for a while, it was all I thought about, trying to learn about it, think about how it was going to affect the rest of my life, and it was too easy to just ramble on about it constantly to those about me. But they're people with their own lifes and it's understandable that there's only so much interest that they're going to take in it.

After a while, next phase came along, it just became, yeah, ok, I'm T1, just need to get on with it and hardly ever mentioned it again to anyone unless they absolutely needed to know. There's a few people who I'd known for many years who never realised I was T1 till I told them. I'm not remotely ashamed of my condition, far from it, we T1s can kick ass when we put our minds to it, but why bother even mentioning it if I don't need to.

My guess is that you'll probably go through those phases too - talking about it all the time and then not bothering. It would be great if everyone knew and understood about the complexities of T1, but the reality is that why should people bother learning about something which doesn't immediately impact them? I'm just as guilty of that as your workmates - if I had some random dude explaining the ins and outs of diverticulitis to me, I'd probably switch off.

Obviously I don't know the full picture with what's going at your work. I wouldn't take what colleagues are saying too much to heart. Where I live and work, a bit of good natured winding up is almost compulsory, so all the stuff about eating too much sugar is maybe meant in that tone. If it's nastier, though, I'd just ignore it - it's a waste of time arguing with idiots who are set in their views and you're better spending that time reading up on the ins and outs of T1.

Your boss is a different story, though. He needs to take it seriously. I don't know what size of business it is or whether it has an HR department - if it has one, get them involved. Tell them that as a newly dx'd T1, you're still learning the ground rules, honeymoon period might make things even more unpredictable, so there should be no surprises if you have a hypo every now and then, and you will need a bit of me time to deal with that, and you'd like to teach them how to deal with you when you're hypo. Try to get across to them that low sugar affects how your brain works, so even though you may look ok, thought processes are affected. I've heard that DSNs will sometimes visit schools and employers to get the message across but that obviously depends on how accomodating your DSN is - no harm in asking.


You should absolutely stand your ground on testing and injecting where and when you like - those are things you need to do to live. I inject all the time at my desk. I had a discussion with the guy who sits next to me, he's my line manager. Wasn't a formal discussion - we were just having a blether on an office night out leaving do. He knows I'm T1 and was asking what I did about injections at work. I said, erm, I do them at my desk, have done several thousand there. He was gobsmacked - he'd never actually noticed even though he was sitting 3 feet away! He thought I was sneaking off to the toilet! You can be very discreet about shots. Tests are more noticeable, but, again, you need to do them, so do them. I've never had any complaints about me testing at work. If anyone did, I'd have a few things to say about that.

Best of luck, mate - this all seems scary a few weeks in, but it becomes second nature after a while.

 

[GrantGam]

Hi guys and girls
I was recently diagnosed as a type 1 about 5/6 weeks ago and I found that no matter what you try and tell colleagues and friends they just don't want to listen. They keep saying I brought it on myself and that it's all the sugar I used to eat but what they don't understand or want to understand is that I ate all that sugar as my body was telling me I needed it. I was recently told to go home and get help by a councillor or something because I had a mental breakdown in front of my boss. But he doesn't understand that it's because I'm being shunned because of this condition. He actually told me I need to go and hide when I do my testing and injecting, he said I shouldn't be "flaunting" it in front of my colleagues. Apparently thats attention seeking somehow, he also said that I shouldn't tell people when I'm having a hypo as it makes me look lazy. Has anything similar happened to anyone else or is this just me?

Sent from my E6653 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

This probably isn't the answer you're wanting to hear, but normally ignorant people like your boss and colleagues never change... If they put aside their incompetence and lack of education, just for a minute, and approach your situation with an open mind - then it may be possible for them to understand.

If you have had a mental breakdown due to how you were treated at work, then you should report it to the relevant bodies:

https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment

Also, it may be wise to speak with a councillor or mental health professional about your breakdown anyway, regardless of why it happened - the general outcome is the same and can't become a regular thing. It will simply cause you no end of stress and despair.

If you feel that your colleagues can learn to adapt to your situation then stick at it. But if you know deep down that all this is going to persist, then I'd look for other employment.

Hope things improve soon for you.

 

[fletchweb]

Hi guys and girls
I was recently diagnosed as a type 1 about 5/6 weeks ago and I found that no matter what you try and tell colleagues and friends they just don't want to listen. They keep saying I brought it on myself and that it's all the sugar I used to eat but what they don't understand or want to understand is that I ate all that sugar as my body was telling me I needed it. I was recently told to go home and get help by a councillor or something because I had a mental breakdown in front of my boss. But he doesn't understand that it's because I'm being shunned because of this condition. He actually told me I need to go and hide when I do my testing and injecting, he said I shouldn't be "flaunting" it in front of my colleagues. Apparently thats attention seeking somehow, he also said that I shouldn't tell people when I'm having a hypo as it makes me look lazy. Has anything similar happened to anyone else or is this just me?

Sent from my E6653 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

I can relate to this - for the 51 years I've been living with type 1 I have witnessed a change in behavior when people find out I'm Type 1. It amazes me the amount of ignorance there is toward Diabetes from the general public when the condition is so common place in this day and age.

So how did I deal with it - for the first 30 years of living with it, I learned it was much easier keeping it a secret from my colleagues and now that I'm in my 50s and don;t care as much I don't hide it and when I get accosted by an ignorant person jumping to conclusions or being just confused - I tell them to F-off. I'm a fit muscular guy so I can get away with it.

Anyway if you did that you would probably get in trouble maybe even fired so don't do that - in an ideal world everyone understands and provides support. This isn't the ideal world so I'd stay quiet about it and try not to be too mentally taxing on your feeble co-workers and who knows, once you're in the position where it doesn't matter anymore - (which may be never) you can tell them to F-off

Wish their was an easier way but based on my experience with seemingly educated smart people you will experience some discrimination throughout your life. But I think for many of us on these forums we have to deal with odd behavior from others more than we prefer to count. So I'd say we all probably understand where you're coming from.