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why am I so ashamed/embarrassed to tell/show people I'm diabetic?
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<blockquote data-quote="Grant_Vicat" data-source="post: 1868443" data-attributes="member: 388932"><p>Hi [USER=489135]@crystalbrincks[/USER] I wrote this 9 years ago:</p><p>This is probably because I was very poorly controlled throughout my time there [at school]. One of the doctors at Southlands Hospital wrote to me saying:</p><p><em>Dear Grant,</em></p><p><em>Further to your visit to the Diabetic Clinic last week, I have noted that your blood sugar was 26mmol again, which I feel is rather high.</em></p><p>At the time I was affected by a teenage resentment of my condition, a perverse aversion to outside opinion, and a complete lack of awareness of the significance of any information. As I write this I can see all kinds of interference on the computer screen caused by retinopathy: I am unable to keep my hands steady (not because of Vin de Pays de L’Herault); and I am aware that my kidneys are struggling to survive. All this was wrapped up in those few words in the above letter. Throughout my life I have been regularly reminded, either through personal contacts, diabetic journals, visits to clinics, or through books, that all diabetics run these risks and that the condition, if unmanaged, can be fatal. Why is it that teenagers happily (?) ignore these warnings? On several occasions in the last thirty years I have been contacted by doctors, asking me whether I would be prepared to talk to a sixteen year old who is ignoring advice. Of course I would. Could they get in touch with me? On each occasion, nobody has telephoned. I think at this stage in life, when hormones are unruly, faces look like Spotted **** with a hairy frame, girls (or boys) are worryingly important, sexuality is uncertain, parents are a bloody menace and so on, the last thing a person needs is an uncomfortable label. I never wanted to talk about it. I’ve more than made up for it now. I have been able to manage The Enemy far more effectively since I have been prepared to discuss it. But, even at the age of twenty this can be daunting.</p><p></p><p>Hiding diabetes is certainly understandable and is okay providing control is not compromised. Should you have a hypo while in the presence of friends or strangers, and they are unaware of your situation, I would guess they would phone 999, in which case you have experienced an assisted hypo. If they knew beforehand, they could be able to warn you before any help is needed. This is particularly important regarding getting a driving licence.</p><p></p><p>I remember feeling there was something "wrong" with me throughout my childhood. True friends tried their hardest to dispel this very damaging belief. I remember a very large Rugby player in the Chemistry Department at King's College London, who asked to do a sugar test on himself. No way could he go ahead and he said "I don't know how you can do that!" I think that was the first time I felt pride and so many doors opened. I hope you will gradually put your head over the parapet. Good luck</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Grant_Vicat, post: 1868443, member: 388932"] Hi [USER=489135]@crystalbrincks[/USER] I wrote this 9 years ago: This is probably because I was very poorly controlled throughout my time there [at school]. One of the doctors at Southlands Hospital wrote to me saying: [I]Dear Grant, Further to your visit to the Diabetic Clinic last week, I have noted that your blood sugar was 26mmol again, which I feel is rather high.[/I] At the time I was affected by a teenage resentment of my condition, a perverse aversion to outside opinion, and a complete lack of awareness of the significance of any information. As I write this I can see all kinds of interference on the computer screen caused by retinopathy: I am unable to keep my hands steady (not because of Vin de Pays de L’Herault); and I am aware that my kidneys are struggling to survive. All this was wrapped up in those few words in the above letter. Throughout my life I have been regularly reminded, either through personal contacts, diabetic journals, visits to clinics, or through books, that all diabetics run these risks and that the condition, if unmanaged, can be fatal. Why is it that teenagers happily (?) ignore these warnings? On several occasions in the last thirty years I have been contacted by doctors, asking me whether I would be prepared to talk to a sixteen year old who is ignoring advice. Of course I would. Could they get in touch with me? On each occasion, nobody has telephoned. I think at this stage in life, when hormones are unruly, faces look like Spotted **** with a hairy frame, girls (or boys) are worryingly important, sexuality is uncertain, parents are a bloody menace and so on, the last thing a person needs is an uncomfortable label. I never wanted to talk about it. I’ve more than made up for it now. I have been able to manage The Enemy far more effectively since I have been prepared to discuss it. But, even at the age of twenty this can be daunting. Hiding diabetes is certainly understandable and is okay providing control is not compromised. Should you have a hypo while in the presence of friends or strangers, and they are unaware of your situation, I would guess they would phone 999, in which case you have experienced an assisted hypo. If they knew beforehand, they could be able to warn you before any help is needed. This is particularly important regarding getting a driving licence. I remember feeling there was something "wrong" with me throughout my childhood. True friends tried their hardest to dispel this very damaging belief. I remember a very large Rugby player in the Chemistry Department at King's College London, who asked to do a sugar test on himself. No way could he go ahead and he said "I don't know how you can do that!" I think that was the first time I felt pride and so many doors opened. I hope you will gradually put your head over the parapet. Good luck [/QUOTE]
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