Type 1s: What stupid things have people said to you?

[EileenWagner]

You will never have children then! Well I have four wonderful children and not one diabetic.


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The doctor I had when I was diagnosed at age 10, told me when I was only 13 years old, "Diabetics shouldn't have children, because it just makes more diabetics in the world and it's just a waste of taxpayers' money. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you never have kids." He told me that in an extremely vicious tone when my mom was out of the room, and then was sweet as pie when she came back. He was a total jerk from the time I was diagnosed and used to literally yell at me (at 10 years old), and berate me about my blood sugars. There was a time that I wrote in my logbook that my blood sugar was 1.9. He was so mad, and called me a liar, saying, "That's impossible for you to have been that! If you had really been that, you would have been dead! You're such a liar, and you're hurting no one but yourself and your poor mother!" I put up with it until I was 13, but after the comment about him "not allowing" me to have children, I told my mom I would never go back. So bless her heart, she found me a wonderful female doctor I've had for 30 years now!

 

[EileenWagner]

People saying "only diabetes , it could be worse".

I don't doubt it could be a whole lot worse but you asked me what was wrong, I didn't expect a run down of terminal illnesses I have been lucky enough to escape so far.

The other in relation to being partially sighted due to retinopathy is "have you thought about getting some new glasses or trying contact lenses"? I feel like shouting it's my retinas that are knackered, do you really think I would be like this if a new pair of glasses would do the trick?

Yeah I've had more than a few people say, "Well, at least it's only diabetes, and not cancer!"

Well geez then, I'm so awfully greatful to have diabetes?? Smh!

 

[EileenWagner]

My personal experiences include:
" Did you eat too much sugar?"
"You can't have sugar?"
"Can you eat that?" (Although I realise this is more of a concern than a stupid comment.)
"I could never be a diabetic. I'm scared of needles/blood."

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When I was diagnosed at age 10, my grandfather went around telling everyone it was because of all the candy my mom gave me. She was soooo mad!!! We never ever got candy as kids! If we wanted a chocolate bar, we got chocolate Halvah instead. You want a caramel? Here's a fig! I got to take hard-boiled eggs to school for a snack at recess, while all the other kids got Twinkies and Ding-Dongs! So no, I didn't get it because I had candy, thanks.

As for the "I could never inject myself every day" thing, I just say, "Yes, you could. Because if you didn't, you would die. I started doing my own injections at 10 years old. If I could do it, so could you."

 

[gymbob]

When I was travelling for university interviews I stopped at McDonald's for tea on the way home.The guy behind me in the queue decided to show off to his girlfriend... by picking on the teenager with a chronic medical condition - nice! After I'd injected he shouted at me that I should me more considerate because he fainted whenever he saw a needle. I took in his fabulously vertical stance, and congratulated him n having a condition that seemed to be miraculously improving, while mine, sadly would never get better.

I also did a blood test in the queue for our local swimming pool, to get ready to take my young son to kiddy splash. The family behind me kicked up a huge fuss about lying their son on the floor, and then the mum said to me, "Oh, don't feel bad, but he's allergic to blood" Now if he really was, he'd have problems that would make mine look minor! Oh, no sorry, he's an attention seeking drama queen!

 

[Elc1112]

Seeing plenty of the 'idiotisms' that I have come across on here already!

The worst for me was when I moved to a new area of the country. Went to a GP surgery to register. Filled out a new patient form, and highlighted that I had T1 diabetes. I was asked to go for a blood test so that could establish my HbA1c and so on. A couple of days later, I got a call from the surgery asking me to come in straight away. No need to make an appointment, just come in and I will be seen straight away. Anyway, I got myself all panicked. Went in, doctor told me it wasn't good news. My bloods suggested that I might have diabetes...

To say I lost it would be an understatement!

A couple of years later I was in hospital following an operation. I had to lie flat for 48 hours after the surgery, and was put on a sliding scale insulin drip. I woke during the night feeling really sick, thirsty, and generally Bleugh. Pressed the call button. The nurse finally came and I asked her to test my sugars. 26.2. I was told this was perfect. I argued that it wasn't and that I needed some insulin ASAP. The nurse told me that the drug round was in four hours and they would see to me then. Needless to say I decided to ignore the "lie flat" rule and got up and got my insulin myself.

Before I was discharged a couple of days later, I felt my sugars dropping. I asked the nurse if she could bring me something. I got a sugar free yoghurt and a slice of cheese...

Nice to know diabetes is so well understood!

 

[DBolding]

I don't mind ignorant people who come out with stupid remarks as long as they are willing to listen and learn. However it's the ones who know best even though they don't have diabetes and it's because they saw it on the television that it must be true! I've only been a t1 6 years so maybe my mind set will change to stupid people after a while longer lol

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[EileenWagner]

"It's easier when you get it as a child as you get used to it."

I've had people say, "Well then it must be okay for you to have the needles, because you're used to it."

My usual response is, "Being used to something and liking it is 2 different things. It's not like I enjoy pain."

 

[EileenWagner]

I was heavily pregnant with my 3rd son and in hospital but was going low in early hours of the morning. A registered nurse asked me what I needed and being a wee bit slurred said food. She got me a salad sandwich!! I challenged her and she said " but you're diabetic you can't have sugar!" so I tried to put her straight so she said would toast and jam be better to which I said of course. So she got some with DIABETIC jam!!! Unbelievable! A nursing assistant saw this and got me a packet of sweet biscuits as her daughter was diabetic. I certainly put my opinion forward after the hypo regarding the nurse!!!!

After my diagnosis (age 10) my mom tried really hard to help me out. She changed the way she cooked (healthier, less fat, more veggies), and did everything she was told, by the book. She was told I had to avoid quick lows/highs. So one day I have an extreme hypo, and I go into panic mode trying to eat something (I think it was toast with jam). She took it out of my hands and gave me a glass of milk. I said that I needed fast sugar, not milk! We argued about it, but she would not give in! She said the milk would work, I just had to wait and let it do it's job. I sat there for the next 30 minutes hysterically crying and letting out shrieks in frustration, feeling the hypo the entire time. After that, I hoarded sweets so when I had a hypo, I wouldn't tell her about it so I could get what I needed, instead of milk!

I hated her for awhile for that, until I realized that she was a parent of a new diabetic, and just trying her best to keep me alive and follow what she was taught. Now, of course, if I go low she has a supply of juice boxes and honey available. She works fast, too, because she knows how important it is to get my BG up fast. She learned over the years that if she didn't, I passed out. No more milk I guess.

I had a conversation with her the other day about when I was diagnosed (33 years ago). She said she really doesn't remember a whole lot about that time, because it scared her so bad, that she might lose me. All she remembers is waking up in the middle of the night to test me, and praying that I didn't die on her watch.

=O

 

[EileenWagner]

My 80-year-old mother phones me up about once every two weeks to ask if I am taking the new "cure" for diabetes that she has read about in the Daily Express.

The Express seems to find a cure for diabetes every time it runs out of things to write about immigrants or Princess Diana...

My grandmother had 3 siblings with diabetes (I'm not sure what type though. Type 2 I believe). Both of her brothers had their legs amputated and one was partially blind. As soon as I was diagnosed, she started cutting out every article from the newspaper concerning amputations and blindness. She never cut out the "good news" stories, only the dreary amputations and assorted complications stuff. She was also very grim when she passed them on to me. Like she thought that she needed to warn me of how serious things were with diabetes.

Yet anytime we were there for dinner, she would come out with the butter tarts for dessert, and then be terribly insulted and hurt when I didn't have one.

 

[Notorious]

When treating a hypo with glucose tablets at bedtime, my husband telling me reproachfully "all that sugar won't help you sleep". Bless him, he's usually extremely supportive.

 

[C-Mack]

I had a friend recently comment that I was lucky to have diabetes, that it helped control how much I ate and counted carbs.... this is because I don't like to do big injections so keep my carbs low and if/when I have a treat I always stop and ask myself if it is worth the injection. And I absolutely refuse to inject for liquid carbs (juice, etc) so don't have them.

I guess from her perspective if she tries to diet she cheats on it and then feels bad. Diabetes does keep me honest with my carbs and insulin... but lucky to have it, nope!

And the "how much insulin do I inject you with if you go low" was a question the same friend asked when I was first diagnosed last year... I was gobsmacked.

And from my granny "are you on the insulin still?"

And from my mother... "Why are you doing so many injections, Michelle (her type 2 friend) only injects once a day"

 

[Geri]

People have said the following over the years.......
''Oh, its reversible you know, if you diet.''
''Have you learnt to eat properly since your childhood when you got Type 1''
''I get that sometimes!'' ?
''You wont be able to have children.''
and at an interview at the BBC in 1981 for training to become a make up artist, I was told by the team leader - ''We cant have another diabetic on the team, I just couldn't cope with that.!'' so I became an art and graphics teacher instead, but I was upset when all these comments have been said, but I suppose it is just down to ignorance.

 

[running_sweet]

"That's right, you can't eat cake......Your one of those skinny diabetics"


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[Jaylee]

One of the bands I'm in also has a T1 bass player too.. Recently we've been auditioning drummers.
So, during a session at a studio we stopped for a break.. The candidate, noticing the bass player & I didn't take sugar mentioned he had a "sugar app" on his phone. As we sipped our coffee.
The bassist pipes up in reply across the table "are you diabetic then?"
"No" answered the drummer "I just don't want to get diabetes."

"Well you won't catch it from us". I answered gobsmacked at his reasoning & casual racism.. (Which was picked up prior to the sugar chat.)

NEXT!??!

 

[Mup]

I often get 'But you're so slim- don't you have to be obese to have diabetes?'

 

[Munsa]

"You don't look like a diabetic". That left me speechless!

 

[SkylineFrontier]

"You don't need insulin, you just think you do" comes to mind....


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[RuthW]

This is not a stupid.thing so much as a funny one. I always.find small children's reactions really funny. They are so frankly curious and amazed by injections, blood tests and the like and it is so easy to deal with them because their reactions are.not stigmatizing at all. First of all, when I was on MDI, whenever I was at any kind of gathering where there were small children, if one of them knew.about my injections, they would kind of 'stalk' me until injection time when I would.suddenly find myself surrounded by a sea of fascinated little faces, all of whom wanted to watch. Another one was my nephew, who watched my jab, and then started wailing, 'I want one! I want one!' 20 years later that still makes me laugh. The fact that he was dressed as Robin Hood at the time just adds to the joy of the memory.
Another one was when I was visiting a friend whose daughter (about 9 years old) remembered that I took injections and insisted that I should tell her beforehand so she could watch. I duly took my next jab under her gaze, whereupon she sighed in awe, 'Aaaaah, it's just like the X-files!' Her mother gave a horrified gasp (thinking I'd be offended) and I nearly cried laughing!

 

[Robinredbreast]

I don't mind ignorant people who come out with stupid remarks as long as they are willing to listen and learn. However it's the ones who know best even though they don't have diabetes and it's because they saw it on the television that it must be true! I've only been a t1 6 years so maybe my mind set will change to stupid people after a while longer lol

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Many a true word said @DBolding lol

 

[Libby1726]

The first year at Senior school. 1963. Our class won an Easter egg. The teacher asked me to hand pieces out to the class as I had SUGAR DIABETES and was not allowed to eat sugar!!!


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