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A colleague at work revealing my diabetes

cz_dave

Well-Known Member
Messages
450
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
When I came to work the other day, some colleagues were having breakfast. One of them asked me if I wanted to join. Before I could answer, he exclaimed: "oh sorry I'm not sure if you can actually eat any of this." Others became curious and asked whether I am on a diet. That colleague swiftly answered: "yes, he has diabetes."

What a nice way of starting my workday!
 
There's always one that likes the sound of their own voice, just ignore him and enjoy the breakfast.
 
sorry for wondering, but what is bad in other people knowing ?

then they can buy something for you that you can actually eat... in my own case it is no secret to anybody and not something I am ashamed of or feel stigmatising about ...but of cause we are all different ..
 
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For me the point here is not so much if other people know but how they find out. I feel it should be me sharing this kind of information with others. Plus, I really hate people telling me that I cannot eat something.
 
cz_dave said:
For me the point here is not so much if other people know but how they find out. I feel it should be me sharing this kind of information with others. Plus, I really hate people telling me that I cannot eat something.
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Well I do understand that , did you tell him it was a secret when you told him, and that you would tell people yourself ?
 
Or you could look on it as an opportunity to educate them (whilst also explaining that you get p*ssed off when people say you can't eat something).
 
That is very poor form, the person has no manners or social etiquette, someone to be avoided in the future, I personally would quietly take them aside and tell him/her you were not happy about them carelessly revealing your private business. Try to understand their real motives, was it an attempt to undermine you or purely an innocent mistimed mistake? If they try to pull a move like that again go through the grievance procedure your work place offers, people like that do not have a clue how to act in public and so need to learn, sometimes for them it must be the hard way, until they finally realise the error of their ways. Unfortunately there are many like them and it will always be a common occurrence in the work place. imo it is your business and no one has a right to broadcast it around the work place, your anger is justifiable.
 
Cakes, biscuits and Samosas are a massive part of work culture where I am. I get similar comments like this from time to time (mostly tongue in cheek) everyone knows I'm diabetic, not everyone understands I can eat what I like. I don't eat them not because I'm diabetic but because I don't want to put on weight...It does **** me off (apologies for language) especially if I'm having a bad day with my BG...I mainly just shrug it off...it's their problem not mine...I've too much to deal with as it is without letting these morons get to me.....Mark
 
Freema said:
Well I do understand that , did you tell him it was a secret when you told him, and that you would tell people yourself ?
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Yes, I did. Although it was not a real secret. Some people knew, some did not. When I meet people at work, I don't go like: Hi, my name is so and so, I have diabetes
 
I very much agree. This guy is not mean. I think his behavior was a weird mixture of trying to be helpful and showing others that he knows something the other people at the table did not know - that I have diabetes. He certainly does not know how to respect one's privacy.
 
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Freema said:
Well I do understand that , did you tell him it was a secret when you told him, and that you would tell people yourself ?
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I told him I found his behavior unacceptable at two levels: not respecting other people's privacy and sharing other people's health-related information. He apologized like 10 times.
 
Let's assume I would not challenge this guy privately and instead chose to "educate" the entire group that was present.

What does everyone think would be the best words to briefly explain about T1 and the non-existence of a prescribed diet? (The diet comment just comes up all the time...)
 
I think the most easy is to tell them that in your specific case there is no food you cant eat , as you can correct from the food type you eat and even does that maybe all the time... I don´t understand why you talk about type 1 diabetes and your avatar says LADA..hmmm

I personally don´t care of peoples many comments of food... it doesn´t take anything from my integrity as I experience it
 
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I'd have lost it. Kudos to you that you didn't! I don't take mockings like that lightly due to the obvious..........living with type 1 every single day with no off days. Before they could even get there, I tell them "wanna be a tough guy? here's my pen, let's shoot up a couple of units to see and feel my life from your own perspective, but I warn you, insulin may kill you and make it one of the most miserable ways to die. You'll start sweating, your heart will beat out of your chest, you will feel a kind of terror that you've never felt before: the most obvious feeling that you will die without intervention. That's how I feel often times. Be a man and try it.". They quickly shut up, and start treating me with respect. You have to put them in their place before they could even go there. I also feel that it's important to have your coworkers know that you have this condition, so that they know how to treat it in case an emergency situation arises. I'd feel uncomfortable being around people on a daily basis who are unaware of my condition and/or belittle my medical condition, but that is me.
 
Freema said:
I don´t understand why you talk about type 1 diabetes and your avatar says LADA..hmmm
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LADA is late onset Type 1. My official diagnosis is Type 1 actually. Maybe I should change it.
 
I think I don't have to stress that I totally understand your feelings.

It just reminds me that we will soon have an all-hands meeting at work. May be I should stand up and say something like: folks, I have something to share: I have diabetes!

I guess not...
 
cz_dave said:
What does everyone think would be the best words to briefly explain about T1 and the non-existence of a prescribed diet? (The diet comment just comes up all the time...)
Click to expand...

I dunno about the best words, just keep it simple.

"Brief" explanation of type 1: I have type 1 diabetes, it's an autoimmune disease. No one knows what causes it but my immune system killed off the cells in my pancreas that make insulin. You need insulin to live, insulin is the key that opens the door to let you body gain energy from the food you eat. I take insulin when I eat so that I can get energy from the food I eat. I inject 5 times a day, or more. I don't have to stick to a special diet, I'm not on a diet, I just have to make sure I take the right amount of insulin to deal with the food I'm eating. Your body makes insulin automatically to deal with what you eat, I just have to inject the insulin to deal with it. I can eat whatever I want, it just helps to know how many carbs are in to decide how much insulin to take.

Ps. My diabetes is not a secret in work, I have a medical alert tattoo on my wrist so if you can read, which I'm confident my colleagues can, you can work out I'm diabetic. In fact one of my colleagues, who is a non-practicing doctor, noticed my tattoo one day at the tea point and asked if I'd ever had to rely on it, the next week he was calling an ambulance for me when I had a pretty severe hypo in work. Also, I do have a pump and a CGM which give away the diabetes with random bleeps, my boss really enjoyed the lovely singing my pump did when I had to change the battery on Friday...
 

Award the colleague one of these from me...
 

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