The problem is that diabetes is misunderstood, not just by the General public, but by a lot of diabetics too. I was diagnosed type 1 in 1990, so I thought I was an expert. This time last year, I realised how wrong I was when I started reading up on it, in order to improve my control. I had no idea about the dawn phenomenon, insulin resistance, the relationship between glucagon and insulin etc.
The other problem is the general state of diabetic control in the world. I believe that diabetics with good control are unfortunately in the minority. Because it's such an insidious condition, it's easy to ignore high blood sugars because they will usually not cause immediate problems (ketoacidosis being the exception). If someone's poorly controlled (and I'm speaking from the experience of how I used to be), they live in denial, and will put forward the myths when quizzed by someone about their condition. 'Oh I just eat what I want, it's fine as long as I take my insulin.' This makes people think that insulin is a magic fix, like taking an aspirin . They will rarely know about matching insulin to food, the dangers of both too high and too low blood sugars, and the multitude of complications that can arise.
Therefore, I talk the ears off of anyone who wants to know about my diabetes. The wierd thing is, I can often grab the attention of the entire room. I start talking about the plot of the latest video game I played, people glaze over. I talk about my diabetes, everyone is fascinated. I was at a wedding the other week, and I was discussing why I was avoiding some things at the buffet. I thought I was just talking to my close friends, but then I noticed the conversation around us had died down. A group of girls next to us were all staring over and straining to hear. We were chatting to them later, and they asked what I did. When I said I was a piano teacher, one of them said 'Really?! I assumed you were a doctor!'
The rule of thumb seems to be that people are willing to listen, as long as you are willing to talk. When someone says something that sounds ridiculous ('Do you have too much sugar or too little?'), see it as an opportunity to help them understand, rather than a reason to Facepalm
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