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Are you open about diabetes or embarrassed about it?

M

Medina27

Well-Known Member
Messages
85
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I still have some trouble telling people that I have diabetes. It's weird because I have many other conditions too which I don't mind mentioning. But I find the word diabetes to be a dirty word. I'm not sure why. It just sounds unhealthy and weak

So how open are you about it?
 
I have always been completely open about it, in personal relationships and at work too. When I was teaching high school, all my students and their parents knew about it. That way, you get the required support if and when necessary.
 
Reactions: ert
Forget open. I shout it from the rooftops. I go tell it on the mountain! If there's someone out there who might benefit from my experience.... If I keep mum, they could keep feeling lost, scared and confused, like I was... Aside from that, my diet is now insanely specific... So friends and family need to know. In the Netherlands, just like in many other countries, food, especially the carby kind, equals love. And if they keep trying to stuff cake and cookies down my throat, they'd harm me. Makes Christmas gatherings and the like a lot easier, having a hand in what appears on the table. So no, no embarassment here. And if someone gets judgemental on me, that's just a moment where I can educate them. (Or if they're really horrible, ignore them for life. ).
 
I am open about it but only to those around me and so they know if I go low that I need to treat myself, I think it’s important to have an open relationship with people it saves the potential for embarrassment.
 
I’m not a type 1 but I have no issue telling people But I don’t go around screaming it from the rooftops either. Much like being gay or autistic, it’s just part of me that I don’t keep private but don’t see the need to announce in everyday conversation

There are some out there who might judge because if the media ensuring public believe diabetics are all due to being obese, over eaters and brought it on themselves

But I disagree with all of that and you know type 1 is different anyway. its not anything to be ashamed of
 
I’m open about it, but I don’t have any friends lol.
Edit: except for you guys
 
I’ve been open about it for years. It’s something people need to know, especially if they’re able to grab me a hypo-buster. In some circumstances, like scuba diving, going to the swimming pool, walking, overnight stays, it is, or has been, essential they know I have T1. I do occasionally meet people who don’t know much about it and the most difficult part of that isn’t embarrassment, it’s framing a simple explanation of T1 that they might understand before I’ve bored the pants off them.
 
I'm completely open and will happily discuss it with anyone. I also have no problem injecting in public (in my stomach usually. I wouldn't drop my trousers to inject in my leg!). About ten years ago, before I took up a low carbohydrate diet, I was in the queue at McDonald's. I took my insulin while in the queue and a woman said it was inappropriate. I asked her which disease she'd prefer I had, as apparently what life-saving medication I needed was her business. I listed a few different ones that might be less inconvenient for her. She then found out, while red in the face, that she had the ability to solve the issue herself, as she suddenly found it impossible to look at me. If she'd done that in the first place, she would not have needed to see me inject.
 
I’m open, but in the sense that I mention it if it comes up but feel no need to shout it from the rooftops.
 

...and that's because of the way 'diabetes' is portrayed and commented upon world wide as if it actually WAS a dirty word indicating weakness. It virtually never happens with any other condition. Diabetes?, well it's your own fault, you must be fat and lazy. It is truly disgusting but it's down to brainwashing. All you can do is to try NOT to be embarrassed by it which I know is hard because you then feel compelled to somehow explain yourself. I don't have any ideas really but wear it with pride, REFUSE to appear ashamed and if that fails a poke in the eye to the ignorant might be called for. x
 
Open but have no need to shout it from the rooftops, it's no one elses business but mine.
 
Quite open and joke about it, but can't get round to injecting publicly , thought I did at 1st , but I tend to find a corner and take my insulin
 
I’m quite open about it, I didn’t know anything about diabetes until having to educate myself with my diagnosis this year. My boyfriend and eldest daughter are a bit embarrassed about it though, admitting they didn’t want to tell their friends because of the overweight/unhealthy diet assumptions people have around this disease. Which is unfair to either type of diabetes obviously but how newspapers represent us all
 
Initially when diagnosed i was a little embarrassed as I didn't know much about diabetes and I had never even heard of LADA.
A few months in and after a lot of reading, I am pretty open about it. I inject in public and I'm happy to discuss it with friends and family who are interested in knowing more. I have found people generally know very little about type 1 and LADA.
I taught group exercise for 14 years and still train most days. I like to use my own diagnosis as an opportunity to show people that diabetes doesn't discriminate and it is something that could happen to anyone at anytime. But also that it doesn't have to hold you back....now on insulin, i am back to my previous fitness level and doing things again that I thought were long in my past.
I found instagram to be amazing and very motivational....its full of amazing diabetics living life to the full and taking pride in their diabetes.
 
When I was first diagnosed I kept it to myself, family knew and obviously I had to let my work places know. Over the years I am happy to chat to people about it in my line of work ( one job is part-time in a well known supermarket promoting/sampling branded products) and if someone notices the Libre sensor on my arm, it's actually nice talking to them as they seem genuinely interested in learning about diabetes.
 
Not embarrassed; maybe in the beginning when injecting in public. I think the world needs educating when it comes to type one. Gladly discuss if someone shows interest.
 
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