So, I was diagnosed this month with T1. I have Grave's disease (2002) and colitis (2010). Anyway, I thought it was kind of funny that I'd scored an autoimmune hat-trick. Has anyone else found that a little black humour helps or helped with a new diagnosis?
mountaintom
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kev-w
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As long as the Grave's disease doesn't send you to it's namesake I guess you'll be OK.
I think black humour works in all situations at all times.
I agree, but sometimes people don't understand it.
Used to drink in a pub where the regulars were always ripping the p*ss out of each other, because, well, it's Scotland and that's what we do.
Anyway, there was a Polish barmaid, Beata, who'd only been here for a few months, she asked me in a quiet moment, "Scott, explain to me, the people in here are all friends, why are they so nasty to each other?"
As her English improved, she eventually got the hang of it!
It will help you keep going, and it's a sign that you've got the smarts and the steel to take control of this situation: good luck and good health to you!
alf_Josiah
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Yep.
I restarted the " What are you doing now and humourous banter " thread in the general chat section for this very reason.
PDR
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I think you should first have checked her distribution in the population, and then tested a sample...
[it's the way I tell 'em]
PDR
I'll have to check that out! My visits have so far been sporadic and not very focused (beyond whatever is worrying me at that very moment).
PDR
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Blood-Sweet-and-Tears
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For me, as someone who's been diagnosed only a few years ago, humor is the only way to cope with stress that too can't help if it's dark humor. Since I'm diabetic, I'm sweet anyway. 
kitedoc
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After 51 years on insulin I can pretty much guarantee that humour is the best medicine. The 'blackest' inside joke I have is that if I have a hypo (fortunately rarer these days on an insulin pump) my wife feeds me some black jelly beans my least favourite) so I have a black tongue from some days to remind me not to do that again!
Some not really black: in early days of my diabetes, i went to a local swimming baths with friends, got changed in the men's change room as usual, and then was found by my friends confused, in a hypo, trying to put an imaginary token into the turnstile leading to the lady's change room !! There are the laconic Aussie jokes about impotence and one's joking denial of same. I have been jokingly accused of being a junkie because i inject myself and my retort is: "Yeah, I am an insulin junkie. Any more comments ?". And the usual question about not eating any sugar is answered with "NO, I eat sugar, the Three Bears quantity" That gets them thinking. A good friend I go kite flying with asks after my current health (which really is how are my blood sugars), to which I reply "within 100 metres" ( legal kite flying height 100 m, and so my BSL is within my 'legal' acceptable level), "The string broke" , (high blood sugar), and 'underwater' (low blood sugar). Finally, some time back I had cataracts removed and replaced with intra-ocular lenses. In about 30% of cases ( and muggins here was one of them) develop growth of fibrous tissue at the back of the new lens. So I remarked to my eye specialist aa he prepared to use a laser to remove the growth that his children would be some of the few that could say in absolute truth that their father played laser games as part of his work.
Some not really black: in early days of my diabetes, i went to a local swimming baths with friends, got changed in the men's change room as usual, and then was found by my friends confused, in a hypo, trying to put an imaginary token into the turnstile leading to the lady's change room !! There are the laconic Aussie jokes about impotence and one's joking denial of same. I have been jokingly accused of being a junkie because i inject myself and my retort is: "Yeah, I am an insulin junkie. Any more comments ?". And the usual question about not eating any sugar is answered with "NO, I eat sugar, the Three Bears quantity" That gets them thinking. A good friend I go kite flying with asks after my current health (which really is how are my blood sugars), to which I reply "within 100 metres" ( legal kite flying height 100 m, and so my BSL is within my 'legal' acceptable level), "The string broke" , (high blood sugar), and 'underwater' (low blood sugar). Finally, some time back I had cataracts removed and replaced with intra-ocular lenses. In about 30% of cases ( and muggins here was one of them) develop growth of fibrous tissue at the back of the new lens. So I remarked to my eye specialist aa he prepared to use a laser to remove the growth that his children would be some of the few that could say in absolute truth that their father played laser games as part of his work.
kitedoc
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One more for the road: I heard an American diabetologist ( which is a laugh of a name in itself) talk at an insulin pump company
sponsored evening about a situation that occurred many years ago. At the time this doctor was involved in some sort of clinical trial and was on call to accept phone queries from diabetics in this trial. One evening the doctor gets a call from a guy who says that he accidentally injected his evening doses of insulins twice. Having ascertained that this in fact had happened the doctor says he asked the patient to write down his instructions. 'First" he said" do you have a sharp knife with a blade about 2 inches long?'. "Um, yes, I think we have a kitchen knife that would fit that description" the patient replies. 'OK", says the doc " Now what he need to do is clean the knife with methylated spirits and then rinse it in boiled water" Got that ?" "Yeah" says the patient. "But ,doc, this sounds a bit dangerous". " Don't worry" say the doctor. Then, "OK. Now what you have to do is find where you injected your insulin and in each place, plunge the knife into those spots and get someone to suck out the blood, and the insulin with it". " But, doc, that sounds painful and, and, does my wife really have to suck the blood and insulin out "? The doc pauses, hums and arghs for a while and then says "Look maybe I have a better idea. Do you have a favourite ice cream place that you would go to before you got the diabetes?" The patient thinks about this, asks his wife and comes back on the phone line, " Yeah, doc, Denny's" Doctor: " Oh, great. Now invite your whole family, al your nearby relatives and head down to Denny's and have some ice-cream. You'll need to check you sugar levels later but as long as they stay above say 90 (mg/dL) and below and below say 230, that should be OK" Patient: "but, doc, I was told not to eat much ice-cream." Doctor: " Look, would you rather eat ice-cream or have your wife suck the insulin out of your leg?: Patient: "well, if you put it that way doc, I vote for ice-cream"
sponsored evening about a situation that occurred many years ago. At the time this doctor was involved in some sort of clinical trial and was on call to accept phone queries from diabetics in this trial. One evening the doctor gets a call from a guy who says that he accidentally injected his evening doses of insulins twice. Having ascertained that this in fact had happened the doctor says he asked the patient to write down his instructions. 'First" he said" do you have a sharp knife with a blade about 2 inches long?'. "Um, yes, I think we have a kitchen knife that would fit that description" the patient replies. 'OK", says the doc " Now what he need to do is clean the knife with methylated spirits and then rinse it in boiled water" Got that ?" "Yeah" says the patient. "But ,doc, this sounds a bit dangerous". " Don't worry" say the doctor. Then, "OK. Now what you have to do is find where you injected your insulin and in each place, plunge the knife into those spots and get someone to suck out the blood, and the insulin with it". " But, doc, that sounds painful and, and, does my wife really have to suck the blood and insulin out "? The doc pauses, hums and arghs for a while and then says "Look maybe I have a better idea. Do you have a favourite ice cream place that you would go to before you got the diabetes?" The patient thinks about this, asks his wife and comes back on the phone line, " Yeah, doc, Denny's" Doctor: " Oh, great. Now invite your whole family, al your nearby relatives and head down to Denny's and have some ice-cream. You'll need to check you sugar levels later but as long as they stay above say 90 (mg/dL) and below and below say 230, that should be OK" Patient: "but, doc, I was told not to eat much ice-cream." Doctor: " Look, would you rather eat ice-cream or have your wife suck the insulin out of your leg?: Patient: "well, if you put it that way doc, I vote for ice-cream"
