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Dealing with uneducated comments.

diabeticdancer

Well-Known Member
How do you do it?

I've been type 1 for around 7 weeks now and I have found that comments come up pretty often. Such as "are you sure you can eat that", "diabetes is simple to control"(coming from non diabetic, "you shouldn't have ate too many sweets when you were growing up", "all diabetics are fat, so why aren't you"?

I don't react, I jut try to explain what I know. It does bother me a bit though. Especially when people think it is something I brought on myself even though I have always been active and fairly healthy.


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Have these comments been made at you directly.............?

it doesn't happen tom me very often as my diabetes isn't the topic of conversation unless I am telling somebody something about my condition.....

If it does happen I am quite happy to correct them........
 
As you say these remarks are usually made in ignorance and aren't malicious, so you can just first give an educational reply without letting on too much that it upset you, and then maybe add something to the effect that diabetics can find those kind of remarks upsetting.

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Hi,

Did you know diabetes increases the sensitivity to the Olfactory receptor in the nose...?
A diabetic can pretty much smell another diabetic standing within a meter radius..

Still haven't heard this..?
Neither has your average ignorant commenting non D.

Even through the smell of bullshine they are coming out with, they will worry when you tell them of your new super power
& that you "assumed" that they were diabetic too...
 
My most hated comment from ignorant people is " oh you've got the bad diabetes (t1).....

I explain that my diabetes is not the worst.. To me type 2 is worse...i can cheat easily if I want to.......

What makes people think one type is worss than another.. Diabetes is diabetes no matter what...


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The best thing is to remember how ignorant you all were before you developed diabetes
Now you have the condition be type 1 or 2 it's your chance to educate.
 
I've found that it gets less, that's maybe because I'm less conscious of it and less likely to tell people about it than when I was first diagnosed. All my regular friends know.
Uneducated comments aren't the sole preserve of the Brits.
I still can't get over the reaction of the first person I met after leaving hospital. I had been there 10 days and was still very underweight
'Oh it must have been all our rich French food that caused it'
(then they got a full explanation and for a while I would carefully explain to everyone in sight, and probably bored them stiff, haven't felt the need to do that for ages now)
 
CarbsRok said:
The best thing is to remember how ignorant you all were before you developed diabetes
Now you have the condition be type 1 or 2 it's your chance to educate.
Click to expand...

This is a valid point..

Though I have known not much else other than being Type one..
My mates alway knew me as "that diabetic kid". Never needed to explain anything else other than "if I'm hit by a bus? Let em know I take insulin."
I learned more about type 2 however in the last few years of of my dad's life. My mum being his primary carer had long since been left behind regarding the diabetes I had as a kid in the 70's.. The glucose meter had her stumped.. I got to understand a little more about reducing the carb intake too!
 
diabeticdancer said:
How do you do it?
Click to expand...

How does one eradicate ignorance in the world?

I could be cruel and say that by asking how one eradicates ignorance, places you amongst them.

I am of course being ironic. It has been a tenet of philosophy and religion and I suppose, many 'isms' and 'ologies'.

Do what you can. Don't expect to succeed. Be patient, very patient, so patient in fact that others will think you are thick. Don't get ruffled. Good luck.
 
Maybe I should rephrase that question to "how do you deal with these comments without taking them personally?"

I don't let it upset me too much because I think people just don't know. I didn't before I was diagnosed.


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The answer is the same way you would eat an elephant : one bite at a time!
i.e. gently give a corrective/informing reply and gently feed the seed if it seems to be germinating!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It seems to me though that everybody knows of a diabetic.... Friends who talk to me have diabetic pumping children at school, relatives or friends... And they all spout rubbish....and think they know the life of a diabetic....


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I knew very little about diabetes prior to diagnosis and was/am involved with the emergency services ! I have attended many First Responder courses and covered diabetes but, looking back, it was pathetic. How many of you know the ins and outs of MS, dementia, depression etc ? I certainly don't and I'm sure I've probably said things which made those in the know cringe ! Unintentional of course, which is why I rarely take offence to those who are ignorant of my condition. I either laugh things off or ignore them. Occasionally I try to educate but you can actually watch the eyes begin to glaze over
 
My neighbours two children at 8 n 11 have so learnt about diabetes. I am so proud of them.

Two children asked me yesterday.."whats that on your arm?" And the 11 year old was with me....

He was so good with his explanation. He made me so proud.

Incidentally, when I took them for a day out to Woburn Safari they made me thankyou cards and bought me a small bag of dolly mixtures aa thanks... They knew that is my hypo stopping sweet and all they ever see me with....

I hope that they will always remember me as a good example of a T1. Thats what matters to me more than anything....

All I ever hear is **** stories, so I hope these two young boys will alwYs remember me as being a fit and active and lovely diabetic. They know where my sets are, what I need when my levels drop and they know what my levels should be and can (and do) tell me to test myself etc... It's up to me to educate these boys to know that diabetes can be managed. They don't neeed to have bad stories to pass on.....


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I had a huge argument with my sister in law last night...she said lose 4 stone and you will be cured.... tried to explain how the pancreas worked and even if I lost that amount of weight it is not a cure and a life thing...but it would make it far better..she picked at my diet of low carbs and said that is not good for you. I ended up banging my head against the kitchen wall as no way could I get through to her..sheeesh she told me to **** off with my diabetes cos she was right and I was soooo wrong lol
 
FergusCrawford said:
The answer is the same way you would eat an elephant : one step at a time!
i.e. gently give a corrective/informing reply and gently feed the germinating seed if it seems to be germinating!
Click to expand...


My mate of nearly 50 years bought me a hamper full of jams and fruit cake for my birthday. He asked if this was OK for me.

Lawyers, daft as a brush.

You've got to laugh.
 
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