Diabullying

tim2000s said:

I saw this post today on Facebook and thought that everyone on the forum should take a read. You don't need to be a member of Facebook to read it, but I think you definitely should.

https://www.facebook.com/sugarsurfi...41828.601230129955320/842751222469875/?type=1

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Thanks for posting this. I've either led a "sheltered life" or lived under a rock.... (I realy don't believe I have.)
I have even found employers cool when I notify them of my T1 to cover both our backs in certain work placement situations.!

But I have found the attitudes portrayed of Facebook (in my capacity as a JDRF fundraiser participant.) a minefield with the "T1mom" in the last couple of years.. I feel I represent a positive future which is possible for their child. But come up against judgement & distain when asked how I got here.. Ho hum...

tim2000s said:

I've found the T1mom to be a nightmare. But then I look at my mum and how she reacted when I had a proper hypo having lived with my partner for a few years ( she was unfortunately present) and can understand why it happens. Even if it is wrong.

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Indeed. I protected my mum from it from the age of 8. Side stepping the "tell mom" worry hysteria & hitting the treatment myself..
I have learned to control my hypo syptoms due to this long enough to treat. The "mad rocker" persona I developed over the years is in essence, a convenient cover.. Thus bringing some sort of normality back to my life.. Lol my now elderly mother still won't let me leave her house on a visit without taking some carb with me, in spite of a "man bag" & a van stocked to cover an event of hypoglycaemicia...
I have no wish to undermine the concern of the modern day T1M. But sometimes I find their comments not just derogatory to me & the the experienced D, but to their own child's potential development too...

Nobody "diabullies" me, not even my GP, DSN, Consultant Diabetologist etc. The words "f*** off" are generally said and being a rather lean 14 1/2 Stone no one usually "gets assertive" lol. I just ignore an awful lot of people nowadays.

eddie1968 said:

Nobody "diabullies" me, not even my GP, DSN, Consultant Diabetologist etc. The words "f*** off" are generally said and being a rather lean 14 1/2 Stone no one usually "gets assertive" lol. I just ignore an awful lot of people nowadays.

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I should have mentioned all my Diabetes Healthcare Professionals are lovely people and are nice and helpful on a positive note....I have encountered diabullying from some NHS staff unrelated to diabetes but took them off their pedestal.

Interesting read. I too have led a sheltered life, the only bully that I came across was the endocrinologist at the local hospital who prescribed my first lot of meds (GP didn't want to and I had to wait 4 months to see this . . . . . . . . . expletive deleted).
Even as recently as last year (17 years later) my present GP said "I could refer you to the local guy, but I don't think you'll like him", I knew who she meant and I ended up driving 25 miles to Oxford rather than . . . . . . . just down the road.
Thanks to things that I have learned from different forums I am confident that I do the right things, as shown by my GP's comments every time we review my type II diabetes. I'm also more confident in handling consultants who talk . . . . . . . (expletive deleted), like the colon specialist I saw the other day who tried to tell me that swimming didn't count as exercise. In this case I just looked straight through him and said nothing. It was more effective than a thousand words.

I feel that a balance should be put on the medical "professionals" regarding "off remarks" & judgements to Ds?

For instance this story goes back to the early 1960s when my mum was in labour with my older sister.
Her former years she had been a professional dancer, but has since settled down & married.
The suitcase which bore the memories of her dancing career travels however was packed for her stay on the maternity ward & the happy event!
To cut a long story short, the ward sister made bold "slants" that my mum was a "fallen woman". Pushing the boundaries as far as suggesting the conception was inappropriate..

I don't believe it's just the Ds that get the rough end of the stick..
Let's also not forget the spate of assaults on the vulnerable in care homes that was in the news a while back..!

My mum decided on home births after her experience..

A very good link

I work for the NHS on the wards and my colleagues know about my diabetes

Some are clued up and are supportive, some say ridiculous things directly to me as if I am to blame for my condition, they back off when I think they have gone too far, I answer that I was born with Pancreas Divisum, have had Pancreatitis and that my Grandfather died aged 33 from diabetes so most likely in some way my condition is genetic.

I also point out to my fatter colleagues that I am in my ideal weight range for my height

I am normally mild in manner, a very placid and tolerant person, but sometimes you have got to fight and stand your ground against the bullies.

Cumberland said:

A very good link

I work for the NHS on the wards and my colleagues know about my diabetes

Some are clued up and are supportive, some say ridiculous things directly to me as if I am to blame for my condition, they back off when I think they have gone too far, I answer that I was born with Pancreas Divisum, have had Pancreatitis and that my Grandfather died aged 33 from diabetes so most likely in some way my condition is genetic.

I also point out to my fatter colleagues that I am in my ideal weight range for my height

I am normally mild in manner, a very placid and tolerant person, but sometimes you have got to fight and stand your ground against the bullies.

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Indeed, the only thing that works with a bully is to stand up to them.

CatLadyNZ said:

Indeed, the only thing that works with a bully is to stand up to them.

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... Indeed, though in most cases its best to just let the comment stand alone as testiment to the bullies monumental ineptitude & stupidity.!

I have experienced bullying of another kind both online and real life and my experience is that unless you stand up to the bullies they carry on doing it. Also, saying nothing, doesn't educate them either.

I agree celeriac. I work with a bully. I just completely ignore her. She hates that. Worst part of it? Management do nothing about it