Does work-place sigma to diabetes exist?

This is so interesting
I was diagnosed 6 months ago. I told family and the reaction i got was that its a made up thing invented by doctors to make money to someone asking if I had gotten over it yet. This made me very reluctant to tell others. I work in a primary school so at times I am alone with 30 children so I told the leadership team, and a couple of other people so among the 70 people I work with about 12 know. It's not that I am embarrassed as it's not something I can help but I worry about people's reactions. From the kind of reaction I got from family to sympathy looks. As for shared lunches I don't have that problem because we have to bring our own in. Maybe if society was more educated then I would feel differently and be more open about it

It seems to me that everyone has the right to talk or not talk about what they want. If people ask me about diabetes, I answer, if they don't ask, I usually don't say, but I give an injection in the place where I am, without going anywhere (many, by the way, don't notice even if we are sitting at the same table in a cafe). If someone asks me why I'm not eating something or, conversely, why I'm putting pure sugar in my mouth, I'll say it's because of diabetes, but I don't see any point in focusing on it if they don't ask me. I think I need a job for work conversations, I don't really like talking about personal things with colleagues, they're not my friends and they don't have to support me.
Fruits for diabetics are no better than cookies, I often use this as a way to relieve hypoglycemia.

Zhnyaka said:

Fruits for diabetics are no better than cookies, I often use this as a way to relieve hypoglycemia.

Click to expand...

Well said....

Tony

I imagine the only stigma with diabetes is the old way of thinking you brought it on yourself. If anyone were to say that to me I would reply that shows how little you know,

Jaylee said:

Where I’ve worked cakes go around on a collegue’s birthday…

Regardless I can’t be hacked to bolus for it. “Thanks fo the inclusivity. But not for me. More for you guys.”

Click to expand...

Same here and i'm coeliac as well so its easy to say no and looking at food in general i have come to the same conclusion and often refuse food on the grounds of Is it worth injecting for?

Tony

LiSwati said:

From when I was diagnosed 2 years ago with T2, I have not hidden it from my colleagues, and I’m not shy to say that I am diabetic; particularly in workshops and meetings, where I frequently communicate my dietary needs.

Of late, I am realising that I am the only one that is open with my diabetes and that all my colleagues with diabetes do not declare their status and rather eat what everyone else eats than to say anything. One of them even asked me - “Are you proud about being diabetic?”. This surprised me and left me wondering if it’s just my open personality or whether there is something they are afraid of.

The sad reality is that there are many of us in my workplace with diabetes, and if only we spoke with one voice, we could make meaningful health-changes in our workplace, such as serving fruit in place of biscuits (which is the classic complement during meetings).

Click to expand...

When I went on my "newly diagnosed" T2 course the refreshments provided were a big plate of biscuits. Not sure if fruit would be much better in terms of the sugars, though.

The issue is that almost everyone (and certainly the media) has been thoroughly indoctrinated into believing that fruit etc is "healthy" and that eating meat, butter etc is almost evil, and you'll probably die before the end of the week. I've had non-diabetic people attempting to correct me about my approach to T2 diabetes on the basis of what they read in the Daily Mail.

I often ask people what they think a food being called "healthy" means. Very few can even begin to give a proper answer - usually it's something along the lines of "well, it's good for you" and they don't know what that means either.

Jaylee said:

Where I’ve worked cakes go around on a collegue’s birthday…

Click to expand...

I used to bring my colleagues cakes on my birthdays because it was me who had diabetes, not them.

LiSwati said:

This single line received more response than the intended message, to which I rightfully stood corrected as I didn’t clarify. The fruit suggestion was meant as a healthier option for all staff.



Indeed, what’s healthy for one is not always healthy for another. This however begs the question - when a workplace only provides greasy fried, heavily starched and sugary meals, should the discussion not be had (to the benefit of everyone)?

But allow me to pivot to the topic, does workplace sigma to diabetes exist?

Click to expand...

I was diagnosed some years after I'd retired, so I've no direct personal experience of any workplace stigma. However, my workplace was "healthy eating" central in more than one way, and we were pushed (and pushing) carbs constantly. Sugar via fruit was called healthy, sugar via doughnut was not.

The obvious problem with this was that people following this high carb way of eating generally were getting bigger and less healthy, and type 2 diabetes appeared almost out of nowhere in the 1980s and 90s. At the time this served only to increase the pressure to eat more of the "healthy" carbs. There was a general belief that anyone with T2 had "chosen" to not make the "healthy" food choice so had brought the condition on. At the time there was really no other opinion around, and it wasn't until the Atkins diet arrived that anyone seriously started to question things.

So I guess the T2 stigma thing had a good twenty years to get established. The media hasn't changed its tune (and I don't expect it to, given that it mainly consists of reprinting press releases these days) and most people still think that fat is bad, carb is good etc.

LiSwati said:

But allow me to pivot to the topic, does workplace sigma to diabetes exist?

Click to expand...

I'm type1 and never noticed anything other than sympathy and empathy and i've been in full time employment for 40 years.

Tony

LiSwati said:

I guess this is partly why we don’t speak about it.

The same way I hide my scars from a bad accident I had in 1991. Even unspoken, sympathy is evident in facial expressions. And the last thing I want, is people’s sympathies or to be seen differently.

I speak freely about my diabetes the same way I speak freely about my high blood pressure and cholesterol, not for sympathy but rather to create awareness and to advocate for meaningful change.

Click to expand...

You and i are different human beings as i'm happy with a bit of sympathy and if a colleague understand why i'm taking 10 minutes to myself whilst my sugar rises then I'm happy with that too.

I wonder if its because i've been type 1 for over 50 years?

Tony

Imho there 2 different scenarios
Type 1, hopefully, produces sympathy, empathy and support because most people know it "just happens" and life saving medication is essential.
Type 2, however, is still seen as being self inflicted (often by overeating or poor lifestyle) hence a lot of T2s don't want it known or discussed.

Because I learned early on in my own T2 journey that this is not true I have always been proudly open about my diagnosis and my chosen management route. I'm retired so can't comment on workplace situations but I do find similar in every social event or gathering.

2 friends who I've known long before my own diagnosis, and who are aware of my own stance, have been recently diagnosed T2. 1 feels so guilty she's gone into total binge eating, the other is depressed and worried by it even though he's slim and active. Both see it as a stigma and that they have caused it, ie self harmed

There's no easy solution but more and more of us being open can only help, over time