To hide or not to hide

[Treforj]

I've been happily married for fourty years this coming July, now surely after all this time you must know somebody and yet she made a passing comment the other day which left me feeling rather depressed and how shall I say, somewhat silently tainted. She made a comment about a lady she works with who is diabetic, now apparently this lady doesn't give a fig and openly injects herself at her work station which seems offended my wife, well this came as a shock to me because I also casually get out my little testing kit and without fuss test my glucose levels. I have two elder brothers who are also diebetic and insulin dependant so as my diebetes is steadily getting worse as time moves on I also shall soon be on insulin. I didn't discuss the matter with my wife but I am left feeling somewhat at a low with the prospect of in future maybe hiding away in some closet like some freak for fear of offending somebody. Is the problem mine or societies? In the meantime the psychological effect of this passing comment has begun to close in as I now find myself sneakily testing my glucose.

 

[weeezer]

think you've got to gently address this with your wife...if we encounter something that we don't 'normally' see & it is a bit shocking to us, it's natural to be affronted by it. i expect your wife doesn't realise or hasn't really thought about it...perhaps you could ask her what she thinks her work colleague should do, be made to go off to the toilet to inject? then she may realise it's not all that easy to hide away!

i think bringing these things out in the open for discussion with others who don't 'get' it is a fab way to address these issues. it's not their fault as such, they've never had to consider it before like those who have to do these things do (mouthful!)

there may have been a time when i saw a lady breastfeeding her baby 'out in public' and thought 'well, that's a bit OUT THERE' and raised me eyebrows or looked away. but after HAVING to feed 2 babies with my own boobs (ha, i said it!) i realise the other side of it...why on earth should i go to a stinky dirty old toilet to feed my child!??! there are discreet ways to go about these things.

my mum has been a t1 for 37 years, and she used to used syringes. she would never have dreamt of injecting in public. then i got it and i never had to use a syringe, it's all done by fancy 'pens' now where you can be a bit more discreet, no 'drawing up'. i have never made a big thing of it and always just popped my insulin in quietly. my mum got a new lease of life and was happy to be able to be free and not have to hide. i feel a bit conscious sometimes, because if we are together eating out, i think omg, everyone must think we are some kind of diabetic freak show!!!!! but we are both discreet about it, and no one really notices.

i must admit every now & again i do turn away or even go to the loo to inject if i'm feeling a bit intimidated. but i do realise this is MY problem not other peoples. there were also times when i took bottles out instead of breastfeeding because i felt self-conscious. i am mad with myself now, because again it was MY problem, no-one elses.

i hope you never have to feel like you have to hide. why should you? you've done nothing wrong! please bring this up with your wife and let us know how it goes.

it's up to us to be bold and not hide to hopefully challenge peoples ideas of what is acceptable.

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

I don't care who's watching or where I am with my son. I would try to be discreet but sometimes that backfires. My older son used to slink away when I would inject Khaleb but doesn't anymore. The testing and injecting goes with the meal so they are done in the same place.

 

[avy]

Hello Everyone, Was just having a browse and this has got my dander up a bit. I have been diagnosed as T2 since 2006 and never in that time or will I ever shy away from looking after myself where ever I may be. If people have a problem with my testing then it will stay their problem. I certainly won't make it mine but we are not all the same. I agree with Weezer. Talk to your wife and tell her how you feel and how this is affecting you, try and get her to see your side. I am incredibly lucky, my partner is very supportive and has been from the start. Diabetes is not a closet illness, more people are being diagnosed than ever and as such I would like to think that those people out there that do have a problem with testing/injecting will over time learn to become a bit more tolerent. I hope everything goes OK for you Treforj.

 

[tandydog]

Diabetes is not a closet illness, more people are being diagnosed than ever and as such I would like to think that those people out there that do have a problem with testing/injecting will over time learn to become a bit more tolerent. I hope everything goes OK for you Treforj.

The more its in the open the more aware people will be regarding the illness.

As to breast feeding, I was told off for breast feeding in a maternity hospital at visiting time. It was 29 years ago, but it made a big dent in my confidence! Now my daughter has fed her 2, 3rd due in 7 weeks time, with no problems at all in public. She does it discreetly with no problems. There is no way she would eat in a toilet, so why shoud a baby eat in one!