Type 1s: What stupid things have people said to you?

[pinewood]

I had a blood test at the GP surgery yesterday and the nurse said "let me know if you feel light headed or like you're going to faint and I'll make sure you have your insulin"

 

[gymbob]

People saying "only diabetes , it could be worse".

I don't doubt it could be a whole lot worse but you asked me what was wrong, I didn't expect a run down of terminal illnesses I have been lucky enough to escape so far.

The other in relation to being partially sighted due to retinopathy is "have you thought about getting some new glasses or trying contact lenses"? I feel like shouting it's my retinas that are knackered, do you really think I would be like this if a new pair of glasses would do the trick?

As if you couldn't think of this idea yourself, if it would help!!!

 

[Mother of Type 1]

When people say about my 8yrold daughter " will she grow out of it" !

 

[novowolf]

it wasnt said directly to me but the other day in college a group of girls were sat next to me talking about their January diets and one of them hits out with
" you know id kill to have diabetes.. id welcome it with open arms"
honestly had to restrain myself from punching her and gong on a rant about DKA, ketones, hypos etc etc

 

[wendy barnes]

Dr once said "you take insulin so you must be type 1" even though i had just told him that i was type 2

 

[Kristin251]

I once got a call asking me to give blood. Told the lady I was type 1 diabetic and she replied 'Okay let me know if anything changes' hahaa x

OMG really???

 

[Auckland Canary]

it wasnt said directly to me but the other day in college a group of girls were sat next to me talking about their January diets and one of them hits out with
" you know id kill to have diabetes.. id welcome it with open arms"
honestly had to restrain myself from punching her and gong on a rant about DKA, ketones, hypos etc etc

My very overweight boss who is the same age as me came back from her doctors after having a blood test and seemed very disappointed that it had all been fine. She said "I was hoping to have at least something a bit wrong with me, you know like diabetes or something"

Despite her having a sister that is T2 and apparently having a lot of complications already and she is only in her early 40's she thinks it would be fun or something. She's one of those people that thinks she understands what the condition is about and always says things like "Keep the cake away from Mr Canary, we don't want to send him into a diabetic coma" I'm T1 and just have a bit more insulin to compensate for the piece of cake. It would be pretty funny if it wasn't so sad.

 

[pinewood]

My very overweight boss who is the same age as me came back from her doctors after having a blood test and seemed very disappointed that it had all been fine. She said "I was hoping to have at least something a bit wrong with me, you know like diabetes or something"

Despite her having a sister that is T2 and apparently having a lot of complications already and she is only in her early 40's she thinks it would be fun or something. She's one of those people that thinks she understands what the condition is about and always says things like "Keep the cake away from Mr Canary, we don't want to send him into a diabetic coma" I'm T1 and just have a bit more insulin to compensate for the piece of cake. It would be pretty funny if it wasn't so sad.

Eurgh, that's disgusting. What is wrong with some people? I get the "keep the cake" away etc. comments all the time and try not to let it annoy me. I do feel, at work especially, that everyone is looking on in shock as if I'm killing myself if I ever treat myself to a cake or sweet treat. I shouldn't feel guilty since I can cover it perfectly with insulin, but some people just don't understand even if you explain it.

At a lunch meeting the other week where there were sandwiches etc. out to enjoy I got a very patronising "gosh, this lunch must be your idea of a nightmare, do you want to pop out and get a salad before the meeting starts, I'm sure there is time". I politely explained that I can still eat sandwiches because, by injecting insulin I can, just like a non-diabetic, cover the carbohydrates. Their response? "Really? You're braver than I am, I'd want to avoid going through the pain of injections so would just stick with salads".

 

[Auckland Canary]

Eurgh, that's disgusting. What is wrong with some people? I get the "keep the cake" away etc. comments all the time and try not to let it annoy me. I do feel, at work especially, that everyone is looking on in shock as if I'm killing myself if I ever treat myself to a cake or sweet treat. I shouldn't feel guilty since I can cover it perfectly with insulin, but some people just don't understand even if you explain it.

At a lunch meeting the other week where there were sandwiches etc. out to enjoy I got a very patronising "gosh, this lunch must be your idea of a nightmare, do you want to pop out and get a salad before the meeting starts, I'm sure there is time". I politely explained that I can still eat sandwiches because, by injecting insulin I can, just like a non-diabetic, cover the carbohydrates. Their response? "Really? You're braver than I am, I'd want to avoid going through the pain of injections so would just stick with salads".

I'm on a pump now but even after over 30 years of injections I still found it the least troublesome aspect of the condition. Didn't bother me at all. Strange how people think it's the worst thing about the condition. If it was just a case of a few injections a day and then sailing into the sunset it really wouldn't be that bad, for me anyway.

 

[Wick55uk]

It's always "Oh so you can't eat or drink anything with sugar in it" but wait sugar is in everything .... so what there saying is I can't eat or drink anything and must stave

The worst two that have been said to me are: "So you don't have an illness then" .... They need to check the medical books to see that it is, "If we have kids together there's a chance I can get it from you" ..... It's not a sexually transmitted

Why won't people think before they ask or do things ?

 

[Matthew-G-Bell]

I once got a call asking me to give blood. Told the lady I was type 1 diabetic and she replied 'Okay let me know if anything changes' hahaa x

Oh dear haha

 

[smag3]

Funny, and you're not even fat!

 

[mibby]

My 80-year-old mother phones me up about once every two weeks to ask if I am taking the new "cure" for diabetes that she has read about in the Daily Express.

The Express seems to find a cure for diabetes every time it runs out of things to write about immigrants or Princess Diana...

 

[RuthW]

The standard response to any illness or suffering in Turkish (I live in Istanbul) is "geçmiş olsun" which means, "may it pass soon." When I realized what it meant literally, I protested. When it passes, I'll be dead. It's tantamount to saying, "Oh dear, drop dead!"

 

[RuthW]

I get, "You can eat this (bulgur/pastry/couscous/rice/potato salad, etc). It hasn't got any sugar in it." I can say "carbohydrate" in many languages. I can even explain it. It doesn't mean most people can grasp the idea.

 

[Gaztheoldpunk]

Apparently I don't look like a diabetic.... why? What does one look like?? Oh, and "are you an uppy or a downy?"............eh???

 

[Auckland Canary]

My 80-year-old mother phones me up about once every two weeks to ask if I am taking the new "cure" for diabetes that she has read about in the Daily Express.

The Express seems to find a cure for diabetes every time it runs out of things to write about immigrants or Princess Diana...

What you've still got it then? There are definitely cures as I've also read about them, come on get with the program!

 

[mrspuddleduck]

Apparently I don't look like a diabetic.... why? What does one look like?? Oh, and "are you an uppy or a downy?"............eh???

Me too - apparently I don't look like a diabetic either! Obviously wearing the wrong clothes??….........

 

[Abzio_Cappuccino]

I think I may have an original... I was complaining that my time of the month was complicating my blood sugars to a male friend, and he said, "I guess loss of blood affects it, right?" I found that kind of amusing

 

[ACMH]

For me (and I am sure this has been mentioned before but there are 15 pages of comments to get through ) but the worst is "is it because he ate too much sugar?". My son is 3 and was diagnosed last year. Who would give a 3yo too much sugar anyway? Have you seen how hyperactive they get?!