• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

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

Just reveals the sheer ignorance of people! I was allowed to stay off evening shifts in work as it really messed with my meals and insulin etc so when a girl in work was told this she looks at me and says, "oh my goodness youre so lucky to have diabetes." Yes.... so so lucky lol
 
Work colleagues (I work for the NHS
) - she's having a hypo because she hasn't taken her insulin.
My boss - doesn't understand that I can have 'units' of insulin and thinks I have to have something ridiculous like 10 separate injections to eat a sweet.
Elderly lady at work - why would you choose to put up with your diabetes if you just gave up sugar you'd be cured
Friends - I don't believe in type 1 they just tell you that so you don't feel bad because you've eaten too much sugar and caused your illness there's no way you just don't produce insulin naturally
Gp receptionist - I don't seem to see jelly babies on your prescription
 
@Kat.2008 Some of those are so bad that I hope you educated them! I'm particularly thinking of the hypo/insulin one. When I was first diagnosed, I heard a guy in the radio saying that if he saw a diabetic having a hypo he'd help them by giving them some insulin! That still terrifies me to this day - that some ignorant person would 'help' me with insulin.

I'd have educated the person who didn't understand Type 1 was an auto immune disease too!
 
A new one for me today. This from a type 2 who should know better, "it's all right for you, all you do is take your insulin and everything is ok".
 
Hi

Friend; but I don't know what's in that injection of yours I don't want drugs in my house.

Me; it's insulin this is the cartridge sealed with insulin in it. You can't put anything else in there. It wouldn't work. Insulin is not a drug I need it to stay alive

Friend; yeah but I don't know you could have put anything in there

Me; *** I give up
 
Someone once asked me if had the same type as her aunt, it wouldn't be so stupid if her aunt hadn't pregnancy diabetes and me being male. I think i said something down the lines of "yes, but i'll be cured as soon as i have an abortion."
 
I'm always surprised at how many people ask if I still have diabetes!
Also I hate when someone says 'you can't eat that'
Always sends me off into a rant about the fact I can eat anything they can eat, only difference is I give my own insulin manually.
 
I get annoyed when I do my blood sugars (discretely) and someone automatically assumes I'm doing it because I'm in some sort of trouble. No it's just maintenance thank you. And then it's followed up with my nan had .... And you know you are going to find out how many toes she has got left.
I've had from a diabetes registrar years ago, are you sure you are type 1 because you are too old?
 
All type we die at 20. Well known medical fact
 
Diakat said:
Made me mad too, but did not want to spark a "type" war.
Click to expand...

It's anyone who makes that type of flippant remark and I understand why you didn't want to reply, it's just not worth the hassle. But, maybe the person had things going on in their life and just 'hit out' ?
 
Robinredbreast said:
It's anyone who makes that type of flippant remark and I understand why you didn't want to reply, it's just not worth the hassle. But, maybe the person had things going on in their life and just 'hit out' ?
Click to expand...
You are most likely right. She has a high hbac1 recently and I think things are hitting home following a Desmond course.
 
Health insurance screening check 'do you still take insulin?' I did ask if there was an alternative?! Silence. I was tempted to add 'if you've found an alternative , you'll probably get a Nobel Prize!'
 
Once when I was in hospital for panc issue, before becoming diabetic my BG was always around about 5, the usual testing every hour, BP, Sats etc and BG test. Half a sleep I stuck my hand out for testing to be done. BG 3.8. Nurse freaked out, your hypo where are your sweets, what do you treat your hypos with, me I'm not diabetic, I haven't eaten today, I will be fine when I have breakfast, no, she brought me a sugary tea and Bourbon biscuits, stood over me while I ate them, which took ages as I wasn't hungry, don't drink tea and if I did it wouldnt have sugar in it. On the morning hand over she said I had a treated hypo, nurse taking over said but she isn't diabetic. She couldn't get her head round why I had to have BG tests done (we knew it would happen due to panc damage)
It was over a year later I became diabetic, with a hyper.
 
diagnosed 15 years ago, during one of my first hypos was staying at my aunts house, and instead of letting me get on with fixing the hypo she insisted I stick my head through an open window for some fresh air
 
My son is 19 now,but when i was pregnant and in the maternity ward,a midwife told me that my 2.8 bs was good.My mum was not impressed!
Also i think the fact that people think you need insulin when having a hypo is scary.My own mum took years to understand that one.I was diagnosed 40 years ago when i was 6.
 
I think the worst I've had is when a relative I hadn't seen in awhile said to me, "So, do you still have diabetes?" I wasn't in a great mood at the time so that just got on my last nerve.

So my sarcastic reply was, "Why, did you hear of a cure I haven't? Because otherwise, diabetes is an incureable disease. So obviously, yes, I still have it."

They looked rather embarassed at that point, and mumbled about what they really meant was, "How are you making out with your diabetes?" Then maybe you should have said that, right? The thing is, the person was an EMT for 10 years! You should know these kinds of things, or you're not going to be very good at your job!

Other than that kind of bullcrap from well-meaning relatives, anyone else you tell you have diabetes, they always have some horror story they feel the need to share with you. "My husband's mom's second aunt's grandchild's cousin had type 1 diabetes. She had 5 limbs amputated and 2 kidney transplants. It eventually killed her!" And when you ask how old they were when they died, usually the response is, "Oh, she was 95 years old!"

Sorry to tell you dude. She died of old age.
 
ChloeAlisha said:
Isn't diabetes when you eat too much sugar or if you're really obese? I get that one a lot -.-

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...
I gained some weight awhile back, and any time I told a medical professional I had diabetes, they assumed it was type 2 because of being overweight. I had to get something at one point (I can't remember what it was) at a pharmacy when I was on vacation, and when I said I was type 1, the pharmacist actually wanted PROOF that I was type 1! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at his stupidity.
 
Indiana91 said:
How about "you can't eat that!" When people see you eating something that isn't salad!

Indiana x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
That just makes me angry when people do that. Like they have any decision about what I put in my own body. I was diagnosed at age 10, and when I was about 11 one of my dad's "friends" came over. My mom had bought donuts and put them out on a serving plate. He picked up the plate, came over to where I was doing my homework, ran the plate under my face and said (in a sing songy way), "Don't you wish you could have one of these? You can't, cuz you're a di-a-bee-tee!" It was just upsetting and made me feel like ****. My mom was infuriated, took them away, and told him that now no one would get one - except me. So that meant none for his lard ass. He sat and drank his coffee very quietly while I happily took some insulin and munched on my donut in front of him!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…