• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Whats the most annoying thing people say about diabetes?

The most annoying thing, for me, is the constant 'eating too much fat/sugar/being overweight will cause diabetes' that can be found in magazines, radio, television :***: Therefore; I have type 1, I've had it since I was in my teens, but to the general ignorant public, it's because I eat too much sugar/fat/ I don't exercise.
 
"type 1 diabetes... Is that the one where you cant eat sugar or is type 1 when you don't have enough so have to eat sugar" grrrr so many people ask this!
 
People trying to give advice on what I should and shouldn't be eating informed only by the word "zucker" (=sugar) in "zuckerkrank".
 
It's not so much what they say but more to do with after three years of sticking lancets in my fingers, reading up technical documents, going to surgeries, eating to my meter and walking every morning my friends all seem to know more about the subject than I do.

As is said above. Apparently being a fat slob causes diabetes. I didn't know that.
 
I have heard the following comment several times since my daughter's diagnosis (only a month ago) 'At least she's got it while she's young, much easier to adapt'. Or even 'well, she's lucky she's so young, it's so much easier for kids'.

Really hate hearing that.
 
When my sugars are low 'do you need more insulin'
Really are you trying to kill me?
Though tv really doesn't help, saw a program over week where a type 1 boy was having an hypo, the medic said I have given him orange juice and biscuit to help until the insulin kicks in !!!!!
Really where do they get the info from
 
Hi. I've been lucky as most of the comments I've had have been sensible such as 'I don't know much about diabetes' or 'are you on insulin', or 'are you just on tablets' etc. The most annoying comments have been in my local surgery e.g. as an underweight 'T2' and having lost weight at diagnosis my GP having just weighed me said 'great you've lost weight carry on the good work'
 
People who insist on telling me they or their best friend knows all about nutrition and that we all definitely MUST eat carbs for energy otherwise we'll keel over.

Doesn't seem to sink in when I tell them that when I ate carbs I had ZERO energy, gastric problems and couldn't breathe, yet when I don't eat carbs my tummy is calm, I have energy and don't wake up wheezing in the morning. For some reason they can understand about coeliacs needing to avoid gluten yet they can't understand about some diabetics needing to avoid carbs. :roll:

I don't really bother discussing my diabetes with anyone now. I don't expect people to know how diabetes works ... I didn't have a clue myself until I was diagnosed with it and I suspect most people don't read up on or study the ins and outs of any medical conditions unless they have good reason to, so there's no point blaming people for their ignorance really as we diabetics are probably just as ignorant about other people's medical conditions.

About 35 years ago, the only experience I had with diabetes was when a woman staggered into the estate agency where I worked and asked me for a cup of sugared water because she was diabetic and needed a sugary drink quickly. She looked like she was about to lose consciousness, she had all the appearances of being drunk but I got a strong smell of pear drops from her breath and I'd read about that in my First Aid book, so I got the sugar water she asked for and sat with her while she drank it. I hadn't a clue what I was doing, but I felt if she was diabetic that she must know what she needed. She recovered in the office after about 20 minutes, thanked me and left.
 
carb-counting-mum said:
I have heard the following comment several times since my daughter's diagnosis (only a month ago) 'At least she's got it while she's young, much easier to adapt'. Or even 'well, she's lucky she's so young, it's so much easier for kids'.

Really hate hearing that.
Click to expand...

I still get that now!!! I was 6 years old when I was diagnosed I'm now 30 I still have people say "you're so lucky you got it so young" how am I lucky? I got chuffing diabetes! That's an annoying one.

I've also had the "oh you're diabetic? That's where you need to eat sugar isn't it?" Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh NO!!!

Another one which makes me want to tear my hair out is "my nanny/grandad is diabetic they eat cakes (etc) so you can too" hmm my response "are they on insulin or tablets? " EVERY TIME "they're on tablets" people are so unaware of the difference between types 1 & 2 it's unreal :-?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using DCUK Forum mobile app
 
The words of "have you eaten?" :evil:

I hear this 'often' at clinics I attend and also from my own family too!
Why are they obsessed that I have to eat ????
Could be as everytime I have had a hypo - its my own fault
with not eating enough to cover the insulin :oops:

Know they all mean well - but it still irritates ...

Anna.
 
When in the clinic or gp surgery they ask me what my sugar level is. Im always like hmmmmmm do you mean now, in the morning or after yesterday's dinner? It can be from 3 up to 20!
 
JConnor said:
When my sugars are low 'do you need more insulin'
Really are you trying to kill me?
Though tv really doesn't help, saw a program over week where a type 1 boy was having an hypo, the medic said I have given him orange juice and biscuit to help until the insulin kicks in !!!!!
Really where do they get the info from
Click to expand...
Well, there might be a kernel of truth to that: Wikipedia calls diabetic coma a "medial dilemma" since it can be caused by both hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. When you cannot test, your best bet is to give glucose first (or, more realistically a glucagon injection), followed by insulin if there is no reaction - glucose will rapidly improve hypoglycaemia without making hyperglycaemia much worse.
What's more, glucose IV (or food) as well insulin is used in the treatment of DKA.

Inevitably, this got confused by non-expert writers, or intentionally dumbed down for the audience (who'll may have heard of insulin only). Let's just hope that no one gets killed by "helpful" bystanders applying this "knowledge" in a real emergency.
 
anna29 said:
The words of "have you eaten?" :evil:

I hear this 'often' at clinics I attend and also from my own family too!
Why are they obsessed that I have to eat ????
Could be as everytime I have had a hypo - its my own fault
with not eating enough to cover the insulin :oops:
Know they all mean well - but it still irritates ...

Anna.
Click to expand...

I agree there Anna. If I happen to say to my Mum nowadays, 'when do you want to have lunch?' if we are out somewhere she says 'oh we ought to have something soon as YOU NEED TO EAT' bless her. I spent about 10 minutes the other day trying to convince her that if I had got my insulin right for my previous meal and my 2 hour levels were okay then most of the time I would be reasonably alright for hours. I know I am still learning (5 months down the line) and each day is confusingly different even with the same foods, you feel under scrutiny all the time in case you are going to keel over!!

Also a fellow diabetic telling me 'I didn't look diabetic!' as I was skinny.

Regards
Angie
 
When healthcare professionals refer to people with diabetes as 'the diabetic'.....erm i think you mean the person with diabetes! We are still human beings & should never be defined by a disease process!! Even seen posters & paperwork saying,'' is the patient a diabetic...'' May sound petty but drives me mad.....aaaargh!! x
 
It's when they ask "do you have to inject?" to which I reply "yes" then they say "how many times a day?" And I reply " oh, several, depending on what and when I eat" then they say, and this is the MOST annoying thing.. " Ohhh, you have it bad then!" Grrrrr, no I just have it!
 
I hate the fact people say it's the "lifestyle" disease. Like I deserve it cos I like pastries or chocolate. Certainly a stigma attached to late onset diabetes !
 
When people learn I have type 1 and say 'ooh isnt that the worst type of diabetes?'. I always turn round and say ' no all types are bad-at least I can eat anything in moderation and have injection to cope'-type 1, type 2 etc .. None are easy...
 
Back
Top