Why do some people not take T2 serious

I had a friend who apparently understood and even provided alternatives when I ate at their house, until I turned up one day for a meal shared with several others to find she hadn't. I ate hardly anything apart from the green bits in the salad and she got annoyed, telling me a GP at her surgery had been diagnosed, done low carb plus loads of exercise for a few months and could now eat anything again.
This was harder than all the ones who ignored my explanation about T2 and offered cake and chocolate every time.

Hi.

totally agree with this. Not just Christmas Day either. At one gathering I went to with puddings and pastries to eat, the host joked can’t I just have another injection or something, not that I inject anyway. Another person said in a loud voice, we’re being good over here, as if I wasn’t eating them because I was trying to lose weight. I love sweet stuff and have binge eating disorder, so having none was and is very difficult for me. I think normally I would have had one of the plainer pastries, but being put on another medication a couple of weeks before and Christmas coming, I was trying really hard to keep my sugars under control in the run up. I didn’t conform, but I could have done without these comments from friends, believe me.

then at Christmas I received 3 boxes of chocolates. One from my brother who is type 1 diabetic, and I always get them from him. I live alone and find it so difficult keeping my sweet tooth under control. Going to try and give them to friends but they are usually inundated. But yea, if I was alcoholic I doubt I would be given a bottle of wine. That would not have been acceptable. Sweets/chocolates for a diabetic isn’t seen like that, just as food addiction isn’t taken as seriously. All wrong!

just agreeing! That’s all!

The problem overall, is that in most cases, the T2 patient has been bombarded since young to eat healthy food.
This healthy food is mostly full of carbs. It is very difficult to change your mindset when even your doctor or dsn tells you to keep eating healthy carbs! For a T2, that is not going to change anything. We have been told to trust our GPS from young!
And of course, doctor Google is never right!

Keep safe.

I may get slated here but to be fair 1 chocolate a day isn't going to cause great harm in the scheme of things, many Type 2's have a small treat here and there, I have seen many a posts where a diabetic will wonder why their sugars are a bit up and down and they don't understand why as they have given up on sugar then go on to mention a pretty carb heavy diet so some aren't even aware of the full picture themselves, your family members don't mean you any harm and we are all individual and tolerate different things

The effects are usually chronic rather than acute, and people tend to think the one thing won't make much of a difference. Carbs are addictive and some people easily get into trouble - just have one it won't hurt underestimates the addictive effect.

I tell anyone that I am going to be eating with that I don’t eat carbs esp the starches which I explain are any form of bread, potatoes, rice or pasta because they send my BG soaring. Its usually ok except when we choose somewhere for lunch (hasnt happened often since the pandemic) I won’t agree to certain chains (Noodles, pizza, pasta, etc) and often choose Cotes where I have some choice. I have now reached an age where I am not doing something harmful to myself because it inconveniences someone else. The best line I find is “I am effectively allergic to carbs and if I had a nut allergy I wouldn’t go anywhere near them”. It used to be the same with coeliac which people used to confuse with wheat free (perceived as just being cranky) which is just not the same thing at all. Tbf most of the people I know now accept my eating requirements.
We did get some chocolates for Christmas and biscuits but they are destined for the food bank hopefully a birthday smile for someone.

daffy1 said:

Ive been T2 for approx 12 years and must admit at the beginning looked on it more as an inconvenience rather than a serious illness but as time went on I realised the serious side effects. One of my freinds husband has severe neuropathy and needs crutches and morphine to control the pain and a neighbour lost his foot to T2 My daughters take it seriously but other family members don’t seem to think it’s that serious and just that I don’t eat sugar
So why when I’ve received 2 huge boxes of chocolates for Christmas have they joked ‘oh that won’t do your sugars much good’. Ive told them all for years about not buying me chocolates or sweet things .
If I was alcoholic I’m sure they wouldn’t buy me a bottle of whiskey and joke that it wouldn’t do my liver any good. But year upon year I tell them I’ll give my grandkids the chocs and they still don’t listen.
I really think some serious advertising needs to be done to educate the public of the consequences of this disease. Rant over now

Click to expand...

Hi,

Two ideas come to mind. Gift em back the following year..

Or do a "Mrs Doyle" from father Ted? Put these bad boys in a bowl for when they visit, then offer em up..
You can set up your own "point scoring" system for how many you get them to neck? "Ah, go on go on, go on... Go on.

Like @kaylz91 my thought may not be popular.

Whilst the gifter may appear insensitive, I think it is very rude to return gifts or complain about them to the gifter.
It is a challenge to find appropriate gifts. Some people are better at gifting than others some people are difficult to buy for. So how about providing more suggestions or help if you are one of the people who don’t enjoy “traditional” gifts like chocolate (or flowers or jewellery or …)?
Instead of complaining, how about asking (or dropping hints) for nuts or cheese next year?

Unfortunately, many people do not understand diabetes so I would rather blame the ignorance of the media (or education) than whinge about someone who has been kind enough to go to the effort of buying a present for me.

In Response said:

Like @kaylz91 my thought may not be popular.

Whilst the gifter may appear insensitive, I think it is very rude to return gifts or complain about them to the gifter.
It is a challenge to find appropriate gifts. Some people are better at gifting than others some people are difficult to buy for. So how about providing more suggestions or help if you are one of the people who don’t enjoy “traditional” gifts like chocolate (or flowers or jewellery or …)?
Instead of complaining, how about asking (or dropping hints) for nuts or cheese next year?

Unfortunately, many people do not understand diabetes so I would rather blame the ignorance of the media (or education) than whinge about someone who has been kind enough to go to the effort of buying a present for me.

Click to expand...

@daffy1 appears to have been hinting for years...

In Response said:

I think it is very rude to return gifts or complain about them to the gifter.

Click to expand...

I think it's even more rude to continue giving chocolate after someone has expressly asked to not do so. The joking about her diabetes means they're perfectly aware of this too.
Very different from an honest mistake or having forgotten, which is a different situation altogether.

daffy1 said:

they joked ‘oh that won’t do your sugars much good’. Ive told them all for years about not buying me chocolates or sweet things

Click to expand...

I always think if someone has made it plain that they do not want a foodstuff as a gift because it acts like a poison to them or is liable to affect them negatively in some way, then why buy it for them, however 'well intentioned'? Would we buy a person who has struggled to give up cigarettes a packet of them?, or a person with a known nut allergy a packet of nuts?, or a gluten intolerance person a cake full of gluten? I agree with others that when a person does this knowingly and treats it casually it really does show complete ignorance or lack of care or concern on their behalf. It's different if the person had no knowledge of a person's specific health condition, then the gift would be accepted and hurriedly given away or the giver told very gently that it's a great gift...but it will make me violently ill...or words to that effect of course! I think diabetes is just about the one and only condition where people think it's appropriate to make light of a serious situation.

Edited to add, written after the above post! Snap.

For those tempted or made to feel guilty and eat the gifts, please either regift them or throw them out. There's a saying on lots of the addiction and weight loss sites that "My body is not a bin, so why fill it with rubbish just because someone gave it you"

So true x

Antje77 said:

I think it's even more rude to continue giving chocolate after someone has expressly asked to not do so. The joking about her diabetes means they're perfectly aware of this too.
Very different from an honest mistake or having forgotten, which is a different situation altogether.

Click to expand...

I don’t disagree that it is rude to ignore someone’s repeated requests or to make light of something they consider serious but I was taught there is no excuse to be rude. I was taught there is no reason to stoop to someone else’s low levels.

Whilst the OP has mentioned their requests multiple times, the gifter has not heard. There may be many reasons for this including, but not limited to, ignorance and we are not in a position to judge the gifter based on their unwanted gifts.

As I previously mentioned, there needs to be better education regarding diabetes. From jokes about the condition to people experiencing complications due to not managing their own diabetes, it is clear the risks associated with diabetes are not well understood by most of society.

Food Banks welcome such gifts. Most donations are basic supplies, nothing wrong with that, but we do ask about birthdays or something, for example, when distributing the food, or give extra treats when we can as an extra for others.

Got to agree with @lucylocket61, give them to food banks etc. so they can brighten up someones day.

We gave any unwanted xmas presents we were given, to either the Salvos or St Vinnie shops when we used to give presents / cards which we stopped years ago.

There is a cognitive dissonance and mass group think about what is normal. Some like me just need the scare and the facts to change everything. Some don't care and wait for a diagnosis. Some don't know the facts and believe the mainstream dogma.

One of my neighbours is an ex-nurse with Type 2. "We" have talked to her and she has seen what I do, but she still literally eats crisps, cakes and fizzy drinks. She has had to wear a leg boot for charcot foot, has a wheelchair and an ambulance comes out around 3 to 4 times a year. I find this very upsetting that we have not been able to persuade her to take an alternative route.

I think people like Jen Unwin can help "hard cases", but I have watched 2 diabetes documentaries for reversal / remission of diabetes, with all of the food and mental support; even given these scenarios people were choosing to not be helped. I have learned not to judge, as I don't understand.

I got to admit. Back in 1979 approaching a chrismas break at school in an English class. A teacher who I once respected waltzed around the room offering a tin of quality street.. I respectfully declined. Then was barracked & shown up as a diabetic when she was turned down.. "WEll. If you expect me to give sweets to a DIABETIC!"
Edit; she didn't last that long in the job a short while later..

As an adult , touring with a rock band in Europe .. A fan offered to buy me a beer after a gig.. (Call it a gift.) Not only did I not need to have the hassle of bolusing for one. I was also "designated driver" back to the hotel for the rest of the band.. I was happy to drink with this guy. But requested it was a "Diet Coke." Or "Coke light" in that part of the world....

The response.. "Coke light???! Are you gay??!! Yes, I replied.. Just to avoid explaining the carb content & related other stuff injecting & driving on the right. Late at night. "Customer service" as a musician. Still on the "clock."

There are a lot of misunderstanding of the differences... Lucky for me. I managed to shrug these fools off from an early age..
I've seen far more than can be documented here...

It not about understanding the differences.. Just accept the difference.