Your a diabetic you can't have sugar

[leahkian]

This is one of my biggest problems with people who do not understand diabetes, When you tell tell them you are a diabetic and they say so you can't have sugar then, at times i have to walk away before i say some thing. Would these people say to someone in the army who had lost a leg, so you only need one shoe. NO they would not or if they seen someone with cancer who's hair had fallen out, so you won't need any shampoo NO. So why do they think we cannot have sugar have we a big sign that says no sugar allowed. I am not trying to upset anyone who knows someone who has lost leg or has cancer, i am just using it as a example( my father has had polio since he was 3 and my mother had cancer in which most of her belly was taken away so i would not want to upset anyone)

 

[Grateful]

In my opinion public knowledge of diabetes (I am not sure what type you are by the way) is not just zero, but negative, i.e. actually wrong most of the time.

For that matter that was a perfect description of me when I was diagnosed.

Impossible to go through the mountain of stuff that I did not understand. But I think it started with the fact that I had never understood what a "carbohydrate" is, nor how all those "healthy" foods (rice, pasta, bread, potatos, etc.) are to all intents and purposes equivalent to what the general public calls "sugar" but they don't know it.

 

[miszu]

Well... Its true..? I mean sugar does bad to us indeed.
People who are not associated with diabetes dont really know much about this condition which is sad, but we diabetics dont know about so many other diseases too right? So its natural. When someone asks me even a silly question I know they ask because they r curious, worried so I might just take some time to educate them. Will not hurt anyone.

 

[Grateful]

@leahkian if you are Type 1 (and I don't know whether you are) then indeed, the idea that you are not "allowed" sugar makes no general sense. So I guess context matters. As a diet-controlled Type 2, the stereotype is not wrong ("no sugar for you") except that the public doesn't understand that the issue is "carbohydrates" and not just the stuff that comes out of a Tate & Lyle box.

 

[Guzzler]

There are a lot of misconceptions about Diabetes but then, there are a lot of misconceptions about every other condition. You can take the opportunity to educate or you can choose to ignore and move on.

 

[pleinster]

As a Type 2, I would be quite glad if someone assumed I can't take sugar. At least they are less likely to offer me a cup of tea full of the stuff...or look surprised when I turn down sticky buns and biscuits. I absolutely avoid sugar..and would be nuts not to. Of course it doesn't exactly mean it's against the law; I am "allowed" to eat it - I am also "allowed" to smoke 100 fags a day and drink a bottle of whisky every day...but I don't as that too would be extremely harmful and plain stupid ! I only wish people (particularly food manufacturers and supermarkets) were also aware/interested that most carbohydrates in general are best avoided too (if i want to control my blood sugar levels...particularly if not on medication by choice) as they effectively turn to sugar in the blood. Of course, I can't speak for Type 1s...and not all Type 2s would agree with me either but for me - I don't allow myself sugar... and while someone being rather simplistic in saying "ah you can't eat sugar then" at least gets that part.

 

[CherryAA]

In general terms I would use these kind of interactions to spread the word and depending on context of how irritating they were being would be whether I was being actually helpful or just annoying in terms of how I explained it lol and say something like -

Well that's true, I don't eat sugar but that's because its poisonous for everyone. The difference is that I know about it now and unfortunately most people just don't . It often manifests somewhere in terms of a disease, just that for me I know where that is, for many people it strikes in other less obvious ways . I personally choose to remove all sugars from my diet - including the things that you wouldn't normally see as sugar- ie all the refined foods full of gunk. As such my diagnosis has done wonders for my health ! ( then depending on how obnoxious they have been - enjoy your chicken nuggets etc lol )

 

[Robbieswan]

Social bottom feeders like myself had no clue of what diabetes entailed. Ignorant and arrogant was I. It won't happen to me, " My wings are like a shield of steel " ( quote Batfink ), but it has affected me, there is a chink in my armour, and now I'm not allowed sugar. It's a sweeping statement that is a direct association with diabetes, and one that, in most part is true. Unless they know anyone with the disease, you can't possibly ask them to understand it all. Hell, I've had this a month now and even I don't understand it.

 

[Diakat]

@Robbieswan - Batfink always welcome!

Actually sometimes I need sugar - pesky hypos.

 

[mytype1.life]

@leahkian, yep totally agree with you. I seem to get one extreme or the other... perception that I can't eat anything nice or perception that if 'it won't hurt, have a treat'

There's also the scenario where non diabetic people think they've got it right... this week made me laugh a little.

My manager tends to buy Krispy Kreme donuts for the monthly team meeting which I do no way. He knows I'm diabetic as I we talk about it a fair bit. This month he brought donuts and grapes and bananas thinking I'd be fun. Again I avoided them because I know the spikes both grapes and bananas cause me.

 

[Robbieswan]

@Robbieswan - Batfink always welcome!

Actually sometimes I need sugar - pesky hypos.

Gotta love a bit of Batfink.

 

[VioletViolet]

Gotta love a bit of Batfink.

Ha! Used to love Batfink too! Shows our age tho

 

[leahkian]

To reply to everyone i was type 1 for 36 years but am on a break due to a pancreas and kidney transplant in 2015. My main care is in Newcastle but the powers that be say i must go to my local hospital if i need care, this is north Durham. The normal thin is i go there they do not want me as as i have had a transplant, so they phone my transplant team and get moved. One time there was no beds for me so i had to stop in my local hospital for 2 days, now comes the fun part the nurses came in and asked about my insulin, to which i told them i was no longer a diabetic. They said i was and went for a doctor who was about to order a drip to be put up, i told him about my transplant and showed him my scar. He said there was no record of this in my notes, so i phoned my transplant team and asked them to explain, to which they did.Then they would come in and ask me what they should do, so i said phone newcastle. Even when i got my menu it was a diabetic menu and when there was a shift change some were saying i was a diabetic and others not. This did not stop them from doing my BS every hour, there is a blood test that you have before you take your morning meds, they took it 2 times but lost one of the bottles and put the blood in the wrong bottle. Then i was moved to Newcastle i was bad but even i had to laugh that in the space of 6 weeks i had a transplant and went back to being a diabetic but the best part was they told my team i was difficult because i was not happy about getting my BS done every hour!!! So it proved that even in hospital with a 10 inch scar and a transplant team telling them i was not a diabetic that some of the staff did not no. Now when i go in to my local hospital they cannot send me to Newcastle fast enough.

 

[pleinster]

To reply to everyone i was type 1 for 36 years but am on a break due to a pancreas and kidney transplant in 2015. My main care is in Newcastle but the powers that be say i must go to my local hospital if i need care, this is north Durham. The normal thin is i go there they do not want me as as i have had a transplant, so they phone my transplant team and get moved. One time there was no beds for me so i had to stop in my local hospital for 2 days, now comes the fun part the nurses came in and asked about my insulin, to which i told them i was no longer a diabetic. They said i was and went for a doctor who was about to order a drip to be put up, i told him about my transplant and showed him my scar. He said there was no record of this in my notes, so i phoned my transplant team and asked them to explain, to which they did.Then they would come in and ask me what they should do, so i said phone newcastle. Even when i got my menu it was a diabetic menu and when there was a shift change some were saying i was a diabetic and others not. This did not stop them from doing my BS every hour, there is a blood test that you have before you take your morning meds, they took it 2 times but lost one of the bottles and put the blood in the wrong bottle. Then i was moved to Newcastle i was bad but even i had to laugh that in the space of 6 weeks i had a transplant and went back to being a diabetic but the best part was they told my team i was difficult because i was not happy about getting my BS done every hour!!! So it proved that even in hospital with a 10 inch scar and a transplant team telling them i was not a diabetic that some of the staff did not no. Now when i go in to my local hospital they cannot send me to Newcastle fast enough.

What a carry on...almost a Carry On movie if it wasn't so stressful for you ! I had a kidney transplant in Edinburgh but now live in an area covered by Glasgow's Health Board...I have been fortunate that the communication is generally pretty good. My comedy moment is in being diagnosed with Type 2 as a result on steroids as part of my anti-rejection treatment. If we don't laugh, we go mad, eh ?

 

[Daibell]

I always try to turn comments like this into an opportunity to educate the person. It's not their fault there is so much ignorance about both diabetes and sugar. I believe in the UK it used to be called 'sugar diabetes' hence the reason people assume sugar is banned. The other problem about carbs is the total madness in the food industry ref EU food labelling. On the front of food packages carbs aren't listed but only sugar; you have to look at the back of the package. A year ago I complained to McDonalds that they had stopped listing carbs on the burger pack and only sugar. They told me they were now following EU labelling regulations; a great step backwards. At least their tray sheets list everything.

 

[Robbity]

@leahkian if you are Type 1 (and I don't know whether you are) then indeed, the idea that you are not "allowed" sugar makes no general sense. So I guess context matters. As a diet-controlled Type 2, the stereotype is not wrong ("no sugar for you") except that the public doesn't understand that the issue is "carbohydrates" and not just the stuff that comes out of a Tate & Lyle box.

It actually took me a few weeks to cotton on to the fact that I should also avoid carbs after beng diagnosed and just being told to avoid sugary food, so I feel that comments about not having sugar for me as a T2 are not all that unreasonable.(Particularly as @Daibell said, it was called "sugar diabetes" due to sugar in diabetic urine, and the name diabetes mellitus also reflects this and is derived from the latin word mel meaning honey )

However it's a much more reasonable and logical assumption to make than, and this is from a husband who thinks he knows more about my low carb diet than me, - quote: You can have added sugar in your food as there's less of it....

Robbity

 

[Mbaker]

What a carry on...almost a Carry On movie if it wasn't so stressful for you ! I had a kidney transplant in Edinburgh but now live in an area covered by Glasgow's Health Board...I have been fortunate that the communication is generally pretty good. My comedy moment is in being diagnosed with Type 2 as a result on steroids as part of my anti-rejection treatment. If we don't laugh, we go mad, eh ?

What is going on, I keep hearing of persons getting Type 2 via steroids (this happened to my friend) and in the last year this is the 4th time I have heard of this link - does anyone know the incidence ratio of using steroids and getting Type 2.

 

[Brunneria]

What is going on, I keep hearing of persons getting Type 2 via steroids (this happened to my friend) and in the last year this is the 4th time I have heard of this link - does anyone know the incidence ratio of using steroids and getting Type 2.

I think it depends hugely on duration and dosage of the steroids.
Some people have short term courses of steroids, are weaned off them, and never have them again.
Others are on steroids for months, years or for the rest of their lives.

We have had posters who have developed steroid induced diabetes who then reverse, but this could be through reduction/removal of steroids, weight loss, dietary management, etc. etc.

I think everyone is different, both in risk factors and in reaction to the steroids themselves.

 

[Mbaker]

I think it depends hugely on duration and dosage of the steroids.
Some people have short term courses of steroids, are weaned off them, and never have them again.
Others are on steroids for months, years or for the rest of their lives.

We have had posters who have developed steroid induced diabetes who then reverse, but this could be through reduction/removal of steroids, weight loss, dietary management, etc. etc.

I think everyone is different, both in risk factors and in reaction to the steroids themselves.

Thanks, I would hope (but don't hold much faith) that those prescribed steroids are warned of this potential massive side affect; I was not warned about the possible side affect of Metformin on kidney function and saw my number on Metformin go to the low end of normal, when off it, went back up. Clearly steroids work, but I would want to know the risks to make an informed choice, I think this would also help the gym buffs who use this drug in a not so healthy way to generally know what can happen.

 

[Goacher55]

I get really huffed when people call it sugar