Welcome back to The Poetic Diabetic!<\/p>\n
Is it just me, or does everyone have the same two reactions when they learn you have diabetes? They typically say \u201cEat less sugar\u201d or \u201cMy grandfather\u2019s niece\u2019s cousin\u2019s hairdresser has diabetes\u201d. It\u2019s always one of those two, I feel. Both are sort of demoralizing for their own reasons. In this article, I want to outline why some common responses can be unintentionally hurtful to a type 1 diabetic and what people could say instead.<\/p>\n
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One comment I think every type 1 diabetic has gotten in their lifetime is, \u201cyou should eat (thing) to cure your diabetes\u201d. This supposed miracle cure is based on misinformation and confusion. While people\u2019s hearts are in the right place when they say, \u201chave you tried eating cinnamon\u201d, they fail to realize the distinct difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Even if their advice is well intentioned, it may be interpreted wrong for others. Instead of trying to propose holistic cures, it may be more thoughtful for people to ask about diabetes and learn about possible cures and treatments. I would much rather inform people about diabetic treatments than have them misinform me, and I believe that sentiment is one that many diabetics share.<\/p>\n
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Another common response when people first meet a person with diabetes is, \u201cyou shouldn\u2019t eat (thing); it\u2019ll harm your diabetes\u201d. These people have the same genuine intentions, but they also have the same misinformation. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong illness that requires constant management. A diabetic would never forget that they had diabetes when eating a slice of pizza. They\u2019ve likely already taken the appropriate action to be able to eat what they\u2019re planning to. This is an illness that diabetics constantly live with; they most definitely have better judgment regarding what they can and can\u2019t eat.<\/p>\n
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Finally, there are the people who talk about how someone they know also has diabetes, meaning they understand how diabetics feel. In most cases, I find that they know someone who has type 2 diabetes and not type 1. As people with type 1 are aware, type 1 does not equal type 2. \u00a0Diabetes is a difficult lifelong illness that requires 24\/7 attention and WORK, whether type 1 or type 2<\/strong>. However, the management is different for everyone, and for me, I don\u2019t have a single day when I\u2019m not actively thinking about how to manage my illness. I don\u2019t have a single night where I\u2019m not worried about being woken up in the middle of the night by blaring alarms (glucose monitors) telling me to treat my illness. I understand why people talk about diabetic people they know. They\u2019re trying to relate to people who have this illness. It\u2019s one of those things that\u2019s difficult to relate to, however. Diabetes is a constant worry and stress for me and for others, where a wrong move can lead to hospitalization or even worse cases. I think it would be best for people not to assume they understand diabetes through one lens, and I strongly believe people should be more aware of the distinction. Though I appreciate the thoughtfulness, I would like to inform people of what my reality looks like, instead of being compared to someone else\u2019s management and reality. Everyone is different, which means everyone\u2019s interpretations are also different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well-intentioned friends can avoid these painful pitfalls, though. The most important thing is to recognize how difficult and intensive diabetic treatment can be. People who talk about understanding diabetes thanks to their sibling or cousin or whoever are often surprised when I tell them about the hours of work I put in per week and the constant worry I have over my diabetes. I\u2019d also personally welcome an informative discussion about diabetes. While I\u2019m quick to shut down people spreading misinformation about diabetes, I\u2019m always willing to educate people about this disease and my experience with it. That\u2019s the whole reason I started this blog, after all. That\u2019s all I have to say for today! From one diabetic to another, see you later!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And remember, keep checking your blood glucose, you\u2019re doing a good job!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n Oliver Shane<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome back to The Poetic Diabetic! Is it just me, or does everyone have the same two reactions when they learn you have diabetes? They typically say \u201cEat less sugar\u201d or \u201cMy grandfather\u2019s niece\u2019s cousin\u2019s hairdresser has diabetes\u201d. It\u2019s always…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1317,"featured_media":5080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"publish_on_app_meta":"True","iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":"","bt1d_storytelling_post":false,"bt1d_storytelling_more_posts":[]},"topics":[122,20],"class_list":["post-5161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","jdrf_topic-awareness","jdrf_topic-general"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n