Am I supposed to get angry and explode with rage every time I hear an incorrect comment about diabetes?
Am I supposed to bring to a hault an incorrect comment about diabetes, and politely correct that comment with fact?
Or should I just stand there and listen to the umpteenth diabetes joke, having done both of the aforementioned more times than I can keep track of, and accept that I’m never going to be able to change other people’s pre-conceived perceptions of diabetes?
The latter is sounding like the more tempting of these options lately.
I’m not really a fan of seeing rage ensue over an inaccurate comment about type 1 diabetes. I don’t think anyone should be crucified for a mistake, unless of course they fail to see any sign of wrongdoing.
I knew absolutely nothing about diabetes in the first seventeen years of my life without it. I get it. When I first heard the words ‘diabetes’ in the Emergency Room, my whole body flooded with guilt as I thought about every bag of chips, plate of ice cream and can of soft drink that I enjoyed as a kid.
I later learned that I had type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition whereby an unknown trigger caused the insulin producing cells in my body to begin attacking themselves. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is a condition whereby the body becomes resistant to insulin over time and often has more definitive causes. These can include age, genetics, ethnicity and sometimes lifestyle choices.
I’ve lost track of how many times I have explained the concept of type 1 diabetes to some of the people around me. And hey, I don’t mind being asked about it. I sure as hell don’t mind explaining it.
But you would think that being around someone who manages type 1 diabetes all the time might help you to at least not make those jokes about ‘instant diabetes.’
Yet, these comments still ensue right in front of me during conversations about that mouth watering, sugar laden dessert that was served at the dinner table last night.
Or, on the other end of the spectrum, this.
You can't reverse type 1 diabetes!!!! Wellness coaches claiming to "reverse diabetes" obviously know SFA about the different types of diabetes. #justsayin
— Once Diabetes (@MelindaSeedT1D) March 6, 2018
This is where I throw my hands up in the air, and accept that life’s too short to let the ‘instant diabetes’ jokes bother me.
The triple chocolate Flake birthday cake I made a few weeks ago that is most definitely not a cause of diabetes!
I whole heartedly agree with you frank! I don’t feel right about getting angry at a person who was very much like me before diagnosis. Deep down people are good and want to know.
Exactly! Or getting angry at a matter of ignorance that didn’t happen to me personally.