10. \u201cGross.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nListen, I know. No one hates the invasive nature of diabetes more than people with diabetes themselves. The poking, the bleeding, the alcohol-swabbing, the insertion of metal objects into subcutaneous tissue. But we do it to survive, and when you call us out for disturbing your delicate sensibilities when we\u2019re just trying to juice up for a slice at the local pizzeria, it\u2019s not helping anyone. Maybe just look away, or go get another beer. Cheers!<\/p>\n
9.\u00a0\u201cAre you well controlled?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" "\\"enough-about-me-lets-talk-about-your-personal-health-issues\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI used to think it was just weird primary care physicians who asked this question, but a fellow person with diabetes actually posed this query to me at a barbeque a few weeks ago. First of all, \u201cwell controlled\u201d is different for everyone. Second of all, none of your beeswax. And third of all, if I say \u201cno,\u201d what kind of question are you going to ask me next? Let\u2019s talk about the weather, shall we?<\/p>\n
8.\u00a0\u201cAren\u2019t you worried about having kids?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nYes! The price of higher education is insane! Bullying in schools! Sleepless nights and breastfeeding drama! Climate change and \u2013 oh, you\u2019re talking about diabetes? Well, yeah. Probably every person with diabetes, female and otherwise, has worried about the effect of the disease on his or her future offspring. But it\u2019s another subject that\u2019s none of your business, and you expressing your concern only causes more stress, more worry, and more frequent urges to kick things. The truth is, people with diabetes conceive, carry and deliver healthy little peanuts all the time, and have been since the invention of insulin. The only person who\u2019s allowed to ask me this question is my obstetrician. On a good day.<\/p>\n
7.\u00a0\u201cCan you eat that?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs long as I still have functioning teeth, yes. Here, watch me chew.<\/p>\n
If and when you see a person with diabetes eating a cupcake or drinking a giant cup of juice or a gin and tonic, please consider the following possibilities:<\/p>\n
\n- That person\u2019s blood sugar is low, and she needs to eat to remain alive, conscious and healthy. Diabetes doesn\u2019t mean never eating sugar; it means balancing blood sugar levels with food, insulin, other medications, and exercise \u2013 and sometimes that necessitates a handful of jelly beans.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s a special occasion, and the person with diabetes has waited \u2013 and planned \u2013 all week to eat that ice cream cone. Don\u2019t ruin it for him.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s not a special occasion, and that person just wanted an ice cream cone. Trust that she knows \u2013 and tries \u2013 enough to keep herself healthy, even if there\u2019s ice cream or tequila involved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
6.\u00a0\u201cAt least it\u2019s manageable\/not cancer.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nExcellent point! Diabetes is manageable and people with diabetes can live long, wonderful lives. It\u2019s also a full-time job, so \u201cmanageable\u201d can be a double-pointed syringe. There\u2019s a lot of responsibility, expense, time, discomfort, guilt and anxiety involved in \u201cmanageable.\u201d And yes, any terminal disease would be terrible, but I believe it\u2019s possible to hate all hateful diseases equally. As the great Brene Brown once said, \u201c\u2019At least\u2019 is never a good start to an empathic response.\u201d That goes for all areas of all life everywhere.<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0\u201cMy aunt had diabetes. She went blind, lost her feet, her kidneys failed, and then she died . . .\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nTo take a cue from #6, would you tell a similar story to a person with cancer? Then why are you telling this story to me? (I\u2019m sorry for your loss.)<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0\u201c. . . But she didn\u2019t take care of herself.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nHere\u2019s another one that hearkens back to #6. Successful management of diabetes is quite possible, but it can also be kind of a crapshoot, and depends on genetics, accessibility to quality doctors, affordable medications and monitoring devices, access to healthy food and solid nutrition education, patience, luck, supportive friends and family members, and astrological signs. Please don\u2019t assume that your aunt (or whoever) wasn\u2019t trying her darnedest, or that I\u2019m faring any better. Let\u2019s talk about the weather, shall we?<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0\u201cHahahahahaaa! Look at all the brownies I just ate! I totally have diabetes right now!\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThank goodness that\u2019s not how it actually works. All varieties of diabetes are complex conditions influenced by a whole bunch of environmental and genetic factors, so those brownies probably won\u2019t do you in. But when you talk like that, you\u2019re reinforcing the idea that people with diabetes bring the disease on themselves, and that maybe they deserve it, after all. And no one really deserves to be sick, do they? Please just be quiet and continue eating your brownies. They look delicious.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0\u201cNice pager.\u201d\/ \u201cIs that a nicotine patch?\u201d\/\u201dWhat happened to your arm?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nI can\u2019t tell you how grateful I am for my insulin pump \u2013 clipped to my pants pocket \u2013 and my continuous glucose monitor, which I wear on my arm. As much as I love them, though, I make a conscious effort to minimize both every time I get dressed, because I don\u2019t want to look like a post-apocalyptic robot \u2013 or worse \u2013 like someone who wears a beeper. If you have a question about the gray Lego taped to my upper arm, please just ask me what it is. Nicely.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Anything at all about any unproven supplement or strange diet trick that you read on the Internet will cure diabetes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
I used to think it was just weird primary care physicians who asked this question, but a fellow person with diabetes actually posed this query to me at a barbeque a few weeks ago. First of all, \u201cwell controlled\u201d is different for everyone. Second of all, none of your beeswax. And third of all, if I say \u201cno,\u201d what kind of question are you going to ask me next? Let\u2019s talk about the weather, shall we?<\/p>\n Yes! The price of higher education is insane! Bullying in schools! Sleepless nights and breastfeeding drama! Climate change and \u2013 oh, you\u2019re talking about diabetes? Well, yeah. Probably every person with diabetes, female and otherwise, has worried about the effect of the disease on his or her future offspring. But it\u2019s another subject that\u2019s none of your business, and you expressing your concern only causes more stress, more worry, and more frequent urges to kick things. The truth is, people with diabetes conceive, carry and deliver healthy little peanuts all the time, and have been since the invention of insulin. The only person who\u2019s allowed to ask me this question is my obstetrician. On a good day.<\/p>\n As long as I still have functioning teeth, yes. Here, watch me chew.<\/p>\n If and when you see a person with diabetes eating a cupcake or drinking a giant cup of juice or a gin and tonic, please consider the following possibilities:<\/p>\n Excellent point! Diabetes is manageable and people with diabetes can live long, wonderful lives. It\u2019s also a full-time job, so \u201cmanageable\u201d can be a double-pointed syringe. There\u2019s a lot of responsibility, expense, time, discomfort, guilt and anxiety involved in \u201cmanageable.\u201d And yes, any terminal disease would be terrible, but I believe it\u2019s possible to hate all hateful diseases equally. As the great Brene Brown once said, \u201c\u2019At least\u2019 is never a good start to an empathic response.\u201d That goes for all areas of all life everywhere.<\/p>\n To take a cue from #6, would you tell a similar story to a person with cancer? Then why are you telling this story to me? (I\u2019m sorry for your loss.)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another one that hearkens back to #6. Successful management of diabetes is quite possible, but it can also be kind of a crapshoot, and depends on genetics, accessibility to quality doctors, affordable medications and monitoring devices, access to healthy food and solid nutrition education, patience, luck, supportive friends and family members, and astrological signs. Please don\u2019t assume that your aunt (or whoever) wasn\u2019t trying her darnedest, or that I\u2019m faring any better. Let\u2019s talk about the weather, shall we?<\/p>\n Thank goodness that\u2019s not how it actually works. All varieties of diabetes are complex conditions influenced by a whole bunch of environmental and genetic factors, so those brownies probably won\u2019t do you in. But when you talk like that, you\u2019re reinforcing the idea that people with diabetes bring the disease on themselves, and that maybe they deserve it, after all. And no one really deserves to be sick, do they? Please just be quiet and continue eating your brownies. They look delicious.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t tell you how grateful I am for my insulin pump \u2013 clipped to my pants pocket \u2013 and my continuous glucose monitor, which I wear on my arm. As much as I love them, though, I make a conscious effort to minimize both every time I get dressed, because I don\u2019t want to look like a post-apocalyptic robot \u2013 or worse \u2013 like someone who wears a beeper. If you have a question about the gray Lego taped to my upper arm, please just ask me what it is. Nicely.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/enough-about-me-lets-talk-about-your-personal-health-issues.png\" "\\"enough-about-me-lets-talk-about-your-personal-health-issues\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n8.\u00a0\u201cAren\u2019t you worried about having kids?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7.\u00a0\u201cCan you eat that?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
6.\u00a0\u201cAt least it\u2019s manageable\/not cancer.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5.\u00a0\u201cMy aunt had diabetes. She went blind, lost her feet, her kidneys failed, and then she died . . .\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4.\u00a0\u201c. . . But she didn\u2019t take care of herself.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3.\u00a0\u201cHahahahahaaa! Look at all the brownies I just ate! I totally have diabetes right now!\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n2.\u00a0\u201cNice pager.\u201d\/ \u201cIs that a nicotine patch?\u201d\/\u201dWhat happened to your arm?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1.\u00a0Anything at all about any unproven supplement or strange diet trick that you read on the Internet will cure diabetes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n