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Permalink Reply by Sue59 on April 24, 2011 at 6:17am

I've noticed that a lot of people just don't care for cakes-cookies-candy whatever, or are on a diet, and they don't eat them and don't make any excuses for why they don't eat them. And if they don't find a need to explain why they don't want any, why should I?

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Permalink Reply by Robert Hearn on April 24, 2011 at 7:36am

I work with a bunch of (for the most part) very cool, very level-headed IT folks. We're the help desk for a government organization, and over all, pretty intelligent.

When I was first diagnosed as a Type 1 almost 2 years ago (2? 3?, I hate losing track, but then, that's the past), I let my co-workers know what was going on after I had a pretty drastic low event at home by myself. The general response was, to my relief, underwhelming, basically, "Cool, take care of yourself." Only one person in the group became a food nazi, and he only did that a couple times.

I won't pull any punches - I'm fat for a T1, and need to lose weight - I'm not fluffy, I'm fat. However, this self-appointed monitor outweighs me by at least eighty pounds. We had a section wide birthday party, and I had a slice of cake - small, but cake all the same. He saw me getting it, and in front of God and everybody, told me that I shouldn't be eating it. An email, an instant message, a whispered comment back at my desk - those all would have been anything. But in front of the team - I turned and went off. "I weigh two hundred seventy-five pounds, my last A1C was 6.2, and my current blood sugar is 97 - I can eat the cake - now, tell us what your health status is." Wow - no more nazi, and no more puppy dog eyes.

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Permalink Reply by ultravires on April 24, 2011 at 7:34pm

I agree. I've had pretty good experiences with this issue so far, and I don't get riled up unless people are pushy or judgmental. "It is what it is" "I take care of myself and that's all I can really do" and "That's between me and my doctor" are good lines if people insist on being nosey or pushy. If people ask me general questions about what I can and can't do, or are genuinely inquisitive, I'm happy to answer. In general, though, I don't volunteer information if I don't need to and my experience has been that most people just don't care all that much.

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Permalink Reply by jrtpup on April 24, 2011 at 8:43pm

Well...I got a different 'look' today. I went to Radio Shack. and the saleswoman noticed the bottom of my pump hanging out from my shirt and asked "What kind of phone is that?". It's not a phone, it's an insulin pump. Her look was one of amazement... you mean it gives you insulin without injections?? That's great!".

Thought I'd interject something positive in here... there are reasonable, thoughtful people out there!

Barbara

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Permalink Reply by washington state on April 24, 2011 at 10:33pm

Hey Amanda. Aaaarrggghhhhh! I know what you are talking about. Thanks for sharing. This is a good place to vent with people who've been there.

You WILL get used to it, but it's still a small irritation to me after having Type I for 51 years. Educating a couple people you work around though, IS important, but some people are just never, ever, ever going to get it. There are even lots of MD's out there who don't get it either.

I happen to be an overweight type I and you should see "the looks" and comments I get when I'm trying to bring my blood sugar up from a low, eating a cookie or candy. "Is that on your diet?"

Several years back, in bad snow, I couldn't make the trip to have Thanksgiving with my family, so I was invited to dinner at a co-worker's house. She had a reputation for being a fabulous cook, so I increased my pre-dinner insulin, went easy on the mashed potatoes and stuffing in anticipation of having her famous pumpkin pie......everyone got served but me, and when someone told her she missed one, she said "oh NO, she's diabetic, she can't eat anything with sugar in it".
Boo Hoo. I got in my car, on a nasty icy, snowy night and slid down the highway chomping on glucose tablets to replace those missed carbs! (Thank goodness I kept my glucose monitor with me)

Please make sure you wear a medic alert tag, just in case your idiot co-workers think you are just acting confused or drunk someday and don't recognize you need SUGAR! I wish you luck in educating them.

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Permalink Reply by Dee on April 24, 2011 at 10:37pm

After being asked by a very obese colleague if I should be eating what ever it was that I was eating at the time "because you've got diabetes'. I asked her if she should be eating what she was because she was fat... I got some very interesting looks from the rest of the table so just asked if anyone else wanted to tell me what I should eat, I will act as diet critic for them too, and then we'll see how they like it. Nasty, somewhat, but yes I was sick of the person that was obese and had pre diabetes, but "didn't need to do anything yet, as it wasn't bad enough for meds" telling me how to eat when I was at the time running 30-45 minutes most lunchtimes and wasn't having issues. Now I just take my allocated piece of cake, in that sort of situation and quietly dispose of the uneaten portion, or just say I'm not hungry, I had porridge for breakfastso I just need a small piece!

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Permalink Reply by Dee on April 24, 2011 at 10:45pm

Oh, and on the bright side, after I left my job I went to one where a couple of the people didn't know much about diabetes, except that there were some food things to be avoided, and one of the other people was celiac, (both the celiac and I worked in remote locations so weren't in the office much), and the 'diabetes ignorant" person was about to head out and get something for afternoon tea on one of my trips to the office and as she was headinng out the door quickly ran back to my desk and asked if there was anything that would be better for me, my response was - chocolate biscuts as I don't have them at home because I eat too many. Later she asked a heap of questions, and apparently 2 of the other women at work don't buy choc bikkies for the same reason!

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Permalink Reply by Sunny1982 on April 25, 2011 at 7:14am

I would love to to say that all the idiot people go away once you have come out of the Diabetes closet but it doesn't. I have been a T1 for 17 years and my buttons get pushed just as if I was just dx. I have a boss who is a T2 and she thinks we are the same!! It drives me nuts... When I have bad days she sits me down and badgers me on what I ate or how much insulin I had taken. In the beginning I just wanted to throw her against the wall (she isn't the greatest boss anyway) but then it dawned on me, she is acting this way because she does care. Not everyone can articulate their fears and worries. My best advice, just say thank you for caring but my Dr. and I have it all figured out... Hope it works...

-RS

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