"Does it hurt?" & other reactions from non-diabetics

[WorzelGummidge]

Inspired by this post.

What do non-diabetics generally say when they find out about your condition?

The most common one I get is "does it hurt?". I mean it's a flipping needle, of course it hurts. I generally tell them that sometimes I don't feel a thing but it depends where and how you inject.

I also get "did you get it from eating too much sugar?"... this one is possibly most annoying.

And thirdly, "how often do you inject?". They seem shocked when I say 4x daily.

Do type 2ers have to put up with similar questions, or do you get different ones? Do the type 1s get the same as me? What do you find funniest/most annoying?

 

[eyeko]

I'm a type one and I usually get "does it hurt?" ,and people also seem shocked that I take four injections a day. They also usually seem pretty shocked when I tell them that three of my insulin doses are worked out according to the amount of carbohydrates I eat and that I'm working on three different ratios. It's not even just my friends and peers that have this reaction, but also some doctors! Recently, I have been in hospital on a few occasions due to very high ketone and blood sugar levels and when asked to explain my insulin doses and how they are calculated, all of the doctors I have seen have stuttered a bit and said wow isn't it complicated! This is probably one of the more amusing reactions as they are medical professionals after all!

 

[Northerner]

I'm a type one and I usually get "does it hurt?" ,and people also seem shocked that I take four injections a day. They also usually seem pretty shocked when I tell them that three of my insulin doses are worked out according to the amount of carbohydrates I eat and that I'm working on three different ratios. It's not even just my friends and peers that have this reaction, but also some doctors! Recently, I have been in hospital on a few occasions due to very high ketone and blood sugar levels and when asked to explain my insulin doses and how they are calculated, all of the doctors I have seen have stuttered a bit and said wow isn't it complicated! This is probably one of the more amusing reactions as they are medical professionals after all!

Ha ha! Dontcha just love to baffle the experts?

 

[eyeko]

Of course ! lol! Isn't every diabetic somewhat of a medical marvel hehehe.

 

[sofaraway]

I think 'does it hurt?' is probabaly the most common i usually answer 'sometimes' which is true.
the other is 'have you had it since you were born?' which is interesting because almost nobody has it when they are born, unless born without a pancreas. and seem quiet surprised when i say since I was 15.

 

[bev]

I think 'does it hurt?' is probabaly the most common i usually answer 'sometimes' which is true.
the other is 'have you had it since you were born?' which is interesting because almost nobody has it when they are born, unless born without a pancreas. and seem quiet surprised when i say since I was 15.

I dont know how common it is, but i know of a premature baby born with diabetes,it was in intensive care on an insulin drip poor thing!

 

[sofaraway]

I dont know how common it is, but i know of a premature baby born with diabetes,it was in intensive care on an insulin drip poor thing!

any baby diagnosed within first 6 months is quite likely to have monogenic neonatal diabetes, which can be treated with tablets. type 1 isn't that common in young babies.

 

[AlanJardine]

As a slow onset LADA, I've experienced reactions as both type one and two.

With type two, people usually don't understand why you don't take insulin. They also think it's not so serious if you don't. Some also think it's somesort of allergy to sugar.

As a type two, I get people cringing when you say you have to inject, along with "oh I couldn't do that". They don't seem to understand that you do it because you have to, not because you want to. And yes, it hurts like hell sometimes.

One of the most annoying things is when people try to tell me what I should or shouldn't eat. My response is often "I may be diabetic, but I don't have to be good at it"

Top of the list though is my wife's reaction that it's not important. When I do say I'm having problems with it her reaction is "Well, it's your fault..." (that I haven't taken enough insulin, I've eaten too much or too little, etc.)

 

[aymes]

the most common one I get is along the lines of 'oh I could never do that' ( inject) or ' I'd just die if I had to inject myself' I try to explain that if you have to you do and itsvkind if offensive to say that you'd rather due than live like me!
The other one is, if I'm too high or too low, 'well what did you do wrong' - not what you want to hear at that time!

 

[bev]

I know where your all coming from, but, as the mum of a diabetic son, before he was diagnosed i would probably have said some of the things mentioned! But not because i felt like being offensive, because i genuinely didnt understand what it was all about! How many of you actually knew anything about it before diagnosis?
I doubt that most people mean to offend, its more a case of ignorance. Which is why it would be a good idea to have diabetics on tv, to introduce the general public to the life of a diabetic. And i dont mean a life threatening type story line, that would frighten the hell out of most people, perhaps just a story of a hypo and how its dealt with.
After all, what is the correct response to being told someone is diabetic? Bev

 

[sofaraway]

the most common one I get is along the lines of 'oh I could never do that' ( inject) or ' I'd just die if I had to inject myself'

yeah heard that one too. I have to say though back when i was first diagnosed I thought the same, that I really didn't want to ever have to inject. I believe people think that the physical act of injecting is the worst thing about having diabetes (DR's included), but really it's one of the easiest things, hardly bothers me.

 

[AlanJardine]

I know where your all coming from, but, as the mum of a diabetic son, before he was diagnosed i would probably have said some of the things mentioned! But not because i felt like being offensive, because i genuinely didnt understand what it was all about!

I don't usually find it offensive myself, usually just funny. It tends to be the people who know you have the condition but think they know more about it than they do who can come out with more offensive (or more accurately annoying) comments.

How many of you actually knew anything about it before diagnosis?

I totally agree. I knew nothing when I was diagnosed. In fact the first thing I did after I was diagnosed was to go out and buy a new fridge to keep insulin in, even though I didn't move on to insulin until some years later.

I doubt that most people mean to offend, its more a case of ignorance. Which is why it would be a good idea to have diabetics on tv, to introduce the general public to the life of a diabetic. And i dont mean a life threatening type story line, that would frighten the hell out of most people, perhaps just a story of a hypo and how its dealt with.
After all, what is the correct response to being told someone is diabetic? Bev

Unfortunately, ignorance is a hard thing to fight. DiabetesUK try, but you can't force knowledge down everyone's throats.

 

[sunflower_harvester]

I've been told a few time " you dont look like a diabetic" bit of a boggle as I'm not sure what diabetics are supposed to look like?!
When asked how many injections I have and I say I use a pump (or previously when I said 4) often get the response "Wow you must be really bad" I usually explain that its not a case of good or bad, people just need different things to get good control but I dont find it offensive as if you dont know much about diabetes its a fair asumption that the more insulin you need the worse your control is-after all I'd assume an asthmatic on 4 inhalers a day had worse symptoms than someone on 2......

 

[bev]

Unfortunately, ignorance is a hard thing to fight. DiabetesUK try, but you can't force knowledge down everyone's throats.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely right! But one way to fight ignorance is education. It may take time, but what is the alternative? Look at America today, who would have thought they would have a black president? It was only ignorance that kept a black person from even having any rights last century!
Change can happen if its dealt with sensitively and democratically.
I refuse to let my son feel 'different' for having diabetes. I also dont want him to be 'bitter' about peoples reactions towards diabetes. He has already had 1 incident at school with a friend taunting him that he couldnt eat sweets any longer (wrong i know) so the next day my son took time to explain to the child that actually he can have sweets as long as its counted with his insulin, and the child hasnt mentioned it since or taunted him! My son actually wanted to say to the boy' " well at least i wont be obese and will still have all my own teeth" but i explained it could inflame the issue rather than help it! He will have enough to challenge him healthwise, why add to this with being bitter? Bev

 

[Rubyloo]

I have been asked on several occasions if I have to find a vein to inject! I've also had people say "you can't be very Diabetic as you don't take much insulin!"
I'm sure people don't mean to offend its just they don't understand & why should they? I had an Aunt who had type 1 & everyone in the family used to call her greedy & selfish, she was always the first one up to the buffet & used to dictate what time dinner should be etc........She is now no longer with us & I feel very ashamed that I was one of those ingorant people who used to laugh about her! Since being diagnosed with type 1 myself I now understand what a life changing condition this is & how you sometimes have to think of No.1.......

Dx

 

[Ikklemo]

I'm type 2 and "Yes" I get very similar questions, i.e. does it hurt when you do a blood test, quickly followed by OMG I couldn't do that if my life depended on it!!! Oh yes they could.

The most anoying questions is normally, "I bet you take too much sugar"/and "eat a lot of sweets" - the answer to both is no. Unfortunately, Diabetese seems to run in my family (I must confess to being overweight which does not help).

😡Grouse of the day:
The most anoying thing about being an overweight - is the constant TV typecasting in programmes usually showing overweight people always stuffing their faces with sweets, cakes and generally "pigging out".

Now with the grouse out of the way - I feel so much better.🙂🙂

 

[WorzelGummidge]

One of the most annoying things is when people try to tell me what I should or shouldn't eat. My response is often "I may be diabetic, but I don't have to be good at it"

I love that, I'm going to remember it for the next time someone says "so can you not eat sugar?". I usually say "I shouldn't really but I do."

I know where your all coming from, but, as the mum of a diabetic son, before he was diagnosed i would probably have said some of the things mentioned! But not because i felt like being offensive, because i genuinely didnt understand what it was all about! How many of you actually knew anything about it before diagnosis?

Oh I don't find it offensive at all! I didn't make the thread to moan about people who are ignorant, I knew absolutely zilch about diabetes when I was diagnosed. It's just a bit of fun 🙂

 

[ivygirl]

Being type 2 I find I get comments like: Oh, your not a real diabetic then!! Mostly, when hearing I'm type 2 they loose interest after making some comment about it being my fault!

 

[Ikklemo]

I also love the comment : "I may be diabetic, but I don't have to be good at it"

 

[Corrine]

I've been told I'm 'not really diabetic' as well. And its surprising how little people actually do know about it - I was told last night about a relative of my partners who has type 1 - 'he injects 4 times a day so he has got it really bad...'. And I'll admit - I knew a big fat zero about it when I was diagnosed which is really ignorant of me - especially as I work with someone who is type 1!