This question never ceases to amaze me

[sasha1]

There's a phrase for this kind of thing, "complete and utter........." 😉.

As has been mentioned in this thread perhaps someone ought to mention the Disability Discrimination thread to schools like this. Perhaps parents with diabetic children would like lawyers or solicitors to mention this to the schools for them. 😎

After the final incident at Nathan's school..I asked to see there copy of said act....Funnily enough they said they did'nt have one..to which I replied 'Rubbish...you are there for not operating a shool legally...all schools have to have this document.''...After this conversation I cant fault Nathans school for how they have been...especially during Nathans school trip yesterday.

Heidi
🙂

 

[mikep1979]

nath is a super star huni. and he will be absolutly fine and dandy huni 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Back to the question of Sasha's neighbour - it may be simple confusion with a much more common childhood chronic health condition - asthma - as many children do grow out of asthma. It sounds like the neighbour was ASKING, not assuming that he'd grow out of diabetes. Would you prefer people not to ask questions?

 

[Mand]

A couple of examples of things put to me since my son's diagnosis are:

"Oh well, at least he got it young so will grow out of it".

"He's got diabetes? But he is slim!"

I do not get angry when people say things like this but i do feel sad and a bit upset because it shows just how much lack of knowledge is out there. It worries me for his future because i worry about him being mis-understood or discriminated against etc.

 

[katie]

I really don't understand how people are so ignorant when it comes to diabetes. I knew diabetes was before I got it and I knew that there were two types, and I knew you didn't have to be overweight to get it!! Where have these people been??

 

[Becca]

We had to move schools for Rose at the age of 5 as they wanted her to take ownership of her diabetes and be more independent....

 

[Northerner]

We had to move schools for Rose at the age of 5 as they wanted her to take ownership of her diabetes and be more independent....

Goodness! I'm surprised they didn't expect her to be working up chimneys or in cotton mills! How could an educational establishment believe that a 5 year old can safely take responsibility? They may just as well have suggested that you leave her on a hill and let her fend for herself!😱

 

[Becca]

I know, tell me about it. We did a newspaper article this year about it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/c...es-how-schools-are-failing-some-children.html

following on from the lobby of parliament etc....

It probably all boils down to the fact of the ignorance, fear, anxiety etc..surrounding diabetes. If people don't know what it is then it's hardly surprising they react in the way they do. Things have to be changed so everyone has a fair chance.

 

[sasha1]

Back to the question of Sasha's neighbour - it may be simple confusion with a much more common childhood chronic health condition - asthma - as many children do grow out of asthma. It sounds like the neighbour was ASKING, not assuming that he'd grow out of diabetes. Would you prefer people not to ask questions?

Hi copepod...

I agree people do get confused with certain other chronic childhood conditions..eg Asthma, Excema and the such......for which I said in the original post I do allow for a certain degree of ignorance and am always happy to enlighten people with my knowledge of type1 diabetes...

Quite rightly the neigbour was probably asking rather than assuming...and I was happy to correct them...and again they did'nt understand that diabetes was a serious chronic..potentially life threatening condition...That boils back to the question why is education of diabetes...falling short of the mark...

With reply to your question '' Would I prefer people not to ask questions?''

'' Of course I want people to ask...how else can they be educated and corrected...and am more than obliging to answer anything regarding Nathan's diabetes..in fact it makes me very happy when people do ask and even happier when Nathan replies to their questions.''


Heidi
🙂

 

[Mand]

Oh I just remembered another question i once got asked:

Has he got the good or the bad sort of diabetes?

????? I presume they meant does he inject or not, I don't know, but it is a little worrying that people lack such basic knowledge re diabetes.

But, yes, it is good that people ask questions, even if they are a grrrrrrr! questions because it is an opportunity to educate people and hope the knowledge spreads. 🙂

Mikeinspain - hablas espanol? 🙂

 

[mikep1979]

Back to the question of Sasha's neighbour - it may be simple confusion with a much more common childhood chronic health condition - asthma - as many children do grow out of asthma. It sounds like the neighbour was ASKING, not assuming that he'd grow out of diabetes. Would you prefer people not to ask questions?

we all know we would prefer people to ask questions and we will always try and answer them, but sometimes people are just so unbelievably stupid they wont listen to what you tell them. i agree with heidi that we need to educate more. the world needs to see what diabetes is turning into and then maybe we wont get stupid questions. i would be more than happy to let someone ask me anything at all.

 

[Copepod]

As long as people ask what they need to know, rather than assuming, when they come into contact with diabetes, that sounds OK to me. People on this board often say "there's no such thing as a stupid question", so perhaps we should feel the same about questions from the general public?

 

[insulinaddict09]

As long as people ask what they need to know, rather than assuming, when they come into contact with diabetes, that sounds OK to me. People on this board often say "there's no such thing as a stupid question", so perhaps we should feel the same about questions from the general public?

Yes fair point we do say that , about general questions from new diabetics / carers to old , but at what point do we say hold on .. in this day and age how come no one seems to have the vaguest idea about Diabetes ? We are in the 21st century and not in a third world country and still most people think if you have Diabetes you are fat and live on sweets and its your own fault . We need to get people educated , I did not give myself Type 1 , and not all Type 2's are over weight !!!! A good example of the sheer ignorance of people is this that happened to me last week , I was chatting to a friends mother who asked me ..... If Insulin gives you hypos why dont you just stop taking it then , and try something else ?? , when told I would die without Insulin she asked , will you always have to take it then ? , this is the same woman who saw me taken out of my house in a coma following dka . Grrrrrr

 

[Caroline]

Asking if someone will grow out of their diabetes is like asking if you will grow out of being a person or become chimpanzee.

When I was first diagnosed someone asked me when I was likely to get better. I told them it wasn't a virus or anything like that and I'd have it for the rest of my life.

 

[Northerner]

I was contacted by an old friend that I hadn't heard from in years and she asked how I was. I explained that I'd been due to run the Stockholm Marathon, but then fell very ill and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She wrote back saying I should watch my diet and exercise more - I WAS DUE TO RUN A MARATHON, how much exrcise did she think I needed to do to 'stop myself getting diabetes'????!!!!😱🙄

 

[Caroline]

I was contacted by an old friend that I hadn't heard from in years and she asked how I was. I explained that I'd been due to run the Stockholm Marathon, but then fell very ill and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She wrote back saying I should watch my diet and exercise more - I WAS DUE TO RUN A MARATHON, how much exrcise did she think I needed to do to 'stop myself getting diabetes'????!!!!😱🙄

I'm tempted to say if you run far enough the dreaded D will never find you!

 

[sasha1]

I was contacted by an old friend that I hadn't heard from in years and she asked how I was. I explained that I'd been due to run the Stockholm Marathon, but then fell very ill and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She wrote back saying I should watch my diet and exercise more - I WAS DUE TO RUN A MARATHON, how much exrcise did she think I needed to do to 'stop myself getting diabetes'????!!!!😱🙄

Hi Northerner,

This highlights one of the points I was trying to make...as did AM's reply....What is going desperately wrong with peoples education...we all have access to various media channels...tv, radio,papers etc and some have internet....Where does the education start at school?? From the workplace??? Or those directly involved with diabetes either living with the condition or caring for someone???

It is well documented that Diabetes is becoming epidemic proportions...If I am correct in stating...not long ago it was on the news that Type 1 in the under 5's was predicted have an 80% increase in newly diagnosed.

Heidi
🙂

 

[Einstein]

Ignorance is bliss to many.

There are so many myths that people have, including some healthcare professionals.

'Type 1 is more serious than type 2'

'Diet controlled type 2's don't need to test'

'You have severe diabetes if you inject'

And so on...

It all comes down to education, perhaps not enough is being done to educate diabetics themselves (and with some of the reports on this forum failing spectacularly), but the general public need more education about what diabetes is and what it can do to you if it goes undiagnosed for long enough.

At last we're starting to get some national screening programmes, but is DUK handing out a pamphlet to everyone thats tested for diabetes at the GPs, hospital or pharmacy? Using the opportunity to say something positive and at an early stage be able to dismiss some of the nonsense about diabetes and how its managed.

Lets hope so.

 

[sasha1]

As long as people ask what they need to know, rather than assuming, when they come into contact with diabetes, that sounds OK to me. People on this board often say "there's no such thing as a stupid question", so perhaps we should feel the same about questions from the general public?

Hi again,

Absolutely agree...that people ask what they want to know and not assume..and it sounds more than ok to me....as stated before I'm really pleased when people ask.
At no point did I refer to it as a stupid question...It just amazes me the lack of knowledge/education people poses on this condition..I am sorry if people feel I posted a stupid question. At no point ever have I felt others have posted stupid questions either on this board.
May be I have/had a little more understanding when Nathan was diagnosed, My best friend at 11 at school was type1....28 years ago...A ex partner a few years ago was type 1..and my best friend now is type 1 and has been since 8 mths old and is 37 now.

Heidi
🙂

 

[Caroline]

Hi again,

Absolutely agree...that people ask what they want to know and not assume..and it sounds more than ok to me....as stated before I'm really pleased when people ask.
At no point did I refer to it as a stupid question...It just amazes me the lack of knowledge/education people poses on this condition..I am sorry if people feel I posted a stupid question. At no point ever have I felt others have posted stupid questions either on this board.
May be I have/had a little more understanding when Nathan was diagnosed, My best friend at 11 at school was type1....28 years ago...A ex partner a few years ago was type 1..and my best friend now is type 1 and has been since 8 mths old and is 37 now.

Heidi
🙂

No question is ever stupid. We ask questions because we need to know something or we are taking an interest in others. Questions serve a purpose, they help us collect information and teach us how to deal with new things.

There is a need for more education. I think part of it is we are overloaded with information and there are so many places these days to find out things, that we often suffer from information overload.

My grown up son qualified as a first aider sometime ago, yet the first aid kit does not contain a gluco meter to see if a diabetic is hypo. I keep a spare in my drawer, and the first aider has borrowed it a couple of times to make sure diabetics are hypo or not before treating them. I know getting into the realms of first aid is a whole new subject, but we need educatin and information all round.