Thought i would start a fun topic about the funniest either myth or general ignorance about diabetes you have heard.
I’ll start
One of my friends thought that when I was having a hypo the sweets I had on me had to be well inserted into my bum… Other than making me laugh a lot I ensure now my blood sugar is always good when I’m around her. I would hate to wake up in a hospital after a hypo and having to explain it…
Holy cow – I would avoid her like anything! Unless she was flirting with you
In the early days of insulin they did experiment with insulin delivery rectally. I’m glad that didn’t work out – imagine doing it in a crowded restaurant. Actually, don’t.
Just be grateful you’ve never used Metformin! One of the long term effects I had from it was an extremely irritated bowel and believe me, sticking sweeties up your bum isn’t a patch on a session in the endoscopy suite of the local hospital!
I often find people assume they need to inject me with lots of insulin if I go hypo! Glad I have a card that tells people exactly what to do in my wallet (provided they get that far, I suppose…)
there must be many – this is one that I remember well
From practice nurse annual diabetic check – 15 years after type 1 diagnosis
‘don’t worry, you don’t need insulin at your age’
I use metformin as apparently im type 1.5 ( never had it fully explained to me!). I have however never noticed any benefits to it my blood sugars dont seem to be effected by it.
The one I have heard from the greates number of people is “You got diabetes because you ate too many sweets” or ………. too much chocolate.
I hardly ever ate any sweets as a child – aged 10 my parents stopped buying me Easter eggs as in October I had only eaten half of one and had about 8 unopened still !
In fact, I can honestly say that since being diagnosed with Type 1 my chocolate consumption has increased – as an aside why does most diabetic chocolate taste so dreadful ? (apart from Thorntons that is)
@ladyupnorth – I always get a bit of a kick out of disabusing people of that notion! No, I’m not fat now, and nor was I, my diabetes is COMPLETELY unrelated to the amount of sweets I used to eat.
Of course, I’ll look a right fool if I develop type 2 now, but there we go, I’d have to take it, as I can’t get away with claiming ignorance of the dangers!
One, not so funny, instance is a mates friend who apparently ignores his control of T1 completely! BGs regularly over 20… Makes me glad I don’t know him, or I’d be kicking his arse on a regular basis!
I’ve never really had much of a problem with general ignorance of diabetes. I think that’s because I get in there first and bore anyone to death about every aspect of diabetes before they have a chance to open their mouths! What fun!
@Tim – I’m getting pretty good at that too! I realised I was actually quite disappointed the other night when on a date with an Italian that the language barrier prevented such a discussion
possibly more random than funny but a friend is attempting to give up coffee/caffeine in a New Year healthy resolution kind of way and posted this info on her FB status (basically having a moan that she has a raging headache as part of the withdrawal)…. one of her friends commented
“I feel your pain, I gave up coffee when I was pregnant cos of the diabetes.”
Now I don’t know the commenter or what type of diabetes they are referring to – T1, T2, possibly gestational….. but neither my diab nurse or dietician ever mentioned this… ?
Have I basically had 24 years of crap control because I drink coffee and diet coke?
Had a conversation in work yesterday with a woman who informed me there was no point my going to a market we were discussing because the big thing they had there was cheap grapes. ‘And you cant eat grapes, can you, because of your diabetes?’
Um, yes, I can eat grapes. ‘But they’re really high in sugar, arent they?’
Lead into a piece of minor diabetes advocacy on how I CAN eat anything I want, if I give enough insulin, its just that, as a slightly better informed colleague interjected, ‘You dont because its easier.’