Mad Baker
It's always interesting to meet fellow diabetics in person. It doesn't happen all that often to me, but occasionally I will bump into someone and find out they are diabetic too. Being a pumper has definitely changed that awareness (because you know all diabetics can spot a fellow pumper from miles away!).
Over the summer, I went in to have a microdermabrasion procedure (trying to get rid of the post-acne marks from the PCOS) at a local doctor's office. My new patient forms asked the usual questions: pre-existing conditions, prescriptions, etc. So I marked the normal things: diabetic, PCOS, on humalog, etc. and moved on.
The physician's assistant in charge of the procedure started asking me the usual questions to make me comfortable (where I work, what school I attend). All of a sudden, she asked if I was on an insulin pump. I was caught by surprise, as most people never mention it. It turned out she was a fellow diabetic and on the same pump as me. We chatted about how she wanted the CGMS, when she was diagnosed, and control issues.
As I walked out of the office, I couldn't believe that I had picked that office with that PA and found another diabetic. I was excited, intrigued, and honestly, a little annoyed. She was very nice. The procedure went well. I really had no complaints.
The one thing that bothered me was what she said about her control and her A1c (she implied never working hard and still keeping good numbers). Certainly, I can't hold a grudge against someone for their body's control (or lack of control). The competitive side of me wanted to win the battle, yet I realized that I had lost.
Tonight, I was snacking on some crackers in my campus gym (trying to prevent a low blood sugar before my workout). They have a no food policy, so one of the employees called me out. I immediately explained that I was diabetic (unfortunately, that didn't seem to matter but that's a different blog).
The guy standing next to him (another employee) looked at my waistband, exclaimed, "Look! You really are diabetic!" and pulled up his shirt to expose his Omnipod. The bond was instant. We chatted about the crazy no food policy, the medical center in the gym, and so on.
He's the first diabetic I've ever met on my campus. I'm totally excited (not like I didn't know there were other diabetics out of the 45,000 students), especially since I recently got approval for my student organization group for diabetics. Maybe I can have at least one member!
So, happy hunting!
