Diabetic Recipes
Having diabetes has many challenges as we all know. Exercising, eating right, checking our blood glucose levels, taking medicines, seeing doctors regularly, and so many more that I cannot even think of. We are busy bees.
One thing I have found as a major challenge is not losing my cool with people who maybe don't understand this disease so I would like to clear up a few things.
1. Not all people with type 1 diabetes are thin.
I am on a weight loss program right now and frankly, the only time I have ever been thin in my life was the year or so before I was diagnosed and was losing weight like crazy.
2. Not all people with type 2 are overweight.
This one drives me nuts. It is true that weight loss can help your chances of not getting diabetes but there are other factors too. I think of my uncle who had lung cancer but never smoked a day in his life. Same sort of a thing.
3. People who take insulin are not out of control.
First off type 1's have to take insulin pretty much from the get go. And many type 2's use insulin to better control their disease. It is not a "last resort."
4. Insulin Pumps are not like oxygen tanks.
I wrote that one especially for a family member that I said those words to. She shouted , "Oh my God George is your diabetes that bad!?" upon discovering that I used an insulin pump. I explained that is was not as if I was in terrible control but that I wanted to try a different way of control and managing my disease.
5. People with diabetes can eat things with sugar in them.
This one always comes as such a surprise and rightfully so. I remember thinking and actually attempting to never eat anything with sugar in it. Little did I know it was the carbohydrates I needed to watch. We need not go without, we just need to go with a plan to manage.
Like at the beginning of this post, it is not easy dealing with all of these challenges especially the silly stereotypes. We just have to use every opportunity we can to educate. The more we can inform people the better.
Maybe we can put an end to D-Stereotypes once and for all!
I would love to hear from any of you who have ever experienced any stereotypes other then the ones I have mentioned. I just listed some of the ones that drive me the most nuts!
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July 6th, 2008
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09-20-2007 8:45 AM EDT by George Simmons
Categories: Type 1 Type 2 Emotions Real Life
Tags: frustrations stereotypes
Views: 2496
Categories: Type 1 Type 2 Emotions Real Life
Tags: frustrations stereotypes
Views: 2496
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George Simmons is a father and husband living with type 1 diabetes. A self proclaimed "born again diabetic," George began blogging as a way to meet other people living with diabetes and learn more about managing his disease. (Read More)
Latest Posts: Struggle for the System | Paranoid? | Suspended
Andy Bell has lived with diabetes since the age of 14. He controls his type 1 diabetes by taking multiple daily injections. Andy is 27 years old now and despite his diabetes, still maintains a very active lifestyle. Andy works for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in the National Outreach Department.(Read More)
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Love your list, George. I wish we could send it out with tax forms to the whole US!
Please start this education with our medical insurance companies. When I was first diagnosed with Type II my medical insurance company said they would not pay for any of my equipment until my diabetes was "serious" enough to require insulin. Thankfully, I had a family member that could help out with the testing strips.
Great list, George.
There's also a myth that you should have your numbers under control or in range X months after diagnosis. Hah! Riiiiiiight.
Tell it like it is, Ninja. People think my diabetes must be "really bad" because I wear a pump. Maybe it's because I'm a bit overweight and type 1.
But in the interest of breaking stereotypes, my mom is overweight, but has near-perfect cholesterol levels and no Type 2. My dad is maybe just a smidge heavier than he could be, and he's got Type 2.
George, I love you for this post alone. I am a type 1 fatty and I am so tired of hearing rude people tell me I would be cured if I lost "all that weight". Its nice to hear someone else speak up... now if only our cries fell on non-deaf ears.
That was the main reason for writing this. I get that all the time! I have started weight watchers and have been doing that for 11 weeks. So far I am down 27 pounds but still have a LOOOOONG way to go. Please feel free to keep in touch, it is nice to know I am not alone.
George thank you for the list. When I was diagnosed with Type II the first response was you don't look like a diabetic. What does a diabetic look like is what I wanted to ask. Then the food. I go to a dietician, count my carbs and my HBA1C is 5.4, but the diabetes police look at me as if I have two heads if I eat something with sugar in it.
If I work it in my carb plan in moderation yes I can have things with sugar in them. Sometimes just explaining why it is ok is frustrating I am after all a 36 year old women not 6.
Two comments: The first is I always get the "you can't eat that because you are diabetic." My reply is "yes I can but I have to account for it." The second comment is I have learned that I cannot be perfect all the time and that I can't beat myself up over it. I strive to do the best I can and am successful about 90 percent of the time. The rest of the time I don't say ah woe is me but I must look ahead and see what I didn't do and work to change so I don't do the same dumb thing again. But I don't beat myself up over it.
Most people get it once I explain the carb counting thing. What gets me is when the type 2's insist I shouldn't be eating sugar, or that I must have had too much as a kid. How do you deal with older people who have the disease but keep perpetuating the stereotypes? Especially when they don't understand type 1 at all?
It drives me crazy when people say that since I'm on a pump my diabetes must be "worse" than my friend who's on shots. It's tough to explain to people that those with pumps are often much more in control--we're on the pump because we took the initiative, not because the doctor forces it on us!
Thanks George
You are very direct. I find it is a question of fear and ignorance with too little time to educate. Most people have no idea the amount of diligence that this condition demands, with no vacation. Thanks for the comment and reminder.
D2
I appreciate other's comments about dealing with this chronic disease that doesn't give you a break. People always tell me "you look great... you can't be sick" or "you look fine, it can't be that bad. It's not like it's cancer!" True, it's not life threatening the same way cancer is, but they don't understand just how much it can affect you. Or just the frustrations of having to deal with it every single day of your life. They don't realize how draining that can be emotionally.
How about adding this--my all-time favorite (NOT!) comment: "Oh! I didn't know you had sugar!" Gets me every time!
I'm type 1 and have been using a pump since Sept '06. When I became a diabetic at age 25 in 1994, people either said, "Oh but you're so SKINNY!!!" or "We're you really heavy before?" That bothered me a little. Either they thought I was a sickly little skinny girl, or I brought it on myself being fat in the past.(At the time I was 5'6" and 118lbs. Now I'm 5'7" and 140lbs) The funniest thing to me is when people say things like, "Oh I could NEVER be a diabetic! I just HAVE to eat chocolate."
FEb 05 the dx came in that I had type 2 and my husband as well. So we went to the classes where we learned how to redirect our menus to portions that helped us lose over 100 pounds each. He is now borderline and I still have another 50 pounds to go. Moderation in all things will help us keep our blood sugar levels in check. My husband now uses metphormin and I - I go all natural with vitamins and minerals because the dumb doctor nearly killed me with Prandin. So thank you for letting me write because I too have to listen to all the fat jokes ( I was skin & bones as a child and did not like sweets very often. My favorite is still the pink snowball) We did learn that if our sugar levels are too high, all we have to do to lower them quickly is drink 8oz of water every hour until it has lowered to acceptable levels.
4 and 5... I need to wear a t-shirt with those two written on them... Or maybe it should just say I TAKE INSULIN BECAUSE I WANT TO, NOT BECAUSE MY DIABETES IS "THAT BAD" haha!
LOL, "insulin pumps are not like oxygen tanks." thank you for this one. that response is so annoying.
my diabetes does happen to be particularly "bad" right now, but that is neither here nor there with my insulin pump.