Diabetic Recipes
Rant beginning. Prepare yourself.
Call me sensitive. Say I'm soft. I don't care.
I was having lunch with a new friend today and a friend of hers. Apparently, my diabetes had not been discussed at all before our meeting. This is, in and of itself, a good thing. But.
During lunch, friend of new friend - who works in a local Primary Care Doctor's office processing insurance claims - started into a rant about unhealthy eating, obesity, diabetes, and the havoc that diabetics and the like reak on our healthcare system. Ugh.
Some choice snippets. "Well, I'd like to tell every diabetic out there to get their a** moving, that would rid us of the whole issue, and it would be easier than killing them..." Followed by a giggle fit. And "Obesity is one of the ONLY things that causes diabetes. That. And laziness. Both of those things can be cured." Whaaa??? And finally, "We should tell people with diabetes who think they should get more supplies for their disease, that they wouldn't need medication and supplies if they just took care of themselves." Really???
My friend got increasingly uncomfortable as I fumed, digging through my bag for my testing kit. I layed it out on the table in the shi-shi french brasserie we'd chosen. I proceeded to lance my finger.
"Oh. You have diabetes. Don't you?" Friend of friend says.
"Yes. I do. Type 1. For over 25 years."
"But, you're not fat."
"Yeah, contrary to what you obviously believe, being fat isn't a requirement."
"Oh, well, we certainly got off on the wrong foot."
I didn't respond.
But, yeah, I'd say we got off on the wrong foot.
The rest of the lunch was a quick Diabetes 101 tutorial, though I'm sure not all of it got through. I could sense that friend of friend is a selective listener. When I said "auto-immune and 6%" she responded "Oh, so most people do get it from being fat." Not exactly.
Sometimes, educating is difficult. Sometimes, I feel like it's a total waste of my time and energy. Sometimes, I wonder how in hell someone like this can work in the medical profession and still have NO clue.
And yes, sometimes, I'm sensitive. Because, really, does anyone ask for or deserve to get diabetes? Regardless of our weight, our activity level, our diabetes type, I say no. No one deserves it. And rants like wrong-foot lady's do nothing to improve people's already skewed opinions and thoughts about this disease.
Rant complete. Full Stop.
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December 2nd, 2008
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12-19-2007 3:49 PM EST by Nicole Purcell
Categories: Type 1
Tags: sensitivity stereotypes type 1 Type 2
Views: 863
Categories: Type 1
Tags: sensitivity stereotypes type 1 Type 2
Views: 863
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Nicole has lived successfully with type 1 diabetes for 25 years. She hopes that by writing about her experiences, she can help others to face diabetes - and its challenges - head on.(Read More)
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Wow. You can't find a more compassionate person working in healthcare.
My uncle was diagnosed with Type 2 over the summer and guess what: he had been losing weight before his diagnosis due to his diabetes and he had always been skinny before diabetes ever set in. She's an ass. I would've been pressure cooking during her misinformed rant.
Wow. You have more grace that I do. I totally would have made her feel awful for her comments.
Um, your meter is in a bra?
LOL...
Shannon - I was over the top angry, but managed to maintain my composure. I really like this new friend - she's super nice - too bad her existing friend is an idiot.
Sara - A brasserie is a french restaurant. LOL... My pump is the only piece of equipment I've ever kept socked in my bra.
Hey, that's a solid 6 Fantasy Diabetes League points. Well done!
Wow. That's just...wow. Not completely surprising (sorry to say).
-Rachel
This has me fuming. You handled it better than I would have.
I get stuff like that all the time. I'm a senior in high school and when fellow class mates find out that i have diabetes a lot say "but ur not fat!" Its annoying! I admire how u handled the situation! BRAVO!
Nicole,
I am sorry to be slow in reading this, but you had me laughing so hard. It has been my experience too that when you try to educate a dumbbell you are up against a pretty hard surface. Things just don't seem to stick.
i was in the hospital not long ago for a severe reaction to a heart med I had been taking for a few years. I was throwing up constantly. They had already taken me to radiology to put a PIC line in my left arm with the tip resting down inside my heart so they could start giving me a lot of fluids. We made it through the night and early the next morning I had taken my glucometer out of my purse and checked my blood sugar. It was quite high. When the nurse came in I told her my blood sugar was high and I needed my insulin. She told me that I had no business checking my blood sugar and I wasn't getting any insulin until I had decided to eat. WHAT??? Apparently she thought it was my "decision as to when my stomach could hold anything on it" And why didn't she understand that when a diabetic is sick our blood sugars are often high? I had to wait for my doctor to come in and asked him if he was going to blow my kidneys after going to the trouble of putting in a PIC line. When that same nurse brought in my insulin later and insisted on checking my blood sugar I let her, but then insisted she decide my dose for me and give it to me herself, I refused. I had to call my doctor from my bedside phone and get him to give her an order right then. She left muttering about spoiled patients who think they knew it all. Well, in this case she scared me. I would rather have another diabetic shoot me than have someone as DUMB as that. I hope I always stay awake if I have to go back to the hospital again.
I don't think ALL the dumbbells are in the medical field. It just seems like a lot of them are. Thanks for the post. I enjoyed it a lot. Especially the part about the brasserie.