Though you may have been living with diabetes for years, growing accustomed to the highs and lows and all the annoying little nuances in between, it can be downright confusing for the people in your life.
Compared to type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is not a common disease. In 2012, 29.1 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes, but only 1.25 million of them had type 1 diabetes. Hence, it’s understandable that the general population doesn’t quite get the difference between type 1 and type 2, or if they do, they probably aren’t around too many type 1 diabetics to be thoroughly educated on the matter.
Among all the crazy things you probably hear on a day-to-day basis about your type 1 diabetes, here are seven of the most common (and most annoying) things.
1- You must eat too much sugar
Everyone assumes that diabetes is a sugar thing. They hear the word “glucose” in all diabetes-related articles and quickly jump to the conclusion that eating too much of it is what landed you in this predicament. There is nothing more annoying than having to explain to another person that you can eat sugar and that your poor diet didn’t cause the disease.
2- It’s not that serious
Type 2 diabetes has sort of ruin the game for type 1 in that nobody realizes how serious type 1 diabetes is. While type 2 definitely can also lead to deadly outcomes, type 1 diabetics can be faced with life-and-death situations at any given moment. Too-low lows and sky-high highs can happen within a matter of minutes outside of your control and are frighteningly dangerous. So yes, it is that serious.
3- Can I test my blood sugar, too?
Many people think the little gadgets and strips are fun and to ask if they can test it out, too. I get it since I’m a bit curious about my vitals as well, I suppose. But I don’t have to spend upwards $900 a month on test strips or insulin just to survive, so I think I’ll pass on this annoying request that non-diabetics seem to have.
4- Why aren’t you overweight?
If type 1 diabetics are eating heaps of sugar, then I guess they’d be overweight, too. But type 1 diabetes is not caused by excessive sugar intake. In fact, people with type 1 diabetes are likely to be underweight, thank-you-very-much. Their body simply cannot process sugars like non-diabetics.
5- Can you eat that?
Many people think that diabetics have issues with food, much like people with severe allergies. This question pops up over and over again as the non-diabetics (sweetly) wonder what on earth diabetics can eat. The answer: pretty much the same foods as you, if they’ve got the right amount of insulin (hey, just like you!).
6- Can’t you just take some insulin?
Type 1 diabetes creates the most detail-oriented person out of even the messiest of sorts. This is because it is crucial to map and monitor glucose levels throughout the day and to anticipate highs and lows. Even with careful monitoring and insulin injections, your glucose levels can still do take you on a funky ride. Sometimes, a little shot of juice just won’t cut it and—unfortunately—it is not a cure-all for type 1 diabetes.
7- What do you need insurance for?
Since managing diabetes revolve a lot around one’s diet, can’t you just control it with food? No! Diabetes is expensive. With the monitors, test strips, and insulin—just to name a few—, the cost can be over $1,000 a month! Without insurance, this would be an unbearable burden that many diabetics need to deal with to survive.
When you look at the number of people with type 2 diabetes vs. type 1 diabetes, you’ll notice that the latter group is fairly menial. People without diabetes should not be blamed for their curiosity and lack of knowledge. A little bit of education and some patience are all the skills you need to strive through the hurdle of questions.
You can do it!
[expand title=”References“]
American Diabetes Association. URL Link. Accessed February 17, 2017.
Type 1 Girl. URL Link. Accessed February 17, 2017.
US News. URL Link. Accessed February 17, 2017.
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