Buahahahaha......
SOOOO TRUE!!
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Coexisting with dark places.
7 years ago
Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, September 13, 2010
4th of July
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Dreaded Appointment
Every other month we see our endo, and on the way there, I dread finding out what Maddie's A1C is. This time was no different. Alas, the A1C machine (don't know what it's called) beeped, so I asked. She had gone from 8.5 to 8.7. Although I was glad she wasn't in the 9's, going UP was not the direction that I was hoping to have gone.
I allow Maddie to be a little higher at night, or I don't give her the complete correction, because I have this eminent fear that she will crash during the night, and not wake up. Because whatever the number is, I don't know if it's going up, or down at a rapid pace. (We do not have the CGM at this point in time.) This is my problem--she's too high during the night and first thing in the morning. And it's all my fault. I've come to grips with this. I take full responsibility.
I HATE DEALING WITH THIS STUPID DISEASE.
In addition to screwing up her A1C, her height and weight has gone from the 50th percentile, to the 25th percentile over the last year. Yeah, I know--I'm such a great mom.....not. My child is shrinking. Well, actually, she's not shrinking, she's just not growing.
I HATE DIABETES!!!
"But she's picky!" and "She isn't hungry much of the time!" and "She eats healthy food MOST of the time, so she's probably not getting enough calories!" These were my ignorant and useless justifications for my reprimanding from the doctor. Basically, she's not eating ENOUGH, therefor, not getting enough insulin. Could this be any more difficult to grasp in my little blonde brain?
Everytime I read other type 1 moms' blogs, I learn something new--like how the humidity can alter blood sugars, or how allergies to pollen can send you through the roof. Will I ever get the hang of this? I mean, come on, people--you would think that after almost 5 years, I would have gotten the hang of this by now.
Nope. Did I mention that I hate this stupid disease?
I allow Maddie to be a little higher at night, or I don't give her the complete correction, because I have this eminent fear that she will crash during the night, and not wake up. Because whatever the number is, I don't know if it's going up, or down at a rapid pace. (We do not have the CGM at this point in time.) This is my problem--she's too high during the night and first thing in the morning. And it's all my fault. I've come to grips with this. I take full responsibility.
I HATE DEALING WITH THIS STUPID DISEASE.
In addition to screwing up her A1C, her height and weight has gone from the 50th percentile, to the 25th percentile over the last year. Yeah, I know--I'm such a great mom.....not. My child is shrinking. Well, actually, she's not shrinking, she's just not growing.
I HATE DIABETES!!!
"But she's picky!" and "She isn't hungry much of the time!" and "She eats healthy food MOST of the time, so she's probably not getting enough calories!" These were my ignorant and useless justifications for my reprimanding from the doctor. Basically, she's not eating ENOUGH, therefor, not getting enough insulin. Could this be any more difficult to grasp in my little blonde brain?
Everytime I read other type 1 moms' blogs, I learn something new--like how the humidity can alter blood sugars, or how allergies to pollen can send you through the roof. Will I ever get the hang of this? I mean, come on, people--you would think that after almost 5 years, I would have gotten the hang of this by now.
Nope. Did I mention that I hate this stupid disease?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Oprah
I am not an Oprah fan, I don't agree with most of her points of view concerning faith and God, nor do I make it a point to watch her show. I do, however, think that sometimes she has some really good topics on her show that are very informative to us as women and mothers, but also some good health information.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a preview for a show about a family with a schizophrenic child. I was going to be sure to watch this one!! I think a lot of times we think, "Oh, whoa is me...." and we think we have big problems. This particular show really put it in perspective for me.
Janny is a pretty little girl, with beautiful curly blond hair, around 8 or 9 years old, (Maddie's age). She started showing signs of hallucinations at around 6 months of age. As she got older, she got worse, and her condition progressed into schizophrenia, which is very rare in children. Now she has what seems like imaginary friends, but is really other personalities that talk to her and tell her to do bad things, and she stays angry most of the time, if not constantly violent. At the age of 5, Janny was asking her parents things like how to break your neck, or what it the easiest way to die.
But here is where I realized that maybe having a diabetic child isn't as bad as having a child with another disability, like say, a mental disability such as this one:
Janny's mom is a stay at home mom, and her dad is an English professor at a local college. They also have a son that is under 2 years old. The family lives in an apartment complex. Janny has one apartment, and the baby brother has another apartment. They can't live in the same house, or even be around each other, for fear that Janny will kill her brother. Janny can't have sharp objects or any cleaning solutions in her apartment, for fear of hurting herself. One parent sleeps with the baby brother in his apartment one night, while the other monitors Janny as she sleeps, then they take turns the next night. All day long, Janny is monitored, while someone else stays with the brother. The only friend she has is a little girl she met in the mental hospital who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. The two girls seem to understand each other, and that is what they have in common.
This story just made me sad, and although I loath it, and diabetes does affect Maddie emotionally and sometimes behaviorally, I sometimes don't realize how lucky I am to have a child with diabetes.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a preview for a show about a family with a schizophrenic child. I was going to be sure to watch this one!! I think a lot of times we think, "Oh, whoa is me...." and we think we have big problems. This particular show really put it in perspective for me.
Janny is a pretty little girl, with beautiful curly blond hair, around 8 or 9 years old, (Maddie's age). She started showing signs of hallucinations at around 6 months of age. As she got older, she got worse, and her condition progressed into schizophrenia, which is very rare in children. Now she has what seems like imaginary friends, but is really other personalities that talk to her and tell her to do bad things, and she stays angry most of the time, if not constantly violent. At the age of 5, Janny was asking her parents things like how to break your neck, or what it the easiest way to die.
But here is where I realized that maybe having a diabetic child isn't as bad as having a child with another disability, like say, a mental disability such as this one:
Janny's mom is a stay at home mom, and her dad is an English professor at a local college. They also have a son that is under 2 years old. The family lives in an apartment complex. Janny has one apartment, and the baby brother has another apartment. They can't live in the same house, or even be around each other, for fear that Janny will kill her brother. Janny can't have sharp objects or any cleaning solutions in her apartment, for fear of hurting herself. One parent sleeps with the baby brother in his apartment one night, while the other monitors Janny as she sleeps, then they take turns the next night. All day long, Janny is monitored, while someone else stays with the brother. The only friend she has is a little girl she met in the mental hospital who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. The two girls seem to understand each other, and that is what they have in common.
This story just made me sad, and although I loath it, and diabetes does affect Maddie emotionally and sometimes behaviorally, I sometimes don't realize how lucky I am to have a child with diabetes.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Germs, Stools, and Flu Shots
Today was Reilly's 5 year-old check up. No biggie, right? Oh, it was a biggie. Having Maddie around all the time means she gets the privilege of accompanying me everywhere I go. Being that Brendan is 2, he also gets to enjoy that privilege. My mom has the privelege of being able to help me out when I need it, and today, I needed it.
It was a perfect plan in my head. Pick up Reilly at 12, get the kids lunch, eat in the car, meet my mom at the doctor's office, Mom, Maddie and Brendan watch a movie in the car with the windows down (it was a beautiful day) while Reilly and I run in and see the doctor.
At about 11:55, as I was on my way to the school, my phone rings. It was Shawn telling me to see if I could get Maddie and Brendan in to get flu shots while I was at the doctor's office, so we wouldn't have to make 2 trips. Yeah, easy for him to say--he was sitting in a quiet room with a bunch of well behaved teenagers who were not angst ridden about getting shots in their arms. So, I agreed, called the doctor's office to see if I was able to do it, and hence began the whining and complaining. The nurse said that they didn't get the nasal mist this year. Just the shots. That's just great.
I have to admit, I'm a worrier. I also have severe anxiety when it comes to knowing I'm going to endure something painful or uncomfortable. For instance, I find it almost impossible to get a glaucoma test. I can't stick my head in a contraption knowing good and well that this contraption is going to blow air on my eye balls. I just can't do it. If I keep my head in it, then I inevitably close my eyes at the exact moment the air puff blows. It's the suspence of knowing that it's going to happen. I also can't stand the eye ball numbing drops. Because I know that I can't feel my eye balls, and that bothers me. But, alas, I can endure a flu shot. So, Maddie has this worry/anxiety thing that she picked up from her mother. I just choose to worry about more important things, like puffs of air....
Anyhoo, for the next hour and a half, I had to listen to things like, "Do they have to give the shot to me?" and "You're going to have to pay money for me to get the shot, and I don't want you spending your money on me." and "I just really feel like I'm not going to get the flu, so can I just skip the shot?" All of this coming from the person who has taken thousands of shots, thousands of finger pricks, and hundreds of needles and tiny tubes in her back side.
Normally I'm not a germ-o-phobe, but the swine flu scare has sent me into sort of a panic because it could be much more dangerous for a child with a chronic illness, than an otherwise healthy child. I spent the 15 minutes in the waiting room with Reilly applying the provided hand sanitizer and kindly reminding him not to touch anything or put his hands near his face.
Everything was going smoothly until they called Reilly's name to "come on back" and told me that the other 2 kids should come back, too. It wasn't going to take long for his check up, then they would all get the shots. The nurse took Reilly to weigh him, and I ran out to the car to get Mom, Maddie and Brendan. I could tell it wasn't going to be pretty when Maddie walked down the hall with tears in her eyes.
All 5 of us get escorted into a tiny and very warm examination room. As usual, immediately 3 things start to happen simultaneously. Reilly, who is sitting on the table in his Spiderman boxer briefs, starts talking about something, in which to demonstrate meant he had to put his entire hands in his mouth, and when asked not to do that, immediately rubs his eyes with the previous saliva/germ covered hands. Maddie is quietly crying in anticipation on the floor, with her blood sugar soaring by this point. Brendan is running full speed back and forth in this 5x8 square foot room, in which there are 2 chairs, a stool, a desk, the paper covered examination table, and five people.
So being the worn out and frazzled mother that I am, I first asked him to stop (knowing full and well that he wouldn't have any part of that) then I put him in "time out" which consisted of the high stool that I knew he couldn't get down from. Now at this point I am sweating, both from the heat of the room, and from the disposition of all 3 of my kids. The sweet nurse sticks her head into our room and says, "I'm just putting the SIX NEEDLES for the kids' SHOTS in the bin on the door. I didn't want you to think someone was knocking on the door." Yeah, thanks. Way to bring it up. Now everyone has a precise mental picture.
You can always tell when the doctor is about to come into your room because you can hear the papers being shifted around as they look through your chart really quickly to know what's going on with you. As I heard Reilly's papers being shifted, the door knob was turning, and I look over at Brendan and he is in mid air. He lands on his head with the loudest "bonk" sound that you can imagine. He didn't land on the side of his head, or his shoulder and head. He landed flat on the back of his head. And right as the doctor was opening the door.
So now I have 2 crying kids, and 1 in his underwear, and we haven't even started the check up yet. A few minutes later, Brendan stops crying only to have a noticable goose egg on his head, but Maddie was still in a fetal position crying, this time on my Mom's lap. I'm never in the right state of mind to ask questions of the doctor at my kids' check ups. I'm always trying to keep people from crying, and I'm always sweating from the stress of having a doctor talk to me about my child, but not really listening because someone is inevitably acting up.
When it was shot time, Maddie went first, and started hyperventalating. When the doctor got her calmed down, she gave her the shot. It was somewhat remeniscent of the first time I gave Maddie a shot of insulin, but not quite as ear-piercing. Of course, she looked right at the needle and started screaming, not to cease for probably a minute or two. Fortunately, my mom had a good grip on her. I had visions of the letters "HI" on her meter. Stress and anxiety causes her blood sugar to go sky high, and this was definitely stress and anxiety for her, and for me.
Unfortunately, Reilly received his kindergarten shots, so he got 4 shots instead of 1. I heard him say things that I hadn't ever heard him say before. "Get me away from her!" and "This has got to stop now!" and "I can't believe you're letting her do this to me!" It was quite unsettling for me. The worst part is having to hold them down so they can't move, except for turning their heads to see the 4 inch long needles.
Then it was Brendan's turn. He was sleepy, and sweaty, and had a huge bump on his head. I set him up on the table and she gave him his flu shot. He didn't wince, he didn't cry, and he didn't even change his sweet expression from a blank look. He just sat there and got his shot, and watched the whole time. I think God gave me him to help my calm my anxious nerves and give me a periodic breath of fresh air in my stress filled life.
When we got out to the car, Maddie checked her blood and she was in the 500's. That figures.....but at least she won't get the flu!
It was a perfect plan in my head. Pick up Reilly at 12, get the kids lunch, eat in the car, meet my mom at the doctor's office, Mom, Maddie and Brendan watch a movie in the car with the windows down (it was a beautiful day) while Reilly and I run in and see the doctor.
At about 11:55, as I was on my way to the school, my phone rings. It was Shawn telling me to see if I could get Maddie and Brendan in to get flu shots while I was at the doctor's office, so we wouldn't have to make 2 trips. Yeah, easy for him to say--he was sitting in a quiet room with a bunch of well behaved teenagers who were not angst ridden about getting shots in their arms. So, I agreed, called the doctor's office to see if I was able to do it, and hence began the whining and complaining. The nurse said that they didn't get the nasal mist this year. Just the shots. That's just great.
I have to admit, I'm a worrier. I also have severe anxiety when it comes to knowing I'm going to endure something painful or uncomfortable. For instance, I find it almost impossible to get a glaucoma test. I can't stick my head in a contraption knowing good and well that this contraption is going to blow air on my eye balls. I just can't do it. If I keep my head in it, then I inevitably close my eyes at the exact moment the air puff blows. It's the suspence of knowing that it's going to happen. I also can't stand the eye ball numbing drops. Because I know that I can't feel my eye balls, and that bothers me. But, alas, I can endure a flu shot. So, Maddie has this worry/anxiety thing that she picked up from her mother. I just choose to worry about more important things, like puffs of air....
Anyhoo, for the next hour and a half, I had to listen to things like, "Do they have to give the shot to me?" and "You're going to have to pay money for me to get the shot, and I don't want you spending your money on me." and "I just really feel like I'm not going to get the flu, so can I just skip the shot?" All of this coming from the person who has taken thousands of shots, thousands of finger pricks, and hundreds of needles and tiny tubes in her back side.
Normally I'm not a germ-o-phobe, but the swine flu scare has sent me into sort of a panic because it could be much more dangerous for a child with a chronic illness, than an otherwise healthy child. I spent the 15 minutes in the waiting room with Reilly applying the provided hand sanitizer and kindly reminding him not to touch anything or put his hands near his face.
Everything was going smoothly until they called Reilly's name to "come on back" and told me that the other 2 kids should come back, too. It wasn't going to take long for his check up, then they would all get the shots. The nurse took Reilly to weigh him, and I ran out to the car to get Mom, Maddie and Brendan. I could tell it wasn't going to be pretty when Maddie walked down the hall with tears in her eyes.
All 5 of us get escorted into a tiny and very warm examination room. As usual, immediately 3 things start to happen simultaneously. Reilly, who is sitting on the table in his Spiderman boxer briefs, starts talking about something, in which to demonstrate meant he had to put his entire hands in his mouth, and when asked not to do that, immediately rubs his eyes with the previous saliva/germ covered hands. Maddie is quietly crying in anticipation on the floor, with her blood sugar soaring by this point. Brendan is running full speed back and forth in this 5x8 square foot room, in which there are 2 chairs, a stool, a desk, the paper covered examination table, and five people.
So being the worn out and frazzled mother that I am, I first asked him to stop (knowing full and well that he wouldn't have any part of that) then I put him in "time out" which consisted of the high stool that I knew he couldn't get down from. Now at this point I am sweating, both from the heat of the room, and from the disposition of all 3 of my kids. The sweet nurse sticks her head into our room and says, "I'm just putting the SIX NEEDLES for the kids' SHOTS in the bin on the door. I didn't want you to think someone was knocking on the door." Yeah, thanks. Way to bring it up. Now everyone has a precise mental picture.
You can always tell when the doctor is about to come into your room because you can hear the papers being shifted around as they look through your chart really quickly to know what's going on with you. As I heard Reilly's papers being shifted, the door knob was turning, and I look over at Brendan and he is in mid air. He lands on his head with the loudest "bonk" sound that you can imagine. He didn't land on the side of his head, or his shoulder and head. He landed flat on the back of his head. And right as the doctor was opening the door.
So now I have 2 crying kids, and 1 in his underwear, and we haven't even started the check up yet. A few minutes later, Brendan stops crying only to have a noticable goose egg on his head, but Maddie was still in a fetal position crying, this time on my Mom's lap. I'm never in the right state of mind to ask questions of the doctor at my kids' check ups. I'm always trying to keep people from crying, and I'm always sweating from the stress of having a doctor talk to me about my child, but not really listening because someone is inevitably acting up.
When it was shot time, Maddie went first, and started hyperventalating. When the doctor got her calmed down, she gave her the shot. It was somewhat remeniscent of the first time I gave Maddie a shot of insulin, but not quite as ear-piercing. Of course, she looked right at the needle and started screaming, not to cease for probably a minute or two. Fortunately, my mom had a good grip on her. I had visions of the letters "HI" on her meter. Stress and anxiety causes her blood sugar to go sky high, and this was definitely stress and anxiety for her, and for me.
Unfortunately, Reilly received his kindergarten shots, so he got 4 shots instead of 1. I heard him say things that I hadn't ever heard him say before. "Get me away from her!" and "This has got to stop now!" and "I can't believe you're letting her do this to me!" It was quite unsettling for me. The worst part is having to hold them down so they can't move, except for turning their heads to see the 4 inch long needles.
Then it was Brendan's turn. He was sleepy, and sweaty, and had a huge bump on his head. I set him up on the table and she gave him his flu shot. He didn't wince, he didn't cry, and he didn't even change his sweet expression from a blank look. He just sat there and got his shot, and watched the whole time. I think God gave me him to help my calm my anxious nerves and give me a periodic breath of fresh air in my stress filled life.
When we got out to the car, Maddie checked her blood and she was in the 500's. That figures.....but at least she won't get the flu!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Diabetes Makes You Prettier
Something that's a big deal to me is making sure my kids have good self esteem and a positive self image. From the day they could understand me, I have told them how handsome and beautiful they are. I'm always telling Reilly (my 5 year old son) what big muscles he has, and what a great soccer player he is. Maddie has always been told how beautiful she is, and how smart and creative she is. I think we all need a little encouragement every now and then.
Ok, so this whole diabetes thing did a number on Maddie. From the time she was diagnosed at the age of 5, she has experienced a touch of depression, embarrassment, anxiety, and so many other negative feelings that sometimes accompany the diagnosis of a chronic disease. I can't say that I know how she feels. Because I don't. I don't have diabetes. I don't have to check my blood in front of my peers. I don't have people asking me if I feel low. I don't have friends that tell me I can't eat something.
So from the very day she was diagnosed, I have told Maddie that diabetes makes her prettier. Because I believe it does. I tell her that there's no way in the world that she would have been this pretty if she didn't have diabetes.
I tell her it does something to her hair and skin. I tell her that it makes her eyes a brighter green. It makes her skin a more beautiful shade of tan. It gives her eyelashes a tiny bit of extra length. It puts beautiful blond highlights around her face. It makes her teeth a little whiter and straighter. It makes her voice sweeter and softer. It makes her prettier. Because I think it does.
My dad has said something to Maddie since she was a year old. He has said it to her ever since then, and he says it quite frequently.
"Maddie, come here to your Grampa." Maddie is the only granddaughter of 6 grandchildren. She has her Grampa wrapped around her finger. It is not uncommon after she is told "no" to hear her mumble under her breath, "Well, Grampa will get it for me."
Maddie walks over to my dad's open embrace, as he puts his face right up to hers, so as to tell her a secret. "I have a pretty important question to ask you."
"What is it, Grampa?" She always acts like she doesn't have any idea what he's going to say.
My dad gets this serious look on his face and asks her the same question every time. "How did you get so pretty in just 8 years?" He inserts her current age at that moment. He is usually tickling her, or hugging her by this point. She just laughs and shakes her head and tries to get away from his firm grip on her tiny little body.
She manages to get "I don't know" out as he's tickling her and as they're both laughing out loud. I tried for years to get her to say, "From my mama," but she would never say it.
Now I know how she got that way......it's because diabetes has made her prettier.
Ok, so this whole diabetes thing did a number on Maddie. From the time she was diagnosed at the age of 5, she has experienced a touch of depression, embarrassment, anxiety, and so many other negative feelings that sometimes accompany the diagnosis of a chronic disease. I can't say that I know how she feels. Because I don't. I don't have diabetes. I don't have to check my blood in front of my peers. I don't have people asking me if I feel low. I don't have friends that tell me I can't eat something.
So from the very day she was diagnosed, I have told Maddie that diabetes makes her prettier. Because I believe it does. I tell her that there's no way in the world that she would have been this pretty if she didn't have diabetes.
I tell her it does something to her hair and skin. I tell her that it makes her eyes a brighter green. It makes her skin a more beautiful shade of tan. It gives her eyelashes a tiny bit of extra length. It puts beautiful blond highlights around her face. It makes her teeth a little whiter and straighter. It makes her voice sweeter and softer. It makes her prettier. Because I think it does.
My dad has said something to Maddie since she was a year old. He has said it to her ever since then, and he says it quite frequently.
"Maddie, come here to your Grampa." Maddie is the only granddaughter of 6 grandchildren. She has her Grampa wrapped around her finger. It is not uncommon after she is told "no" to hear her mumble under her breath, "Well, Grampa will get it for me."
Maddie walks over to my dad's open embrace, as he puts his face right up to hers, so as to tell her a secret. "I have a pretty important question to ask you."
"What is it, Grampa?" She always acts like she doesn't have any idea what he's going to say.
My dad gets this serious look on his face and asks her the same question every time. "How did you get so pretty in just 8 years?" He inserts her current age at that moment. He is usually tickling her, or hugging her by this point. She just laughs and shakes her head and tries to get away from his firm grip on her tiny little body.
She manages to get "I don't know" out as he's tickling her and as they're both laughing out loud. I tried for years to get her to say, "From my mama," but she would never say it.
Now I know how she got that way......it's because diabetes has made her prettier.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
10 Things I Want My Friends To Know
Here's another good one from www.juvenation.org:
10 Things I Want My Friends To Know
10 Things I Want My Friends To Know
- When I'm testing my blood sugar or giving myself insulin, please don't get grossed out or make a big deal about it.
- Please stop telling me I can't eat something because there's sugar in it! I can eat all the same things as you can, just in smaller portions and with a dose of insulin.
- Just because I've had diabetes for a long time doesn't mean I'll ever get used to it. Most days I'm fine, but some days my diabetes can still get the best of me.
- I'm not going to die every time I check my blood sugar or experience a low.
- You don't need to announce to everyone that I have diabetes. I'll tell them if I want to.
- Having diabetes is like a full-time job and can be exhausting, so please be patient with me.
- Just because I have diabetes doesn't mean that I can't play sports and do all the things that everyone else does.
- It's OK to ask me questions about my diabetes. I want to help you understand what it's like.
- I didn't do anything to cause my type 1 diabetes, and there's still no cure.
- Diabetes doesn't define who I am, it's just something I have.
Funny, Yet So True
I read this article on a great website: www.juvenation.org
It is funny, but at the same time, it shows how little people know about diabetes. According to www.JDRF.org as many as 3 million Americans may have Type 1 Diabetes, and each year more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. That's 40 children per day. Scary....
Anyhoo, Maddie and I read this together, and we had a couple of good laughs....
STUPID THINGS PEOPLE SAY
A constant source of frustration for people with type 1 diabetes is annoying questions or comments from well-meaning but ill-informed people. Here are some of our favorites:
"Does it hurt?"
Of course poking myself with a needle hurts sometimes, and you never really get used to it no matter how long you have had diabetes.
"You can't eat that--You have diabetes!"
I know what I can and can't eat! Limiting sweets can help me keep my blood sugar under control, but as long as I adjust my insulin, I can eat them just like people without diabetes.
"Do you think you should eat something?"
I appreciate your concern, but I've been living with type 1 diabetes for some time now. Unless I've already asked you to watch me for specific symptoms and remind me to eat, I can decide when and what to eat on my own.
"Did you get diabetes because you at too much sugar?"
Eating too much sugar is not a cause of type 1 diabetes. I didn't do anything to cause my diabetes.
"I know all about diabetes, so here's what you need to do...."
Just because you're older than me or have more education doesn't mean you know more than I do about diabetes. I've been living with this disease for many years, so don't you think I know more about it than you?
"You're so skinny, how could you have diabetes?"
Obesity can be a trigger for Type 2 Diabetes, but it has NOTHING to do with type 1.
**my personal favorite**
"I have type 2 diabetes, so I know how you feel."
No, you don't. People with type 2 diabetes may be able to control their disease with diet and exercise alone, or with oral medication. Type 1 diabetics have to inject insulin constantly.
"Insulin can cure diabetes, right?"
Taking insulin keeps people with type 1 diabetes alive, but dies not cure the disease. While progress has been made, there still is no cure for diabetes.
"How come your blood sugar is always too hight or too low? Are you doing something wrong?"
Many factors can easily cause my blood sugars to swing out of control no matter how well I follow my meal plan and insulin schedule. It does not mean I've done something wrong.
Can't you get rid of your diabetes if you just exercise and eat right?"
If I could, don't you think I would have done that by now? Type 1 Diabetes is not caused by a poor diet, obesity, or lack of exercise. Those are factors associated with type 2 diabetes. Exercise and a good diet can help me to better control my type 1 diabetes, but they do not make it go away.
Being that Maddie is a child, with friends who are also children, she gets these questions and ones similar, all the time. She knows that she just needs to explain that her pancreas doesn't work, so her pump takes the place of it. God gives certain people patience for a reason. Maddie has become a very patient little girl.
It is funny, but at the same time, it shows how little people know about diabetes. According to www.JDRF.org as many as 3 million Americans may have Type 1 Diabetes, and each year more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. That's 40 children per day. Scary....
Anyhoo, Maddie and I read this together, and we had a couple of good laughs....
STUPID THINGS PEOPLE SAY
A constant source of frustration for people with type 1 diabetes is annoying questions or comments from well-meaning but ill-informed people. Here are some of our favorites:
"Does it hurt?"
Of course poking myself with a needle hurts sometimes, and you never really get used to it no matter how long you have had diabetes.
"You can't eat that--You have diabetes!"
I know what I can and can't eat! Limiting sweets can help me keep my blood sugar under control, but as long as I adjust my insulin, I can eat them just like people without diabetes.
"Do you think you should eat something?"
I appreciate your concern, but I've been living with type 1 diabetes for some time now. Unless I've already asked you to watch me for specific symptoms and remind me to eat, I can decide when and what to eat on my own.
"Did you get diabetes because you at too much sugar?"
Eating too much sugar is not a cause of type 1 diabetes. I didn't do anything to cause my diabetes.
"I know all about diabetes, so here's what you need to do...."
Just because you're older than me or have more education doesn't mean you know more than I do about diabetes. I've been living with this disease for many years, so don't you think I know more about it than you?
"You're so skinny, how could you have diabetes?"
Obesity can be a trigger for Type 2 Diabetes, but it has NOTHING to do with type 1.
**my personal favorite**
"I have type 2 diabetes, so I know how you feel."
No, you don't. People with type 2 diabetes may be able to control their disease with diet and exercise alone, or with oral medication. Type 1 diabetics have to inject insulin constantly.
"Insulin can cure diabetes, right?"
Taking insulin keeps people with type 1 diabetes alive, but dies not cure the disease. While progress has been made, there still is no cure for diabetes.
"How come your blood sugar is always too hight or too low? Are you doing something wrong?"
Many factors can easily cause my blood sugars to swing out of control no matter how well I follow my meal plan and insulin schedule. It does not mean I've done something wrong.
Can't you get rid of your diabetes if you just exercise and eat right?"
If I could, don't you think I would have done that by now? Type 1 Diabetes is not caused by a poor diet, obesity, or lack of exercise. Those are factors associated with type 2 diabetes. Exercise and a good diet can help me to better control my type 1 diabetes, but they do not make it go away.
Being that Maddie is a child, with friends who are also children, she gets these questions and ones similar, all the time. She knows that she just needs to explain that her pancreas doesn't work, so her pump takes the place of it. God gives certain people patience for a reason. Maddie has become a very patient little girl.
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