With Melbourne experiencing days of extremely warm weather, my Dexcom is visible almost all the time. And people want to ask me about it. I respond the same way each time: ‘I have diabetes. It measures my glucose levels so I don’t have to prick my fingers much anymore.’ It’s a simple explanation that avoids technical jargon.
But increasingly, it seems that people know what diabetes is, so often I don’t have to explain the thing stuck to my arm. It announces I have diabetes. And don’t people have thoughts on that? Yes. Yes they do.
I was on the beach a few weeks ago and someone told me I was irresponsible to have it at the beach because it would get damaged.
Waiting in line for a coffee on my first day at work, a woman about my age lifted her arm, pointing to the Libre stuck there and asked why I wasn’t using one instead of Dex. ‘It’s smaller and less obvious.’
Another person said that if I truly did have diabetes, (Why would this be something I’d lie about?), I should ditch the croissant I was eating and drink celery juice for breakfast instead.
I met someone who spent five minutes demanding to know why I wasn’t using an insulin pump because it really is the only way to manage type 1 diabetes. Eventually, I lifted my pump from my bra and held it up to him. ‘Eighteen years,’ I said. ‘It works for me.‘ He wasn’t done. I was then told I shouldn’t wear a pump down my bra because it would overheat, which seemed an odd (and overly familiar) thing to say. How would he know the temperature of my boobs?
When we find something in diabetes that works for us, we can become a little evangelical. In the past, I’ve been guilty of this.
I have really tried to tone it down; I know that just because something works for me doesn’t mean it will work for others. But even more than that, it’s none of my business how someone chooses to manage their diabetes. And none of anyone else’s how I choose to manage mine.
So, I’m revisiting this little post from last year as a reminder that we are lucky to have choices. And to not shove ours down others’ throats.
____________________________________
Pumps. Pens. Syringes.
Patch pump. Pod.
Share your data. Don’t share your data.
Blood glucose monitors. Continuous glucose monitors. Flash glucose monitors.
Low carb. High carb. Low(er) carb. No carb. ALL the carbs.
Private diabetes team. Public clinic.
#WeAreNotWaiting. #WeAreWaiting.
Apps for recording data. Scribbling down numbers on the back of an envelope. Making up numbers as you go along.
Online peer support. Face to face peer support. No peer support.
How fortunate we are to have choices – to have choices we can make for ourselves for our own brand of diabetes.
I’m feeling a little burnt out at the moment by the zealots online who think it’s their way or the highway. Do what works for you and share it, by all means. But attacking someone else for doing something different is just being a dick. Don’t be a dick. There’s really no need.
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February 7, 2019 at 4:22 pm
Pam
Always read your posts with interest. So honest and it’s refreshing to hear someone tell it like it is.
I’ve had type 1 for similar length of time (22 years) and have had my share of struggles with all that comes with the condition.
Thankyou for re assuring me that I’m not alone with some of the experiences and feelings I have & have had.
Keep writing but don’t burn out… You are a very welcome source of information and inspiration xx
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February 7, 2019 at 4:30 pm
StephenS
Loving all of this so much. For the record, I never felt like more of a success with my diabetes as when I ate something that I previously wasn’t allowed to eat, and knew it was okay thanks to you and many others. That helped me know I could figure out how to manage it.
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February 7, 2019 at 8:39 pm
John Grumitt (@JohnGrumitt)
Bravo Renza. Well said. We are all individuals, each with our own perceptions, lifetime experiences and beliefs that shape our views, which are dynamic too.
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February 8, 2019 at 11:47 am
Rick Phillips
I tell them I have a radioactive seismic detector that gives me advanced warning of shifting space currents related to alien invasion.
I have only been locked up twice in the last year for mental illness abnormalities since i have been using that bit of information.
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