I have been a diabetic for 6 years and I’ve been asked a lot of questions. Here is a couple that have come up over the years.
Oh my god, you’re diabetic?
Yes, I am. I don’t inject $1000 fluid into myself for the heck of it.
Ate too much sugar, eh?
Oh yes, I ate a whole bag of sugar and got diabetes. This is so dense I can’t even process it. No, you cannot get diabetes from eating too much sugar. Your body just decides that your pancreas is a threat to the body and starts to attack it. Voilà!
Is it contagious?
No, it is not contagious. As of right now, there is no explanation as to how people get it. Some are saying it’s genetic, but people without diabetes in their history still get it. It’s strange, but you should get back to hugging your loved ones.
Can you eat this?
Yes, I can eat anything. I just shouldn’t eat a whole bowl of pasta.
Could be worse, right?
Don’t ever say this to a diabetic. Most of the time, people who say this don’t have diabetes themselves. It’s frustrating to hear this because diabetes is completely different from any other diseases. It’s like going up to someone with scoliosis and saying, “Well, it could be worse. You could have osteosarcoma.” Both suck. Both could be fatal. That doesn’t mean one is worse than the other. Diabetes has changed my life. It may not be fatal from the get-go, but I have to worry about that stuff. I have to worry about lows, highs, loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, the list goes on. So don’t compare my life to someone else’s and say I could have it worse because diabetes is an expensive disease that isn’t fun and I didn’t choose this life.
What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
Valid question. Type 2 is where there isn’t enough insulin to move sugar through the body and mostly occurs in older people and obese people. Type 2 can usually be cured for lack of a better word. Losing weight and taking pills helps with type 2. Type 1 is where the body starts attacking the pancreas and rejects it. Again, don’t know why. Type 1 is not curable, unfortunately.
Diabetes is a disease that impacts millions of people’s lives. It’s ok to ask questions, but please, please think about it before asking. Hopefully, this post and many others will answer these common questions.