So. I’m not sure if this is something that everyone else has noticed in their lives, but sometimes it just hits me. DIABETES IS EVERYWHERE.
Yeah, I know it’s everywhere because it’s a part of me and I look at my pump or check my blood glucose or think about it or I eat something or wonder what my number is nearly constantly.
It’s a little strange to imagine my life without it. I wonder what else I’d think about, if I weren’t always going through a body check.
But then I realize that not everyone is like me. Some people hear “diabetes” and have their own thoughts of what that means based on some random TV show or advertisement on the side of a bus or newspaper article about using some mouse’s pancreas or whatever.
There is a load of misinformation out there.
I can only hope to positively shift the non-diabetic’s perception of the disease each time I have the opportunity to interact with them. I want to be a source of some truthful tidbit for each person who speaks with me about diabetes.
Yes, it takes time. Yes, I’m not always thrilled with taking that time. I know some perceive it as a personal intrusion (I don’t). Sometimes, it’s pretty rude. But really? I’m not that important that I can’t respond to a genuine question someone has about diabetes. Maybe they’re just trying to mesh the random bits of information they’ve accumulated in their years of living without diabetes.
I don’t like the other option I have, either. I don’t want that guy who asked me why I was wearing my garage door opener on my belt really thinking I was wearing my garage door opener on my belt. I want my pump to just be there, and the only way I think I’ll ever get to that point is by explaining to anyone who asks what my pump is, what it does, and why. So, I say with a laugh: “No, it’s not a garage door opener; it’s my insulin pump. I wear this so I don’t have to take shots for my diabetes” or something equally bland and truthful.
I love it when people ask me questions. I’m not kidding that a few minutes ago I had to call Intuit to get my software registration code; the lady asked me the name of my business and when she heard “Diabetes Outside” she mentioned her coworker’s eight year old son was just diagnosed and the family is overwhelmed and her friend is in his mid 40s and she thinks has the other type but he’s in denial and won’t talk to her about anything. So we talked and I answered anything she asked me about what she had heard about diabetes, A1c, and what the different types are.
I love that I spent twelve minutes on the phone with her accomplishing something that probably should have taken less than three. Maybe I helped her to understand a little bit more what we all live with and think about without end.
Maybe. For today, that maybe is enough for me.
Amy,
I am the co-worker that Lizz mentioned while you registered your QuickBooks program yesterday. She was so touched by your conversation that she shared your site with me. My son Aaron was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic on May 5th of this year.
I have to tell you how wonderful it is of you to share your experiences. We are of course taking it one day at a time but my how that time drags when you have to think about this issue every hour of that day!
We are barely off the starting line in this new life of ours but it is comforting to know that there are people out there that are willing to help! Please keep it up and know that we will certainly pay it forward!
Thanks again,
Dawn Parker