Right, here's the deal. I'll put this as plainly and simply as possible. People need educating on diabetes, the different types and how they differ, how diabetes affects people, the reasons why I might seem like I am drunk sometimes if you see me in the street, the medications/treatments. People need educating on it all.
In psychology today, and this should never happen by the way guys, I was annoyed at it a little, but luckily for him on the whole I was okay with it, my psychology teacher turned without warning and announced to the class that I am a diabetic. When, quite shocked as I was, my eyes shot up from what I was doing to glare at him, he asked me if I minded the class being told I was diabetic, I told him it was a little late now since he'd already said, he told me evidently there was issues in eithics, yes there were, issues which he didn't consider. Now luckily for him, I didn't mind the entire class knowing, because it isn't something I can change, its not something I'm bothered about people knowing, but if I were anyone different he'd have to be careful.
The reason I mentioned this, is because there followed comments about weren't diabetics fat? Wasn't diabetes due to overeating? And though this was never said, it was almost as if they were thinking, was she overfed as a child? Is it her parents fault she ended up diabetic?
What annoyed me, was that no-one asked me. They all muttered to themselves, but no-one turned to me and asked me, not at least until my psychology teacher started again. I explained they thought it was due to an auto-immune deficiency, at which point I received a roomful of blank stares and had to explain that means that my immune system was trying to attack itself. My psychology teacher went on to explain that the difference in types means a different in treatment, my pancreas doesn't work, that is not the same as all type 2 diabetics, and if you gave me metformin, no matter how many doses you give me, it wasn't going to work because I need different things.
He explained that sometimes I act like I am drunk and that usually this is when my blood sugar is too low. Acting like I am drunk is a rather simplistic view I have to say, but it works I guess as a way of understanding something. Obviously for me, there is so much more happening, my eye sight may be getting affected, I might not be able to walk right, I tend to lose the feeling in my legs and my hands feel funny, I get dizzy and it feels like the world is turning on its axis too fast.
But it scares me to think, everyone knew type two, they knew very little about type one. More education is needed, and needed fast. With understanding comes acceptance.
Keep Smiling :)
Love, Tutti-Frutti
xxx
Wow, you have to put up with SOO much ignorance. I didn't realise how many people totally misunderstand diabetes.
ReplyDeleteAlso that teacher anouncing ANYTHING personal to you to the whole class is totally unacceptable. Like you say, he should have asked first.
Even though it's nothing to be ashamed of, you have every right to your privacy. There are good reasons that medical records are strictly confidiential. The main reason is to avoid the biggotry that comes from the ignorant being privy to the information without the education.
You have every right to pick and choose who you share this information with. IMHO You should never have been put on the spot like this.
:-) Hey. Hope you're ok. Ignorance in diabetes is something I am starting to see more and more, I think that the media has a lot to do with it, sometimes when adverts and stuff are promoting healthy eating in order to help people to not develop type 2 diabetes (and other health complications) they dont always specify that it is type two, they simply say diabetes, and there are massive differences.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that type two is seen a lot more, its certainly a lot more common and usually someone will have it in their family. The issue with this, is when you get someone who thinks they know the be all and end all of diabetes, because they know someone with type two, what it means again is that knowledge of type one is thrown out the window.
As for the psychology teacher, all I can say is that it is lucky for him i am the way I am. Lucky that he knows me, because had I been anyone else, this could have got him into trouble because I may have found it upsetting. I think I was more shocked than anything else, especially as I aren't too keen on being centre of attention in lessons, and the minute he did that all eyes in the room were on me, and I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Hope you're okay :-) and have a lovely night :-) x