People just don’t understand what it’s like to live with diabetes
I am a very open person when it comes to my diabetes, and i am happy discussing it as I like other people, especially my family and close friends, to have more of an idea of what I go through living with type 1 diabetes.
But whenever I try to discuss the difficulties I have with it – for example having a lot hypos when I’m at work – the conversation always ends up with their reaction being “you’re obviously not doing something right, or you need to get your levels under control more.” Even if some people do have reasonably perfect levels for a diabetic, I have no idea how.
Even my own Dad makes me feel like I don’t do things right and that any complications I have are my fault. What upsets me more is he has not been taught or told anything about diabetes for 14 years and yet he still tries to tell me what to do. I try to explain to him how things are and how they work and that things have also changed since being on the pump, but he still doesn’t listen.
Ii just wish people understood type 1 diabetes more, or took the time to understand, especially family members and gave us diabetics a fair go. There is nowhere near enough support and information regarding diabetes and especially type 1 diabetes out there and I don’t think people take it seriously enough.