Hey, you guys .
My name is Rachel and i am 17 yo i am from fort worth texas. I have had T1D since 2013 or 2012.I have had T1D for about 10 going on 11 years this coming June,25th.And i am here to ask a somewhat personal question about depression and your diabetes.
My question is . . . for the teens or adults that have had T1D for more than five years how do you all handle all the questions people ask constantly either at school , college , work , or even at home?
I am asking you all this because i am in foster care and every where i go everybody asks the same thing over and over.
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Hi Rachel @RachelsT1D, I know how these repetitive questions can get to you - they have certainly gotten to me at times, but not any more now. Yes, I’ve had diabetes for more than 5 years, more than 65 years and the same questions keep coming up.
I respond in a few different ways and my response is based on if I sense the person is really interested in ME or, just being annoying and ignorant; sometimes my response is to ignore the person and walk away.
When I sense the person asking is really interested and wants to learn, I take my time and help her/him understand the implications of diabetes and how it affects my life every day of my life. If the asker is just being a nuisance and repeatedly asks the same [foolish] questions or tries to tell me “… you can’t eat that!”, I say something like go back to school and learn and then suggest that before asking again try reading what is written about diabetes on jdrf.org ; the latter has been directed at work colleagues who ask, or say, the same thing week after week.
Being in Foster, I suspect that you have been asked each time you change homes; I assume that each new family has the same “not good ideas about diabetes” and need your help understanding so to help you. Because Obesity Diabetes is often in the news and makes up well over 85% of “diabetics”, I suggest that you begin by saying that you have “Autoimmune Diabetes” or TypeOne and it did not happen to you because of anything that you did [ate] or didn’t do. Once there is some basic understanding, share with your new family that you are mostly comfortable with “taking care of your diabetes” and let them know how they can assist you in living a full, active life. Of course, let your family know when they should step in to help you, especially when you are experiencing a low BG.
Best wishes for you, Rachel!
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Hi @RachelsT1D I’ve had T1 for more than 5 years too. I don’t tell everybody. In fact I tell people I choose to tell at a time and place of my convenience. This goes for work, school, relationships and strangers on the bus. Like @Dennis if I’m getting asked a question by someone who really wants to learn, I can talk all day about it.
Over the years I realized that I just don’t care what people think and it helps me. I try to be nice, kind, helpful and hopeful but I don’t expect it back.
I do suffer from depression but with therapy, and self help, and groups such as this I manage it.
The world is not going to slow down or change for me. The world is the way it is. If I don’t like something, I can work to improve it or walk away and that choice is always mine.
I hope you find a little peace and are ok. We are here to support each other. 
Hi @RachelsT1D ! This is my 60th year with diabetes.
We Type 1s are a rare breed for lack of a better word, as most people have Type2 - although I just looked up a statistic that says Type1 now accounts for about 20% - it used to be much less. But the focus is on Type2 so “others” can’t help being confused.
There’s an ad on TV about treatment for a form of breast cancer and I find myself asking What in the world is HR positive… breast cancer? And I imagine people on a related forum are wondering how can people not know? It’s so familiar to us!
@joe shared, if people ask questions because they genuinely want to learn, it’s a good thing: I try to keep in mind that we have a special body of knowledge to share, that we can use to educate people.
I highly recommend you check out the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner. He has diabetes and works in the field so has a unique personal perspective that is particularly helpful. I found it to be an easy and fun read, and it could be helpful to your foster family as the learn how to support you in whatever ways you need.
Rachel, I have had T1D for 35 years or so and yes I have been asked some really ignorant questions. The ones I hate teh most are “Can you eat that?” and “Should you be eating that” Like Dennis said I answer the majority of them with a smart ass remark because theya re saying it from an ignorant position. Others who are legit asking for my helath and wellness I do explain how things work. I am using an insulin pump with a CGM. At your age I hope you are too because I found it best when I was younger. When i explain that I can see my sugar levels to my loved ones and explain that i took the appropriate insuling for the foods I am eating they are generally impressed how well I know how to manage my diet and insulin. I apologize that there are still ignorant people but please educate the ones that truly woul dhave your best interest in mind. Unfortunately people who never deal with Diabetes would have no reason to know. I always love the ones that think the insuling is there to make my sugar higher. Good luck to you in your T1D journey we all deal with the ignorance differently and i imagine in the foster system you have more people around you that are uneducated than you do that are educated in diabetic care.
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