Bringing over another question from my group… I’ve already told her she was welcome to invite family to join the facebook group and that I’d post here to see what you all had to say…
“Can anyone recommend a book/article/something for family members of T1 diabetics that deals more with the day to day challenges of this life style? I have some family members who only see me occasionally, and are constantly shocked that after all these years, I still haven’t figured out how to have perfect sugar all the time (sigh). So I was thinking maybe it would be helpful if they could read something that not just talked about the physiology of it, but someone else’s experience of the day to day challenges, what it feels like being low/high, etc. I hope this makes sense.”
This is perfect. It definitely hits on a few of the highlights of living with the disease. The ONLY part I couldn’t get behind had to do with the type 2 stereotypes. I know I, for one, have never envied type 2s… boy, do they take a hit in the blame and guilt categories. .
@Nickyghaleb Glad you enjoyed Sugarland. I have used it with friends who had problems conceptualizing diabetes as a whole. BTW the artist Susie Cagle is a SF Bay Area cartoonist who tends to do more fringe/edgy subjects that are politically volatile. She is definitely undervalued in the cartoon/political satire world.
“My favorite: I’ve had people suggest to me that my type of diabetes is ‘better,’ because at least I’m not fat. I can’t even. Seek help.”
That’s great. Ignorance can be breathtaking.
I once had a friend who told me how lucky I was because I could eat anything I wanted. This was a real conversation. I weighed 106 lbs., had an a1c of a 16.4, crawled up and down the stairs because my energy was nonexistent, and I tasted copper 24 hours a day and had for a year. She knew all of these things. “You can eat anything you want and not gain weight.”
The Vox article was pretty good - I love the part about how some people think that sticking yourself with needles is the worst part of the disease. I don’t actually care
Not sure about you guys but I’ve given up trying to educate mine. They either just don’t want to learn or are just too afraid. They still stand in awe when we are changing out Bob (CGM) or Fred (POD).
Mine, unfortunately, are kind of getting the hang of it. Now everyone knows what’s right for me, right or not, and I can no longer make a decision without explaining it (and occasionally have the candy bar in my hand swapped out for an applesauce).
We always think we know what we want… until we realize otherwise.
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