Okay, so I have alot of diabetic pet peeves, But I dont want to sound like a jerk when I say them, so anything goes okay? One of my diabetic pet peeves is when people mistake blood sugar for blood pressure, anyone expierence this? Happens everyday to me. “I need candy” “Why is your blood pressure low?”. Another one is when someone who doesnt have diabetes tells you what to eat, its like dude, I have it, you dont, I think I know what im doing. Another one is when people totally freak out when you have a single piece of candy, when your bg is correct. “Oh my god, dont eat that, your gonna die” “uhm, I dont automatically just lay out and die, it doesnt work like that, and I can eat this, my level is fine” Those are just some of the things that gets on my nerves, So I have a question, whats your diabetic pret peeves?
Thankyou,
Michael Cremated
My biggest pet peeves are:
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people looking over my shoulder when I test. I know it’s because they care about how my numbers are looking, but I feel a lot of pressure for the number to be perfect when I test with a spectator. If you ask what it is, I’ll probably tell you, but watching the meter count down with me isn’t cool in my book.
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People who don’t think women with diabetes can have children. My own mother-in-law was in this camp and it hurt like hell for her to say how I wasn’t going to be able to give her grandbabies.
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Getting “special” sugar-free stuff. I know people mean well, but a lot of sugar-free food is just gross and no better for us than the regular versions of the food. I will give kudos to a school friend of mine who actually made some rockin sugar-free key lime bars in pastry arts. Maybe one day we can have yummy low carb desserts.
What really steams me is any comment about what I’m eating!!! Yes, I AM FAT, but at least I’m not a fathead like you! To take a sensitive topic like that and verbalize their criticism of me is plain RUDE!! I was fat since I had my tonsils out at age 6. Not as big as I am now, but in varying stages. Yes, I need to control everything I eat but I don’t need a big fathead act like the control police. Nobody knows how sensitive a big person is about their bodies just as nobody can know how a skinny person woukd like being called a toothpick or a skinny minnie!! So, isn’t it better to avoid commenting on a person’s body at all? Unless a person takes the lead, leave it! BUT if you fire the opening salvo … better be able to take it!!
Lizmari, You totally understand me. Thank you!!
Tom, I upset you and I apologize. Posts here run the risk of misinterpretation. Like Lizmari said, you do come to recognize the difference between the positive and negative intent of comments from people. You have to trust me, some people do say things to be deliberately nasty. I do not know why. But comments that feel malicious and hurtful work pretty much 100% of the time on me.
I work very hard to not let it get to me. Rather than blurt out something that I know I shouldn’t, I have to bite my tongue, remind myself some people just don’t know, and that it’s okay. And then take a deep breath and try to let it go.
It is exhausting trying to defend myself (“No, I didn’t do this to myself …,” “Diabetes is actually a very challenging disease no matter if it’s Type 1 or Type 2 …” “explain, explain, explain, explain, explain …”) all of the time. Sometimes it IS futile. Someone who points a finger and says, “Well, you aren’t doing what I know you should be doing and you’re gonna pay for your bad behavior. You got diabetes in the first place from your bad behavior. Look what you’ve done to yourself …” trying to explain is a waste of my time. Okay, maybe that’s not how mean to be interpreted, but hearing it over and over puts it in the “pet peeve” category!
So, yes Tom, I do have to find ways to get me through the day. Some days I even have to trick myself into thinking everything IS okay. Thankfully I’m in tune with myself enough to know that is okay too.
I didn’t intend for my words to be interpreted as condescending. It’s no fun when you feel like no one else understands what it’s like. Insensitive comments from others can hurt very deeply, especially on those days when you’re struggling to make life with diabetes, well, work.
I didn’t intend for my words to be interpreted by anyone here as condescending. And now here I am once again trying to explain myself, this time to you. You are fortunate not to be jaded by, or hurt by, the callousness that most all diabetics encounter in their daily lives. I mean that sincerely and without any sarcasm.
Comments on diabetic “Pet Peeves” (rockin’ topic Michael!) that we can genuinely laugh out loud about help a lot! I love TuDiabetes because I feel like I can share openly with kindred spirits here. Some peeves may seem bitter, but we’ve had to develop some thick skin (not just the fingertips).
Personally, I’m finding this topic to be quite a bonding, feel-good experience! Who knew!
Peace ------ Julie Ann
Totally! I still can’t believe that most new cars don’t come with turn signals! 
hee hee
That drives me nuts too, Terry!
ROFL! Now THAT’s funny!!!
Thank you for the link, Marie! OMG - so funny and I soooo can relate!!!
Brenda,
You said all of that so well. It is so true - I hear that kind of thing too. Incredible.
LOL I’ll have to use that one.
Very recently, when I got a new pink (instead of black) pump, a co-worker said, "I had no idea that was an insulin pump. I always just thought you were “old School” and were wearing a pager!
Hi Lois, How are you doing? I’ve been thinking about you. 
You take shots all day? You have the BAD kind of Diabetes.
Lucky for you there’s sugar free candy.
Are you supposed to eat that?
You can’t have bread, right?
hahahahahahahahaha
Everybody is mentioning pet peeves that concern how they interact with other people so I thought I’d include some of mine that don’t.
When I put the test strip in the meter and don’t push it all the way in so I fill it with blood and realize I just wasted a strip.
When I push the strip in all the way but can’t get the alcohol on my finger to dry fast enough so the meter times out and before I realize it I fill it with blood and waste a strip again.
When I prick my finger and squeeze it but don’t get enough blood to fill the strip so I keep squeezing to get more with no results and my finger ends up hurting so bad I can’t prick it again until later.
When I get a bubble in the reservoir that refuses to leave.
Having to remember to take the new insulin out of the fridge long enough to warm it up so I can use it.
Having to choose between changing my reservoir early and wasting insulin or waiting until it’s almost empty even though that means I’d be changing it before bed (not a good idea).
Wasting insulin for any reason.
And the biggest one of all: Insurance Companies! The fact that they have been given the right to override a medical professional’s opinion about my health because they want to make a larger profit on me. This means that they’re not only bleeding me dry financially, but that I’m paying them with my life so the corporate execs can buy larger yachts and private jets. If Hell were real I’d be willing to give up eternity in Heaven if the Devil would give me the pleasure of being in charge of these bastards’ torture.
I am sorry, Tom… but your judgemental attitude of those who have been struggling with this illness for years and years IS very frustrating and annoying. How narcissistic of you to think you have the only proper way to face life, and deal with circumstances. If you do not like the thread, please do not read it. There is no need to come on here and attack others for their experience, and their feelings in their walk in life which you cannot relate to. It is just different, not wrong. Please move on, let people relate how they feel comfortable relating.
well lizmari i have to agree little bit with tom. my family is far away and most of my friends really don’t understand much of the disease but they care a lot and that is beautiful.
i guess, in my opinion i would love to have the opportunity to see my family and be greeted by terrible foods that taste like carton and you know what: i am grateful that my friends buy diabetic friendly bars, candy, chips, soda and other insane products that are not really diabetic friendly and harass me when i eat candy because they are thinking i am going to die young or worse: after eating the candy!
nevertheless, that is how life is in general. my father has hypertension i harass him about it and my mom osteoporosis and i do the same. i know i am exaggerating but it is out of pure love. my friends are the same and you know what, our friends and family that harass us do the same. of course it is frustrating, we are all diabetics, it is a daily fight everyday to survive and most people don’t understand it. but in the end i am happy i don’t have to fight alone and have friends that think about me, even when they are grocery shopping.
happy valentine’s day and eat diabetic-friendly candy!
Well… We’re not trying to hate on those people, Ivan… They are just ‘pet peeves.’ Things that are mildly annoying, or irritating… It doesn’t mean we are ungrateful for people’s intentions, or narcissistic in the least bit! And frankly, I recent the judgement and name calling. When we share the things that often frustrate us, we can feel we are not alone, and that yes, the world is all the same everywhere… We know most of those people mean well (and some really don’t, but oh well). And we know we can get support from most of our families… We are just sharing a small part of dealing with this disease, so we can relate to one another. That is all…
I am sorry, Tom… but you are not the judge and jury of my life, nor the lives of others on this thread, and what they have or don’t have in their heart. It is not fair to get on this thread, and call decent people names, because you do not understand what they are trying to relate, or where they are coming from. So please, enough judgementalism.
I’ll add something to this conversation; there is a mistaken perception among many people in the diabetes community (especially in the type 1 community) that their pancreas no longer functions and I hear it ALL the time, and its just plain wrong. The pancreas has a number of different endocrine AND exocrine functions, blood glucose control is a comparatively small part of the total. It’s worth noting that the Islets of Langerhans constitute less than 1% of the total pancreas’ mass. Still, the pancreas plays a major role in digestion, creating digestive juices that still function just fine in most people with type 1 diabetes. I’ll lift the following text because someone else said it better than I do: “These fluids must break down nutrients that the stomach’s acids weren’t effective at metabolizing. Since the pancreas is so close to the small intestine, there are many ducts streaming from its head to carry the enzymes to the duodenum, which is the beginning of the intestine. The juices start out alkaline in the pancreas, but when they meet substances bathed in stomach acid in the duodenum, they become acidic. These enzymes include lipase, which digests fat, trypsin, or protein, and one that works on carbohydrates, amylase. The resulting nutrients are distributed further down the small intestine.”
To everyone with type 1 diabetes, your pancreas is not broken, your Islets of Langerhans (and more specifically, the pancreatic beta cells found within those clusters of cells) are what is broken.
i know. i am not complaining.
This is good information for me to know, Scott, thanks. I think many of us probably do think that our pancreas is now worthless and could easily be removed with no consequence. I did, until I read this.
I’ll probably continue saying that my pancreas is ‘broken’ or ‘doesn’t work’ anyway because it’s not doing its full job.
The lazy jerk.
Terry
You wipe your fingers with an alcohol swab?