Does this annoy anyone else

Just out of curisioty does it annoy anyone else that people give us advice on our diabetes when they don’t know what is going on. So many people out there think it is all about what you eat that affects your blood sugar. Everyone keeps asking me what I ate to cause my blood sugar to go up or down, well you know what everyday life affects blood sugars. It isn’t as simple as eating the right things, exercise, stress, illness, medications etc all affect a diabetic.

Oh and I am not sure how much I will be here I start college this week, full time so I am going to be busy along with juggling the many specialist appointments I have and the gym.

This is a controversial question for Type 1s. Although overeating and lack of exercise cannot cause Type 1, once you have diabetes what you eat, unfortunately, DOES effect blood sugar. And insulin is a poor match for a lot of food. Therefore, after we routinely see spikes in high 390s to 400s after eating a modest bowl of Honeycomb cereal, and giving more insulin will help somewhat but then cause her to go low, we simply got around the problem by serving something else for breakfast. Cereal for breakfast is now only occasional, not the norm. Until we learn how to properly bolus for certain foods, we change our habits. I have noticed a lot of the adult bloggers on the continuous monitors have come to the very same conclusion regarding breakfast cereal… Hey, it AIN’T worth it! Once we have our continuous monitor, we will test a lot of foods and try to find a solution for the problem foods. I think for us, substitution will be the sensible alternative to those types of foods we can’t find a solution for.

I REALLY have to go along with you on that one!!! My husband can make me the maddest of all! He has been married to me for 23 years ans has a 19 year old daughter with Tpye 1 too and his mom was a Type 2 but he loves to tell me what to eat when to eat it and what will cause my bs to go up if I’m down or what will cause it to go down if it’s up! GRRRRRR…

Agreed!

For the most part my blood sugar is under good control. Basically the only times i have problems with it is when a) i am sick or b) i have had a steriod shot for asthma. I realize food has a factor in it, but so does other things as well. That is the part that makes me mad. Some of my friends say what have you eaten to cause it to go up first question, now my doctor when i tell him it spiked he asks me have you been sick or have you had steriods. He knows that I follow my diet and keep it under control.

Those steriods will ALWAYS make me go up WAYYYY high and when I have something as simple as the common cold!!! Sometimes I just want to get off the marrigoround! Mine for years wasn’t under the best control but it has seemed to me the more I try to get it there the worse it gets!!! As for most Dr’s hey will tell you what you should do and then not do it themselves! I had this one Dr who preached at me a blue streak for smoking (bad I know) but he done it himself! But he told me he was ok and I had diabetes sorry but guess who died of lung cancer and who (so far so good) don’t have it! Yes I’m tryng to quit now but not back then. It comes down to who knows your body better you or the Dr almost everytime it’s you! That’s what I love about my Dr he will tell you " You know more about how you feel than I do so try it and see." Honestly you will learn to know what will shout you threw the roof and what won’t. Always remember to know your own milage. We all are different! Nomatter what your not a “textbook” case!

Doris,
I am lucky to have a great doctor. For the most part he lets me adjust my insulin 5 units here or there, but for major adjustments I have to call him, but he lets me do it cause as you said I know my body better than anyone. I just get annoyed at people who have no clue about diabetes trying to tell me I am doing things wrong.

Yes -it does. Now that I’ve dropped some pounds, I’m getting the comment “oh, now your diabetes will go away” - yeah, like it’s just that simple to grow new beta cells. I know they mean well, but it’s so frustrating! Or people who are on different diets who tell me - “oh, you can eat carbs!” Sorry, my sugars are in control, if you want to eat that way, that’s your choice, but leave me alone - I’ll choose how I manage my disease process, thank you very much! So yeah - I hear ya bro!

i disagree. i have a bowl of cheerios, lucky charms, life, reese puffs, honey bunches of oats, etc etc, and my sugar is fine. its called an insulin pump. 78 grams for a bowl of cheerios, 102 for lucky charms, 98 for life, 80 somethin for puffs, and i cant remember hboo. the insulin pump is honestly the best thing you can do for your type 1 diabetes, my A1C when from 7.9 to 6.4 in the first 4 months of having the pump, high BGs after cereal is a thing of the past.

\Right on, Cody! I agree with you – It’s easy to study the playbook. It’s a whole different ballgame to get your butt on the field. Too often doctors, nurses and AADES have no clue what it’s like to walk a day in diabetic shoes!! Good luck at college, Cody! :slight_smile:

I don’t think there is any controversy in the question for anyone. The fact is that far too many people who have no clue what is going on have no reservations offering free advice to people because their great aunt Mabel had diabetes, which they think qualifies them to offer unsolicited advice on the subject. Its worth noting that Medtronic Minimed conducted a study done by Harris Interactive with 2,436 American adults earlier this year, and found that 80% of the American public cannot distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Many other details exist (see my blog posting here for details), but the point is that most of the American population is pretty clueless when it comes to diabetes, and while they would never dare offer advice to someone with cancer, they feel justified in firing their mouths off to people with diabetes. The media and the American Diabetes Association have contributed to this public ignorance, and we as individuals cannot correct decades of misinformation that is in circulation … we can respond individually, but sometimes it takes too much effort and I cannot be bothered – it really depends on my mood, so watch out ignorant people!!

I just tell them most of the time to shut up and leave me alone and then ask them where there MD license is at

I started a new job three weeks ago. On Friday, my supervisor asked if there was anything she needed to know about my diabetes. I could tell it was difficult for her to ask. My verbal response was “no, I can handle anything that might come up, knock on wood.” I told her I was comfortable about talking about my diabetes – for the most part I am. However, my physical response betrayed my verbal response. I am sure the tension was all over my face. Past traumas come right back when someone asks about my diabetes. It is hard to know where the conversation could go. As we continued to talk it came out that my supervisor had dated someone with diabetes for many years. Here former partner was not so open about his diabetes and did not want to make it an issue. She went on to tell me that it was not an issue for him until it became an issue of many severe lows. I have family members and friend with diabetes, so I know first hand the trauma of seeing and treating a severe low. If this man was her only contact with someone with diabetes of course she would be nervous around me.
I would like to think that in the future, even if it is that “can you have salt” question, that I can use it as an opportunity to teach someone about diabetes. After all if someone is brave or in some cases ignorant enough to ask a question, they deserve an answer.

It does annoy me when people try to advise me on my diabetes care to the point where it becomes ridiculous. i particularly hate when people try to tell me what I can and can’t eat. I use a pump, and I am able to eat almost anything (can’t figure out pizza, though). I try to remember that the people giving advice are just trying to be helpful. I tend to try and get them to understand how my disease really works. The fewer ignorant people that are out there, the fewer people who will give stupid advice.

I agree with your statement farher down I have told alot of ppl to shut up I know what I’m doing and YOU don’t! It is really nice your Dr ackonalages that you know yourself better than anybody! I have had the same Dr for 23 years b/c he told me that and another thing he does that makes me love him is that when he don’t know the answer he will tell you I don’t know you need to see whatever kind of Dr and refers me to some great ones that know how to deal with a diabetic and whatevers wrong! I just love that attitude in a DR!!!

My son is on a pump, but he still has spikes if he eats any kind of cereal. The pump is great. But, it’s not so simple as to say you can eat anything and everything without it affecting your sugars just because you’re on a pump.

I agree with you Cody. I’ve written a few blog posts on this very subject. I am floored by the comments that people can make when they have no idea what they are talking about.

But, I’m even more appaled by those with diabetes who want to critisize others with diabetes just because they don’t do things the same way as they do.

Doug,

Try using a square wave bolus with pizza. The fat in the pizza makes the carbs digest more slowly. For instance, I set my square wave for 3 hours, take half now and the other half over the next 3 hours.

Not only do I get mad at the people, who give advice when they don’t know what’s going on, I get mad at the advice given to me by people, who do know what’s going on. How’s that for a grouchy diabetic??? :wink:

Good one Sherri and Penny! I hope you guys don’t involve me in one of those know-it-all diabetics. I do give out this crazy advice but try to always say that’s what worked for me it may not for you!