I admitted I am diabetic

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1

I belong to several vegan/vegetarian groups (outside of here) and I just admitted (online) that I am diabetic because the issue came up. Geez, I was going back and forth thinking maybe I shouldn't say it - but I got all emotional about it and when I do I tend to get very opininated and pushy (bad thing I need to overcome) and said "F- it", I don't care anymore. But now I feel weird about it (nervous) and I think I will keep my trap shut from now on so I don't draw any attention to myself. (I hate that).

Now, I will interested in seeing if anyone remembers or treats me differently because of it(which is the last thing I want). I am probably overacting and they won't but I have been priding myself on keeping it a secret - at least, for those groups. I am sure someone might mention it to my face some day later on. For some reason, it doesn't bother me anymore if others know (outside of that group). I think maybe because it is important to me that I "fit in" in that group because I always felt like an outside before being vegan and being a diabetic makes me not fit in more because my diet is even more different. I don't like that. There are so many places I don't fit in - pretty soon there will be no more places left! I feel like i am in AA or something ...although I know I shouldn't feel like that. Or I guess it is D.A. for us (Diabetic Anonymous). I have come to terms with the fact that I know there going to be people who end up avoiding me or treating me differently because they find out I have this and I will probably end up with less friends in the process (good riddance, get rid of the phonies right off, eh?). Oh well, not the first time this has happened to me, certainly not the last - At least, I will be able to distinguish the true good friends from the bad ones that should be outta my life anyhow. Right?

I can't believe it will be almost a year -end of Feb. Wow. Not sure how I feel about that.

I am still having candy canes this holiday season - diabetes or not. All us misfits get candy canes. :)

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The general wisdom has always been that a vegan diet prevents you from getting diabetes. So, obviously the general wisdom is wrong in your case, unless you turn out in the long run to have been a slow-onset LADA person eventually. I can see why you'd be sensitive about being a diabetic vegan. Or a vegan diabetic.

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Well, I don't think your diet had anything to do with your diabetes. You just ended up unfortunate, just like all of us. As to "coming out," that can be a very difficult thing. I don't want to be defined by my diabetes, I don't want to be considered "damaged" and even more, I don't want somebodies "sympathy."

I have D friends that have gone for many years keeping their diabetes "private." But for many, finally coming out is a major step towards acceptance.

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I have known a bunch of vegan people, along w/ a bunch of vegetarians and, while general health was part of the concern, I don't recall any of them saying "I am vegan/ vegetarian because I don't want to get diabetes". If anything, I perceive them to be perhaps smarter and more politically engaged than some of the other cohorts of people I've run into so I would think that they'd be cool about the genetic explanation. I tell people it's b/c I was born in New Mexico in 1967, right *before* they stopped atmospheric testing.

I am not shy about it at all either. I am perhaps more obnoxious than the average diabetic or project a certain amount of nutsoness but I never had anyone express anything much more than 'oh, one of my relatives had it' or 'oh, I know someone' or 'that must be tough' but I am pretty extroverted and would be like 'let's play tennis' [high school] or 'let's get a case of beer' [college] or 'let's go runnng!' [now]. Find common ground and the differences will drift away...