i remember reading that people have done this to check to see if there is sugar in something. this weekend i was at a wedding and they served a very typical (in spain, anyway) fruit sorbet liquified between the apeetizers and main course. my friend asked me what would happen if i stuck the strip in there and i remembered people talking about that. so i did and it was 449!! well, after that i didnt drink it. i had a sip and it was delish. im just wondering if anyone does anything with this information?
also, i went with a friend from uni, who i only see like once a year. i hadnt seen her since diagnosis, though she knew about it cuz i told her on the phone one day last year. i stayed with her the weekend and she kept talking about the really good pastries you could get at this cafe or that we should go get some ice cream or here, have a cookie. i kept telling here that i dont eat this or that regularly and that id have to shoot up if so. i finally said to her after the gazillionth time could she please stop telling me about the delicious crap, that im not eating it, etc. and she was like, oh yeah i forgot. did she f*ck! why do people do this? i dont understand, she hadnt forgotten, she was only reminded 5 minutes previously. really annoyed. :/
I don't mind if people forget about my diabetes. It happens. It's not like I wear a sign to remind them. I don't mind if people offer me something sugary just to be polite. I can always decline their offer. But, yeah, if I kept reminding someone that I have diabetes and don't eat pastries and sweet cookies and ice cream treats, they should stop asking!
and then i got off the bus back in seville and checked my bg to be sure i had enough glucose to walk home (about 50 minutes away) and had this dude staring at me (quite rudely, i thought) while i tested. i was only at 80 but must have looked surprised/alarmed. the guy saw and asked me if i was ok. i thought that was very nice but all the same its like, omg, strangers are asking me if im ok....i just want this to go away!
I've used a strip to test soda, if I don't have my royal taster with me:) I've ordered club soda & been given Sprite or 7-up. Once it was tonic, which has a ton of sweetener despite tasting bitter.
People do that to have a partner in crime to indulge. They hear, but they'd rather have someone join them. My reply to that nonsense--I've already answered that. Tends to stop people dead in their tracks & prevents further discussion.
Being a type 2 and not making any bones about being a diabetic to friends or strangers, I read both ways as good/bad. I have friends, who will answer wait staff in a restaurant "no she can't eat that she has diabetes" Or "do you have anything on the menu a diabetic can eat, we have a person with us who is diabetic". No matter how many times I tell them, I can take care of it and to the point of "shut up"....they keep it up. On one hand it's nice they remember and the other hand is getting driven crazy. As for strangers asking if I am okay? Well, it might be that they see something I am not feeling...in which case, it's nice of them to ask, a polite "well I'm just checking to make sure" is in order. If it bothers you, don't do it in public. There are ways to test without poking in front of everyone. I'd would rather they asked, then they try to figure out why I passed out on the floor. But then, I don't mind telling everyone, I am a diabetic,
I'm sure the server wouldn't have a clue what "anything on the menu a diabetic can eat" means. If, in fact, it means anything. I'm always astonished when I see "diabetic alternatives" or cookbooks. They usually include some "sugar free" dessert or drink neither of which I'd ever want to eat. Often they include something low fat, even "egg beaters" or "egg white omelets". Neither of which have anything to do with my Diabetes. They almost always include lots of carbs. They almost never include what I would expect if I ordered the "diabetes alternative": Simply cooked meat or fish and fresh vegies or salad, coffee, iced tea or wine depending on the time of day. No dessert. But then, since I'm a vegetarian that wouldn't meet my needs anyway..lol
As for the people who go on and on about some gooey treat or (in my case as a vegetarian) some meat dish: I think they are just oblivious. I will just say "that doesn't really interest me". I try not to judge others' choices but once had to told a taxi driver that he needed to throw out the fast food burger he was eating because the smell made me sick. On reflection later I just should have told him it wasn't safe to eat while driving especially on a winding mountain road. But really, the smell was all I could think of.
Not having had any sugar in 18 years, I can't tell you how many times I've had someone say to me, "it's not too sweet" when I had just told them I didn't eat sugar!
In general, I have different expectations for friends than strangers, but even so I find most people have little understanding of diabetic needs. And since the current (absurd) trend is to say "you can eat anything" it's an uphill battle. As a vegetarian I find people understand that a lot better than the need to limit carbs for D.
Limiting carbs is associated with the Atkins diet from the past. I knew 3 people who were on it, lost a LOT of weight and then gained back at least 2X the weight before Atkins. So when you mention "low carb" that is the usual association. Used to be a lot of "carb" info on menus--now mostly gone.
No one really understands diabetes in the Non-D world, except my spouse and all other spouses who you have D trained!!!
Being diabetic at dessert time is like being the only person at a party who isn't drunk. That's not a bad thing, it just makes you see things from a different reality. My reaction to seeing people shovel down sweet stuff is usually disgust. I have to work to be more tolerant. If sugar was heroin, everyone would realize its insidious effect.
i have no problem checking my bg in front of people. as i said, i thought it was nice of him to ask. it just really makes me think, uggh, this is really serious this diabetes crap....
I think it cuts both ways. I too have to bite my tongue when I see people eating ridiculously carb heavy meals. I agree tolerance is the key value. If someone is interested in why I don't eat certain foods I'm happy to explain why fast acting carbs are so dangerous, but otherwise I zip it.
id have to shoot up if so just an FYI, we don't shoot up...kinda very much dislike that term, as that's what heroin addicts do. we inject in our subq fat/skin and don't shoot up in a IV fashion.
There are many times that I think, WE, as diabetics need to lighten up a little bit and consider the ignorance that is out there about our disease. If we had cancer, people wouldn't understand that either. But to get ourselves wound up tighter than bunched up undies, only puts stress on ourselves. We eat what we eat, we take meds as we take meds, we exercise as we do, and we have made ourselves knowledgeable about D. Nothing wrong with any of that. What I find alarming is the intolerance for each other. I have a plan, it works for me, it's medically solid, and my D is in very tight control. That is enough for anyone who isn't related to me to know. We can't be each other's worst enemies or critics, support and encouragement is the key as to how we treat each other. A little laughter and tolerance goes a very long way in accepting anything,.
Heroin addicts do sub-Q shots ("skin popping...") and I've used IV insulin shots. I always said shoot up. I sort of miss that about the pump. It was also sort of fun at bars, as I'd mark the R syringe with duct tape as I didn't mix the R and N ever. I agree with sdkate about lightening up. It is a pretty grim disease and laughter is very good medicine. Most people I know have seen me eat just about everything (except bananas...anyone who's seen me accidentally get a banana in my mouth has seen me spit it out...)
Well said, sdkate. I don't get how PWD expect others to understand our disease. What do we know about other chronic diseases people struggle with daily? I knew little about diabetes, other than the basics, before diagnosed.
I think your first question is kind of interesting as I have never thought to do that. I may try this by making few different drinks that have a controlled amount of sugar and testing them. If the results are repeatable enough, it would seem like a good way to test unknown drinks at restaurants and such.
yeah, i thought it was quite cool, but dont know how that 449, for example, would translate into possible bg info. i dont know if anyone uses this besides the completely sugar free thing. it would be great to be able to use it as an indicator of how high a certain amount of that 449 drink would get me...cuz that sip tasted pretty nice! let me know how your experiments work out!
