Hi everyone, This past year I have met some great people and have made some good friends. I isolated myself from all my friends when I was first diagnosed with T1D, so except for my 2best friends I don't talk to anyone who knew me before I had T1D. It was just to painful and embarrasing to continue being friends with them because I felt so weak.
Anyway, I am so thankful that I have made new friends who are interested in the same things I am and they are fun to be with. However, they don't know I have T1D and I don't want to tell them (I am still very uncomfortable with my disease). The thing is that they all love to cook and try new types of food, which is great but I usually can't eat ANY OF IT, unless I want to be in a constant food coma, lol. I just avoid the food as much as possible but its starting to make me depressed. I just tell them I am watching my weight because they are all thin and I am the biggest one among them and they tell me that I look good and not to worry. I don't want to tell them I have T1D cause then they will constantly apologize for eating everything I can't and give me those side pitty glances that I HATE.
Do you guys have any advice? Should I eat the food but be on a high insulin dose? I really don't want to gain anymore weight. I don't want to stop hanging out with them, I've been alone because of my T1D for so long and I don't want to go through that again. What do you guys do when you go out with your non-T1D friends? I don't have any T1D friends or any family members that have T1D...
When it's your turn to cook, make something nice with a lot of vegetables? They probably should know you have Type 1. It's not as much of a stigma as you feel it is.
The problem is not with your friends, nor with the food they cook, it's all in your brain. Stop making life so hard for yourself, you have diabetes for heaven sake, not an STD. Your old friends are probably missing you, too. How unfair to drop them just because they know your "secret." I don't mean to criticize, just hate to see you beat yourself up over nothing.
I would figure out how to join them. Friends are helpful. I still stay in touch with a lot of my friends and didn't let diabetes get in the way of much in the way of fun, although I don't recall eating a lot of good food for several years?
When I go out this people that do not have type 1, I do the following:
First I wear a medical alert braclet- this is a must not only because you might wimp out telling them, but they might "forget" to tell EMS in an emergency.
Second, I don't mention it until dinner. I like to spring it right on people... I will casually whip out my glucometer and start testing, then inject my insulin... this gets 2 responses- either surprise and questions, or they ignore it. When they ask, I just say, Oh, I have diabetes, just have to do this before we eat. I realize that seems awfully casual, especially probably to you because you aren't comfortable with diabetes... but I have found that the bigger deal I make the bigger deal it becomes. Little side note here, when I told my current boyfriend, I was so casual that he REALLY thought it was just no big deal at all and I had to kind of clue him in before he moved in cause there's a lot that goes on behind scenes that people aren't aware of.
As for the friends you have that you haven't told, the longer you wait the weirder and harder it will get so here's my advice... Make you big healthy diabetic friendly dinner for everyone and have them over. Then before you all eat just sit down and tell them. Be honest, let them know why you didn't tell them. When I finally told my friends I told them I was afraid they would treat me different or feel sorry for me. And I was also afraid they would try and make food that catered to me (which I HATE when people do that! I feel like I am spoiling everyones fun). After explaining it all to them, they made sure not to single me out or feel sorry for me. Plus I had a whole new support system- Lets face it, some days we just wanna eat cookies and that won't work with a type 1 friend cause they're on a different schedule and won't be able to par-take... that's were the "other" friends come in... and YES I have literally sat and ate a whole box of girl scout cookies with my friend and I am type 1 and I did not get fat.
Try increasing your exercise, drink more water, and eat small portions of food they serve- these will all help keep your BG under control.
