When I wrote this I was thinking of a title for what I wanted to talk about because of situations people put me through that left me gobsmacked.
It's quite shocking how little people know about what diabetes actually is. Some really educated people who think they know it all actually come up with sentences like "Eating too many cakes has landed you into this." Oh, and the classic " Just pray about it, it's all going to go away."
At first I was shocked and very angry by how ignorant people were however, after a bit of thought, I realised these people actually don't know what Type 1 diabetes actually is and they just assume that because it's sometimes called "SUGAR diabetes" it must come from eating a lot of sweet thing (sugar).
So if you are reading this and don't know what Type 1 diabetes is. Here are a few basic points on what it is.
* Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition and usually develops at a young age.
* About 2.9 million people in the UK have diabetes – 15 out of every 100 of these people have type 1 diabetes.
* Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body can't produce insulin, which means it can't control the level of glucose in your body.
* Also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is commonly thought to be caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and an environmental trigger, which causes the immune system to target and kill off its own insulin producing cells.
Well, whether you know what Diabetes Mellitus (that's what it's actually called) or not. You should think before you speak. It is so easy to say something you think you know not realising that you actually have to clue on what you are speaking of. I have told a few people who have said these nasty things to research about a certain topic before speaking, because it could hurt someone's feelings.
I found out about my diabetes the hard way, I had to be in hospital for a few days. What made it hard for me was the lack of knowledge the professionals had. One nurse asked me if I was a newly diagnosed diabetic and when I replies yes, he said " shame, no more cakes for you then." As a newly diagnosed 23 year old (who rather enjoys her cakes) this scared me because I now thought getting diabetes was my fault and also got me thinking how could I live the rest of my life without eating a cake ever again. All because one people did not think before the opened their mouth. They didn't think what Type of diabetes I had, they probably didn't think that they didn't know anything about diabetes. This nurse used the word "shame". The definitions of shame is "a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behaviour." So is it a humiliating thing that I have diabetes. Honestly I really don't think it's too much to ask for but to Think Before You Speak.