[ant hill]

Originally Posted by judi t

Hello. I feel like I'm 'outing' myself despite the fact that I've had Type 1 diabetes since 1981 - when I was 25. I've tried not to make an issue of it, having always despised being labelled as 'the diabetic'. I've never worn diabetes like a badge of honour and I generally avoid discussing it and can't stand it when people I hardly know secretly check what I'm eating. Many years ago, I was at a dinner party and someone loudly confided to another person at the table that she'd noticed I was having icecream, or whatever it was I was having - the carbs of which I'd catered for with my insulin dose.

Hello & welcome to this fabulous site Judi , Many of us who has this condition has had the "are you allowed that" comment as we have insulin to help us. Today we have better insulins better control with the advent of the Blood Glucose Meter.
I was diagnosed in '71 and in ballet practicing at the barre and having diabetes is rough. Because we did not have BG meters then and don't know where you were BG wise and so gave up ballet in '77. Gee I miss those days.
To you friends who you like should get a better understanding to our disease and tell them that you can have that chocolate cake as you can have extra insulin for it.

Anyway, that was years ago, but the same stuff continues to happen. For example, I recently returned from a cycling tour of Vietnam. (I cycled 630 kilometres and it was fabulous.) I was talking to a new colleague about the experience and my principal - (I'm a secondary teacher) - interrupted and said "And she's diabetic!" It's that old thing. No one would ever blurt out "And she's got haemorrhoids!" Or whatever. Everyone seems to feel they can mind 'the diabetics' business. Anyway, I find it annoying.

Yes that's so hurtful and not needed. So tell them that you can eat what you eat. A lot of people who still think that a diabetic is not allowed sugar but they say nothing to mashed potato will they as that will raise BG's just as fast as mud cake!!

So why am I introducing myself on this forum. I've recently started seeing a new endocrinologist who has suggested I start using a pump. In the course of researching the pump, I've found all this rivetting on-line discussion about living with diabetes and I've found it to be wonderful, uplifting and informative. So I thought I'd get involved.

Yes Judi, You will find a lot of pump users here and proud too so it's the right place to understand this great thing. I am a MDI user and have this management for 37 years and still looking at ways to improve control.