Saturday 11 June 2011

Panic for the Pancreas.

I know, Diabetes can be a scary thing for everyone - the person who has it and those involved in their life.  However one thing that really gets on my nerves is how as soon as someone knows that you're a diabetic, EVERYTHING IS BLOWN WAY OUT OF PROPORTION!

For instance, I can't even count with all my fingers and all my toes the amount of times when I've uttered the sentence "I'm hungry" and all of a sudden it's as though people go into emergency mode and it's all: "ARE YOU LOW!?  OH GOSH, WE NEED TO GET YOU SOMETHING TO EAT!  I KNEW YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT EXTRA SLICE OF TOAST AT BREAKFAST!  CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGARS QUICKLY!  OH NO, OH NO, OH NO!"...   

NO!  I'M JUST HUNGRY!  YOU KNOW, HUNGRY?  THAT SENSATION YOU FEEL IN YOUR STOMACH WHEN IT'S BEEN A FEW HOURS SINCE YOU LAST ATE AND YOUR METABOLISM HAS KICKED IN?  WHEN YOUR GUT BEGINS TO MAKE A RUMBLING SOUND?  THE EXACT SAME HUNGRY AS YOU FEEL UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES?

The same thing happens when I say I've got a headache ("ARE YOU HIGH!?  YOU GET HEADACHES WHEN YOU'RE HIGH DON'T YOU!?  ARE YOU THIRSTY TOO!?  MAYBE YOU NEED A COUPLE OF UNITS OF INSULIN!")  People say things like that as though it couldn't just be that I'm a bit dehydrated and that's the reason why I've got a headache and I'm a tad thirsty.

Sometimes it really bugs me.  I understand that people are only looking out for me, but it's as if they go into a complete state of urgency.  Okay, yes, I do become ravenous when I'm low and I do get headaches when I'm high, but I'm pretty darn good at spotting my symptoms of unruly blood sugars and there are often other tell-tale signs than just hunger or just a headache.  It's like people define you by your diabetes, as though they're saying:

"YOU'RE A DIABETIC so you can't just be hungry - you MUST be low"
or
"YOU HAVE DIABETES so your headache IS caused by high blood sugar levels"   

Yeah, I do have diabetes...but I am still a human being!  My body isn't simply made up of loads and loads of 'Diabetes orientated' hormones, sensory and motor neurones etc. as well as one, magnificent 'Diabetes Spinal Cord'.  The only thing that's different in my body is that my pancreas decided that it wants a permanent hibernation period, whereas the pancreas of a non-diabetic is far less lazy.  THAT.IS.ALL.

So, in future, I wish people would save the panic - some grub or some paracetamol and a glass of water would be much more appreciated :)

2 comments:

  1. Haha Daisy, soooo true. My family knows not to tell me "check your blood sugar" without having a really good reason to make that request. It drives me crazy...I check all the time! :D

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  2. Hello! I've just started up with my blog and have came across yours. I think i've figured that you're from the UK too? Which is awesome :)

    This post is sooo true. I get headaches a lot which are totally un-D related but everyone pressumes they are!!
    Then I do it myself when I feel really thirsty/hungry so I think oh gosh my sugar must be high - but it won't be and i'm genuinely thirsty/hungry :D

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