Stupid Things People Say To Diabetics

2nd of a 2 part series: November is Diabetes Awareness Month. How much do you know about Diabetes?

You’re Diabetic? You’re not fat!!  -Diabetics are not all overweight, they come in all shapes and sizes. Being overweight may increase your risk for Type 2 Diabetes, but heredity plays a big role, too.

You don’t look like a diabetic.  -Really? What should I look like?

You shouldn’t eat that, or You can’t have that, or Should you eat that?  -Please, do not give yourself the mission of telling a diabetic what to eat. They know what they should or should not eat.

Your solution: you can just eat sugar-free foods. -Sure, except that they taste terrible and are full of questionable additives that can upset your stomach. Actually, people with diabetes can eat almost anything, in moderation. Really.

At least a cure is close.    --Maybe, maybe not. They say that about cancer, too. Does that make it less serious?

I could never give myself shots. I could never stick my fingers for blood tests.  -Sure you could, if that was how you stayed alive.

Is it contagious? No. It is not.

(Referring to meter) You can’t get service for that in here.   -This is just a meter to measure blood glucose. It’s not a cell phone or an I-pad, and it has no use for the internet.

Diabetic, that means you want to eat all the time, right?         -What??

Are you going to/When are you going to go blind?     -When are you going to go smart?


Well, at least it’s just diabetes.     -Um, excuse me??? This is a serious disease. In your line of thinking, it will “just” damage your cardiovascular system and potentially cause nerve damage and kidney damage, if left untreated. No big deal.

• People wearing insulin pumps are also sometimes laughed at because others think they're wearing a pager or have their cell phone clipped to their pocket.
• If you happen to observe someone injecting something in a restaurant, you should assume it's insulin and not stare
• Please be considerate and offer treats like fruit and nuts at parties
• Keep in mind there is no day off from having Diabetes

So, there you have it: share this info with your friends so they’re informed, too.