Diabetic Humour

I've been more active in my Facebook diabetic groups lately.  My two favorite (and most active) groups are Insulin and Living With Diabetes.  Today the Living with Diabetes group had a post with some great diabetic humour.  The original post was from a diabetic blogger, Victoria Cumbow, and the post generated some great additions to her list of things to know about diabetics and even more to go with her list of sayings from diabetics, "you know you're a diabetic when...".  Copied from Victoria's blog,here are those lists:

Ten things you should know about diabetics:
1. Yes, it hurts. It’s a needle going into my flesh. What do you think it feels like?
2. No, it won’t go away.
3. No, I do not need a Coke to fix my high blood sugar or insulin to fix my low.
4. It doesn’t matter what my blood pressure is.
5. I did not eat too much sugar to get diabetes.
6. No, you can’t catch it.
7. I do NOT have the same thing your 400-pound cousin has.
8. No, that is not a pager on my hip.
9. No one still calls it “The Sugar.” Well, except maybe your  97-year-old great-grandmother
10. Yes, I am diabetic and yes, I can eat that.

You know you’re a diabetic when:
You tell your boyfriend you’re high in the middle of the frozen food aisle and get a funny look from the woman standing next to you.
You walk into a party and your friend says, “I bought sugar-free mixers and carb-friendly snacks.”
You join friends for dinner and the first thing their 5-year-old says is, “The rolls are 14 carbs.”
You try on clothes to see if your pump is hidable, not to see if they fit.
Co-workers hit you up for food because you have the best snack drawer in the office.
You purposefully say things like “I have to shoot up now” in order to get an odd look from the table next to yours.
You buy purses based on their ability to carry all your meds and snacks.
You can’t balance your checkbook, but you can divide anything by 15. (Thanks carb-ratios).
You become slightly annoyed when you see someone eating a banana by itself.
Everytime you go to the Cheesecake Factory, you happen to be “low.”
You know who Wilford Brimley is and he drives you nuts.

I'd like to keep a print copy of the first list to show people as needed, and it would be needed often.  It is especially helpful for the diabetic police in your life.  

For instance, when I had dinner at a friend's and he passed the dinner rolls around me.  It really wasn't up to him to decide if I could eat one, and I could have.  The rest of the dinner had few carbs and those rolls looked good.  The only reason I didn't make a fuss at the time is because his family and friends were eating with us and I didn't want to flip out in front of all of them.  I did give him a one-on-one lecture later though.  Most of his ideas about diabetes are based on his grandmother's type 2 diabetes many years ago and his mother's current pre-diabetic (again, type 2) condition.  That's my biggest pet peeve about diabetes-that way too many people only know about type 2 and most of what they know about type 2 is incorrect also. Many people assume I am type 2 since I am overweight and was diagnosed at age 33.   (Interesting side note: Mary Tyler Moore was diagnosed type 1 diabetic when she was 33)  Of course I did not develop diabetes in the "conventional" way, I had chronic pancreatitis for 5 years and my cranky pancreas simply quit making insulin.  I am considered type 1 because I am insulin-dependent, meaning if I did not take insulin I would die.  Not tomorrow, but if I quit taking insulin I'd eventually go into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and if left untreated would go into a coma and die.  Not trying to be morbid here, just the facts.  Some people truly don't understand the severity of diabetes.
So I have a couple things to add to you know you're diabetic when...
You can test glucose while driving.  (tho I don't recommend it)
You have your endocrinologist on speed-dial.
You get excited that Wal-Mart now has watermelon-flavored glucose tablets!
You ask your friend to let you test her blood sugar after she goes to the bathroom 3 times in 2 hours.  Then you realize its normal since she drinks lot of water.

I always like to add humor to any part of life, and especially the things in my life like diabetes and pancreatitis.  If I just spent all my time complaining and worrying about my illness, not only would I never get anything done, I'd just become more depressed.  Its also great to share the humor with others who understand diabetes and pancreatitis...some people don't find it so funny to say "I'm high" loudly in a restaurant.  Also, some friends don't appreciate you giving a shot in front of them when you know they are needle-phobic.  

So after slacking off on posting for several months I'd forgotten that I ended each post with a tip.  Here's one for today:  add humour to life, especially when you have things that are difficult to deal with.  Its really hard to get depressed when you are laughing.

(For those who don't know, any words in blue are links.  They either have more information about the subject or take you to a webpage when you click on them)