I Don't Think So Sir!

One of my favourite shows is Law & Order.  Years ago, the assistant district attorney was played by a gentleman who had a confident, “don’t mess with me” kind of way about him.  The line that always made both my husband & I laugh was, “I don’t think so sir!”  It was the way the line was delivered. 

As long as we are on a wee bit of a t.v. roll, there is one other line from another show that seems to be a great one too.  This line is from a comedy cartoon sketch.  It is delivered from a horse & this cartoon horse when asked by the reporter about his views always said, “no sir, I don’t like it.” 

These 2 lines remind me about how political incorrectness for want of another word relates to misconceptions about diabetes out in the “ether”.  What I would rather start here is a “politeness revolution” when it comes to diabetes & you know what…365 health challenges in general.  When it comes to our children, most parents will agree that it is a great thing to teach our children to say please & thank-you & other forms of politeness.  As parents we both tell our children & show them through example what is meant by being polite.

How do you view people with diabetes?  If you have diabetes, then how do you feel others view you?  We all likely have one big thing in common & that is that it is not enjoyable nor desirable to be labeled or to have false perceptions divide us as a human community.  Okay, what do we do “about” & “with” the labels that are out there currently? 

When you purchase a new article of clothing or an item in general there is usually a label on it with the price or size on it.  What do you do before you enjoy that article?  You cut the label off, right?  Let’s go ahead & do the exact same time because the right time to do that is “exactly now.”

If we all agree that it is not embarrassing to wear glasses, take say medication like a tylenol, use an inhaler, put on a band-aid, or other things along these lines, then let’s check our thoughts on diabetes related medical care.  If you have type 1 diabetes, insulin is life sustaining.  In order to know how much insulin to take, we need to do a glucose test…it is our compass or GPS.  We need to arrive at the “right blood sugar” result so we need to know both where we “are” & where we are “going”.  If we go into a low (hypoglycemia), we have to treat it with a fast acting sugar right away. 

How do you feel if you see a person with diabetes doing a blood test, injecting insulin or speedily taking in a fast acting sugar?  Why do you suppose folks feel differently about the glasses, pain medication, inhaler and band-aid than the diabetes related medical treatments?  My thought is that it could be because the labels have not been peeled off, pulled off or cut off of diabetes & the life sustaining treatments that are required every minute of the day.

It is not my intention to cause anyone any discomfort by being hugely overt about my life sustaining required care.  Here’s an example… when I was initially diagnosed, I had to inject myself 4 times a day with a needle.  Often, the dreaded time of the day would come & I would be in public.  I did not ever inject myself in front of others in public nor did I inject myself in front of guests in our home.  That is not what I am getting at.  I did excuse myself to do what I needed to do.  The part that bothered me most at that time was the feeling that I would often get of embarrassment that I had to take these needles.  Where did that come from I finally asked myself.  That is a result of labels I felt.  Okay, so problem identified.  How about the glucose meter tests?  I have found myself doing necessary tests in my purse, under a chair and in other clandestine fashions over the years.  At times, I have felt like a Seuss-like character balancing this or that while hiding my meter to do a blood test in public.  Again, why?  Labels.  Again, problem identified.

You know I am “hard-wired” for a happy ending.  Here it comes.  Once I received my beautiful friend, my insulin pump, from day one, I made a decision to wear it on the outside & not hide it.  The only label at that point was the stickers or pump “skins” with the funny designs on them.  I have had oodles of people tell me that I have a cool pedometer, and iPod.  My reaction is always the same & that is, “thanks for the compliment, but this is my pancreas.”.  I say it in a heartfelt way & always with a huge smile.  Over the years, I have had doctors ask me about my pump & I get to share my “love story” of my pump with them too.  The blood testing in public is a work in progress.  Over the last year, I have either mentioned when I need to do one & discreetly do one or just go ahead & do one when with others.  Previously, I would politely wait until a discreet time presented itself.  This is not a great choice since a person could be in low blood sugar & the person with them has no idea.  When a person is in low blood sugar, it is like you are already an ant pushing a 1000lb boulder up a hill so political correctness on top of that…yikes.  I have had to pull out a juice box or glucose tablets in church,at parks, at school events, during volunteer work & during work-related activities & in a myriad of other environments before due to the odd low blood sugar.  That is just a fact of life of a person with diabetes who is sustained with insulin.  When I was first diagnosed, I would try to discreetly drink a juice hidden within my purse.  I don’t do that anymore…I just behave naturally…just like when I reach for my reading glasses. 

Here is the best part.  The last time that I reached for my meter & a juice box was with a community group that I am a part of.  I did what I needed to do & sure enough was in a low.  I went ahead & had my juice.  The lady sitting next to me softly put her hand on mine & whispered in my ear, “is there anything you need?”  I answered no thanks at the time.  After the gathering, I reached for her hand & added, “that meant the world to me.”  The other great news is that since I wear my “pancreas” on the outside all dressed up, I am finding that people are asking me questions & building understanding.  The thing that makes my heart beam is the hope that through this ripping off of the labels & teaching diabetes “political correctness” that when folks see another person with diabetes out there that they will think it is the most natural thing in the world for that person to take care of their diabetes needs whether they are in private or public.  Even better than that, I hope that another person with diabetes receives a gentle hand on theirs.

Best of all, my heartfelt hope is that you are the person that receives that gentle hand of understanding on your hand.

Smiles, Saundie J