Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Myths and Misconceptions


Tonight Michelle jokingly asked me if anyone has ever thought type 1 diabetes is contagious. However, I wouldn't doubt that it has crossed someones mind before.  Diabetes is full of misconceptions and myths and nothing upsets a type 1 diabetic more than being confused for a type 2.

Although, I admit I was ignorant before I was diagnosed. I don't blame others for not knowing what diabetes is or not knowing the differences. I think the importance that needs to come out of it all is that know that when diabetes becomes apart of your life in some way or another - there is lots of resources so that you don't have to be fooled by the silly misconceptions.

Silly misconceptions/myths like these:

"You have diabetes? My cat has diabetes?"

"You must have eaten a lot of sugar as a kid!"

"You're not fat? or old?"

"It will like, go away right?"

"Can you eat sugar?"

"Do you have the good kind or the bad kind?"

"You just checked your sugar...do you need help?"

We all can think of a dozen more, and when we hear these things on a daily basis and for the most part they have become so common in our daily life that we either have an instant automated response or we just laugh.   We have to let these misconceptions roll off our shoulders because diabetes is enough to keep us busy.

The important thing is to educate when you get the opportunities. At least to those that are around you the most!

Kayla

2 comments:

  1. Being diabetic for only two months now, I experienced all of the these misconceptions. It's frustrating sometimes, but most of the time it's just funny ;) and I agree with you, before I was diagnosed I did not know anything about it, but at least I did not make any conclusions about it as some did. What I hate the most is, when sometimes someone wants to try to convince me that they heard of somebody who got cured and that it got away. So they think I will be cured too. :S I don't even try to explain anything to that person when I hear that..

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  2. Part of the misconceptions do have facts behind them. If you're a type 2 caused by being overweight and you lose the weight, you can no longer be a type 2. Or if you have gestational diabetes once you've had your baby the diabetes is gone, however I've learned it can come back as type 1 or type 2 later on.

    When I was diagnosed, back in 1965, type 1 was also called sugar diabetes. So that helped with the misconception of sugar caused a person to become a diabetic.

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