Tell People

Hello people of the internet,
so this is a sort of not really continuation from the last post. I use the term sort of very loosely but it does stem from the type one teens facebook group and the way people handle their diabetes. Somebody asked questions about telling their friends/employers/first daters about their diabetes. My immediate answer is yes, I make no attempt to hide it and am all for answering any questions as this helps diminish the ignorance which is often shown in our media. But it always surprises me just how many people hide their diabetes and are embarrassed about it. So many people wont tell people about it and I'm unsure if they realise how dangerous that can be. What happens if you have a severe hypo and end up collapsing? If the people you are with don't know about your diabetes they won't be able to tell the paramedics and therefore the necessary glucose you would need as soon as possible you may not get.

Another scenario would include drinking and people may assume you're just passed out drunk and again the vital things needed you may not receive. I think my main point here is that you must tell someone about it, especially on nights out. Always have a form of medical id on you that way if you insist on not telling anyone then at least the medical teams will know.

I personally don't see why people are embarrassed about having a chronic condition that isn't your fault. However I have been very fortunate in the fact that I have never encountered the negative reactions many people have experienced due to the ignorance. So maybe I'm being a bit harsh about it bur the seriousness of not telling people is so much worse than being laughed at.

So in summary, TELL PEOPLE about your chronic horrific soul sucking illness.

Rhona x