Tired of people judging my Type 1 diabetes

Does anyone else get tired of people making comments about your diabetes when they barely understand it?

I've had Type 1 for a while and usually I don't mind answering genuine questions. But lately I've had people saying things like I shouldn't eat something, asking why I need insulin if I look healthy, or acting like managing diabetes is easy because there are CGMs and insulin pens now.

I know most of them probably aren't trying to be rude, but after hearing the same comments again and again it gets exhausting. Sometimes I explain everything, sometimes I just smile and change the subject.

How do you deal with people who keep giving opinions about your diabetes? Do you explain it or just stop bothering?

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@archana152 wks ago

I only explain it if someone is genuinely curious. If they're already telling me what I should be doing, I've learned that the conversation usually isn't worth the energy.

@deepak892 wks ago

That's probably what I need to start doing. I keep feeling like I have to correct every wrong thing someone says.

@archana152 wks ago

You will drive yourself crazy 😂 You don't have to be everyone's diabetes teacher.

@abhaykumar2 wks ago

My favourite is 'but you don't look diabetic.' Still have no idea what I'm supposed to look like.

@ganeshrao2 wks ago

Apparently we're supposed to have DIABETES written across our forehead 😂

@anandreddy2 wks ago

I keep explanations really simple now. Type 1 means my body doesn't make the insulin I need, so I have to replace it. That's usually enough. If they actually want to know more, then I'll explain more.

@deepak892 wks ago

I like that. I think I make the mistake of giving a five minute explanation when one sentence would probably do.

@anjali-r2 wks ago

The food comments annoy me the most. Someone sees me eating a piece of cake once and suddenly they're monitoring my plate like they're my doctor.

@harshvardhan2 wks ago

Same. 'Are you allowed to eat that?' Yes aunty, I promise the diabetes police gave me permission.

@deepak892 wks ago

😂 That question makes me irrationally angry now.

@mohit092 wks ago

I'm Type 2 and the judgement is different but I get this too. If my reading is high people assume I must have eaten something terrible. Sometimes bodies just don't cooperate perfectly even when you're doing everything you're supposed to.

@sagarpatil2 wks ago

Yeah I wish people would stop turning diabetes into a morality test. Different types, different treatments, different people.

@sunilkumar182 wks ago

I used to explain everything to coworkers. Now unless they need to know for safety reasons, I mostly don't. It was exhausting answering the same questions every week.

@mukesh212 wks ago

The technology thing gets me. Yes, CGMs and pumps can make life easier. They don't magically manage diabetes while you forget about it.

@shruti352 wks ago

Exactly. My CGM gives me more information. Unfortunately I'm still the person who has to do something with that information 😂

@tanmay262 wks ago

For close family I think it's worth having the conversation because they're going to be around you a lot. Random neighbours, relatives you see twice a year, people at work who just want to argue? Save your energy.

@deepak892 wks ago

That's a good way to separate it. I think I've been treating every comment like it deserves the same amount of explanation.