10 Things You Hear When You Have Type 1 Diabetes

It’s Diabetes Awareness Month, folks, and that means I’m going to tell you about what it’s like living with type one diabetes! When I tell people I have T1D, they usually don’t understand what I’m talking about—though some people think they know more than I do. Let’s start with a health lesson. The two most common types of diabetes are type one and type two. These are NOT THE SAME THING. Type one diabetes is an autoimmune condition that has no cure and cannot be prevented. While type two is commonly associated with lifestyle–although that isn’t always the case. Many people confuse both conditions, which results in a lot of strange comments pointed in my direction. People usually have the best intentions when they talk about this stuff, but the remarks they make just prove how misinformed society is about diabetes. So sit down, grab some cake (I promise it won’t give you diabetes), and read some of the things people insist on telling me.

1. “Oh! You have diabetes? You must have eaten too much sugar as a baby!”

What I ate as a child has nothing to do with why I have type one diabetes. Type one diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. I could have eaten kale salads for every meal as a child—I’d still have type one diabetes.

2. “Eat healthier, and it’ll go away. Have you tried Keto?”

Nothing will make type one diabetes “go away.” There is no cure, and the only treatment is insulin. I take a calculated dose of insulin through my insulin pump for every carbohydrate I eat. In fact, I can eat whatever I want as long as I take insulin for it. I tend to stick to a healthier diet, but I have not tried Keto, as that would not be the best for me. However, eating lower-carb is beneficial to type ones!

3. *passes out cupcakes to the whole class* “I didn’t make you one because I know you can’t have one!”

This happens a lot! A fellow type one pal told me a story about how her teacher in grade school gave the whole class a Hershey Kiss but wouldn’t give her one unless she brought in a signed note from her mom. If you’re making cookies for the office, please make one for your diabetic co-worker! As I said, we can technically eat anything as long as we take insulin. We like sweets too.

4. “Are you sure you should be eating that?”

I have been type one diabetic for nearly nine years. I appreciate people’s concern, and I know it is coming from a good place most of the time. However, I am absolutely positive that I can have whatever I am eating. Candy, fast food, carrots, chicken noodle soup—I can eat it all! I just have to dial the carbs into my insulin pump. If I know the carbs, I can consume it.

5. “I heard that cinnamon can cure diabetes!”

Type one diabetes does not have a cure. The only treatment is insulin. Cinnamon can be beneficial for insulin absorption, and I love cinnamon! But it won’t CURE my diabetes. I will always have to take insulin, no matter how much cinnamon I eat.

6. “My grandpa has diabetes, and he ate a low carb diet and exercised every day—it’s better now.”

When people tell me about their relative’s diabetes, I usually don’t know what type of diabetes they’re talking about. Type two diabetics can sometimes reverse the condition through diet and exercise, but that isn’t a guarantee. Type one diabetes cannot be reversed through diet and exercise. I bet a healthy diet and exercise did help your relative, though! It is very beneficial for diabetics and non-diabetics. I try to eat nutritious food and exercise regularly, as it is great for my blood sugars. But, again, it will not cure me.

7. “Diet coke is so bad for you.”

I’m aware! As a type one diabetic, I count carbohydrates for EVERYTHING I eat to calculate my insulin dose. This means I have to follow serving sizes, which means a lot of measuring and weighing food. I end up Googling a lot of nutrition facts. Personally, I don’t like to drink things with carbs (unless the drink is really amazing). It’s kind of weird to whip out a measuring cup at the Olive Garden to measure some regular coke. If I estimate, I could get it wrong, which means my blood sugar could either skyrocket or drop drastically. Plus, I’m usually already taking insulin for food. I’m not going to waste that liquid gold on regular coke when Diet tastes better to me anyway.

8. “Your blood sugar is high? Lay off the candy!”

Blood sugar is impacted by SO MANY THINGS—not JUST food. Working out, stress, sleep, hormones, temporary sickness (like colds) can all affect my blood sugar. If I have a high blood sugar, it might be because I miscalculated the carbs in something I ate or any of the other reasons I gave you. Don’t worry, the last thing I want to do when I have a high blood sugar is eat anything. You can find me in bed, glass of water in hand, pumping insulin into my body!

9. *has severely low blood sugar and eats skittles* “Skittles can’t be good for your diabetes!”

The rule that I follow for low blood sugar is “15 Skittles, 15 minutes.” That means, if you know me, you have probably seen me dump a fun pack of Skittles into my mouth at least once. Fast-acting carbohydrates are so important for diabetics having low blood sugar. It helps to raise blood sugar quickly. If I am having a low, Skittles are very good for diabetes. In fact, Skittles have saved my life many times!

10. “This donut is going to give me diabetes!”

This is the comment I hear the most. People don’t always say it about donuts, but usually about any sugary food or fast food or plate of pasta. Honestly, I have heard this said about SO MUCH. I’ve seen pictures of food on Instagram with “#diabetes” as the caption. I promise that if you eat a donut, it will not give you diabetes. I don’t have type one diabetes because of anything I ate.

As someone with type one diabetes, I don’t expect those who aren’t impacted by the condition to be experts. I don’t expect them to know anything about it, really. At the very least, I hope that this list could provide a glimpse into what type one diabetes is all about. We are foodies too… as long as we take insulin first!