If I honestly had a dollar for all of the times I’ve been asked: “What’s that?” - I’d surely be rich.
I regularly face a fire squadron of questions about the diabetes gadgetry adorning our otherwise boring, tattoo-less construction of skin – minus the needle scars of course.
These situations never fail to produce a feeling of invisibility when “what’s that?” precedes a simple greeting. Whether it’s a lack of tact on the inquirers part or a failed conversation warm-up, people tend to go right in for the uncomfortable kill.
Perhaps its that I’ve been scorned aloud in yoga class for “wearing a pager” – a cardinal sin of sorts.
Herein lies the problem; most chronic diseases don’t have an obvious target to hone in on. There’s certainly a plethora of visible medical issues to pique one’s interest – get a simple cast for example and forget about it; you’ll be annoyed to no end with questions on your backstory. Inquiring minds need to know and privacy often takes the back seat.
HIPAA Doesn’t End At The Hospital
Let’s not get confused here. Type 1 diabetes may be obvious to the naked eye, but there’s certainly no barometer of my interest or willingness to tell a perfect stranger private details about my medical past;
which incidentally, usually ends in details about their grandmother’s diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and her stint on dialysis before her untimely death as an amputee.
It all serves as a quick reminder that many have no idea about Type 1 diabetes - or how to engage in a positive conversation for that matter.
Diabetes Hangs Out
Everyone living with diabetes has a different approach. Some people like it front and center while others do their best to hide their stuff – sad but true – in an effort to stifle untimely and awkward questions.
Sometimes I have to convince myself that I really don’t care if everyone can see my business; but truthfully, between my continuous glucose monitor and my insulin pump something’s always hanging out so there’s not much use in trying to hide it. Thanks to the self-tracking rage, I’m sure I’ve averted some stares – figuring my CGM was another Fitbit or something.
Truth is, I’ll take my d-supplies hanging out in lieu of a muffin top any day.
Depending upon my clothing choice, I know I should be ready to tackle the questions – it usually rolls that way. If my sleeve falls above the top of my continuous glucose monitor, the blindingly white tape will catch your eye because the companies making these products are obviously inept at noticing NO ONE has ‘white’ skin (see my color suggestions above – brilliant, right?). Band aids do a better job matching skin tones than the medical equipment glued to us 24/7 that we pay thousands for.
See more of my thoughts on this topic here: “Bright White Tape Screams – I Have Diabetes!“
An enviable approach one of my friends with T1D has: Ask the inquirer to share something about their health first. High blood pressure? Heart attack? Hernia? Prostate cancer? Lame back? Bring it on, there’s more bonding to be had in full disclosure – a truth or dare of sorts.
My daughter is known to answer: “That’s a site”. Most people, kids included, think they should know what she’s taking about and move on to something else like: “Wanna play kickball?”.
I may write a blog all about diabetes, but if you meet me in a Starbucks please say hello and then - “what’s that?”.