Well Christmas has come and gone once again and the number of people I’ve seen complaining about the people in their lives who got them one or more items that to them are unthoughtful seems to have grown for some reason. This year before Christmas was even over or started it seems there where people complaining about someone in their family or coworkers who got them candy/chocolate as the treat it should be.
I know we’re all different in how our diabetes is treated what I can have isn’t always the case for the next person. But hello treats are meant to have on occasion not on a daily basis (in most cases) and if you are not allowing yourself to have the occasional treat most people will have a meltdown or the like because of all the things they shouldn’t have because of one medical condition or another.
I know we all need to vent and everything because it can be annoying when you are given something you truly can’t have, but unless it’s a item your allergic to I’m sorry I don’t see why you can’t be thankful for it and move on. But also social media has a larger reach then some people seem to think, someone reads your post saying you can’t have X item because your diabetic and then see’s Y number of people agreeing with you they in turn think that because Z people are diabetic n say/agree that A food is something they can’t have that their child/spouse/coworker/friend also can’t have it, when the reality is only that person knows if they truly can or can’t have that item but because somewhere online a bunch of people agreed that it’s a forbidden food the choice was made for you by them. As can be seen by the other posts of other diabetics getting yelled at or told you can’t have ABC food item all because your diabetic.
Surviving the holiday season can be it’s own battle living day to day with the ignorance that you can run into from well meaning people doesn’t make it any easer. Education of those around you and who read your writings can go a long way in putting things in perspective such as saying… “my husband got me a box of chocolate he knows I can’t eat because I’m diabetic” is a blanket statement that extends to other diabetics who do not share your inability to have said item, a better comment might well be… “my husband got me a box of chocolate that he knows will spike my sugar levels since I find it hard to eat them in moderation so will likely end up eating more than I should” yes it’s a longer sentence but you’ve explained why it’s a bad gift for you personally without making it an all inclusive blanket statement.
Words are powerful and can have a long lasting impact beyond your immediate audience and view point.