Is Your Family Sympathetic? It's the Inside Story.
The Diabetes Forum is always available when someone is looking for support and advice. Members are there for each other. Often when someone has a chronic illness, others don't understand what that person is going through. That's when finding others to talk to, who know what it's like, can be so comforting.
In a post titled, My Family, Unbelievable, Yvette45 asks how she can get through to her family and get their support.
Yvette45 says... God, I'm so frustrated, my family doesn't believe that I'm sick, they think, "Oh, she is just whining about something else." I am getting so depressed about this because I have absolutely no support or anyone to talk to about this. I have Diabetes, heart problems, and severe neuropathy...read more.
Chollalamb answers... Mine do believe me when I say I can't go! But the more frustrating part of my family is they think I should sit in the chair all the time and give up all of my extra curricular activities. They even got into the act and canceled...read more.
How do your family members react to your diabetes? Do they take you seriously, are they supportive, or are they overprotective? Post your comments here, at the end of this blog post, or write to me, your Diabetes guide at diabetes.guide@about.com.
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Comments
My 8 year old daughter was diagnosed Type 1 on 08/08/08. 5 weeks later, while I was still dealing alternately with grief and acceptance, my best friend dumped me with some of her parting comments
centering around a mother at her child’s school whose child has Down’s Syndrome and this “friend” also cited other cases to me of people who are much worse off than us. In other words, as far as she is concerned –Type 1 is no big deal. On the other hand, some people came to me full of sympathy saying, “I’m sorry” as if she was dead! I have no family nearby, so have, depended on friends for support, but the best support has been from those who have travelled the path before me - other mums of kids with Type 1. But they have been a read God-send. Thank you.
Well, my family stares at me making me feel guilty because I’ve decided to eat half a doughnut in a once in a life time family reunion… and its always been like that, the conversation ends up being what I have to eat to be healthy, and I get bored,like if I dont know it already!