Ep. 7 - Diabetes Language...Where Are We Now?

Diabetes language can impact on those living with diabetes as reported in Position Statements from Diabetes Australia (links below). Language can impact on relationships when offensive language is used, intentional or not. As a healthcare professional, it can be the difference between building rapport with someone living with diabetes, or not.  In this episode, Hayley & Jaimee talk about some of their experiences with this over the years. Jaimee shares some experiences as a healthcare professional, and as someone living with T1D for over 25 years. Hayley shares some of her stories around being the mother of two young boys with T1D for many years. We aim to keep it light-hearted to create awareness, aiming for progression, not perfection as Diabetes Australia also states. We put up our hands to say, we are also not perfect at this. Let us know your experiences or thoughts on our socials or via email.

Email: Diabetesintheraw@gmail.com
Instagram: Jaimee and Hayley (@diabetesintheraw)
Facebook: Diabetesintheraw JaimeeandHayley

Diabetes Australia Language Matters from 2011 to the most recent
Language-Matters-2021-Diabetes-Australia-Position-Statement-1.pdf (diabetesaustralia.com.au)
Language-position-statement-2016.pdf (diabetesaustralia.com.au)

Please note: We have no affiliation with Diabetes Australia. We are simply referring to their resources.

Transcript

audioJaimee21144309277 0:13

hi everybody. You've got Jamie and Hailey back on Diabetes in the Raw episode seven. I just wanna say a huge thank you to everyone who listened to our last Chit-Chat episode. We had a bit of a break in there. We had heaps going on, and we came back and we're overwhelmed with the number of listens to the last episode. So thank. So much to everyone. It gives us the confidence to keep going. I'd say we are both introverts. What do you reckon, Hailey?

audioHayleyMason11144309277 0:41

Yeah, I think there's a strong dose of introvert in both of us trying to be an extrover.

audioJaimee21144309277 0:46

That's right. And so I listened to a lot of podcasts to get the confidence to do a podcast. Ironic, and I was listening to one about introverts and they were saying how if you're passionate enough about a certain topic or you know what you do, then you can find the confidence to do it. And I could a hundred percent relate, because I don't think I could do this for anything else other than diabetes. So

audioHayleyMason11144309277 1:09

Yeah, I, I agree. I think there's a lot of truth in that. And just so everyone's aware, I literally just sit here and be virtually. I think Jamie is the brains and the drive behind all of this. I'd just come on and ramble away for a little bit.

audioJaimee21144309277 1:22

That is not true. I think today is gonna be a good one for us both because this is why I want Haley on my team. She does a lot more than she gives herself credit for. So today we're gonna do an episode, on the language around diabetes and we are gonna try. Make it a whinge session, about being loud and proud about language around diabetes. What what we wanna do is some, create some awareness and if you've got someone around you who has diabetes, we want you just to be aware that some, some language can be offensive, some language can hurt. We wanna talk about healthcare professionals, which I have to put myself under that umbrella. We're gonna talk about. Something that Diabetes Australia started back in 2011, which was changing the language around diabetes. and this has sort of been an international, movement, I guess just to be aware of the language we are using and it's, it's also happening for obesity and lots of other areas in health and probably other areas in life as.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 2:26

And Jamie, I think we are both on the same page with this. There are certain things in society nowadays where maybe we might think things have gone a little bit too far, but what we are just saying in this episode is, Be aware of the language you use and the audience you are using it to. That not everything that we discuss people will find offensive or harmful, but some do, and we've all got our sensitivities and way we like redress or discuss things. So it's really, as Jamie said earlier, if you've got people around you who do have diabetes, Just be aware of how they talk and how they perceive themselves when, when you are discussing it with them. And don't, don't be afraid to ask questions if you frame, if you frame it politely. and with a, if you don't want Gus it, that's fine. Perfect. It sometimes just gives people that opening to sometimes pour forth, but or, or other times just give you a little bit of information and just listen to how they talk and what they say.

audioJaimee21144309277 3:30

That's a hundred percent right, because, I'm gonna put in the show notes, the, the paper that I'm referring to by Diabetes Australia. And interestingly, I came across it when I, so every year as a credentialed diabetes educator, we have to do a certain amount of points in certain areas and it's really hard to keep up with everything. If you think about gestational diabetes, type one, type two, pre-diabetes, all the medications, the technologies, it's actually really hard to keep up with everyth. So it's good to know that every year we have to do a certain amount of points in, you know, various areas from research to clinical practice to management leadership. So I came across this language document from Diabetes Australia, um, and I thought, oh yeah, I better check myself. So as I'm writing my goals and outcomes in my credentialing online, I've realized that some of my language is outdated and, and that's why I have to put my hand up and say, I know I'm guilty of using some language that's probably offended in the past, and I do my best to try and keep on top of it. And as Hailey said, I think we go too far with some things, and this may be one of them. Um, because what I'm referring to is the word consumer. So in the hospital setting, we moved away from patient to consumer, and now that's on the list as being offensive. Um, so I need to go back and change some of my language. What's

audioHayleyMason11144309277 4:51

I would find that offensive. A consumer, I'm a, I'm a patient. When I'm in a hospital, I'm there to be looked after a consumer. I'm chopping around for something. So yeah, I,

audioJaimee21144309277 5:01

Yeah. Whereas, well, patient was moved away from, because it makes, it can make you feel like you are ill unwell and like with diabetes, you may not be ill as, as sick patient. Do you know what I mean? So, and that can have a negative association in terms of causing the person to feel unwell because you're referring to them as a patient. So this is exactly what I'm talking. You know, I thought I was doing the right thing by using the word consumer, whereas you would prefer patient. And then I chuck out the different views on that and we're already like, oh.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 5:35

I think alongside the, the, uh, awareness of language and that what you say matters, how you'd say it. I think we've also got a movement of empowerment. I mean, years ago you would never question a doctor. The doctor told you X, Y, Z, you'd follow it for the letter. You would never dream of questioning. But I had, uh, an incident recently related.

audioJaimee21144309277 5:58

Oops. You just, you just say that again.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 6:01

I, I had, um, an experience recently where, uh, related to diabetes with our youngest one and speaking to my normal GP about it afterwards, and also the endocrinologist, they have both positively encouraged questioning of a doctor, um, when they're prescribing. So it was a case of prescribing steroid. For a, a youngest one, who is type one, and it would never have crossed my mind to question what a doctor was prescribing. But now, given that information and from two, respected professionals, in my opinion, and also the reasoning behind, I would feel confident now in questioning is this the right course? So along with that language, how we talk about. That empowering ourselves, allowing ourselves to question, I

audioJaimee21144309277 6:56

I love that word. Empowering. Yes. Yeah. And you're right because no disrespect to gps, but they are general practitioners and you as a mother of two boys with type one diabetes are going to know far more about what impacts on their glucose levels. Now the GPS should know that steroids play havoc with glucose levels, but. They may not know the flow on effect of that, um, which you and I know about cuz

audioHayleyMason11144309277 7:26

I do

audioJaimee21144309277 7:27

I've dealt with steroids as a patient. A patient, there's the word as well as, um, a, a healthcare professional in pregnant women who need it. you know, to develop baby's lungs before they have possibly a early delivery on things. So sometimes they're absolutely necessary. But Hailey, you're right, you need to question it if it's for something like a sore throat where maybe Panadol or Neurophin

audioHayleyMason11144309277 7:51

Be just as good. That's right. That's right. So we're all about that. People, and don't be afraid to speak up again. It's the way you phrase it. You don't have to be disrespectful or rude. You can politely question. you are, you are your own advocate. You are your child's advocate. You are your husband's wife's, partner's advocate. Whoever in your life has type one, you are there to ensure they're getting the best. And there is nothing wrong with asking a question.

audioJaimee21144309277 8:20

Yeah, absolutely. I had to just think for a minute. I was like, husband, wife, partner. Is that, is that okay now?

audioHayleyMason11144309277 8:27

oh, it's probably. Okay.

audioJaimee21144309277 8:30

I've just read it just sounded like your husband, wife had a partner or something.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 8:34

I think that's acceptable nowadays. In fact, I think,

audioJaimee21144309277 8:37

I think that is acceptable.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 8:39

the loop if you don't. Anyway, that's digressing.

audioJaimee21144309277 8:42

on a tangent, I'm just gonna read this out from, it's the document called Our Language Matters, and it says, people with diabetes call themselves diabetic, so why shouldn't I? Evidence shows one in two people find the label unacceptable and one in four find it harmful. So this comes up a lot for me, and I am personally, don't like the word diabetic. I don't use it for other people, and I don't use it for. Hailey, where do you stand with it? Because there's 50% of people that don't mind

audioHayleyMason11144309277 9:07

Yeah. Um, I don't have any strong objection to. With the only caveat that,, it doesn't define anyone. That's not all someone is, it shouldn't be used to 100% and wholly define someone. But would I have an issue if someone described my sons as diabetic? No. I, I, I personally don.

audioJaimee21144309277 9:32

Yeah, and I'm with you. I'm, I'm not offended if someone says diabetic, but the reason I moved away from it was one, cuz I knew there was a movement and I'm a professional, I need to try and move with the movement. But, uh, I think it's also in generally in a hospital setting or in the healthcare sector, we are trying to move away from. dyslexic, schizophrenic, um, asthmatic. Um, because I think it'd be interesting to get a psychologist on, so if you called a child diabetic their whole life, do they then identify as diabetic and not someone with diabetes? I think that's where it came from. So it's more than just the language and whether or someone's offended with it. It can, I think, sort of have that, what is it that internal,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 10:16

I think it's that the connotations and the associations and going to that is that what defines them and that's all they are, and they can't be seen as anything else, which a hundred percent agree. It shouldn't ever be used as a way to just define someone or, you know, ignore anything else and used in a way to limit anything. I'd hate anyone to feel limited by that.

audioJaimee21144309277 10:42

Yeah. And that's what I mean. If you don't mind your, your son's being called that and, and you are ensuring they are, don't identify as. Diabetic. That's what they are. That's all they are. There's not an issue with it, you know, as far as

audioHayleyMason11144309277 10:54

Having said that, thinking about it now, it's probably rare that I say my sons are diabetic. I would say my sons have type one diabetes, so subconsciously I'm changing that language.

audioJaimee21144309277 11:09

Yeah. Yeah. And that's a thing. It may not be a big deal and people with diabetes may not kick air at all. Um, but just something to be aware of and, and yeah, possibly ask if you've got someone around you who has diabetes., So the reason that the language is sort of matters is because it sort of creates a bias and it can put people into categories and we all know with uh, any sort of health insurance or anything, as soon as you put diabetes down, it does put you into a category. As soon as you're di identified as having gestational diabetes, there's some extra, risks that come with that and therefore it may change delivery plans cuz we are going to do that gestational

audioHayleyMason11144309277 11:51

We will get there.

audioJaimee21144309277 11:53

We're coming with that., but yeah, like this little, this brochure I'm looking at, it says the following words are unacceptable victims suffer a consumer normal. I do have to comment, I do not like it when someone says, um, you know, a normal person as opposed to the person with diabetes. But I have had to consciously change that over the years when I talk about myself, you know, If I was normal, my blood sugar level would be this.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 12:26

Oh 100% and, and again, I think subconsciously, We in our house probably don't do that. And, and I tend to go for the very long winded, uh, person with a fully functioning pancrea, which is quite worthy and makes you sound a bit pompous and, um, up yourself. But yeah, I think you are right, cause normal and, and normal in terms of, um, blood sugars. I don't like,

audioJaimee21144309277 12:55

No,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 12:55

don't like that at all.

audioJaimee21144309277 12:57

and we've talked about this before, and interestingly down the page here, there's actually a table of what's, instead of try this politely suggesting we try something else. So actually high and low is in the acceptable column, but it's things like failed. Um, It failed a, a glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes, things like that. Poorly controlled diabetes, well controlled, normal control, things like that. So it's just trying to, I guess, take away that blame, that bias. So it's saying managed glucose levels is good within and with outside of target range, high and low, things like that. So don't want you to tiptoe around us. Those of us with diabetes, we just want you to be a little bit aware. Um, and if, for those of you who have diabetes, who listen, I guess, see what you

audioHayleyMason11144309277 13:51

Yeah, let us know.

audioJaimee21144309277 13:52

and if it's offensive, yeah, yeah. Let us

audioHayleyMason11144309277 13:54

Please jump on. Give us, give us a, a shout out and let us know. Does, is there something that offends you? Is there not.

audioJaimee21144309277 14:03

Yeah. Which brings me to the next little, subhead in here. And it says, sometimes people make a joke, but it's offensive and it means they don't take the condition seriously. And I know they aren't going to be willing to support and accept me. So the joke thing is a little bit tricky because sometimes humor gets you through difficult situations. So some funny memes in that out there. And my very good friend who was on the podcast, Martine, who's just been diagnosed as an adult with type one, she loves the funny side. And if you've listened to that podcast, she's a funny chick. Like she's hilarious. so without that humor, she would be miserable. So

audioHayleyMason11144309277 14:42

I think, I think it falls into a few categories. Like a lot of those memes, they are funny. I mean, I love the one, I think you put it up in our socials with the massive bag when you're traveling of all your diabetes supplies. And they're funny because they are true. But I think where the humor can fall awry, I mean we'd all have heard it are, not gonna eat that donor. I don't wanna get diabetes or look at that dessert, that's just diabetes on a plate. That. Yeah, I do find a bit offensive one, because with certain types of diabetes, it's nothing to do with what you've eaten. You know, you've got those people obviously type no. But even the people who, it's more like medically induced for medical procedures they've had or medications they've taken, and then the, um, diagnosed with diabetes and we all know as well, that's not the whole truth with type two diabetes. In fact, it's not even the truth with diabetes. So, Yeah, some of those jokes are offensive, but again, very individual and personal. What, what you find funny. I may not, and we've all got our own sensitivities. I'm sensitive Jokes about weight, you know, it's, it's very, very tricky. But again, it's, it's gonna stop that, that flow of consciousness, isn't it? There's a stream of consciousness. Don't think it's, say it. And then stop and pause. But yeah, the humor probably shy away from, unless you really know your audience.

audioJaimee21144309277 16:17

And then I'd say I'm guilty of probably the, uh, the opposite in saying, do you want some insulin with that food Do you know what I mean? And it's normally in a safe place because it's within my diabetes team, as in the healthcare professionals. And I guess it's more around, you know, that's a heavy card meal kind of thing. How much insulin would I need for that? I need to think about that. You don't, you lucky thing. So it probably works both ways. as I said, we're, we are certainly not perfect, but.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 16:45

in trying to plan, so both our boys had their end of year, end of term rewards day yesterday, which was uh, class party with. Party food everyone brings in. There was a sausage sizzle with poppers and then they had,, water based activity. And in trying to plan that, you know, pump on, pump off, I'll come in, I'll carb count. Do we restrict all of that around it? And in the end, I just flippantly said, oh, that doesn't matter who needs sleep? I just sleep the wake all night. And so, you know, you make those jokes, but that, that got kind of a serious side because.

audioJaimee21144309277 17:21

Yeah, absolutely.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 17:23

come with knock ons. It al, although not the knock on effects we'd anticipated, but yeah, it, and it's, I guess it's that fine line, isn't it? It's okay. Perhaps for the person with diabetes make those jokes and serve, cuz as you say, humor can sometimes get you through, but be very careful about joining and or instigating the humor.

audioJaimee21144309277 17:44

yeah, yeah. Absolutely. and you know, I think. People are gonna be sensitive at different times as well. You know, if you're having a rough week with it may not be funny at all. who knows? But yeah, it's hard. it's hard. Just coming back to the hba one C thing, a very good friend of mine who's had type one for many, many years, she was 14 and she'd be in a. Fifties now, um, and has a boy with type one. She used to, when someone would ask her what her H B A one C was, and interestingly it was often colleagues who should probably know better. She would say, what's your bank balance? And they'd just look at her and she's like, is that personal information you don't wanna share?

audioHayleyMason11144309277 18:28

I love it.

audioJaimee21144309277 18:29

clever in just, that's none of your business. Yeah.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 18:33

Well, it's probably a bit along the lines of, isn't it? If, if somebody's just been, maybe see a dietician or watch your weight now.

audioJaimee21144309277 18:40

Yeah.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 18:41

what's your blood pressure? Very, I would never have thought of it that way, but I can see where she's coming from.

audioJaimee21144309277 18:48

Yeah, I love it. It's, you know, she calls a spade a spade and I seem to have more courage to advocate for people when I'm the healthcare professional versus I'm the patient cuz when I was pregnant with my first, and, you know, just had a c-section, um, just started breastfeeding, massive amounts of pain bedridden after the Caesar and the, and the doctor, the reg registrar comes in and. Mm. Glucose very crazy, aren't they? And I thought crazy can mean good or bad. Like to me, the way he said it, and I dunno if it was crazy, but he was sort of saying, and I said, do you mean crazy good or crazy bad? He goes, oh bad. And I was like, oh, cuz there's an eight and a nine after everything my body has just been through.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 19:34

Have, have you not just witnessed what I've been through.

audioJaimee21144309277 19:37

Like just, I think some people have no comprehension or we know they do about how difficult it is to stick in those target ranges. Absolutely no comprehension. And that's with the training. As a, as a medical professional. So again, it's just, I wish I had of, I was too emotional at the time, but it clearly stuck with me, didn't it? Because here I am still going on about it. but now I, I do sort of try and pull people up politely and just opportunity for learning. You've got no idea

audioHayleyMason11144309277 20:09

given that we're on the topic of language control, oh, so will they have better control?

audioJaimee21144309277 20:15

Yeah.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 20:16

they'll never have control of it because I, my own personal view, and I know not everyone will agree with this. To me, diabetes always has the upper hand because we are trying, the person with diabetes or the parent, parent is trying to operate as a functioning organ, which we are not. We are not in the body and we can't respond as quickly as the body would itself if it was function. As it was intended to. So the, how well will they have better control? Well, don't know. They might end up being a highly anxious person who doesn't sleep, does heap exercise. That's gonna take a lot of balancing. and I think, you know, we've got people in, in our life we've had contact with certainly where I think now there is that realization of, oh yeah, there isn't gonna be some magical day where you're gonna wake up and you are gonna have that better control. It's, yeah. You take those, those days where you are more in range or you are perfectly in range and you say, wow, that was a great day, and you accept and again tomorrow. But yeah, that control for me is a

audioJaimee21144309277 21:29

Well, it is on, it is on the left side of the list. So instead of yes, try management. And I think that's probably why, because. Yeah, you can't control something you don't have control of. And as you said, it's more than food and it's more than exercise. It's an array of things that impact on glucose levels that you have no control over. So, um, yeah, not gonna happen. So one thing on this list that I'm looking at, that I'm going to mention is adherence or compliance. And this is around healthcare professionals and I still hear it. I would say nearly on a daily basis. It can tends to be the old school nurses and that,, probably just, they use that for anyone, not just people with diabetes, but adherence compli. it, it's whether or not someone is taking a medication or, or checking their glucose levels, and there's very good reason why people may not be classic with metformin is that it causes massive gastrointestinal discomforts and symptoms such as diarrhea where you can't leave the house. Someone may be, they're not non-compliant, they wanna be able to leave the house.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 22:43

Yep.

audioJaimee21144309277 22:44

Need I say it?

audioHayleyMason11144309277 22:45

can sympathize with that, having just been prescribed water tablets. I have to plan'em when I take them and what my journey is. So, yeah. And, and, and that's a, a very valid point, and it again goes back to the gentle questioning. Is there a reason why you don't like taking your metformin?

audioJaimee21144309277 23:02

right. See, see, we are just creating this awareness and it's not aimed at anyone in particular. We're not talking at. You know, just to people with diabetes or just people who know people with diabetes or healthcare professionals. It's just all of us. you were gonna tell us a bit

audioHayleyMason11144309277 23:17

Yes, I, so one, here's my little soapbox ran. So, as people living with diabetes, probably know E year, you can get your, Jamie, is it e P c?

audioJaimee21144309277 23:28

Yes. You enhanced primary care.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 23:29

That's right. So that you get your Allied health visits and it's just a Medicare function for, um, Funding. So each year we have to go to the doctor to get that. And you, your wage, you are measured and pretty much for us, cuz we have all of ours assigned to a diabetes educator. It's a bit of a copy and placement the previous year. But you have to actually see the doctor, for the doctor to sign off too. And this year, we weren't able to get in the usual gp so we saw another GP and I'm pretty sure I'm writing, saying we had never seen this GP. And we walked into her room and she did ask about control and she said, oh, so control is good. And I think I like, oh, well, you know, it depends on the day trying to be humorous. And you know, we just had, I said, well, you know, we have the, uh, fluctuations some days and other days not take it as it comes. Anyway, that my point for my rant. Clearly our, uh, the boys' results were on her screen and her comment was, oh, your hba one C's a bit high now. Our team is, we are aiming for an H B A one C of seven, although there's a lot more focus now on timing range, so I can't remember which boy that comment was directed to. I'm not sure whose results she was looking at, but what I can say is at that time, one H B A one C was 6.7 and one was 6.9. So I did take. At that I thought you have not, you don't know anything about it. You don't know what we are doing management wise. what we may have been through these past three months that may have

audioJaimee21144309277 25:11

Can I just jump in and say that is. That is incredible for anyone with diabetes, let alone pediatrics. Uh, and it's within the international guidelines. It's well below actually.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 25:25

Well, I, I can say that when, sorry, we would've had our, um, endocrinologist appointment just a couple of days after that. And I did mention it cuz I would like to check myself of am I overreacting, am I hypersensitive? Or is this something that the general population might arc up about? And the endocrinologist was, Yeah, pretty, pretty flabbergasted and pretty outraged and not impressed at all. and said all she could think was that they were looking more at a person without diabetes, what you might to see in an h b a1c. and it did burn that, that really burned with inside. And I sit on a group, um, for our local. Doctor's practice a medical support group. And I had the opportunity of speaking with my normal GP in that, arena. And I just mentioned what was said and suggested that a little more training might be given with how you address, address somebody and, and talk about that h b A1C results. And I said in particular, You know, don't wanna harp on and be woe with me, but a mom with two young boys who's been living it for over seven years and you know.

audioJaimee21144309277 26:39

It's actually cra I've had exactly the same thing. and granted, the H B A one C might have been above that 7%. That's recommended for adults, but. You know, one, those were in range, and you're right, she's probably looking at a target reference range for someone without diabetes. which in itself is a problem

audioHayleyMason11144309277 26:59

It is.

audioJaimee21144309277 27:00

but there, that's what, that's what drives me to be able to jump on and do, as I said, the confidence to do this stuff is there's so much work that's needed and I've got a very good story about a GP and a gestational diabetes. Sorry, a, a gestational diabetes diagnosis that we'll talk about probably in the next episode or two. Um, because, and, and you know, the, this language thing that we are looking at, um, today that I keep saying I'll refer to in the show notes, it actually says we're, we are not aiming for perfection. We are just aiming for progress. We all make mistakes and I'm sure that I've said something on here today that's probably. Hit someone the wrong way and potentially I need to improve things. Well, not potentially, I do, but yeah, it's just we are just creating the awareness. We just wanna to throw it out there. We wanna see what your experiences are and we want people to feel empowered to, to create the conversation with whoever you need

audioHayleyMason11144309277 27:55

Jamie. That for me, that is a huge part of it, giving, giving others the confidence to say, actually that doesn't sit well with me. I, I don't like hearing, myself described like that, or I don't like being asked that sort of question, but I'm happy. To discuss X, Y, Z, yet the confidence it's, and, and you can only learn that over time and experience our experiences now within hospitals. If our kids go to hospital, I have a totally different perspective now. Gone are the days where I go, oh, the nurses will know everything. you know, and that, that's only experience time. But yeah, that confidence and, and again, it's not about marching in and demanding it's. Ensure in what you are saying and comfortable in what you are saying. And that comes through knowledge.

audioJaimee21144309277 28:49

Yes, exactly. And you don't know what you don't know, so

audioHayleyMason11144309277 28:53

Yeah, so true.

audioJaimee21144309277 28:55

Yeah.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 28:56

there's just a couple of things that I saw when I was reading up Jamie and you, we would've seen them too. little comments that probably for a lot of people, We might put in the class of things, perhaps not to say. top of the list is, uh, did you get diabetes? Too much sugar? That's a bit of a,

audioJaimee21144309277 29:14

you get diabetes from eating too much sugar? Yeah.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 29:17

and look, we, we live in a, in a small country town and there are still, uh, people probably of an older generation who would refer to it as are, they've got the.

audioJaimee21144309277 29:26

Yes. The sugar,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 29:27

The sugar, diabetes. Yeah. Yeah. of course. Can you eat that or can they eat that? Again, it's a little bit offensive cuz you're assuming you know more

audioJaimee21144309277 29:39

I guess it depends on the scenario. Cuz if you are sitting there eating something and someone's saying, can you eat that? Or should you be eating that, that's different too. You've gone over to someone's house and said, oh, can they eat that? Do you know,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 29:49

true, true. So context has, has got a big.

audioJaimee21144309277 29:52

And that's what you said. It's the tone, it's the context, it's the intention as well. Sometimes. Sometimes the intention isn't always how it's, uh, perceived.

audioHayleyMason11144309277 30:01

And I think, uh, always be aware of talking about, um, your friends, mothers, uncles, brothers, sister, cousin who's got it, so you know exactly what the person's going through. Be very, very careful that everybody's journey is so individual. Yeah, just, just be very cautious before you say, I totally get what you're going through.

audioJaimee21144309277 30:24

And, you know, even, some of my colleagues have worn insulin pumps with normal saline, just water in them just to, and, you know, enter the carbs. And some of them have come back after 24 hours and said, can't do this. Don't know how you do it. So it's still, it gives them a bit of an idea of what it's like, but even they will acknowledge, even though I'm putting in my cards, if I get it wrong, there's no implication and stuff. So I don't

audioHayleyMason11144309277 30:48

and, and you are not oddly feeling those change. With rises and falls of the glucose levels, yet both hubby and I will now and again wear a, a site we don't put, and we have got old pumps here. We don't put those on, but we just wear a site outta out of solidarity, whatever, with the boys. But again, if it rips out, doesn't matter.

audioJaimee21144309277 31:10

yeah, yeah. You can go back to sleep if, if you pretend sensor says you're 3.5, cuz you're not

audioHayleyMason11144309277 31:16

That's

audioJaimee21144309277 31:17

go into a. Severe

audioHayleyMason11144309277 31:19

Yeah, that's right. So, yeah, and, and look, I think it's, I think it's a nice supportive measure and it shows support for the person. But again, yeah, it, it highlights that you can't fully grasp the ins and outs of what somebody living with diabetes is going through.

audioJaimee21144309277 31:38

I just feel for everyone in this space, because I put up, a few weeks ago on our, on our socials, this, this meme about how I feel with Diabetes Day. That looks like you've just come out of a. A fist fight and come out second best. and I think people even then are probably like, oh, do I, like most people, put a carer a love symbol as in, oh, poor you, like, here you go, cuddle. And, um, I was more expecting Ha ha, but I didn't get it. So in my head, and, and I don't know what I'm feeling behind the social media

audioHayleyMason11144309277 32:12

Very true.

audioJaimee21144309277 32:13

I mean, yes, it was a rough week, but I, I've learnt to laugh at it. Um, but again, I feel, because if someone could have laughed and I could have been like, oh, that's not very nice So yeah, I think we'll wrap it up there and just say, we are aiming for progress, not perfection. Okay. So, yes. Don't, don't hesitate to just, uh, I guess ask if you don't know. Hey,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 32:36

Yeah, totally agree.

audioJaimee21144309277 32:39

So some days thriving, others just surviving. Well, let's go for a good week Kayleigh, and um, let's aim to do that gestational diabetes one next time. Cuz I think that leads in nicely from the language. I've got many, many stories and I'm sure you do too,

audioHayleyMason11144309277 32:54

sounds.

audioJaimee21144309277 32:55

All right, thanks for listening everyone. Bye.