Some days I wonder if my son and I are really related. The other day he came home and said "Guess what? I met a guy today who is 21 years old and has type 1 diabetes." The conversation continued...How did you know that he had diabetes?
"Well I saw tubing."
Cool! Did you show him your tubing?
"No"
Larry asked how he knew that the tubing was attached to a pump.
"Because I could see it attached to the side of his pants."
Cool! What kind of pump did he have? A Medtronic? That seems popular around here.
"I don't know."
Did you show him your pump? Did you flash your tubing and give him the "thumbs up"?
"No."
Did you start a conversation? Ask him when he was diagnosed? Compare meters? Ask him when the last time he tested was?
"No."
Did he ask about your pump? Did he say "Hey! You've got a pump too!"
"No. He couldn't see my pump or my tubing. My pump was under my shirt attached to my pants and my hoodie was pulled down over them both. He had no idea."
Larry and I just looked at each other. Larry told him that he should have spoken with him. I told him, he's part of your club. You both have diabetes. That's special.
My son looked at my like I was crazy. He had seen another person with Type 1. The guy was teaching them something about theatre in his English class. My son noticed that he had a pump. Wasn't that enough?
I guess for him it was. I am way more obnoxious. You know I would have asked what kind of pump he was using, how long he had been pumping? What age he was diagnosed and so on. I like to talk to these people. I like to learn. I like to engage people who live like we do. My son is happy to watch from the sidelines, comment and move on. One disease and such vastly different approaches.
The next day my son came home and told me that he had seen the guy again. He was back teaching in his English class.
"Did you talk to him about diabetes this time?"
"Nope."
Oh my. I guess I will just be happy that he notices things and when he is ready to share, he will. In the meantime, I will continue to be the voice in the family.
Sounds like Joe...and you and I are quite similar as well. I would totally be asking about the pump, diagnosis...on and on. Great story Barb.
ReplyDeletesounds just like me and my 6 yr old girl. I get so excited when I see tubing, pump, pod, whatever and almost treat the person like they are famous. It's something we have in common. I ask my daughter if she wants to meet the person. I think she's almost embarrassed when I even mention it. I think they just want to be left alone and wants us to leave them alone and let them live without talking about it one more time :) I totally understand where you are coming from. I've tried to limit how much I talk about my daughters diagnosis when My older daughter is around. I think she has felt left out. Thinking about printing out the whole story on index cards and handing them out when someone is so curious. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny! My Dad and I are the same way. I am more reserved and I like to spot tubing and smile to myself, where my dad goes out of his way and finds out the most personal details. LOL. Must be a D parent thing :)
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