A good throat choking is outstanding exercise. Maybe we are looking in the wrong places for the cure.

Seriously?! I cannot believe he said that. Or yes, I can-ignorance + health care dramas makes everyone an expert. Wow.

Wow. Just - wow. Sad to say I believe my sister in law thinks the same way...

Holy (words deleted). WHAT.

OMG. People.

What an idiot! (there were so many stronger words in my head but I'll refrain)

Ignorance and unsolicited advice make me really mad.

*GASP*

WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!?!?!?

Who does that? Who says that? What is wrong with people?????

That was not where I thought that was going to end and my jaw dropped open. Good grief....

Lucky it was you instead of me-- I probably would have driven after him honking and yelling. People are dumb.

After considering all of response options, I've concluded that all are predictably NSFW. Fistbump to you for not chasing him down, and teaching him a lesson.

Oh my goodness. I'm not sure I would've been able to let him ride off. What a jackass!!!!! (to put it nicely) What is wrong with people?!?

WHAT THE WHAT?

Who says that?!?

May he run over a nutria rat in the very near future. That stank NEVER goes away. Ignorant.

It's incidents like this that lend credence to the argument that maybe there should be a rename of Type 1.

OMG! Post with the most surprising (in a bad way) ending.

My mouth is still hanging open. It's hard to believe there are really people out there who are so ignorant.

UNBELIEVABLE! SIMPLY UNBLIEVABLE!!

Did you get his license plate? I would love to track down this ignorant jerk.

What!?!

You didn't tell us that part.

OMG,I want to hit him, HARD... And multiple times!!
Maybe if he eats right and exercise more, he won't be such an offensive moron & a burden to society - And our healthcare system!
To date, there's no cure for The Stupids, and he proves it!

What an asshat. I'm feeling very Thelma and Louise on your behalf. Fing asshat!!!

Wow! That's such a horrible thing to say. I'm type 2 so I get this a lot :\

Oh. My. Goodness. There are so many misconceptions about Type 1. I'm sorry that happened to you! I remember walking into a work meeting shortly after being diagnosed. Someone saw me eyeing the breakfast display and apologized to me because they thought I couldn't eat bagels and fruit. It's sometimes so hard to know what to do in such situations!

Mental Midget.

what a jerk!

I thought I was the only one who ran into morons on the street ;)

Are you Serious....
Insane

sorry about that what a ...........

Like someone else said, I didn't see this ending headed our way. Lots of names come to mind for this person. I also can't help but comment to the person who said there should be a rename for T1; are you then saying that those of us with T2 ARE a burden to the healthcare system? That we can eat and exercise our condition away? :( I'm sorry, but regardless of type, PWD don't deserve such treatment.

Wow - cannot even believe that he said that to you. I would have wanted to punch him in the nose!!

I SO wasn't expecting that! What kind of insensitive jerkface says something like that? And he sounded so nice before that point!

Not where I expected that story to go.

Maybe if he found himself pushed off a cliff, there would be less of a burden to the healthcare system, and you wouldn't even have to give it a second thought.

Not that you should.

We need to start a chapter of Diabetics for the Renaming of This Ridiculous Disease.

SftRofRD?

Nice and mean, all rolled into 1

Though awkward, I was okay with it until the end. He went from slightly too nosy stranger to rude and inconsiderate with the blink of an eye.
Who goes around telling people they are a burden on the health care system?? Does he do that to anyone he sees smoking a cigarette? Or drinking alcohol in excess? Or a person who has Downs? Or a person with cancer? Or a person has to be on oxygen?
Gah! Idiots. :(

I would have followed him and beat the cr@p out of him

My least favorite words ... "it must be bad." What does that even mean?

Sometimes I feel like we should carry around diabetes education pamphlets to hand out in response to these types of comments.

Quit watching Dr. Oz and mind your own damn business!

Right up to the last 2-3 paragraphs wasn't going badly (started to go downhill 6 paragraphs from the end) - I'd say the first few were actually nice he was looking after you

On the whole, even if the guy was an *ss at the end (I'd say more ignorant than an *ss), I'd look at it as "at least he was concerned about you" - gives you a different take away

Wow, my drop dropped at that ending, too. What a rhymes-with-whoosh!

I can't say I'm surprised at his comments, to be honest. This is what the liberal media has done in this country... they've confused the healthcare issue SO MUCH that no one really understands what is going on. It doesn't help that the "Church of Hollywood" preaches that everyone who has diabetes is a fat lazy slob who eats too much, either.

I would have slipped him a dose of left jab, with a side of right cross, and a kick in the stomach for the dessert.

Wow, just wow! I agree w/ the comment, do you have the license plate, we should hunt him down! But then again, I guess we just have to ignore the STUPID people as much as we can and move on. Still shaking my head over the stupidity!

And a big fat thanks goes out to the media for promoting sterotypes. This is why I feel compelled to always add "Type 1"... not that it matters, because no one understands the difference anyway.

I was enjoying the little advocacy story until the END! HOLY CRAP! Maybe he can get a little more education and be less of a drain on humanity.

How convenient that he would say something like that without giving a second for you to correct his complete ignorance. What a chicken #*^$!

Would he ever dare say that to someone with cancer? Or AIDS?

I'm sure his seat belt would have looked wonderful stuck around his throat...

Oh well, I'm sure he didn't know any better.

Still, we'd be happy to post some bail money if you decide to hunt him down and "educate" him on seatbelt use around the throat.

Ahhhhh. I've found this problem a lot since the "biggest loser" is on TV and people become "experts."

I know cooler heads should probably prevail, but I'm afraid I would have taken off after him and blamed the resulting beating on a low blood sugar. YDMV.

OMG. What a freaking dumbass. Why can't ignorant people keep their mouths closed?

Wow! That's really frustrating. It's a good reminder that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about other's situation.

Ummm.

*EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE*

Wow, what an idiot.

Ohmygawd! I want to kick this person! Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!

and, he was breathing? so someday he will be a burden on the healthcare system too!! Ignorance is a real pain, isn't it??

I would happily donate $3.99 for a gallon of gas to pour down his pants...

Aaaand it was tolerable until the very end. Jeebus. Who says that shit? Oh yeah, that guy.

WHAT.

THE ACTUAL.

FRACK.

shit non-diabetics say!

That would make a great end to the video. With the car roaring off from the gas pump.

I wish I could come up with a quippy response, like, "Oh, I'll just pour all my extra sugar into your gas tank, therefore ruining your car, but becoming less of a burden on the health care system...," but it just doesn't pack the same punch.

Though it has nothing to do with diabetes, a woman rammed into and pushed my cart out of her way in the supermarket yesterday as I was bending down to [irony] pick up a bag of brown sugar. She didn't even say "Excuse me."

People.

"Just remember, if you do some soul searching and get some therapy you might be able to think about what you say and be less of a burden on humanity."

Like type 1 diabetes, there is no cure for stupidity!!!

Oh, and I would wager $1000 that Kerri eats better and exercises more than this guy.

OH WOW! I think I may have chased him down! WOW!

OH MY GOSH!!! I was not expecting that... and I thought it was awful when some one told if I believed in God he would have healed me... (btw I do, I'm just not as demanding as this person was;-)

OMG, did he really say that? What an idiot!
And it amazes me how many people think you need to be a "bad" diabetic to be on a pump. I delayed getting a pump for several years because I had been told the same thing by doctors - the pump was for people who were really "bad" diabetics. And now after being on a pump for over 10 years I can say I am still healthy and in very good control. The insulin pump (and now CGM) was the best decision I've ever made!

Poor soul..since some ppl who live with D are unaware of what D is what can you expect from those who don't have D...education is the key.

Amazing, just amazing... I HATE it when people do stuff like this. Me being my stubborn, 100% pure type 1 diabetic, I feel compelled to stove my foot up his nose.

That last comment was just...wow. WOW. What an ass!

"Ah. You must have it bad, then."

I hate hate hate hate answering this. I get this all the time. ANNOYING!!

I thought your post was funny until I read what an ASS he was! Now I am just mad! We had the same thing happen to us when I gave my two year old his injection in Buffalo Wild Wings. Two "meatheads" in those weird 80's work out pants stopped by to let us know to put him on an exercise regimen so we could cure his diabetes...

I always keep my pump and Dex receiver in my pocket so it's super rare that I ever get into discussions with strangers about diabetes. So I tend to miss out on stupid conversations like that.

However, I also miss out on some of the wonderful conversations that you sometimes have with strangers. I can't remember what the little boy once thought you had, but it was something classic like a laser gun or a Batman device.

Wow....just wow.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and take the other side here. OK, so the guy is somewhere between uneducated and insensitive, but his intentions are good. He didn't want you to get caught on your seat-belt, and he doesn't want people needlessly burdening the healthcare system.

It's not his fault he's clueless (or maybe it is).

Arrrgghh! That is all.

I thought scrolling through the comments slowly would have me arriving at my own comment box with less expletives in my head. Nope.

I will say I don't think his last comments were about being uneducated about diabetes so much as they guy is a first rate d-bag. I hope an entire flock of egrets use his car for target practice.

I have to agree with Kate.

Just as most here might be frustrated with the incorrect assumption that the reason you have T1 is your fault and you are a burden to the healthcare system - I get frustrated when people (and often including those with T1) assume that because I have T2 it is my fault and therefore I am needlessly burdening the healthcare system.

All of us with diabetes have enough to deal with without creating a class system that discriminates within our own ranks.

Really???? Some people have no class!!

omg. i am speechless. i definitely would have gotten in his face about that one.

*jaw drop* He started off sounding like a nice guy... But then he managed to insult both T1 and T2 PWD. It was the "healthcare system" jab that outraged me. Grab his throat and throttle him? By the end I wanted to grab him by the b---- and twist.

I think we are all being too hard on him...I'm sure he returned his intelligence pump so he wouldn't burden us or our healthcare system; think of it as philanthropic stupidity. Too bad his vote counts as much as ours.

Wow, why would anyone want to wear an insulin pump in order to make others miserable with the burden of our healthcare?

That is some messed up thinking.

Technically he was right.

After few days without insulin any of us T1s would be less of a burden to the healthcare system.

What a jerk.

Shut The Front Door!!! What an ass-face!

While reading the first 3/4 of the post, I thought "Oh, another awareness experience! Cool!"

And then I got to the last bit of the post. I would definitely have been tempted to get in that guy's face after that comment. No diabetic--type 1 or type 2 or gestational or whatever--deserves to get labeled as a burden on the healthcare system!

I was actually appreciating his concern until he revealed himself as a clueless, self-righteous jerk at the end.

The worst kind of ignorant is when people don't even realize they are ignorant.

Yes, I want to punch him. But here's the thing: One day he may have occasion to actually learn something about D, and he will look back on this moment mortified that he ever said such a thing. That's why I alway wish my enemies enlightenment instead of harm. :) I actaully knew a kid in college with D and when he said he takes a shot in the belly several times a day, I made an involuntary face that must have been filled with digust--like yuck, you take a shot in the stomach, euuww. Now that I have a 9 yr old with D, I look back on that moment and cringe!!! I mean CRINGE. I actaully feel 3 inches shorter. Let the karma take care of the universe.

Oh, hell no! Dude - I would have helped you dispose of the body!

Who SAYS that to someone?

I would have given him a mouthful, if he looked like the type of person who wasn't packing a gun.

This SAME thing just happened to me less than a week ago! Guy at the gym comes up to me and does the is-that-a-pager routine, no its an insulin pump, back and forth until...
"Well good for you, girl. Keep coming to the gym and you'll be able to get rid of that thing!"
I also wanted to throttle him, but did my best to, ahem, educate him. I forget that some people have NO CLUE about diabetes, I'm so surrounded by it. I have to remember how many idiotic (non-DM) things I've said in the past to forgive him!

Scarecrow: "But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"

Isn't it amazing how people often speak before thinking? One time I was having lunch with my daughter, who is diabetic, and she gave herself an injection at the table. A few minutes later, a customer walked by and said, "It's very rude of you to do that in public." Not wanting to cause a scene, I grabbed the edge of the table instead of her. I wanted to ask her if she would say the same thing to someone on oxygen but I didn't want to upset my daughter. As you know, Momma Bears are very protective of their precious babies, even if they are 18 years old.

I played Division II college volleyball. I went to a chiropracter for an adjustment, and we got to talking about my T1 diabetes. He says "you know, if you just exercised a little more, and drank 1/2 cup of chromium a day, you would be cured." Did he forget that I was there for a freaking sports injury?? Exercise more, c'mon. I ended up just getting up and walking out the door. I'm pretty sensitive about being told how to mananage something I've been dealing with all my life.

wow
makes my blood sugar go nuts just thinking about it............
hard to believe people are still so"uninformed"..................
got all of your SUM fans going, that's for sure !!!!

Interesting how some people think they know it all. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to interact with others. Ever.

I can soooooo relate!! I had a first (and probably last!) date with someone who shared the same ignorance as your passer-by. I quickly corrected him, like it was NBD... but I still had to spend the rest of the evening with him. I s'pose i *could have* grabbed him by the throat!!! LOL

His ass would've been the burden on the health care system once you got through with him, I guessing...

After reading this one, I handed it off to M to read. Then, I watched him with anticipation to see if his reaction would be as strong as mine had been. I've never seen a jaw drop so far so suddenly.

This man's ignorance and lack of tact amazes me.

We can all "thank" Dr. Oz for this crap. I just finished reading an article he wrote on "a new cure for diabetes" that was in the latest AARP newsletter. The article mentions two studies that were presented as possible cures for diabetes. The first study used a 600 calorie a day diet to "shock the system" and the second used gastric by-pass.

Ha! Funny, and well written, Kerri. I enjoy your blogs.

"Oh no he didn't!!!!" is what i just said out loud when i read that. argh!

haha not surprising.
I get this all the time ... people just won't understand even if you explain it a dozen times .. :)

People react this way, way too many times. Usually they're not as absurd and severe, but they always add that comment in. I fight the nerve to tell them to get educated. We're in the 21st century, get with it.

Although I wish it wasn't so, I just love this post - it perfectly captures so many comments I've heard about T1D.

Well...to be fair, if we mention "diabetes" we bring the drama on ourselves! Let's face it, the word "diabetes" in our current society means obesity/Type 2 diabetes, and yes, this is often lifestyle related. Period. So unless you want ridiculous comments, don't mention the word "diabetes" at all. I never do. Ever. I have an autoimmune polyglandular syndrome which includes T1. So that's what I say I have and wait for the eyes to glaze over. Then I change the subject. Say you have autoimmune destruction of the pancreas. Anything but the "D" word. Because really, if "diabetes" now means insulin resistance, the name doesn't apply to us anyway. Diabetics are the ugly redheaded step children of diseases. We will always be judged, will always be looked at in distain. Just the way it is. Diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and multiple sclerosis get sympathy, rightfully so. But even though this disease is pontentially fatal and causes end stage organ damage, no one cares. Oh well. Use a new name and move on with your life. Worked wonders for me.

Mr. "I didn't mean to pry" was a chicken to make such a comment and promptly drive away. You don't make an accusatory statement like that and not have the guts to have a real conversation about it. People need to reign in their tongues if they are not ready for a debate or an education!

I'm sorry he said that to you, it hurts everyone as he may as well said it to all diabetics. It hurt me and I'm the mom of a type I 11 yr old.

I would have freaked out all over his ass!!! OMG!!! How ignorant and rude!!! Seriously, I don't know what I would have done!!!

Priceless! What a dumbass. Ignorant people need to keep their mouths shut.

Part of this response you can blame on stupid portrayals and insensitive jokes in sitcoms and tv dramas that people are saturated with everyday. Hollywood rather go for the cheap joke than do a little research!!!! Diabetes has become fodder for inept writers with No distinguishing among type one and type two, and no fact based anything, shock value and cheap jokes only! Shame on them!!!

Oh I didn't see that one coming at all! So sorry people are stupid. I think there should be a "D" court that sentences these people to "Community Service Diabetes-Style". They could use syringes or a pump filled with saline or something and learn alllll about D. Grrr!