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If you had T1D while in school (excluding college), were you ever picked on or bullied because of having T1D? If so, did it bother you?
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I was dx. at the age of 8 in the 3rd grade. This was 1955, time of strict adherence to the Exchange Diet and very little general knowledge about diabetes. From the 3rd grade thru 6th grade I was’t allowed to sit with my classmates when they celebrated their birthdays with special treats. In 3rd grade I had to stay at my desk and was given a single graham cracker segment in place of the cake and ice cream. The lack of trust in my behavior along with comments on my “special” treat was very humiliating. In 5th and 6th grades I was sent to the library when there were treats. Some kids made fun of me, others saying they didn’t want to be around me because they didn’t want to “catch my sickness”. As much as I tried to ignore it, it did hurt.
I was 6 years old and terrified of needles when I was diagnosed. I used to insist on have a bandaid for every injection _and_ finger stick. So I got made fun of for coming to school with a bandaid on every finger.
≧◠‿●‿◠≦ I was 4. No, but I did have one cousin in my class that was somewhat jealous of me seemingly getting special favors. (ㆆ_ㆆ)
Wasn’t really teased for being diabetic, but I reckon that’s because no one knew I had it.
I was diagnosed in 1970. I really didn’t tell other kids about it. By high school my close friends knew. I just took my 1 shot a day back then and there was no BG monitoring. It was an easily hidden and ignored disease sadly.
I was diagnosed with LADA at the age of 49, so luckily I was out of school. But 4 years later, our 13 year old son was diagnosed with juvenile T1D. One of the scariest moments was when he took his pump off for gym class and left it on the back of a toliet in the restroom. He didn’t miss it until he went to the nurses station before lunch, ran back to the gym restroom, and by the Grace of God it was still on the back of the toliet. I think this diagnosis bothered him more than his classmates, his security and normalcy was threatened. Plus he felt doomed since both of his parents were T1Ds and gave this gene to him. I felt sadness and the 911 incident had just happened at the same time; 20 years ago.
I was 9 when diagnosed. I was immediately treated as different by the other kids. Nickname was sugarlump. Constant teasing and mickey taking. Not a great time but I got through.
I was never ever teased or bullied for being a diabetic. All of my friends knew I had it and fortunately it really didn’t make it’s presents known back in those days. I would take my usual one needle per day in the morning a mixture of NPH and Toronto insulin and go on my way. For some reason it seemed much easier back then I relied on how I was feeling no testing well the odd urine test which was never performed while in school. I found that my life back then with T1D was much simpler and less complicated then today and as mentioned no bullying well maybe from my doctor😉😠
I was 15 at Dx and teasing was minor and mostly ended when my close friends saw me going through a severe hypo,
My brother, who was diagnosed at 7 months old in 1972, had more than I did. I wasn’t diagnosed until January 1982 at age 11. It wasn’t until I was in high school that some people in my group of people tried to pick on me. Looking back on this, those people haven’t changed.
I was bullied for other things, but never for my Diabetes
If I anything, I was cool for having something that no one else understood. I got to eat whenever I wanted to, while everyone else had to wait til snack time.
I was just starting my senior year of high school, and about a month after my 17th birthday. I had to constantly run to the bathroom to take a leak between each class and I was losing a lot of weight (about 35 lbs). I had no idea what was going on (as nobody in my family, including cousins had ever had diabetes). My vision was getting bad (eyes were now dehydrated) and I was always tired. My friends at school said I didn’t look right, I was getting very skinny. Finally, I left school and drove by my mom’s office to tell her I was going home but she called the doctor. After explaining my symptoms he said to go to his office immediately. I never made it home and ended up in the hospital for several days… This was a shock to all of us. Back at school, nobody bothered me about my diabetes (few in my school probably had it). But my life drastically changed after that.
Just once, by a dummy who teased me for wearing a pager when it was actually my insulin pump. I felt more sorry for him than I did for myself!
I was picked on like any other kid– nobody knew anything about diabetes! I WAS THE ONLY KID IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL THAT HAD DIABETES!!! That was 1954! Today, type 2 is rampant in schools! And covid-19 compounds the seriousness of treatment!
I was diagnosed in 1945, when I was 6. Teachers and students had not heard of diabetes. The students knew I was different. I was not allowed to participate in gym, to avoid insulin reactions. I was ignored, but not teased. I did not make friends in Elementary School.
I was not bullied, however the naive or joking comments that I did encounter were often hurtful.
I would occasionally be teased about my thick sandwiches (2 meat exchanges as opposed to the pb and j eaten by other kids) but it was never mean.
Dx 1974 at age 8. My teacher gave out candy bars to the kids as rewards and she always had something else for me (colorful pencils, stickers, etc.). The other kids were envious and would ask if I’d trade so I really appreciated what she did. I only talked about diabetes with my best friend who was like a sister to me. I don’t ever remember being teased for it, but I also never knew of any other students who had Type 1. It was still unknown to many.
Never. Diagnosed in 1970 at the age of 8. Everyone knew because I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. I shared everything, everyone knew and nothing really changed except for school parties. My Mom would send some kind of treat, usually some fruit cup with vanilla wafer cookies instead of the cupcakes everyone else got. Oh well, as had as it was, I survived! And vanilla wafer cookies are still to this day one of my favorites!
Never teased, because no one at the school knew I had diabetes. I was diagnosed, and spent two weeks in hospital, during summer break while in high-school. I lived in a suburb and commuted alone to a preparatory school in Boston, so I was able to shield my personal life from my educational experience. My experience remained the same as I matriculated into college.
Like others, I was not teased because no one knew… there were no blood sugar meters… no CGMs… no pumps… nothing to outwardly say, “I am diabetic.” So, the only people who knew were the people I told (and I didn’t tell anyone but the closest of friends). In my entire school career, I only went to the nurse once (because I got to school and remembered I had not taken my shot that morning.) I don’t think even the PE teachers knew. So, basically, hiding in plain sight. ;p
In School I was pre diabetic I was only picked on when I would pass out for no reason or and picked on because I was a straight A student