![\"Eleanor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_254993966-4ec1-e1749554110585.jpg\")
\n\t\tIt\u2019s drastically improved my quality of life (Picture: Eleanor Noyce)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tIt\u2019s drastically improved my quality of life (Picture: Eleanor Noyce)<\/p>\n
Sitting on the Tube, I was minding my own business when I was asked by a complete stranger whether the piece of medical equipment on my arm was a \u2018nicotine patch.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
A rectangular plastic box placed on top of a sticky piece of adhesive, the lady who had \u2013 arguably rudely \u2013 interrupted my peace was actually asking about my insulin pump.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the 10 years since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes<\/a>, it\u2019s kept me alive, pumping insulin through a drip feed to regulate my blood sugar.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s also connected to a mobile phone-style monitor so I can control it manually whenever I eat, and sends Bluetooth signals to my blood glucose monitor<\/a>, so if my levels are skyrocketing or even dipping, it\u2019ll automatically alter my insulin to prevent me from having a high blood sugar (hyper) or a low one (hypo). It\u2019s drastically improved my quality of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018No, it\u2019s actually an insulin pump,\u2019 I laughed nervously to the stranger, to which I was met with a comment that her grandma had type 2 diabetes<\/a>, before she died from complications.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t This isn\u2019t the only time I\u2019ve had an outsider pose invasive questions about my medical condition. When I worked as a waitress, I was constantly being subjected to similar probes, and was once asked if my diabetes was caused by \u2018eating too much sugar<\/a>\u2019 as a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n In my experience, comments like these always worsen in summer, when either my insulin pump or glucose monitor is more likely to be on show, even though I\u2019ve never actively tried to hide the medical equipment I wear on my body during the winter months.\u00a0<\/p>\n If I\u2019m wearing a short-sleeved shirt or shorts, my invisible disability<\/a> actively becomes visible, which has often left me open to interrogation from strangers, and I\u2019m not about to boil during a heatwave, covering myself up in the hopes that people will leave me alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t Before I was prescribed a pump, I was on insulin injections for six months after I was diagnosed, which was even worse for attracting odd looks, many of whom perhaps thought I was taking drugs.\u00a0<\/p>\n I would never excuse myself to the bathroom to take a shot either, as I never believed \u2013 and still don\u2019t \u2013 that I should have to conceal the reality of my condition to save other people a second of discomfort. I have no choice but to inject; it saves my life multiple times a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n Questions aren\u2019t always a bad thing, though: In certain situations, they\u2019re very welcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whenever I see a fellow type 1 diabetic, I always make an effort to say hello and point out my matching pump \u2013 and I\u2019m always more than happy to answer questions from people I actually know. <\/p>\n \t\t In England, around 270,000 people live with type 1 diabetes<\/a>, and we account for approximately 8% of all diabetes cases, so it\u2019s safe to say that we\u2019re a relatively rare occurrence.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I was running a half marathon<\/a> a couple of years ago, I found myself struggling at the mile 10 point as my blood sugars were persistently dipping low. The moment I needed it most, the glucose monitor carefully placed on my arm caught the attention of a fellow type 1 \u2013 who cheered me on and kindly offered me a handful of jelly babies to bring my sugars up.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat is type 1 diabetes? \t\t\t<\/p>\n According to the NHS website<\/strong><\/a>, type 1 diabetes \u2018causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become too high. It happens when your body cannot produce a hormone called insulin, which controls blood glucose.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n As a result, those living with type 1 diabetes need to constantly monitor their blood glucose levels either through a manual finger prick test or via a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which is worn on the arm and tests glucose through the tissue.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also need to give themselves insulin either by injecting through a needle, or by wearing an insulin pump.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like the CGM, the insulin pump is connected to the body like a cannula and continuously drip feeds insulin to regulate glucose levels. It\u2019s also necessary to administer insulin before eating by counting the carbohydrates, which are then converted into units using a formula specific to the individual.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the UK, less than one in 10 people in the UK living with some form of diabetes has type 1 diabetes. Approximately 90% of diabetes diagnoses are of type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crucially, type 1 diabetes is not related to diet and lifestyle choices. As the Diabetes UK<\/strong><\/a> website outlines, the exact causes of type 1 diabetes are not known, and there currently isn\u2019t a cure.\u00a0<\/p>\n To this day, it\u2019s a stand-out example of the kind of solidarity type 1s are able to offer, even when we don\u2019t know one another. <\/p>\n When the world doesn\u2019t understand what it\u2019s like to live with a condition that can be so deeply debilitating, a mere glimpse into the experience of someone who truly understands your experience first-hand is unparalleled.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing, though: I don\u2019t exist to answer invasive questions about the condition that causes me grief, day and night, even if my pump is on display.\u00a0<\/p>\n My medical condition is none of your business, and it\u2019s not my job to educate you on something that could be searched online in a matter of seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Campaigning against societal stigma against type 1 \u2013 which is vastly misunderstood and completely different from other forms of diabetes \u2013 might be hugely important to me, but it takes energy, and as someone living with a chronic illness<\/a>, I have limited reserves of it. <\/p>\n And unsolicited questions when I\u2019m trying to mind my own business simply don\u2019t fit the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Eleanor-Noyce-94a8-e1749555300728.webp\")
\n\t\tIn my experience, comments like these always worsen in summer (Picture: Eleanor Noyce)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-8a7e.png\")
\n\t\tQuestions aren\u2019t always a bad thing (Picture: Eleanor Noyce)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-6e53-e1749555523845.png\")
\n\t\tMy medical condition is none of your business (Picture: Eleanor Noyce)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: My date said I had one drink to impress him \u2013 so I downed it<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: I thought I\u2019d nailed screen time until my kids admitted the truth<\/a><\/p>\n