Just another day in the single life… blind date #1 only made it to date four. Fortunately, the dating gods were in my favor and blind date #2 was just around the corner. In our initial meeting at a concert (not a good idea), the getting to know you chit chat led to what I do for a living. I gave him the cliff notes version of the Diabetes Daily Grind and it only took a matter of seconds before he said, “my uncle died from diabetes complications“. Strike 1, right?
This man was actually charming in a weird way. I was intrigued and agreed to a second date in hopes of getting to know him in a venue that didn’t involve loud music. Our official “first date” was at a fancy, local restaurant. As we perused the menu, he chuckled at my “chosen” dietary restrictions. We were able to combine our efforts and ordered an appetizer. As the waiter approached the table, I pulled out my T1D gear. I quickly test, take a sip of wine and dive into the cheese tray.
I believe the next couple of minutes of our conversation went something like this.
I regrouped my inner thoughts and realized this was a wonderful opportunity to educate. I asked about his uncle and his life with diabetes. Should I recall correctly, he was in his 70s, gave injections and died from diabetes related complications during a surgery. He went into great detail about giving him shots as his uncle preferred him to do it over his aunt. It was kind of funny to hear his take on giving a shot. The conversation then turned to his fear of getting the disease.
Come to find out, his family history had both T1D and T2D so his fear was valid. I rambled about TrialNet and then said, “why live in fear, it’s as simple as a quick blood test“. I whipped out my tester and he agreed to let me prick his finger. The meter read 87 or something “normal” and we both gave a sigh of relief. It was a weird bonding moment and made us both feel more comfortable.
Another glass of wine later, dinner was served and I didn’t have to shoot up. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening and felt relieved diabetes had been addressed. I know not every PWD is fearful of this conversation, but for me it has been a major road block in my dating life. I’m so glad to have turned the corner about this fear – Bring on the dates!
Just curious – do you have a similar story? Has dating been challenging because of diabetes? Shoot us a message or sign up to share your story.