You know you are a diabetic when...

In the last few days, I've come across a few things that remind me that I am a "diabetic dumb dumb." Here's my list (some of these will only be meaningful if you have lived in a close relationship with a diabetic):

1. Complete strangers approach you at the grocery store, the post office, whereever and proceed to tell you about their friend/neighbor/sibling/relative who has diabetes because they see that you have an insulin pump on.

2. The little kids in the first grade class you are tutoring keep asking about your "pager." When you try to explain what an insulin pump is, they look at you like you are speaking greek and then say, "so that's your pager?" (I guess this isn't as applicable now since most people don't have pagers, just cell phones now and I doubt that most kids would know what a pager is now, but it was applicable in 1996).

3. Your daughter comes home to tell you about the boy in her class who has diabetes and she knows this because he has an insulin pump and he checks his blood sugar.

4. Blood sugar and insulin are words in your children's vocabulary.

5. Guess Mom's blood sugar is a game you play regularly with your children.

6. Your children can't believe that your "medicine" (glucose tablets) smell and taste like candy. You catch them trying to "sneak" some of it for themselves.

7. Your 4-year-old tells you a joke that goes like this, "Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Blood sugar." "Blood sugar who?" "No one guessed the blood sugar number, Mom!"

8. You have moments when you act in a strange way (that people like to remind you of for many years afterwards)and then later you can't remember what happened and you weren't under the influence of drugs or alcohol.