Why yes, I'm Bilingual
I was sitting in the Weli Deli at work having a conversation
with another Type 1 diabetic on staff when my boss brought up an interesting
point. He said to another gentlemen in the room “it’s like when you listen to
people talk about Star Wars”. To my boss we were speaking another language. The
statement he made really got me thinking; diabetes is a foreign language all on
its own. When we talk to one another about diabetes we usually shorten the
actual terminology. When I am having issues with my blood sugars I usually
vocalize it’s high or it’s low, instead of saying I have high blood sugars or
low blood sugars. Now that I’m fluent in
the language of diabetes, I decided to look further into its slang and learn
the street talk.
When I first was diagnosed, my doctor would mouth off words
like hyperglycemic, basal, bolus, and A1C. I had no idea what those things
meant; I was too embarrassed to bring up the fact that I didn’t know the
language. After most of my initial doctors appointments I would go home and
Google diabetes so that I could understand what my doctor was actually telling
me. When I would visit home after being diagnosed I would start speaking to my
parents in my new native tongue, they would listen intently, trying to catch
any little bit they understood, then have me tell them everything again so
maybe they could soak some of what I just said in. Not only did I have to learn
a new language I also had to learn how to translate it to the people around me.
Now to the street talk of diabetes. Sounds a little dirty
doesn’t it? It’s really not though. Truth be told the only reason I even
bothered with the slang terms was because saying things like hemoglobin A1C
doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. So, I Googled “speaking diabetes” and was
amazed by how many slang terms people have come up with for diabetes. Some were
gross, like the term “gusher”. This term is pretty simple to place the meaning
(if you’re diabetic). It basically is a way to describe when you remove your
cannula and the injection site begins to bleed profusely I have actually ruined
a shirt or two because of this. Some of the terms I wouldn’t have ever thought
of. On one website they mention the term “Larry Low”. “Larry Low” was created
based off the baseball player Larry Low because his number is 33. They use this
term to let the other person know their blood sugars are in the low 30’s a
dangerously low number. It was probably the most unique term I came
across. Then there were a few terms that
just made me laugh. I came across “Bolus-Worthy” and smirked because I
understood it completely. You would say this term if you were lusting over a delicious dessert
that is high in carbs. In my case this would be a beignet, would inject myself
with all the insulin in the world to enjoy a beignet. So, for me, a beignet is
definitely “Bolus Worthy”.
I have to admit learning a new language is always hard and
complicated. Once you master the formalities you have to learn the slang. But
to me teaching a foreign language would be even harder, especially the language
of diabetes. I am still learning the language and the slang that goes along
with it. But I definitely feel I could probably add bilingual to my resume. It
may not be a majorly used language, but who knows maybe one day it could save
someone’s life.
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