STD

I met a type I diabetic  whom I liked, and then I told him I had herpes and he said he could not date me b/c of his diabetes???  Is this true?

[JDRF-Team-BL]

hello, i would guess he used it as an excuse because diabetics are no more prone to STD's than the general population. Otherwise, he can't be blamed as diabetes is enough to deal with instead of contracting something else he can avoid. Plus, in the new ADA magazine Dibetes Forecast there is an article that says that sometimes with people who have a condition like diabetes that doctors sometime concentrate on the main illness and let the others slide a bit. But wishing you the best, bret

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello Jennjen,
Folks with diabetes are urged to use every precaution to avoid infections & viruses (such as the flu, for example) because contracting such an illness can wreak havoc on the delicate balance for control.

Folks with diabetes can quickly end up in life-threatening situations from illness that would be an inconvenience for others.  

When the right fellow comes along, you & he will find ways to deal with your herpes.  Until then, I wish you patience and applaud your ethical behavior to inform potential partners of your disease.  Take good care of you.

[JDRF-Team-cd]

Jennjen,
Who knows for sure.  Several things could have been going through his mind.  Folks with diabetes may not heal as quickly or if he did contract the herpes it could do a number on his blood sugars.  He may feel he has enough to deal with just trying to stay healthy with his diabetes.  I certainly don't believe there is a hard and fast rule that someone with diabetes can't date someone with herpes but perhaps it just made him a little nervous.

[TonyAlmeida]

Hmmm - Not to sound harsh .... but I would not exactly classify the response as an excuse.  I've been in the same situation where I've turned down the chance to date someone.

It's Diabetic common sense.  You avoid things that will aggrevate or upset the delicate tightrope act that makes up most Diabetics' lives.

To put it in perspective: Diabetes (either type) is non-curable.  It is a very unforgiving condition.  It greatly increases a person's chances for blindness, kidney failure, or heart disease.  Although Diabetes itself will not kill you - the complications that it can cause can and do.  Now - mix in the possibility of contracting a second non-curable disease and the chances go even higher.  Also throw in the fact that Diabetics don't heal as fast or recover as fast from illnesses like normal people do.  You probably already know how long a Herpes breakout takes to pass - increase that by about 2 months or more for a Diabetic.

True, Diabetics are no more or no less prone to STDs than anyone else.  But the risks afterwards are too great and there's too much to lose.

Honestly, if I were in his shoes, I would have probably handled it differently and asked for your friendship.  I'd be upfront and honest that no relationship is going to happen - but I never pass up a chance to have another friend. My story - the person I turned down a relationship with moved on and ultimately found her husband .... but she also became one of my closest friends.

[gilbertgals]

This is a very old forum but if someone is looking for for help maybe they will read my post. I have been a Type I Diabetic for 20 yrs. I eat healthy, exercise, and stay away from things that could make me sick, such as stress, bacterial or viral infections. It always takes me twice as long to heal then it does a non-diabetic. That's what my endocrinologist (diabetes specialist) has told me. Every diabetic is different but we do heal pretty slowly. These things make blood glucose high, you take more insulin (insulin and high blood sugar make you crave carbs). You eat more and take more insulin (insulin makes you gain weight). You gain weight and the more weight you gain, the more insulin you need. It's a viscious cycle. I'm not complaining, that just happens. Everyday a diabetic deals with ups and downs. There are times when blood sugar goes high for no reason at all. High and low blood sugar messes with your emotions. You become a completely different person, emotionally unstable. As for the comment from the JDFR-Team...I've heard this several times. She uses her diabetes as an excuse. People don't know what they are talking about and neither do you. This chronic illness IS HARD!!! You NEVER know what's going on in your body. Why on earth would anyone with this disease want to take a chance of getting another disease?!?! He broke it off before things got complicated. Good for him! He's a responsible diabetic! There are less responsible ones than irresponsible ones. He's protecting himself. He knows what he needs and what he doesn't!