It can feel really difficult to tell your friends about your diabetes, and you might wonder who to tell and what to tell them.
Show and tell
You might think that your friends won't want to know you now you have diabetes. This is incredibly unlikely. If you've been ill, or in hospital, it's more likely they'll be worried about you and want to know how you are.
Your friends might know nothing about diabetes, or they may have some ideas about it that are completely inaccurate. So tell them the basics of what's involved in looking after Type 1 diabetes, and it's likely they'll want to learn more. You might even want to show them how you do an injection or blood test, but that's up to you.
There for you
When you're newly diagnosed, you might want a bit of help and support to adjust to having diabetes. Friends can be great with this. If you tell them about what a hypo is and how it affects you, they'll be able to help you out if you have one.
Think positive
Don't think that your diabetes puts you at a disadvantage. If you do, everyone else will. You've got used to your diabetes, and so will your friends. And remember, diabetes is nothing to be ashamed of!
