A Coversation With My Brother, The Globe

I asked my brother at the beginning of our interview to pick some character or animal to represent him, since I'd rather not put his name here. He chose the world, and specifically this picture:


Typing up this interview with my brother made me kind of sad. There are a lot of things that I would like to tell you about my brother to explain what he says, but I will instead tell you something my brother says about himself a lot. He says, "Pretty good for somebody with half a brain, huh?"
He was half reading a book, half staring off into space, and half talking to me during this interview. He does know that this is for my diabetes blog.

The Interview

Jonah: Tell us about you.

Globe: I find it odd that when people are ... hosting diabetics you would really have to be patient sometimes.

Jonah: Patient?

Globe: As in when the person, you don't have to be rude and expect things fast fastly or...

Jonah: Like what things?

Globe: A response.
The fact that you inject before you eat has something to do with it

Jonah: Are you saying sometimes people are rude and impatient and they should wait for somebody to inject?

Globe nods.

Jonah: What would you like people to know about you?

Globe: I would want people to know that sometimes I interrupt people and other times I might be patient. And other times I might be completely spacing out.

Jonah: What kinds of things do you like?

Globe: Nothing in particular. If I'm talking to somebody about animals, I'll talk to them about animals. And sometimes I jump topics.

Jonah: What kinds of things do you hate?

Globe: The fact that a lot of people think you can translate from one language to another when you really can't. Not completely.

Jonah: What is it like for you to have a sibling with diabetes?

Globe: Different.

Jonah: How?

Globe: How is it different? It's that if you're not used to them, if you're not used to diabetics, you can...

Jonah: You can what?

Globe: Feel awkward about it.

Jonah: Awkward about...

Globe: The fact that you have a brother or sister who has diabetes.

Jonah: When do you feel awkward about it?

Globe: When I have to tell people the fact that I have gotten odd after you got diabetes.

Jonah: Odd? You weren't odd before?

Globe: I mean I went oddER.

Jonah: Do you worry about anything about diabetes?

Globe: Worry... uh... Sometimes I do and sometimes I completely.... forget about it and sometimes and sometimes I move the needles that I find from place to place.

Jonah: What do you worry about?

Globe: I worry about that you once told me about the needle thing.

Jonah: What needle thing?

Globe: As in, remember that time when you prick something, about pricking to us, about the used needle?

Jonah: Um.. like about not using... about.. when [situation when a person we know was using needles that were used by other people]

Globe: And using them on himself.

Jonah: Why does that make you worried about my needles?

Globe: Because you once told me about YOUR needles and how they could affect other people. And I worry that even if they burn the needles down and make new needles, some of the germs get in the new manufactured needles.

Jonah: Er...

Globe: That's about it.

Jonah: What germs are you worried about?

Globe: Like when you use a needle, you take it off, you put it in your sharps container and when it goes back to the burning place, wherever that is, it causes some of the germs to go into the air and possibly even to the metal of the needles.

Jonah: Well, I'm not sure, but I really don't think they burn the needles to make other needles. They burn down the needles and other medical garbage to get rid of the diseases that people might have in their blood but I think then they throw it all away. They don't recycle the needles.

Globe: I thought they did. I thought there was a recycle sign on the needles. Not on these (picks up box of lancets) but on the needles. What does 100+2 lancets mean?

Globe: I don't think I want to say anything else.

Jonah: Can I keep going?

Globe shrugs.

Jonah: What's the worst part of having a diabetic siblings?

Globe: The worst part... is ... when people use [gestures pounding on arm]

Jonah: Needles? Trying to draw your blood?

Globe: Think you have one on your leg right now? I don't remember what it's called, you know what I'm talking about?

Jonah: mmm?

Globe: People use too many of them as a general thing? There are such long needles in the same spot, possibly at at a time they prick their needles to inject needles instead of the monitoring system, they would put the monitoring system, making the cut even deeper possibly damaging muscles. You get what I'm saying?

Jonah: I don't inject insulin anywhere near the sensors. I don't use the area where I'm planning to put my next sensor, and I don't use that area for the entire time I use the sensor.

Globe: Yeah...

Jonah: Is there anything good or neat about having a sibling with diabetes?

Globe: Anything good? It's that I actually got to LEARN stuff.
Verbally, and otherwise.
Yes.
That's what I mean.

Jonah: Is there anything you'd like to say to people who have a diabetic family member?

Globe: I haven't met very many diabetic people so I don't think I would be prepared for that sort of thing.

Jonah: Do you feel like my diabetes changes your life very much?

Globe: ....It does and it doesn't.

Jonah: Could you say how diabetes changes your life?

Globe: No. I don't want to. Actually, I hinted at it, but I'm not going to say exactly what it is.

Jonah: Okay. That it?

Globe nods.

Jonah: Alright. Thanks.

Globe: You're welcome!