Explaining diabetes to non-diabetics

Something I often wonder about is how to explain what it's like to have diabetes to someone who doesn't have it. There are people who freak out at the mere mention of the fact that I have to "take needles" four times a day and say that they would die if they had to do that. Then there are people who ask me why diabetes is "such a big deal."

How do I explain what hypoglycemia feels like? I could say that it's unpleasantly like being drunk, but I remember Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy asking, "What's unpleasant about being drunk?" (Ford Prefect's reply is, "Ask a glass of water.")

How do I explain what hyperglycemia feels like? "You're thirsty all the time. You keep having to pee. You're tired and grouchy." All of these are true, but they barely begin to cover it.

Then, of course, there are the misconceptions. "You can't eat sugar." Wrong. Sugar is not the big bad that people make it out to be. Carbohydrates are the real culprit. And they don't have to be eliminated entirely, just taken in moderation. But I still have people trying to hide the candy dish when I'm around or telling me, "You can't eat that!"

Of course, people laugh at me when I order a burger, fries and a Diet Coke. "Oh right, like the Diet Coke is going to cancel out the calories from the burger and fries!" Actually, I'm not concerned about calories. I'm concerned about carbohydrates. I'm drinking a Diet Coke because I don't want to add a couple of dozen more grams of carbohydrate to my meal. If I explain that I have diabetes, then I'll have the same people saying, "But a diabetic shouldn't be eating that!" Argh!