Sweet and Sour- The Type 1 Diabetes Rollercoaster

I had an interesting experience the other day as I was going in for exams. I was at my local train station and felt a bit funny so I checked my blood sugar. It wasn’t great so I was just about to grab something to eat before my train came in, but an older man quickly came up to me. He was the kind of guy that looked like he had a story or two to tell. He wore a fedora with a feather on the side, and a coat that had seen better days. He was fairly tall (but then I’m a bit short so everyone looks tall to me!) and had an excited glint in his eyes. He stood next to me and said “Excuse me, do you have diabetes?”. I was a tad dubious about where this was going. My first thought was that he was going to regale me with a tale of his relative who had type 2, or might offer me okra water to naturally cure it for me. I was betting on the okra water. But putting that aside I answered with a yes and waited to see where he would take it. He smiled and told me that his sister has diabetes and...

Most of my blog (especially back when it started) has centred on the stupid things people have said to me about my diabetes. I remember a time shortly after diagnosis where every single day without fail, someone would come up to me and say something ignorant, hurtful or outright rude about my diabetes. It wasn’t because they were trying to be cruel, it was because they didn’t understand what it was. I got very good at simultaneously informing them of what type 1 was, and exactly where they could stick their ill-informed opinions. I heard all sorts, like - You ate too much sugar - Why are you eating that? - At least it’s not cancer (Word to the wise, don’t say this to anyone, ever.) - Ew. Blood. - Ew. Needles. - I’d die if I had that And so on. Of course at the time of writing I was still very sensitive to these things, even though I’d had type 1 for a few years when I started this blog. They frustrated me, but then they gave me an endless source of amusement. Yes, they still make me ...

I’m often asked how I manage chronic illness every day. A lot of people say “I would die if I had to do that every day”. There’s a sort of implication that I’m somehow “brave” because I live with and manage my type 1. I was talking to a friend the other day who has a big interest in psychology and chronic illness. We were chatting about motivation, and how it takes quite a bit of it to have a chronic illness 24/7, every day, forever. I thought about what my motivation was and where it came from, it’s not particularly brave. I’ve found that there are two main sources of motivation for me to manage my diabetes. The first is the better of the two, and the one that I try to keep up. I don’t want to let it win. Can you tell I’m a little bit competitive… quite literally with myself. The other motivation isn’t noble, or brave, or good. It’s just fear, pretty simple huh. I just don’t particularly feel like dying at the moment, so if I have to manage my diabetes to avoid that then I’l...