Sweet and Sour- The Type 1 Diabetes Rollercoaster

Roaming around the Internet in relation to type 1 brings up a lot of hits! First it's the facts, wikipedia, webmd, betterhealth- you know, reasonably accurate information. From there it goes downhill into the sensationalist articles and the supposed 'diabetes cures'. But the you come across forums, blogs and yahoo answers. I was amazed to see so many questions about type 1, with masses of people fretting that they have it. As someone who can understand health anxiety, I can see why they may be concerned, but reading through these fears makes me feel so sorry for these people. So today I will make a comprehensive list (that by no means replaces the advice of a medical professional) to possibly ease the worries of those who think they may have type 1 diabetes. 1) If you are drinking a lot of water, you're not necessarily diabetic. You're quite possibly dehydrated. Trust me, if you have type 1 your water consumption is far beyond normal. I'm not talking a few b...

To the author, Your article whilst I'm sure well intentioned, was a major blow to the type 1 community. For those that don't want to follow the link, it concerns JDRF's (Juvenile Diabetes Foundation) use of jelly babies in the promotion of Jelly Baby Month, a fund raising time of year for type 1 diabetes. The author believes that jelly babies should not be sold and that it is hypocritical and AWFUL for their use in promotion. Now, from what my mum says you're actually really great in regards to nutrition and perhaps this article was not meant the way it sounds. But Ms O'Meara, I have a bone to pick with you. 1) Thank you for distinguishing between type 1 and 2- really most sources of media don't do this and I appreciate that. BUT the following comments, despite your insistence that you understand the difference, do not demonstrate that.  'To me it’s a little like looking for a cure for mesothelioma (lung cancer) and selling cigarettes to raise funds t...

Dear 'Doctor' with magical cure for type 1 diabetes, I don't buy it. Not.one.bit. You preach that religious faith, herbal remedies, asparagus and all kinds of crazy concoctions will cure my diabetes, that I'm letting myself suffer by listening to my doctors and taking insulin, that somehow this is further damaging my pancreas. That the cure has always been so easy to find, and that I'm simply being stubborn in not accepting your remedies. Well, I don't know where you got your degree, or whether your doctorate is ACTUALLY in medicine, but newsflash: Type 1 diabetes isn't curable. Yet. See, you overshadow REAL progress with your false 'natural' advances, supposedly converting type 1 diabetics into type 2 diabetics and finally non-diabetics. At one time, I believed you, just after I was diagnosed. There were all these supposed cures, that diabetes wasn't forever, that there had been some form of mistake and I was actually type 2. Well, the...

'Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own . Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change?' A petition: To the know-it-all celebrity TV hosts Dear celebrity know-it-all, I RD, am writing this petition in order to put a stop to your reckless antics. You prance around as though you know far more about my diabetes than I do, which by your obviously flawed logic, isn’t remotely correct. You assume that I have brought my diabetes on myself. You assume that I can cure my diabetes by eating well and jogging around the block every day. You assume that everything is my fault. If you could take a moment to get off your moral high horse, I’ll happily correct you. But you don’t, because you’re right. You’re ALWAYS right. ...

I am a type 1 diabetic. And this? Well, this is my attempt at making people understand what type 1 is, and what it’s like. This isn’t a tragic story, this isn’t a plot to gain sympathy, and this isn’t about the plight of a teenager trying to find their place in a world of melodrama. Basically- I’m not aiming for Days of Our Lives here. This is just my life, and I’m hoping that by telling my story, maybe it’ll dispel the myths about what diabetes is, maybe it’ll help a diabetic see they’re not alone. Heck, maybe it’ll improve my writing skills and pass English :) I’m pretty average, I go to school, I play piano, hang out with friends, and I happen to have type 1 diabetes. I guess I should make it clear, I may have type 1, but that doesn’t mean that that’s all I am. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Pretty much, scientists don’t know what causes it exactly. In a non-diabetic, you have a fully func...