Sweet and Sour- The Type 1 Diabetes Rollercoaster

I had a different post planned for today, but after receiving a comment on one of my other posts I felt this was a better topic. I hope this helps a few diabetics out there as well as informs everyone else about what it can be like when you're the token diabetic kid. When I was diagnosed with t1d, I went to a school that had no other diabetics.  None. Now that's changed over the years and the current group have a fairly strong support network, but I didn't.  Many things were a battle, like getting exam provisions and understanding from teachers.  But all that aside, I had an overwhelming sense of loneliness.   Those closest to you alleviate it to some extent, but they can't know exactly what it's like, because they have a fully functioning pancreas! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they have a pancreas that does as it's told, but it gets a bit lonely. You look around at school, in the shops, anywhere and see people eating without a thought of h...

If you manage to follow this, well done. My list of scary yet exciting things that I have to think about: - Moving on to a new hospital setting. At 18 you change from the Children's Hospital to the regular no more holding your hand through diabetes adult version. - I have to learn how to adjust the settings on my pump, because no one will help me once I change hospital (there's a lot of math and it freaks me out) - New uni choices. This one is massive! In the past few weeks I've decided on a new back up university, which is a 2 hour drive away from where I currently live. This will mean spending at least four days a week at my grandparents place and taking the hour drive from there to uni every day. This has my head spinning as whilst I'm excited about it, it could wreak havoc on the blood sugar levels from all the stress and the driving and the new place with the new people that I don't know and maybe they won't share my Harry Potter obsession and even...

A lot of people take things way too seriously, and I'm pretty guilty of that myself at times! Diabetes is something that's serious, and whilst it's important to stress it's life threatening nature, it's also essential to step back and laugh at everything surrounding it. So carrying with the theme of looking on the bright side of diabetes, here's a list of 'diabetes perks' - Mandatory lunch breaks - People hold your stuff - Putting wagers on what my blood sugar will be - People's faces when they offer you food and it dawns on them you're diabetic (note I refuse the food not because I'm diabetic but because I'm gluten and lactose intolerant... yay me :) ) - Insulin junkie jokes - Freaking out members of the general public by saying loudly 'I'm high' - Getting out of sport... you know, just in case you drop low (I swear I only did that once, I promise it was legitimate) - Scaring your friends with dark humour i...

EARLY POST :) Because it's cold outside and I have nothing resembling a social life at the moment... T ype 5's probably have the hardest job, their condition however was self-inflicted, which adds to their level of bravery, committment... and possibly stupidity. But type 1's like me appreciate them for their self sacrifice.  A Type 5 Diabetic has the following symptoms: - Has a fully functioning pancreas - Has no insulin concerns - Is the best friend and supporter of a diabetic - Doesn't judge what their diabetic friend eats - Doesn't tell their diabetic how to manage their condition - Asks questions (yes people, I LIKE answering questions!) - Carries or offers to carry emergency sugar sources (one of my type 5's did this even before I was diagnosed... she had a hunch) - Reads your diabetic blog - Doesn't get grossed out by fingerpricks and injections at the dinner table - Loves you despite your general craziness about everything...

On to day 3 and to quote bittersweetdiabetes.com ' Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.' My most memorable diabetes day? There's so many, but I guess the most memorable is probably the saddest and the most difficult, the day of my diagnosis. We received a phone call in the early hours of the morning of May 5th 2010 from pathology, telling us that my blood sugar was WAY out of range at 40mmol/L. However, instead of directing us to the emergency department asap, we were told to wait until morning and not to wake me. Looking back on that, it's a bit of a miracle I made it through the night. The sense of fear I felt, you can't really explain. I spent the morning questioning what I could've done wrong to have diabetes (after some googling of symptoms it was my first guess). I thought I had ty...

What’s a hypo you ask? Hypoglycaemia is when blood sugar levels drop below 4mmol/L. My definition? The source of some pretty intense stories! Hypos are funny little critters, they sneak up on you. Maybe you had too much insulin, maybe you didn’t eat enough carbs, maybe you spent a little too long on that exercise bike (hah who am I kidding, I barely exercise), or maybe just maybe for no reason at all, your levels drop. But then what happens? DISCLAIMER: In all seriousness, hypo’s can cause death. I’m lucky enough to have some fantastic friends that have quite literally saved my life again and again. If you ever do see someone with these symptoms, offer them something sweet to drink like coke or sweetened fruit juice (only if they’re conscious) and seek medical attention. Well, it varies for everyone, but for me, well I’m a ball of fun when my levels of circulating sugar drop and stop reaching my brain. Common symptoms include paleness, dizziness, fruity smelling breath, d...

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...