First post

Life as a diabetic can be really difficult but can be enjoyable too.. to some extent.

Waking up soaked after a night of uncontrolled sweats and lows..
Shivering from cold sweats AFTER a low...
not being able to tell the difference between scoldering hot or cold on my feet and ankles...
people thinking i'm drunk...
being limited in my intake of sweets...
having bruised fingertips...
scar tissue where i administer my injections...

FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!

On the flip side.. there are some good things about it.

I stay active to maintain a good lifestyle and body weight...
eat right...
knowledgable about health issues.. most of the time..
and many more that I can't think of right now of course, cause they're SO positive.

OK so bottom line, diabetes sucks.. but I'm not the only one with it, and I love myself, I really do...With age I've come to have more respect for myself and others.. i've realised that making GOOD friends is better than making LOTS of friends..I've realised that feeling good in my own skin is better than feeling good in an imaginary person's skin. Because even though those rack skinny type people are ... skinny, they might be more unhappy than I am. Yeah, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in what could only be described as the worst possible time of my life, but I have come from a very intelligent and value oriented family, and they have taught me to know what's most important in life... health 1st!

Honestly.. for the first 3 years of my diabetes, I was in COMPLETE diabetic denial. I must have believed I wasn't really diabetic.. cause I didn't take ANY insulin at all, didn't test and just went along with my life. Even though it wasn't a life at all... it was a non-life if I can even put it so lightly. I was always tired, had no energy, no shine in my eyes, or rose in my cheeks... all the life that had previously lived in my life and body was gone. Ok, I was extremely thin, but I wasn't healthy AT ALL... I lied to everyone I loved and pretended to know what I was doing with my diabetes. I had... dia-bolemia as described by Dr. Phil. So as a raging teenager.. I wanted to look thin, and I was looking thin, I wanted to be adored (which I was) but mostly for how I looked, which at that time didn't matter to me... I struggled for what seemed like forever with this, in and out of hospitals with DKA emergencies where I couldn't stay awake, couldn't breathe even.. it was scary. I even missed out on amazing opportunities I would have had if I had just stuck with my diabetes education. I wasn't confident and didn't believe I needed to take insulin to survive.. I thought I was invincible.. like most teenagers. I carried on like this for quite some time until I came to realise that I actually did want to live, grow, love, experience life and all it's wonder.... and that I wanted to share all those things with my little ones one day too.

Life is hard.. but you learn to deal with it. I'm ok about checking my blood sugar levels before meals, snacks and every time I feel weak or off now. I'm ok about taking injections. and I'm even ok when it comes to talking about my condition with people. I love that I can share with people what I have to deal with on a daily basis. I am not the only one living with Diabetes and i cannot feel bad for myself every day ofmy life. I need to move on, life strong and keep going day by day and hope that one day, someone will find a cure for diabetes. or... a way of living with it easily.

To all who have supported me and continue to support me in my struggle and new found appreciation for healthy life,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all very much.

Andrée