NOVEMBER IS DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH
Every month has several “causes” or something to bring awareness too, it can be alot when we all have a cause to support. This November my cause is Type 1 Diabetes.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Which happens to be the same month I was diagnosed type 1 almost 6 years ago at the age of 33. No family history, like many other t1’s I will never get to know why my body suddenly turned against me.
LADA Type 1 Diabetes (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood)
Because my diagnosis was later in life, it is a Type 1 Diabetes sub category called LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood). Which is basically a form of type 1 diabetes that develops later in life.
What I learnt in those first few months was, there is A LOT of false and misleading information out there about Diabetes in general. Had I never been diagnosed I’d likely be among the many uninformed still too.
At diagnosis, it was explained to me that Type 1 Diabetes was an autoimmune disease attacking the cells my pancreas was trying to produce. I really thought I had done something to bring this on. What could I have done to prevent this? NOTHING! It can NOT be controlled or reversed (Yet anyway!!)
Unlike Type 2 Diabetes that can be caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, overweight, genetics etc. It can be controlled and even reversed.
Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Story
I had been feeling slightly “off” for months prior to what I think was the incident that triggered my type 1 diabetes. I was out exploring some caves with my boyfriend, it had rained the day before so all the rocks we were stepping over were slightly slippery.
Stepped onto one and slipped, falling directly onto my shin hitting the edge of the slippery rock. I instantly went into panic, it hurt so insanely bad, it had to be broken I was convinced. I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach, the pain took completely over.
We sat for a while, my boyfriend assuring me that because it was my shin there is little to no padding there and that is why it hurt so bad. It wasn’t broken.
Once my case of the “whities” passed he helped me back to the car where we decided to continue with our day, just at a slower pace. I pushed through that day, which I didn’t know at the time would become my norm until diagnosis.
From that day on (which was mid June) I did not feel right. I had 0 energy, my entire body was sore. It was like I had the flu. Which is exactly what the doctor said to me the first time I went to the walk in clinic. At the time I didn’t have a family doctor.
Pushing through the days literally feeling like I was dying. At night, I was so exhausted and tired I just wanted to sleep but would wake up every hour or 2 with an undying thirst and therefore having to pee constantly.
Know Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms, Save a Life
A couple months later, I got really really sick. Vomiting, no energy, body pains etc and off I went to the hospital. Again, they told me it was likely a virus and I should go home and rest.
I “pushed” through till November of that year, to what was the bottom of the barrel for me. It was like the flu had come back with vengeance and I had nothing left in me. I went to another walk in clinic and she tested my blood sugar via urine test, and asked if I’d ever been told I was a diabetic?
Um, Nope!
The doctor said my sugars were 14! I had just eaten so that would explain why it was SO high, but also I’m a what you say?! My head began to spin!
She sent me home that day and said I would need blood work right away. She let me leave, and drive myself home. I could barely keep my eyes open in the waiting room, I just wanted to go to sleep. I felt so depleted.
After sitting in the parking lot for a half hour trying to gain some kind of ambition, I went home, and just progressively got worse that day. The next morning I was to go have the blood work done, I couldn’t get off the floor of my bathroom after vomiting again.
That was it, my boyfriend made me go to the hospital ER…again and thank goodness he did!
Type 1 Diabetes Confirmed
They quickly confirmed I was a type 1 diabetic, and that I needed to start insulin immediately.
Was in the CICU for over a week, and couldn’t keep food down for almost the entire stay. I was vomiting up stomach acid and unable to stop, my body was in rejection mode and there was no stopping it. They said my system was very acidic and had a hard time getting that under control even after the insulin was in my system for a few days.
The Diabetes Clinic inside the hospital did everything they could to keep me sane during this HUGE life change. I could no longer run my body on auto-pilot like most of us do, I had to listen now or the consequences could literally be death.
Type 1 Diabetes & Mental Health
It took me the first year to come to terms with what my life now required, needles, insulin, blood sugar checking, worrying about everything that I do because it will affect my blood sugar in some way.
I wont lie, it has a big effect on my already struggling mental health, it can feel like a lot. Some days its too much and I feel like giving up on the battle, because it is a daily moment to moment battle and it can wear on my mind.
Now it is a part of me. Not my favorite part, but I’ve accepted it’s here to stay. This acceptance is a daily challenge, and not every day is a good one but I am getting better at dealing with the bad ones and celebrating the good.
