Accepting Diabetes in my life

CatarinaM

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello everyone,

I am new here and i would like to share my experience with Diabetes Type 1 with you and hopefully get some advise.

Since I was diagnosed i never had any friends or any acquaintance really that also has diabetes so I never spoke with anyone on a regular basis that had the same experiences and day to day routine and struggles that come with the condition.

I believe that never being able to really express my feelings and thoughts with someone that lives like me and faces diabetes like me has set me up for failure.

I understand that possibly a lot of you don't have family or friends with diabetes and manage it well however, I believe that for me that is not the case.

I was diagnosed when I was 17, getting ready to finish high school and go to university and was presented with a condition that i knew very little about and although I knew it was going to affect my daily life, I could never imagine what I had coming.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that the fact that I never shared my questions about what my life is going to be like when I grow older, my fears and uncertainties, this drove my to a path of anxiety and depression.

The more I think about the possibilities of getting ill and end up with other health problems related to poor management of diabetes, the harder it is to control is.

I would like to know if this has happened to any of you and if you have any tips and advice for me.

Thank you,
Catarina
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the forum. I am T2 but other T1s will be along shortly. You have found the best place on the internet for advice and support.
 

EddieA12

Active Member
Messages
26
Hi Catarina.
I guess I’m luckier in that I have had diabetes from the age of 5 (39 now!), so it’s all I’ve really known. My advice would be to get to know as much as you can about being diabetic and understanding how your body reacts to the condition (we are all slightly different). This will really help you in the years ahead, and stop the worries or feelings of not being able to do what you want to do! Don’t get me wrong, there will always be days that go wrong! But hopefully these won’t be the norm.
There are many inspirational diabetics that have hone on to achieve their dreams!
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I've been surprised how many T1s I see when out in meetings, groups etc. Many quietly inject away from the table or wherever and you never know. More than once I have taken my pen out to inject and found someone else doing exactly the same; it then starts a conversation. I'm not sure what you can do to spot the others but they are around.
 
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MarkHaZ123

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
I was diagnosed T2 about 2 years ago now and then confirmed T1 in August last year. I went onto insulin etc and i signed on to do the Dafne course.
Doing this course was probably the best thing for me as the group who I did the course with Iv kept in touch in a group convo so if anyone has any issues or questions we just ask and help each other. Other than this I only know 1 other T1 person but not really someone I'd speak to about it

You have definitely come to the right place as the people on here will always help. You have people like me who are 35 and newly diagnosed and you have people in their 70s who've had it since early age so plenty of variety

Talking about things will always help, even viewing other things on here which I do regularly will help. Ask what you need and someone will come along and help I'm sure
 
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Diakat

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,591
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
The smell of cigars
Libre’s Make it quite easy to spot us in summer.
 
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Messages
18,448
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies, Liars, Trolls and dishonest cruel people
Hi, Catarina I am in my 31st year with type 1 and my diagnosis was quite difficult, at a traumatic time in my life, my ex husband gone and two children to care and look after, but, at age 42 I went on to have my 3rd child, who is 19 now and it was my greatest diabetes moment ever. I have been in a couple of critical conditions, came through them and I'm still here.
Enjoy your life, live it to the fullest as diabetes is just a small part of who you are.

ps I have had the Libre for 11 months now and it has been so beneficial.
 
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EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,209
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
forum bugs
T1 for 50 years this year, and still no significant complications (though am sure my body is not as good as it would have been without diabetes). I have had some truly awful control in the past (doesn't help that my first 10 to 15 years were pre glucometer).

Every time my control goes wonky (lockdown hasn't been great) I just take a deep breath and resolve to do better. You don't have to have perfect control to have a good life, just persevere.

Many many diabetic complications can be mitigated or eliminated by improved control, it's never too late to improve things and one week (or month or year) of bad control doesn't mean that you are doomed or should give up.

I am lucky (?} in that my T1 mother diagnosed me very early in my diabetic life, so I didn't have to go it alone T1 wise. She made it to 78 despite decades pre glucometer and (her real killer) fifty years of smoking.

Good luck, try not to let diabetes depress you. It's not an easy illness and not one you can ignore, but it is one over which you have more control than your doctors. Learn your own body, don't beat yourself up if your control isn't perfect, and enjoy your life. If your want moral support there are plenty of folk on here to supply it.