Hi Vick
I'm 23, I was diagnosed when I was 8 and when I was 14 my family and I went through a traumatic event and I stopped taking care of myself. Over the following 4 years I went through a rebellion, I was in and out of hospital with DKA, I skipped injections and stopped bloodtesting. I spent 4 years making my Mum and my brothers lives worse than they already were following the trauma.
When I was 18, I was admitted to hospital for 6 days (the longest I'd ever been in) with DKA, in those 6 days, something clicked. My friends that complained I didn't tell them when I was in hospital didn't visit when I did tell them. My boyfriend at the time saw me on the day I was admitted and didn't bother coming again because he didn't like hospitals (I don't know anyone that does...) I realised that people were starting to give up on me and at the end of it all, it's my life and I didn't want to die at the age of 18, I wanted to have a life. My DSN pushed me onto a DAFNE course so I could learn to carb count and I found a way to care about looking after myself.
I've been in hospital twice since then (once for DKA due to an infection and once for food poisoning). I've not been admitted for nearly 3 years, which is a huge acheivement. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the kind of rebellion I've been through (or any kind of rebellion) because I never felt good, for 4 years I felt ill, I felt guilty. When I was starting to sort myself out, I did it gradually, I started taking my injections again and blood testing after that, I'm still a little bit lax on blood testing, but I'm becoming much better with it as I'm determined to get myself a pump this year (fingers crossed!)
By improving myself and looking after myself, I know that I'm lowering any complications I have from becoming any worse!
If you need to talk to people, there are resources everywhere, if you feel a councillor would help, you can ask your DSN or consultant to refer you; and obviously there's always people here on the forum who are willing to lend an ear.
With piercings, just do your research and make sure you're 100% that you want them, there's no reason why a diabetic cannot have piercings or tattoos and any good piercing place will give you a document and advice on keeping your piercings clean and the maintenance of them. You would also be able to purchase cleaning solutions from a good piercers as well. Make sure you go to a piercers with a good reputation and ensure they know that you are diabetic. I would also advise that you have someone with you and make sure you eat beforehand and have a sugary drink ready (as it's common to pass out or feel sick after piercings). This would be another incentive for you to take better care with your diabetes, as healing processes are much slower than they usually are for a diabetic if you have poor control.
Best of luck Vicksteria!