Hi,
I registered on diabetes.co.uk a few months back but haven't used the website again until now. So its taken until now to introduce myself and share my story - I hope you find it interesting.
In October 2009 I was made redundant and decided to go travelling to South America with my girlfriend. So she quit her job and booked a flight and headed to Ecuador to do some volunteering. Over the next few months we travelled down the continent through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina - climbing volcanoes, sleeping under glaciers and hiking around Tierra del Fuego.
Around March 2010 I started to loose a lot of weight, urinate a lot at night and was thirsty all the time (guess what these are symptoms of?). We just thought it was a sign of all the travelling, fresh air and exercise. So the travelling continued.
We made it to a town called Valparaiso in Chile for a bit of a break from the backpacking. We ended up in a nightclub one night - then the earthquake struck. I was talking to a Chilean guy who was saying it was a minor quake until he ran and hid under a doorframe. The quake turned out to be 8.8 on the Richter scale and there was lots of damage and some deaths afterwards.
We were without electricity and water for a few days, so we said to ourselves that it was time to head home. Even as we were boarding the plane there was another after shock.
When we did get back to England my symptoms got worse so my girlfriend convinced or pushed me to go to a Doctor. The first doctor diagnosed me with gastroenteritos - hmmmm. I was unconvinced so went for a second opinion - this doctor took my blood and I was convinced it was some tropical disease.
I got an emergency call from the hospital the same weekend - my levels were dangerously high. Yep, I was diagnosed as a Type One diabetic.
I must say I was devastated on that first day of being put on insulin but since then I have picked myself up and never looked back. Its part if my daily life now and I get on with things. Of course everyone has good and bad days.
My girlfriend went back to Ireland a few months after my initial diagnosis to look after her Mum who was having a hip operation. This was a difficult time but I decided to join her over there last August.
I proposed to her that month on top of one of the highest mountains in Ireland (another long story!). Thankfully she said yes after being asked to say the proposal twice!
I've probably written too much already so I'll stop for now.
Que a vaya bien! (?)
I registered on diabetes.co.uk a few months back but haven't used the website again until now. So its taken until now to introduce myself and share my story - I hope you find it interesting.
In October 2009 I was made redundant and decided to go travelling to South America with my girlfriend. So she quit her job and booked a flight and headed to Ecuador to do some volunteering. Over the next few months we travelled down the continent through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina - climbing volcanoes, sleeping under glaciers and hiking around Tierra del Fuego.
Around March 2010 I started to loose a lot of weight, urinate a lot at night and was thirsty all the time (guess what these are symptoms of?). We just thought it was a sign of all the travelling, fresh air and exercise. So the travelling continued.
We made it to a town called Valparaiso in Chile for a bit of a break from the backpacking. We ended up in a nightclub one night - then the earthquake struck. I was talking to a Chilean guy who was saying it was a minor quake until he ran and hid under a doorframe. The quake turned out to be 8.8 on the Richter scale and there was lots of damage and some deaths afterwards.
We were without electricity and water for a few days, so we said to ourselves that it was time to head home. Even as we were boarding the plane there was another after shock.
When we did get back to England my symptoms got worse so my girlfriend convinced or pushed me to go to a Doctor. The first doctor diagnosed me with gastroenteritos - hmmmm. I was unconvinced so went for a second opinion - this doctor took my blood and I was convinced it was some tropical disease.
I got an emergency call from the hospital the same weekend - my levels were dangerously high. Yep, I was diagnosed as a Type One diabetic.
I must say I was devastated on that first day of being put on insulin but since then I have picked myself up and never looked back. Its part if my daily life now and I get on with things. Of course everyone has good and bad days.
My girlfriend went back to Ireland a few months after my initial diagnosis to look after her Mum who was having a hip operation. This was a difficult time but I decided to join her over there last August.
I proposed to her that month on top of one of the highest mountains in Ireland (another long story!). Thankfully she said yes after being asked to say the proposal twice!
I've probably written too much already so I'll stop for now.
Que a vaya bien! (?)
