They told me I could live like a normal person. They lied.

Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I'm kind of hitting a hard moment at the moment with my studies and my diabetes isn't helping. I was diagnosed type 1 back when i was 15. I'm now 21 and I'm just having one of those "down" moments where I'm just horribly fed up.
When I was diagnosed, I took it rather well. I wasn't going to die, I could live like another person and I just had to pick up some habits (such as monitoring blood sugars, dosing insulin right, carrying sugar around etc.). I've very rarely felt down because of my diabetes. But today I feel bad and needed to rant a bit (hope this is the place).
I was told I could do anything I wanted despite being diabetic. But some things truly upset me. I won't ever have the job of my dreams (aeroplane pilot), I won't ever have a permanent driver's license and I'll never be able to donate blood.
The last one has upset me a lot recently. There is a blood donation event organized in my university and every time I walk by the rooms where they're doing it, I see classmates, friends, teachers... All donating, helping people. And all I can do is just walk past, upset that I can't help people who may need it. Upset that I'll never be able to return the favour for having received a donor's blood. It's such a small gesture but it means so much to me. I hate myself for not donating. And I hate myself more for not being able to.
 
P

paula.nolan42

Guest
Hi @SugarFreeHolly - I am Type 2 so I can't completely empathise with your situation but I am sending you a hug because I understand feeling down about things.

I cant donate blood now either, but there are other ways to 'donate' that might be possible, such as donating your body to medical science after you've passed away - my cousin recently arranged that. I'm considering it as I like the idea that my body could help to train young student doctors/surgeons of the future.

Anyway - just a suggestion

Please don't hate yourself...
 
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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,305
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm kind of hitting a hard moment at the moment with my studies and my diabetes isn't helping. I was diagnosed type 1 back when i was 15. I'm now 21 and I'm just having one of those "down" moments where I'm just horribly fed up.
When I was diagnosed, I took it rather well. I wasn't going to die, I could live like another person and I just had to pick up some habits (such as monitoring blood sugars, dosing insulin right, carrying sugar around etc.). I've very rarely felt down because of my diabetes. But today I feel bad and needed to rant a bit (hope this is the place).
I was told I could do anything I wanted despite being diabetic. But some things truly upset me. I won't ever have the job of my dreams (aeroplane pilot), I won't ever have a permanent driver's license and I'll never be able to donate blood.
The last one has upset me a lot recently. There is a blood donation event organized in my university and every time I walk by the rooms where they're doing it, I see classmates, friends, teachers... All donating, helping people. And all I can do is just walk past, upset that I can't help people who may need it. Upset that I'll never be able to return the favour for having received a donor's blood. It's such a small gesture but it means so much to me. I hate myself for not donating. And I hate myself more for not being able to.

Donating blood clearly would mean a lot to you, but just because you can't do one thing, doesn't mean you can't do other things. Maybe, rather than the giving, you could be a donor advocate or promote blood doning amongst your peers?

I feel for you, but there are so many important ways we give back to society in this lifetime; try not to focus on the unattainable. Some things we can't change.

Good luck with it all. :)
 
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catapillar

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,390
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @SugarFreeHolly , sorry you are feeling down.

No one gets a permanent driving licence, without any health issues you would still have to apply for renewal every 10 years. We just have to do it every 3, with specific questions about the diabetes. So more frequent, but not that bad?

I'm sorry that aeroplane pilot isn't an option for you. I hope that you are enjoying your degree & it's helping you to come up with new dream jobs.

There's no clinical reason why type 1s can't donate blood - there are other countries that allow it. But the uk blood donor service has decided not to allow it, probably for litigation risk, they may change their minds in time.

It sound like you have recieved blood products & you want to donate to say thank you? There is currently a ban on anyone who has recieved blood products since 1980 donating blood, so even without diabetes if you have recieved blood you wouldn't be able to donate blood to say thank you. But if you have recieved blood you would be a brilliant advocate to pursued others to donate - there was a lady on the radio earlier in the week who couldn't donate because she had had a transfusion but she was ever so moving in advocating for donations.
 
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi @SugarFreeHolly , sorry you are feeling down.

No one gets a permanent driving licence, without any health issues you would still have to apply for renewal every 10 years. We just have to do it every 3, with specific questions about the diabetes. So more frequent, but not that bad?

It sound like you have recieved blood products & you want to donate to say thank you? There is currently a ban on anyone who has recieved blood products since 1980 donating blood, so even without diabetes if you have recieved blood you wouldn't be able to donate blood to say thank you. But if you have recieved blood you would be a brilliant advocate to pursued others to donate - there was a lady on the radio earlier in the week who couldn't donate because she had had a transfusion but she was ever so moving in advocating for donations.

I live in France, probably should've mentioned that. Over here, most people do get a permanent driver's license. On top of that, you don't have the same restriction in the cases where you've already received. I do appreciate your comment though and just having people answer is so nice
 

Neohdiver

Well-Known Member
Messages
366
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I'll never be able to donate blood.
In the US, T1 diabetes is not an automatic disqualifier - it depends on whether you were on pig/cow based insulin (because of the risk of mad cow disease) - but apparently the front line staff doesn't always know the answer and have turned away people who would have been eligible to donate. So that may not be an automatic no!
 

PatsyB

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,956
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Diabetes
hello i @SugarFreeHolly, am sure we all feel down at times but look on the bright side you for what ever reason have diabetes which puts you in the special peoples catagary...after all we are special are we not...and am sure you will find a job that suits you and fullfills your dreams
 
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phoenix

Expert
Messages
5,671
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Even my non-diabetic husband can't donate in France as he lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 .(because you just might have been affected by BSE aka mad cow disease) So if you lived in the UK as a baby you could just be affected by that in any case.
Le donneur est définitivement contre-indiqué s’il a séjourné plus d’un an en Grande-Bretagne, entre 1980 et 1996. Cette mesure vise à écarter tout risque de transmission de l'encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine ou maladie dite de la vache folle .There are actually quite a lot of other people who can't donate for one reason or another https://www.dondusang.net/rewrite/a...pecter-pour-un-don-de-sang.htm?idRubrique=980

As said above T1s can and do donate in the US though I think the same rule about living in Britain during that period may apply there also.
I think that both the French rules and the UK ones against T1s donating are supposed to protect our health (fear of you having a hypo?) rather than any danger from the blood itself.

It is no longer forbidden for people who take insulin to fly commercial aircraft, though I suspect it would be very hard to breakthrough the barriers (not just diabetes) https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_u...-diabetes-allowed-to-fly-commercial-aircraft/
 
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dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,360
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
A relative of mine was diagnosed Type 1 while training to be a pilot. He now has a contract with British Airways. It involves being able to prove you have excellent control for a year. This means that if he wanted to change from MDI to an insulin pump, he would be grounded for at least a year. Being a pilot isn't easy for Type 1s but it is possible.
 

Fayefaye1429

Well-Known Member
Messages
809
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I relate to you a lot. I was very positive when diagnosed and still am but man some days it's a pain!!! Like exams, like restrictions and possible just me but hassle at airports! Thinks my of carbs and sometime no reason it's reacting!!!
However I know diabetes is only apart of me and not me as a whole but I feels it's good to rant about it from time to time as well it sucks ever so often!!!

I believe it has something to do with insulin shock?
 

copepod

Well-Known Member
Messages
735
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I had donated blood and plasma for about 10 years before I was diagnosed aged 30 years. And, yes, it was a huge disappointment to have to give up. I already carried an organ donor card, and have continued to do so in the subsequent 20 years, replacing card when it was physically falling apart or illegible, and as new schemes have come on board eg being added to NHS register of organ donors and filling in slip on driving licence reapplication form, I've done so. Plus, encouraged others to donate if / when they can. There are lots of temporay and permanent restrictions, of course. I've also worked on a research project which involved approaching blood donors at sessions to ask if they would donate a small amount extra, plus the cells from a filter, that would otherwise be thrown away, for genetic testing to compare with people with specific medical conditions - blood donors were considered healthy controls. I've donated mouth cheek cells plus some medical history to be in the same study.

My BSc Marine Biology became much less useful after diagnosis as I could no longer SCUBA dive professionally, nor go on research ships, nor work in Antarctica. However, I did spend 1 month on South Georgia as a volunteer leader on a youth expedition, 4.5 months in Chile, Falklands and on board a Royal Navy ship between FI and SG. I had resigned my Territorial Army medical unit commission in order to emigrate, but was diagnosed while working with fur seals and dolphins in New Zealand, so lost that possibility and could not rejoin TA when I returned to UK. Plus marine mammal experience couldn't be translated to working in Antarctica
and restrictions on driving minibuses limited my options of continuing in ecotourism. However, I have worked in a country park, where I set up orienteering and activity birthday parties. I now work in a city counil parks & countryside department and spent much of the Easter weekend catching lambs and chicks for visitors to stroke.

So, while it's disappointing not to be able to be a blood donor and train aa an airline pilot, there are lots of other things you can do to help. I have one friend with type 1 diabetes, who was a member of a mountain rescue team and a search & rescue dog handler for many years. I looked into serving as an Army Cadet instructor, but was only prepared to serve in a medical unit, and that wasn't possible in my area. Diabetes wasn't the problem. So, it might be worth investigating joing Air Training Corps as an adult instructor / leader.
 
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