Morning my favourite pancreatically chums. Hope you are all having a good day
Its my Diaversary today. 18 April 1981 is a day that remains firmly etched on my mind. The day that changed my life completley and made me into the person I am today.
For about a month prior to that day, I had a constant thirst, was going to loo about 50 times a day and had lost about 2 stone in weight over a fairly short period. I know it now but how much more classic symptoms can you get. Went to my doctor who could find nothing wrong with me. Seriously, he should have been struck off for incompetance.
Not sure how it happened but I made my way to hospital, maybe the doc did make an appointment, about 10 days later as I was pretty much a mess by that point. Drove up there on my wee Honda C90 motorbike to be given the devastating news I was a type 1 diabetic. Dont think I had ever even heard of diabetes.
I was told to go home bring in some PJ's and clothing as I would need to be admitted for a short time. I drove home, grabbed my stuff, including a 2 litre bottle of coke, as I was thirsty. My folks were not at home so think i left them a note, no mobiles in those days.
I stayed there for a week till they sorted me out. Practising injecting into oranges at 45 degree angle. Was told about exchanges. Told to pee into a test tube a couple of times each day to test me urine, given some glass syringes with needles the size of a small javelin and that was pretty much it. Come back in a week
That was just the start. At that time I was a police officer in Glasgow going through my probationary period, I was 18 months into my 2 year probation. Back then no DDA laws so about a month later I was called in and told I was being discharged on medical grounds. Great, a chronic life time illness and now no job. Throw in some quite severe hypos in my first few months and my life was a complete joy



. On the plus side there was only 1 way to go, UP
38 years later still here, now with an insulin pump and Libre having seen some quite dramatic changes and progress particularly in last 10 years with the treatment of type 1
Would I change it all, looking back. Of course i would, I had my dream job and had what I thought was my whole life ahead of me as a young fit man.How could this happen to me. I was very fit, was an excellent cross country runner, played basketball for my county and enjoyed all things outdoors.
However I now look back now and have no hatred and resentment to this chronic illness. Right or wrong it has shaped me into the person I am now. Just grateful to the friends and family who have supported me through the good times and bad times.
Type 1 is a pain, sorry cant paint it any other way, but hey ho just have to brush yourself down and get on with the cards life has dealt you
Sorry for the long rant just had to let it go