The year of 2013

So its nearly the end of the year so I thought I would write a post about how much my life has changed and how much I have achieved in this year. You might sometimes feel like you aren't moving forwards with you diabetes and that it is stopping you from doing things, I feel like that quiet a lot of the time. However if I think back to at the beginning of this year I have achieved so much and I am sure you have too.

At the beginning of this year I was ill and unwell because I hadn't been looking after my diabetes how I should have been. I went through a stage where I didn't want to be diabetic, I wanted to be like all of my friends at school. I wished I wasn't diabetic. I ending up in hospital because my levels were so high.I totally regret doing what I did. I made it stand out more that I was diabetic and different to everyone else at my school because I had to have time of because of how ill I felt and I had to go into hospital. 

After when I was out of hospital I realised that if I looked after myself I would feel a lot better and my diabetes wouldn't affect me as much when I was older. So I started doing what I was meant to do. My levels were so much better which meant my hba1c was so much lower, its the lowest I have got it in a long time (:

While I was in hospital I got told about some Facebook group that were for Teenagers with type one diabetes. So when I got home I joined some of them and they made me feel so much better because it made me realise that there are loads of other people going through exactly what I was going through. The groups have helped me so much because you can ask questions on there and then people will answer your questions. The people on the groups are so lovely and are always happy to help you. I have made some great, amazing friends on there who live in places like England, New Zealand, America, Canada and some other places.

Also this year I have learnt to change my line on my own, I know it probably sounds stupid that I was 14 years old and I had never been able to change my line by myself. The reason why I had never changed it before was because I have a really bad phobia of needles and my mum had always been there to change it for me. The hospital told me that I need to learn to change it myself because I was getting to old for my mum to keep changing it and my mum isn't always going to be there to change my line, for example she wasn't going to come round my house when I had my own house just to come and change my line, haha. It came to the point were I really wanted to do the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award which is an award which is given for completing a programme of activities that can be under taken by anyone aged 14 to 24. We got told you picked a skill, physical and volunteering activity and we would do an expedition which meant sleeping in the middle of nowhere in a tent for a night and walking 14miles over 2days. This meant I had to learn to change my line myself or I wasn't aloud to go. I really wanted to go and I didn't want to let my friends down so for the first time I changed my lie by myself, I was so happy when I did it. Now I change my line myself every 3 days (:

Since being able to change my line myself, being able to control my levels better and being able to carb count, I have been able to go to so many more things without my mum. I have been able to do the Duke of Edinburgh, go to the O2, go to Cambridge and go round friends houses for sleepovers more because my mum feels a lot happier and doesn't worry about me as much. Also I have been able to get a paper round that I do Monday to Saturday every week. I have to get up at 6am everyday to be able to do my paper round which I wouldn't have been able to if my levels were high because I wouldn't have felt well enough. I wouldn't have even thought about doing some of this stuff this time last year.

This year I have also made this blog, I cant believe how many people read my blog. I just wanted to have somewhere where I could write stuff that was on my mind and things that were bothering me but at the same time be able to help other people with diabetes and show them that they are not alone. Always remember you are a lot stronger then you think! If you ever need someone to just talk to or need any help I am always more then happy for people to send me a message or comment below and I will chat to you (:

 I have realised that I have achieved so much this year. I am more independent, happy and more well then I was last year. Even though I have had some times when I feel so fed up of my diabetes and just feel like giving up, when I look back I am so glad I never gave up and I kept going on because I wouldn't be where I am today if I had given up. Remember you are stronger then you think

Merry Christmas!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!! I hope you are all having a great and get everything you wanted.
 

Jingle Bell Ball

Sorry I haven't written a blog post in a while, I have been so busy with school, my diabetes, exam at school, my birthday and some other things. Anyway I thought I would write a post about how your emotions can effect your levels. Your emotions have a massive affect on your diabetes. When you are feeling worried, stressed or excited about something this can make you levels high. I find that if I have fallen out with my friend, had a disagreement with someone, had a test at school or gone to a concert, this causes my levels to be high.

On Sunday 8th December I went to the Jingle Bell Ball, which is a concert that is held every year in December by Capital fm at the O2 Arena. This year the Jingle Bell Ball was sponsored by Coca Cola. The line up of singers on Sunday were amazing I was so excited.

The line up
Lady Gaga
Dizzee Rascal
Rudimental
Jessie J
The Vamps
John Newman
Lawson
Little Mix
Jason Derulo

 

 

Before I left the house to drive to the O2 my levels were 20+ because I was so excited. It was the first time I was going somewhere that far away without my mum because I was going with a friend and her parents. The only reason my mum was letting me go without her is because I can now change my own line, carb count on my own and look after myself. I was so excited and my emotions were playing a big part in why my levels were so high.

Every time I tested my levels when we were out they were 15+ because I was so excited. I kept giving myself corrections, after I gave the correction and tested my levels again two hours later, my levels sometimes went down or they stayed the same.

When we were driving home I was so tired because it was really late and I had had a really busy day. My friend made sure I checked my levels as I hadn't eaten anything in ages and it was getting late. When my friend asked me to check my levels I couldn't seem to be able to prick my finger because I was so tired I kept missing my finger. My friend ended up pricking my finger for me, I thought it would hurt when she pricked my finger because she had never done it to me before but it didn't hurt at all. My levels were still running a bit high so I put another correction into my pump.

My friend pushed the car seats in the back of the car back so that we could lay down and talk because it was more comfortable. It was so funny because I started to fall asleep while she was talking to me so she shinned a touch in my eyes to wake me up. So I put the hood of my jumper over my head and fell asleep again. While I was asleep my friend took pics of me.

Over all the day was amazing and I will never forget it. I saw some of my fave singer and I was able to keep my levels under control. So if you ever go out on days out or you know you are going to be excited about something all you need to do is check your levels more and give yourself corrections or you could put a temp basal on your pump. Your diabetes doesn't have to stop you from having fun and enjoying yourself

Life with diabetes

Life with diabetes can be really hard and challenging at times, it can sometimes feel like diabetes is a obstacle that keeps getting in the way of your day to day life which can be really annoying. You can have a day of really good levels and then the next your levels can be really high and you have no idea why. It can sometimes feel like its never ending.

Lots people get confused about what type one diabetes is. So what is type one diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body have been destroyed and the body is unable to produce any insulin.

So what was life like before I was diagnosed with type one diabetes?

 I didn't have to prick my finger 5-8 times a day
 I didn't have to check my levels 5-8 Times a day
 I didn't have to change my line to your pump every 3 days
 I didn't have to stick needle in myself everyday
 I didn't have to work out the carbs in everything I ate
 I didn't have to worry about my levels
 I didn't have to take insulin everyday
 I didn't have to get my levels between 4-8
 I didn't have to correct high levels
 I didn't have to correct low levels
 I didn't have to give myself insulin every time I ate
 I didn't have to check I have enough insulin
 I didn't have to make sure I have enough test strips
 I didn't have to always have my bloodcount on my
 I didn't have  to go to hospital apt every 3 months
 I didn't have to have a hba1c every 3 months
 I didn't have to order supplies 
 I didn't have to know the symptoms of low blood sugar,
 I didn't have to know the symptoms of high blood sugar,
 I didn't have to wear medic alert bracelets
 I didn't have to worry about DKA
 I didn't have to have sore fingers from finger pricks
 I didn't have to have sore arms, stomach or legs from your line 
 I didn't have to change your own line
 I didn't have to tuck in pump-tubing for fear of it being ripped out
 I didn't have to have a pump attached to you 24/7
 
As you can see I have to do a lot more things now than I did before I had  type one diabetes but it doesn't change who I am. I am still the same person I would have been if I didn't have Type One diabetes, diabetes is only a small part of me.

I know this post isn't like my normal posts but I just wanted to show other people what it is like to live with diabetes and because its diabetes month, I thought I would write a post that would spread awareness of diabetes  

Surprised

Do you ever feel like every time you have a hospital appointment the doctors always find something to moan about? I feel like this nearly every time I have a hospital appointment. No matter how hard I try the doctors always seem to find something to moan about. This makes me not want to go to the appointments because they always seem negative so I don't see the point. It can make you feel unhappy and annoyed when you have been doing everything right but the doctors still aren't happy with your levels or your hba1c.

Today I had a hospital appointment in the morning. I really didn't want to go to the hospital because I didn't want the doctors to tell me that my levels weren't good or that my hba1c was too high. I didn't really want to find out what my hba1c was because at the beginning of the year my hba1c was 12+ and 3 months I had got it down to 8.7, I really wanted my hba1c to be below 8 today.

I was so happy and surprised when I came home from my hospital appointment. The doctors and nurses never moaned at me one they were so impressed and happy with my diabetes and how much I have changed, they were proud of me (: The doctor couldn't believe how much I have improved since the beginning of this year. My hba1c is 8.1 which I am really happy with because it is nearly below 8. I couldn't believe all the things that the doctor and nurse had said, it was all good things, they said my levels have improved a lot and my hba1c was really good. All I need to do is bolus for my breakfast 5 mins before I eat and this will help my levels be lower at 10am and she said to keep doing what I have been doing and my levels will get better and my hba1c will go down even more. I was so happy with my appointment today because the doctor never moaned at me and it should that all my hard work had paid off (:

I know it can always feel like every time you go to a hospital appointment all they do is moan at you and tell you to do more things but just think how happy you will be when all of your hard work pays off. It will make you so happy when you get your levels and hba1c down; it’s an amazing feeling knowing that you are the reason why your levels are so good. I know you will be able to get your levels down and get a good hba1c because you are a lot stronger than you think, always remember that.

World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day is held on November 14 each year. The aim of the day is to increase peoples awareness of diabetes and to help raise money to use on research for diabetes. The money people raise could help find a cure for diabetes. Research has help people to develop their knowledge of diabetes and they have been able to invent things like insulin pumps. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could find a cure for diabetes?

At school loads of people know I that I have diabetes  but they have no idea what diabetes is or what I have to go through everyday. Some people ask me what my pump is when I am getting changed for PE, I also get people say that my pump is a phone too. It can be really hard to explain to people what diabetes is and what your pump is because most of the time they don't understand or they don't want to listen to you explain it to them. Some times it can make you feel upset and down when people say diabetes is easy to coup with everyday, the truth is they have no idea what we have to go through. It can also be upsetting when you have a day off school because you are unwell because of your levels or ketones and then when you go to school the next day they say you were skiving off school when actually you were really unwell. If we made people more aware of diabetes some of these things wouldn't happen. Also people would be able to help other people with diabetes more if they new more about it.

So what can you do to make people more aware of diabetes and raise money? You could do a sponsored run or walk, you could hand out leaflets about diabetes, you could do a cake sale, you could have a typeonese day at school, there are so many ways you could raise awareness and money for diabetes.

Please do whatever you can to raise money and make people more aware of diabetes. If everyone works together we can make a massive difference.

Days off school

We all have days where we are ill and don't go to school. This could be because you are general ill or you are ill because of your diabetes. You could have really high levels and ketones, you could be sick, your levels could be all over the place or other things, there are so many reasons why you have some days off school.

How do people at school act when you have a day off at school? They might understand and make sure you are alright when you go to school the next day or they might say you are skiving off school. It can be really hard if people say you were skiving when actually you were really ill.

A couple of days ago my cannula to my pump fell out in the night while I was asleep, the next morning I woke up feeling really sick and thirsty so I checked my levels. My levels were 26.7 and my ketones were 1.2. I put a new cannula in and gave myself some insulin to get rid of my ketones and lower my levels. I had an English exam that day so I started to get ready for school but I felt really ill so I sat down for a bit. I checked my levels and ketones again, they had gone up! So I gave myself some more insulin and my mum said that I couldn't go to school. As the day went on my levels lowered and I had no ketones, I felt a lot better.

The next day at school loads of people said that I skived off school because we had an English exam. I explained how I had really high levels and ketones because my cannula to my pump fell out in the night so I had missed loads of insulin. They still wouldn't listen, so I explained how dangerous ketones are and that I could have ended up in hospital. They still wouldn't listen and kept saying that I skived off school, no matter how many times I tried to explain why I wasn't at school, they didn't listen or care. So I choose to just ignore them because they weren't worth it and I knew my real friends would just ignore them.

I know it can be really hard when people make things up about you, however they have no idea what we have to go through every day and how hard it actually is. The best thing to do is to ignore them because they are not worth it;they have no idea how ill our diabetes can make us feel.

Please don't let people get you down, just ignore them they aren't worth it, always remember you are a lot stronger then you think
   

Fears

Everyone is scared of different things, it could be something really scary to you but to someone else its nothing. Some people try and face their fears but it's not as easy as it sounds, it can be really hard. Some people don't tell anyone their fears because they are scared someone might think it's funny or that someone might use their fear against them. I never really tell anyone about my phobias or fears because I think some of them are weird, I thought today I would tell you about one of my fears.

One of my biggest fears are needles, I have a phobia of them. I don't really tell people about this phobia because I have to stick needles in me every day so I thought people might find it a bit stupid. this is the first time I have told lots of people about my big fear/phobia of needles. I have no idea why I am so scared of needles but I just am.

As I am on a pump I have to change my line every 3 days. When I change my line I use this spray that numbs your skin, this means that when I insert my new cannula in me I don't feel it go in. However even though I use this spray I am still scared of changing my line. It normally takes me like 10 minutes to change my cannula because when I go to insert the cannula I get scared and don't want to do it. So I leave it a bit longer and then I will try and insert my cannula again. Once I insert my new cannula I am so happy that I have done it.

The thing that I am most scared on is blood test. Every time I have a blood test I have to lay down and I get really worked up about it, so my levels ended up going high. Every year I have an annual review at the diabetic clinic where they do a blood test,. I had mine a couple of weeks ago, I was fine until they said I had to have my blood test done. To start of I wouldn't go into the room where they were doing the blood tests because I really didn't want to have it done. One of the nurses came out and walked me into the room. When I got in the room I sat on the bed and they choose which arm they were going to do the blood test on. I was shaky loads because I was so scared. When they went to take the blood I start crying because I really didn't want to have it done. So one of the nurses came and hugged me and made sure I wasn't looking while the other nurse took the blood from my arm. It hurt a bit when the nurse took the blood but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was so proud of myself after it was all done.

I have realised that thing aren't always as bad as you think it's going to be. you are a lot stronger then you think you are. You can face your fears and phobias if you really want to, I know it is really scary at first but you will be so proud of yourself after you have faced your fears.

Symptoms

Recently my levels have been going low just before I go to bed and then when I wake up the next morning my levels have been running a bit high. This gave me the idea of writing a post about the symptoms of high and low levels and what causes your levels to go low or high. When your levels go high or low it makes you feel unwell and it can also wear you out for the rest of the day.

When my levels are low I feel really shaky, find it really hard to concentrate and my skin goes pale but everyone has different symptoms when their levels are low. The most common symptoms of low levels are feeling sweaty, feeling shaky, feeling hungry, tiredness, blurred vision, lack of concentration, headaches, feeling tearful, stroppy or moody or going pale. Everyone gets different symptoms because everyone’s bodies are different so we all react in different ways when our levels are low.  Your levels can go low because you have had too much insulin, you have missed a meal, you have done a lot of physical activity or other reasons. However sometimes there is no obvious cause of your levels going low. Sometimes people worry that their levels will go low in the night and they won’t wake up and realise; I worry about this a lot too. The hospital told me that I will only wake up in the night if I am having a bad low because my symptoms would wake me up, so if my levels weren’t very low then I wouldn’t wake up because I don’t need to. I don’t worry as much about it now after what the hospital have told me.  

When my levels are high I get stomach pains, headaches and I get really thirsty. Everyone gets different symptoms when their levels are high. Your levels can go high because you may have missed an insulin dose, not given enough insulin, been snacking on food, over-treating a hypo, stressed about something or being unwell with an infection. When your levels have been running high this can make you feel really tired and wear you out for the rest of the day.  

Sometimes it can be hard to work out what symptoms you get when your levels are high or low. Having low or high levels can make you feel really rubbish and unwell but you will be able to get through it, I know you will.  You are stronger then you think you are.

Bad days

We all have bad days where are levels are really high or really low. We sometimes have  days where our levels are really low and we struggle to get them back up to normal and stay there without going low again. We also sometimes have days where our levels are running really high and we can't get them down no matter how much insulin we give ourselves. It can make you really upset and unhappy because you have done nothing differently to what you normally do but for some reason your levels are really high or really low. 

Yesterday I had a bad day because my levels were really high. When I woke up my levels were 14.2. I did my paper round, got ready for school, had breakfast and went to school. I felt fine in my first lesson but in my second lesson I started to get a stomach ache, headache and was finding it really hard to concentrate. So after my second lesson we had a break so I went to the medical room so that I could check my levels. When I checked my levels I was 26.1 so the school rang my mum. My mum said that my line to my pump was probably blocked but it could only have been blocked like for 2 hours as my levels hadn't gone up that much from the morning. My mum said to give myself a correction to see if my levels would go down and she said she could pick me up in half an hour. When I got home I checked my levels again to see if they had came down. When I checked my levels I was HI (33.3+), so I changed my line to my pump. When I changed it I looked at my line and there was a kink in the line so I hadn't been getting any insulin. After I had changed my line to my pump I put a Temp basal of 150% and gave myself a correction. I felt so ill that I just slept the rest of the afternoon. I kept checking my levels every hour. By dinner time my levels were a bit high and I still didn't feel that well. I was so annoyed and upset because I just wanted to feel better again. When I woke up this morning I felt a bit better than yesterday. I really didn't want to go to school though as I was so tired and felt a bit dizzy. My mum told me to go to school and see how I felt. When I got to school I started to feel a bit better and by the end of the day I felt so much better.

When I felt really ill yesterday I felt like giving up but I realised that if I gave up it would make me ill for longer. If I tried to sort it out I was more likely to feel better tomorrow. Please don't ever give up because you are stronger then you think and you will feel better sooner if you don't give up

Where i am today

Through the last 8 months I have changed so much and I have  became more independent. At the beginning of the year I decided I didn't want to have diabetes anymore and I made myself really ill. My hba1c went up to 13.1. However now I am proud to have diabetes and I have looked after myself more and now my hba1c is 8.7! I have made a massive step forward in the last 8 months and the hospital and my mum are so proud of me.

A few months ago I started seeing a psychologists at the hospital to help me with my diabetes as I was going through a really hard time. While I was talking to the psychologist she explained to me how having consistently high levels, it makes you feel ill, makes it harder to concentrate at school and it makes your hair and nails grow slower. This made me think about my GCSE exams in year 11, if my levels were running high all the time it would make it harder for me to concentrate which would mean I wouldn't  Hey very goo GCSE results. I really want to get good GCSE results because I want to get the job I would like when I am older. I also realised  that I am going to have diabetes for the rest of my life, so if I try and get my levels and diabetes under control now it would make my life easier when I am older.

The next step was getting my Hba1c down. If my hba1c was lower this would mean my levels would be lower because a hba1c is your average blood count level. So I started to check my blood count more and when my levels were high I used to think that my levels would just go lower but it never worked so I started giving myself a correction instead. This helped bring my hba1c down because my levels are lower then they used to be. This made me feel generally happier and it made me feel well again. Also I wasn't having as much time off school anymore because I didn't feel ill anymore, this meant I was more like my friends at school and me having diabetes didn't stand out as much as it used to. I was more independent.

Then I started my own blog. I thought if I shared some of my experiences with other people it would help other people understand what people who have diabetes go through everyday. Also I hoped it would help people with diabetes to show them that they aren't alone, there are other people going though the same stuff they are. There are always people to talk to and  help them alone the way.

I have changed so much and I have achieved so much too. I am a happier, more independent person. I can't believe how much I have achieved. However I would not have been able to achieve any of these things if it wasn't for my mum, friends, the hospital and people on the Facebook groups, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped me and supported me along the way. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.

...And I Have Diabetes Too

Do you feel like when people think of you all they think of is diabetes or do you think they think of other things like how nice, kind and caring you are? I went through a stage where I thought whenever someone thought about me all they would think is oh she is diabetic and they wouldn't think about anything else. The thing is that's not true.

I was talking to someone and they said how I always referred myself as diabetic. I didn't realise that I referred myself as diabetic so much. The thing was I thought when people through about me all they thought of was diabetes so I automatically called myself diabetic all the time. Then she explained how people didn't think of just diabetes when they thought about me, she said I was much more then just diabetic. The thing was I really wasn't sure that it was true so I asked someone what they thought of me, they said I was nice, kind, caring and lovely. I was so shocked they never said diabetic, this made me feel so much happier. She told my I am not diabetic, I am a person with diabetes. This meant I was loads of other thing and oh yeah I have diabetes but I wasn't just diabetic.

I still call myself diabetic without even thinking because I have done it for so long I say it without thinking. Calling myself diabetic stops myself feeling good about me because I am basically saying I am only diabetic and nothing else. It's going to be a big step for me to stop calling myself diabetic and start calling myself a person with diabetes but I know it will be worth it in the end, I will feel a lot happier about myself :)

I know it's really hard but I promise you, you are more than just diabetic and people don't just think of diabetes when they think of you they think of so much more. You are much more than you think you are.

You're not alone

I know having diabetes can be really hard and changeling, it can sometimes make you feel alone. The truth is everyone feels like that sometimes but you will never be alone, there are so many other people with type one diabetes and there are always other people that you can talk to or ask for help, you are never alone. There are loads of famous athletes, musicians, artists, authors and comedians  who have type one diabetes. They never let their diabetes stop them from becoming famous.

Nick Jonas a member of the Jonas Brothers Band was diagnosed with type one diabetes in November 2005. A month before Nick was diagnosed he had the usual symptoms of type one diabetes, he had lost loads of weight, going to the bathroom all the time and he was really thirsty. Nick took some time off from his band tour so that he could see a doctor. The doctor sent Nick straight to the hospital when they heard his symptoms, Nick was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Nick wondered if he could continue making music. The day after Nick left the hospital, he performed in a concert. He started off taking multiple daily injections of NovoLog with Lantus, checking his blood sugar about twelve times a day. It was really hard for Nick to give insulin injections and manage my diabetes while he was on tour. So Nick started using the OmniPod in April and he loved it, it made thing a lot easier for Nick. When Nick was touring it made it so much easier for him to control his levels.

In March 2007, about a year and a half after Nick diagnosis he publicly announced that he has type one diabetes at Carnival For a Cure. Nick wanted to go public with his diabetes, he waited until he felt comfortable with managing his diabetes before telling everyone about it. Now he tests his levels wherever he is even if he's in public. Nick said to newly diagnosed children with diabetes, “Don’t let it slow you down at all.  I made a promise to myself on the way to the hospital that I wouldn’t let this thing slow me down and I’d just keep moving forward, and that’s what I did. Just keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward with it. Don’t be discouraged.”    

On 19 June 2008 the song "A little bit longer" by Nick Jonas was released. Nick wrote this song so he could express his feelings of having type one diabetes. He had to stay in the hospital for a while to learn what he had to do every day and to get his levels back to normal. He wrote the song in there because they kept on telling him just a little longer and we will get you out of here. The lyrics to the song are really effective, I love this song. Please listen to this song.  Here is a link to the song "A little bit longer" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUli7YnuHQ


Nick Jones has proved that diabetes doesn't stop you from doing the things you want to do. Also the song he wrote shows that a little bit long and you will be fine. You are never alone and it you will be fine. If you ever fell alone please message me because I am always happy to talk or help you. Whenever you feel down or upset about your diabetes, please listen to "A little bit longer" by Nick Jonas and remember a little bit longer and you will be fine.
Always remember you are stronger then you think!

Eventful day

I have had such a eventful day today, I am struggling to concentrate writing this post, I am so tired. Yaesterday my mum and step dad said told me and my brothers we were going to go to Go Ape. They said that my bother and step brothers were going to be climbing in the tree and going on zip wires and loads more, they were so excited. I got told I was going to go on a stedgeway which is like an electronic scooter, I was so excited I couldn't wait! However ...

For some reason I woke up at 4:00am this morning. I felt really thirsty and sick which isn't normal. So I checked my blood count and my levels were 26.5. I normally feel sick when my levels are really high and I have ketones, so I tested my ketones and they were 1.6. The only reason that I could think that my levels were really high and to have ketones was that I wasn't getting insulin, so my line might be blocked. So I changed my line and gave a correction because my levels were so high, I also put a Temp basel on of 130% on my pump.so that I got more insulin every hour. The annoying thing was I had a paper round at 6:50 am and I was meant to be going to Go Ape.

Luckily my levels came down and my ketones came down too. However I still felt really ill and unwell. I still had to do my paper round and I didn't feel well enough to do it. So my step dad said he would help me do my paper round so we did it in his van and it didn't take us very long. When I got back I felt so I'll and just wanted to go back to bed, however we were going to be going to Go Ape in hour. I really wanted to go but my levels were still high and I felt really unwell. I decided that I wanted to go to Go Ape as it was going to be loads of fun and I knew I would feel better later so I went to Go Ape with everyone else.

When we got to Go Ape my brothers were doing there activity first which was climbing through the trees and going on zip wires and loads more. Me and my mum were aloud to walk round and watch them doing there activity, it was so funny watching them. One of my step brothers got stuck on one of the wires and one of the lady's that work at Go Ape had to save him. The funny thing was the lady was panicking and my step brother didn't even care he was suck hanging from a wire between two trees. So many funny things happened I couldn't stop laughing watching them, the best thing was I didn't feel ill anymore. Next it was my turn to go on a stedgeway. I had so much fun on the electronic scooter even tho I fell of it. It had been such a good day. 

I have had such a great day even tho my levels were high and I had ketones this morning. Today I have learnt the being diabetic shouldn't stop you from doing anything, even if you have had a really hard time with your diabetes, you shouldn't let your diabetes get in the way of doing things you really like or trying something new. I had so much fun today because I didn't let my diabetes get in the way. If your levels are really high or really low just change your insulin, it will make you feel a lot better and then you can get on this what you were doing, like I did. 

Teenager

Being a diabetic teenager can be really hard and challenging. When your a teenager your hormones effects your levels so much. I found it really hard at the beginning of this year because some days were really high and then other days my levels were under 10 all day. This meant I couldn't change the amount of insulin I was getting because there wasn't a Patten in my levels and my levels weren't consistently high. This made it really hard because I was doing everything right but my levels were still running high, it was so annoying.

When I was going through a really hard time at the beginning of this year, I went through a stage where I didn't want to be diabetic, I wanted to be like all of my friends at school. I wished I wasn't diabetic. I wanted to be able to eat what ever food I wanted to and not have to worry how many carbs were in everything I was putting into my mouth. I wanted to be able to do things without worrying about what my levels were. I wanted to be able to eat food without having to do my blood count when I ate something. I wanted to be able to eat food without having to give myself insulin. So I did something I regret doing.

I decided I didn't want to be diabetic anymore so I stopped doing my blood count and I only gave myself insulin for the food I was eating. This made my levels really high as when my levels were high I didn't know so I wasn't giving a correction. I had a hospital appointment and the hospital found out that I had been doing. My hba1c was 13.1 and I had made myself really ill. The hospital said they would arranged a day that I would be admitted on to a ward so that they come monitor my levels as I was having so much insulin and my levels were still running really high. I ended up having to stay in hospital for 2 days. The hospital sorted out my levels and let me go home.

I totally regret doing what I did. I made it stand out more that I was diabetic and different to everyone else at my school because I had to have time of because of how ill I felt and because I had to go into hospital. If I had of looked after my self and not dome what I did it wouldn't have stood out as much to other people because I wouldn't have had as much time of school as I did. I wish I had never had done what I did.

My advice to you is don't do what I did because I totally regret doing it. Please take care and look afteryourself because it stands out a lot more that you are diabetic if you don't. Remember you are stronger than you think.

The Duke of Edinburgh

A couple of months ago at school we had a assembly about The Duke of Edinburgh bronze award. The Duke of Edinburgh bronze award is an award which is given for completing a programme of activities that can be under taken by anyone aged 14 to 24. We got told you picked a skill, physical and volunteering activity that you would have to do for 3 months or 6 months. We also got told that we would have to do a expedition where we would have to plan a walk from the bus to the campsite and then we would camp for one night and then we would have to plan a walk back to the bus, each walk hade to be 7-10 miles long. We also got told we would have basic training on how to cook on a trangia, first aid and how to set up a tent. I really wanted to do it!

While I was sitting in the assembly I was thinking how fun it would be if I was able to go, I would have so much fun with my friends. However I didn't think I was going to be able to go because of my diabetes. At the end of the assembly I picked up a letter about it to give to my mum. I hoped she would let me do the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award. When I got home I should my mum the letter and told her how much I want to do it. She told me it was going to be a lot of work, I told her that I didn't care it was going to be loads of fun. So my mum filled out the form and said I was allowed to do it.

The next step was to choose what skill, physical and volunteering activity I wanted to do. For my skill activity I choose to make a patchwork blanket for 3 months, for my physical activity I choose to do Pilates for 3 months and for my volunteering activity I choose to help out at football training for 6 months. Next in my group we had to plan a practise expedition so that we could learn  all the skills and work out what we would need to take on the real expedition. It was all going really well and my diabetes hadn't stopped me from doing anything everyone else was doing.

However when it came to the real expedition there was a problem. I couldn't change my line to my pump myself, so the hospital wouldn't let me go. If you read my post called Changing my line, you will find out how I changed my line myself for the first time, so the hospital let me go on the expedition at Grafham water.

The expedition at Grafham water was so funny, I had so much fun with all of my friends. On the first day we were meant to walk 8 miles but we got really lost and ended up having to ring one of the teachers and they tried to find us. The teacher asked us what was around us, the funny thing was all that we could see around us was trees and fields so the teachers had no idea where we were. Luckily the teachers found us and then we carried on walking to the camp. When we eventually got to the camp we worked out that it had taken us over 9 hours to walk 8 miles. It took us so long because we had got lost so many times. All the other groups had cooked dinner, put their tents up and had a shower by the time we got to the camp. One the second day we walked 7 miles and we didn't get lost once. We had a much better days walk on the second day, this was because everyone was looking at a map and we had better maps then on the first day.  It took us about 4 hours to walk 7 miles on the second day. Overall we had a really fun time and I will never forget it. The best thing about the whole expedition was my levels didn't go low once while we were there, even with all of the walking. I didn't go low because I checked my levels every hour and I put a temp basal on my pump of 70% the whole expedition. My diabetes didn't stop me from doing the expedition and I would recommend people to do it because I felt so proud after I had completed the expedition and it was loads of fun!

Just because you are diabetic doesn't mean you can't go on trips like the Duke of Edinburgh expedition. You can do everything other people can do.   

Changing my line

I was diagnosed type one diabetic when I was 4 years old and I was on injections for 4 years and then I got a Medtronic pump. I have  now been on the pump for 6 years. When I was on injections my mum always injected me because I was so young. When I moved onto the pump my mum changed my line for me. I have a really bad phobia of needle so I was so scared of changing my own line, so my mum always did it for me. However it got to the  point where I had to change my line on my own.

At school this year I wanted to go on a school trip where I would by doing a lot of walking and camping for the night at Grafen water. The hospital said I couldn't go on the trip unless I was able to change encase my line got blocked or my line fell out while I was camping. I really wanted to go on the trip however I was so scared of changing my line. I told the hospital I was never going to be able to change my line on my own. My mum told me I had to do it soon or I wouldn't be able to go. All of my friends where going on the trip and it was going to be so fun if I was able to go.

One morning my mum said I had to change my line this morning or I wouldn't be able to go on the trip. I wanted to go so badly that I thought I would try changing my line for the first time ever. I set a new line up and then I went to put the cannula in me but I couldn't do it. I was so scared! I tried again, I put the cannula on my leg making sure it was alright and then I closed my eyes and pushed the buttons to put the cannula into my leg. When I opened my eyes I couldn't believe it, I had done changed my line myself for the first time ever. I showed my mum that I had changed my line myself. She didn't believe me at first, see couldn't believe her eyes. She was so proud of me.

If you are changing your line for the first time or changing sites it's not as bad as you think, I promise. If you don't want to look when you do it you don't have to, just make sure you have put it in the right place before you close your eyes, that's what i do every time I change my own line. After you do it you will be so proud of yourself and you will wonder why you were so scared of doing it. I no you can do it, always remember you are stronger than you think.

Stress

Your emotions have a massive effect on your diabetes. When you are feeling worried, stressed, depressed or excited about something this can make you levels high. I also find that if I have fallen out with my friend, had a disagreement with someone, had a test at school or had relationship problems, this causes my levels to be high. When my levels become high I get really stressed over stupid things and I also get annoyed with people more easily, generally it makes me feel unhappy and unwell when my levels are high.

Last year in August, I was getting ready to go on holiday to America for 18 days. While we were in America we were going to go to California, Hollywood, Disneyworld, Las Vegas, LA and more places. I was so excited about going, I couldn't wait! The only thing that was worrying me was going to the airport with all of diabetic supplies and being allowed to take it all with us on the plane. My mum had got a letter from the hospital saying that I was allowed to take it all on the plane with me but I was still worried about that. At the same time I was really excited because I had never been to America before. They let us take all of my diabetic supplies on the plane which made me feel happier. When we were sitting on the plane I thought I would do my blood count before we took off. My levels were running high so I gave myself some insulin. My levels were high because I was so excited that I was going to America for the first time.

Also when I was in year 9 we had loads of tests that were coming up, so I was really stressed about it. I knew my levels were going to be really high and that it would affect how well I did in the tests because when my levels are high I struggle to concentrate, all I want to do is lay down and do nothing. The thing was I needed to do well in these test because the results we got on the tests were going to be our end of year grades. So the morning before the tests I put a temp basal of 120% on my pump and my levels weren't high throughout the tests and I got really good grades too!!

When your levels are running high your blood is a lot thicker because there is a lot of sugar in it. This means that your body uses more energy to makes your blood pump around your body. The more energy your body uses the harder it is for you to concentrate and it makes you feel unwell. Also it's not good for you if your levels are always high because your blood needs to be able to pump around your body easily so that the blood can get to every limb in your body. So if your levels are running high or you know why are going to run high because you have a test or something like that please give yourself insulin. If you are on a pump set up a temp basal so that you are getting more insulin every hour.

Everyone's emotions make their diabetes a lot harder to control but you are stronger than you think and you will get through times like this I promise.

 

Friends

I have been diabetic for over 10 years now and I still have days when I wished I wasn't diabetic anymore. It doesn't matter how long you have had diabetes for everyone has good and bad days. I have had days there I wished I didn't have to stick needles in me every day and I could eat whatever food I want. You're not alone, I promise.

It makes it so much easier when you have friends that are always there for you. My friends at school have helped me so much. One day at lunch I did my blood count and my levels were 4.3, I didn't want to treat it as a hypo as I just wanted to eat lunch. My friends could see that my levels were going to dropping and I felt really ill, so one of my friends opened a can of coke for me to drink so that my levels would up. I felt so ill that I just wanted to sit there and do nothing. My friend kept saying Laura you need to drink it now but I didn't want to so I just sat there. Then my friends explained to me that I needed to drink it so that my levels would go up and I would feel better, so I drank the coke and my levels went up. The reason why I didn't want to dink the coke was because I felt so ill but as soon as my friends explained to me why I need to drink it I drank it. My friends at school help me so much and I don't know what I would do without them. My advice would be make sure your friends know what to do when your levels are high and low and the symptoms you get when your levels are high or low because then they can notices when your levels are low or high and you don't realise. Also it's a really good idea to let one of your friends do your blood count just encase you need to check your levels and you're not well enough to.

There are loads of groups on Facebook where you can talk to other people who have type one diabetes. For example 'Type One Teens' and "The bittersweet life of a T1D." Before I joined these two groups on Facebook I felt like I was alone and that no one else understood what it was like dealing with diabetes. When I joined some type one diabetic groups on Facebook I realised loads of people were going through stuff I was going through and that I wasn't alone. I have made so many new friend that live in England, Canada and America. Some of the people I have made friends with are so amazing and have helped me so much, they are more like a sister then a friend. My advice to anyone with type one diabetes is too join one of the Facebook groups (Type One Teens or The bittersweet life of a T1D) because it so nice to be able to makes so many new friends.

There are always people who are there for you if you just want to chat or when you need help (you can always message me on Facebook or leave a comment below) You are never alone I promise.

Primary school

When I was younger and was at primary school I found being diabetic really hard. This was because no one else was diabetic in my school. This made me feel really different compared to everyone else. No one else had to do their blood count or have to inject before they ate. It was really hard for me to understand at such a young age why I had to do my blood count and inject every day and no one else I knew had to.

When I was 6 years old , in year 1 at primary school, I found it really hard and upsetting because some people at my primary school decided they didn't like me because I have diabetes. One day when I was in year 1 I was lining up outside with my class waiting for the teacher to let us inside. While I was waiting three people in my class came up to me and said "I don't want to be friends with you because you're diabetic" then they just walked off. I had no idea what to do, it wasn't my fault I was diabetic and now no wants to be my friend. They upset me so much. I didn't tell the teacher what they had said to me because she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. When I got home I went to room and cried about what they had said to me, I wished I wasn't diabetic. I told my mum about what had happened and she wasn't happy, so she rang the school and told them what had happened. The next day at school my teacher spoke to the three people who said they didn't want to be friends with me. They came up to me and said they were really sorry. After that they were really nice to me and never said they didn't want to be friends with me again.

When I was in primary school I found the teachers didn't take my diabetes on bored and didn't think it was as serious as it was, until this happened. When I was in year 4 I felt really shaky and unwell so I asked my teacher if I could do my blood count and they said no. So I got on with the rest of my work. I could feel that my levels were getting lower and lower, I needed to do my blood count. I told the teacher that I didn't feel well and I need to do my levels, she told me to go to the medical room but she wouldn't let me take my blood count with me. When I got to the medical room they rang my mum and my mum asked what my blood count was and they said that I hadn't done my blood count. So I went an did my blood count and my levels were really really low, My mum came and picked me up from school and took me home. When I got home we couldn't get my levels up and I had been low for 3 hours, so I had to go to hospital and I got admitted on to a ward. My mum rang up the school and told them what had happened and told them that they should have let me do my blood count when I asked to. After me ending up in hospital because my teacher wouldn't let me do my blood count, the school took my diabetes more seriously and they always let me do my blood count when I asked to.

Now I am at collage I am a lot more independent and I find being diabetic a lot easier. This is because I am used to have diabetes and its going to be a part of me for the rest of my life so I have learnt to be proud of being diabetic. Also it really helps as I have some amazing friends who are always there for me and help me a lot with my diabetes and they find my diabetes really interesting. One of my friends wanted to do my blood count because she had never done it before so I let her do my blood count. It really helps when you have such amazing friend to help you with everything, it makes it a bit easier.

If you ever want someone to talk to or need any help please message me on Facebook or comment below. Everyone has ups and downs with diabetes but I promise you will sort it out because you are a lot stronger then you think.

Welcome

Hi my name is Laura and I am 16 years old. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was 4 years old on 31st December 2002. I was on injections for 5 years and I have been on a insulin pump for 8 years now.

On the 31st of December, I became really ill and unwell, I was drinking a lot more then I usually did and going to the toilet a lot more. My mum took me to the doctors because she didn't know why I was so ill. The doctors did some tests on me and said that I had to be taken to the hospital. My mum got told we couldn't wait for an ambulance, so my mum drove me straight to the hospital. When we got to the hospital I was nearly going in to a coma so I got put on an IV drip and they sorted out my levels. The doctor told my mum I had type one diabetes, me and my mum had no idea what diabetes was so I had to stay in hospital over a week so that we could learn all about what we had to do and to make sure I was well enough to go home. I was only 4 years old when I was diagnosed so I cant remember all of this happening, my mum told me what happened when I was diagnosed diabetic.

 At first it was a massive shock when I was first diagnosed but I have got used to it. I sometimes have bad day when I wish I wasn't diabetic but I have learnt to look at the positives of being diabetic, it could be a lot worse and to all you who have just been diagnosed.