...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.