Flashback to 1992. It was September. I was 13 and in the 8th grade. One of my closest friends, Chelsea, had been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes several months before. We were musical theatre kids and I remember her mom coming to rehearsals and giving her a shot backstage. I thought being diagnosed with diabetes had to be one of the worst things imaginable. Remember, I was 13 and also thought getting braces would, “ruin my life!”
That September my mom received a phone call from one of our teachers. Chelsea had passed away. My friend, who was so young and immensely talented, was gone. Just like that. In an instant her life was over. She had the flu, which affected her blood sugars and she died from complications. This was my mental image of diabetes for a long time. Death.
Skipping ahead many years, and several thousand diet cokes later, to the spring of 2000. I was 20, in my junior year of college and not feeling so great. For a month, or so, I couldn’t keep enough liquid in my mouth. I would drink anything near me, suck on candy, eat ice cream, etc. I tried it all. I had to go to the bathroom all of the time and was having terrible lower back pains. I stayed home from class, because I could hardly get out of bed. I finally made an appointment with the doctor when I realized I lost seven pounds in a 24 hour period. I knew something was wrong at that point.
I went into the doctor and he drew some blood. He called me back the next day and told me he would like me to come back in. I met my mom there, with a very sugary smoothie in hand, and they gave us the news that changed my life. I had Type 1 Diabetes. Death.
The doctor left the room for a minute and I teared up. All I could think about was Chelsea. I knew I wasn’t going to die from diabetes, but it had been my mental image for eight years.
Those with Type 1 Diabetes do not produce enough insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Basically, insulin is like a key. The body uses glucose (sugar) as fuel and without insulin to ‘unlock’ it, the body resorts to using fat as fuel. This leads to diabetic ketoacidosis and sugars begin to spill into the urine and major weight loss occurs. This is what happened to me.
A normal blood glucose level is between 70–130 mg/dl prior to eating. Mine was almost 700 at the time of diagnosis. For years, those with diabetes just took their insulin at specific times throughout the day. They had to be very careful with what they ate. They couldn’t eat anything with a lot of sugar, as it would spike their blood sugar. Thankfully, things have really changed.
My PCP connected us with a group of doctors called, The Endocrine Group. We met with a nutritionist and a nurse first. They both were Type 1. They spent time explaining the disease and how it would affect my life. They taught me how to “carb count”, which I am so thankful for.
That September my mom received a phone call from one of our teachers. Chelsea had passed away. My friend, who was so young and immensely talented, was gone. Just like that. In an instant her life was over. She had the flu, which affected her blood sugars and she died from complications. This was my mental image of diabetes for a long time. Death.
Skipping ahead many years, and several thousand diet cokes later, to the spring of 2000. I was 20, in my junior year of college and not feeling so great. For a month, or so, I couldn’t keep enough liquid in my mouth. I would drink anything near me, suck on candy, eat ice cream, etc. I tried it all. I had to go to the bathroom all of the time and was having terrible lower back pains. I stayed home from class, because I could hardly get out of bed. I finally made an appointment with the doctor when I realized I lost seven pounds in a 24 hour period. I knew something was wrong at that point.
I went into the doctor and he drew some blood. He called me back the next day and told me he would like me to come back in. I met my mom there, with a very sugary smoothie in hand, and they gave us the news that changed my life. I had Type 1 Diabetes. Death.
The doctor left the room for a minute and I teared up. All I could think about was Chelsea. I knew I wasn’t going to die from diabetes, but it had been my mental image for eight years.
Those with Type 1 Diabetes do not produce enough insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Basically, insulin is like a key. The body uses glucose (sugar) as fuel and without insulin to ‘unlock’ it, the body resorts to using fat as fuel. This leads to diabetic ketoacidosis and sugars begin to spill into the urine and major weight loss occurs. This is what happened to me.
A normal blood glucose level is between 70–130 mg/dl prior to eating. Mine was almost 700 at the time of diagnosis. For years, those with diabetes just took their insulin at specific times throughout the day. They had to be very careful with what they ate. They couldn’t eat anything with a lot of sugar, as it would spike their blood sugar. Thankfully, things have really changed.
My PCP connected us with a group of doctors called, The Endocrine Group. We met with a nutritionist and a nurse first. They both were Type 1. They spent time explaining the disease and how it would affect my life. They taught me how to “carb count”, which I am so thankful for.
More to come later…..
I really admire you, Katie. I'm glad you are blogging about this. I like getting to know you even better than I already do. I love you and I'm proud of you for sharing your stories and emotions.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I just had a conversation with a dietician yesterday who does diabetes education at our local hospital.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story here!