[diabeticgirl24]

Ever since I was a baby I was always suffering from sickness. I had no clue what was wrong with me but no matter what test I had everything came back negative. When I turned 19 I became very ill. I weighed a normal healthy 9stone and went straight down to 7.5 stone in about two months. I had increased my exercise routine so had just put that down to this. I had absolutely no idea that at my young age that I could actually be unwell. My vision became blurred and every night became a disaster when I had to cope with serious leg cramps. I couldn't get through the night without eating something or popping to the toilet every 5 minutes. I had all of these symptoms but didn't actually realise that I could be ill. Anyway, about 11 months went by and I was still living my life like this. One day I was seriously ill in bed and everything I was drinking even water felt like burning acid in my stomach. In the end I ended up falling into a coma. My dad came home from work and found me. I was taken to intensive care immediately and was in there for about 2 weeks. I was given a 50/50 chance to live from having diabetes and luckily I survived it.

I have now had diabetes for 4 years and cope really well with it. I do the 4 injections a day and have just accepted that this is my way of living a normal life. I have lots of supportive friends and family who understand. You should always look after yourself because I realise who much everyone was upset when I was in hospital and If I had died then what a waste of my life that would have been.

 

[Richard157]

Hello there, welcome to Diabetes Forum! Your story is very familiar. Many of us have had those symptoms and suffered very much before being disgnosed. That is wonderful that you are dping well now. I have been Type 1 for 63 years and I am very healthy. I use very tight control and have been pumping insulin for 26 months. If we have good control and hold on to it then we have a very good chance of living a long, healthy life. Good luck to you Ask all the questions you want.

Richard

 

[diabeticgirl24]

Hello,

Thank you very much for your kind reply.

It is amazing that you have had diabetes for 63 years!! It just goes to show that a lot of hard work can really pay off.

I had never really heard of an insulin pump before. Do you find that it is a lot better than injections and still controls levels correctly?

Sarah

 

[Richard157]

Yes, the insulin pump is programmable so you can set it to allow as many different basal rates as you want. This will enable you to eliminate high fasting levels. You ebter the number of carbs you are going to eat and your blood sugar level at meal time and the pump tells you how much insulin you need. You then push a button and the insulin is delivered to your body. These are only some of the advantages of a pump. My control is much better with a pump. You might want to look at insulin pumps online and find out more about them.

Richard

 

[mary0]

I'm glad you are doing much better than you were. Remember to stay strong and try to live as normally as possible. Diabetes doesn't need to control your life.

Stay well.

Mary

 

[diabeticgirl24]

Thanks for your support Mary. I totally agree with you.

Sarah