Christmas

Christmas was surprisingly uneventful diabetes-wise. I got a lovely bag for my insulin supplies which I promptly ditched when I found a slightly bigger bag. Sorry mom.
I got a whole lot of tea and even more teapots. What am I going to do with all of these teapots? I don't even have a stove at college.
The most exciting gift was a dumpling making kit. I haven't had any Chinese food since I was diagnosed. That's really disappointing because dumplings are on the top ten list for Things That I Love That Will Probably Kill Me One Day (Cats are on that list as well). Now I have recipes I can make so I can enjoy Chinese food without wondering "How much sugar is in this really?".
And of course, I got socks for Christmas. Why do you care? Because I am a sock connoisseur and I collect only the coolest, most fabulous socks and then wear them until there are holes in the toes. The sock haul was incredible this year since everyone in my family has realized what a sock nerd I am. Plus I can use my "I have diabetes so my feeties need to stay warm" excuse to get even more socks.
Hey, if you can't use your powers for evil some times, what good are they?
See you in the New Year!
Elizabeth

Late Again

I'm so sorry guys! I said I would write more so I should write more, shouldn't I?
Well, yesterday I finally got my blood tests rescheduled. I was supposed to have them in October, but I forgot. This is only the second time I've ever had to have blood drawn and once again, I was nervous.
I gave myself a little pep talk ("You're only nervous because this is the second time this has ever happened. You'll get used to it. You'll be fine.") and before I knew it, it was over. Even my mom was impressed. She said I was a fast bleeder. It's a nice trait to have when you're a diabetic. Anyways, I decided to reward myself for this act of bravery and expert bleeding and I bought myself some socks and a life-sized BB-8 (from the new Star Wars movie).
I'll keep in touch!
Elizabeth

Looking Like Diabetes

Friends, I forgot to tell you about the farmer's market incident! Before I get into Christmas stories, I must tell you this one.

My mother and I were at a local farmer's market being held at our town hall. We live in a small Maine town, so events like this happen all the time. It was just a few tables where people sold baked goods and soaps and little wooden cars. Of course, they want you to taste things too. That's the real reason why you go: free samples. 

Well, we stopped at this one stall because they had cheese spreads and I was a little interested so I tried some of the cheeses. Then the lady offered us some fudge to try and I said no thank you. This woman insisted that I try some so my mom stepped in to explain. 

"She has diabetes," my mother explained. We had both kind of hoped that we could leave it at that.

"She doesn't look like it," the lady remarked. 

"It's juvenile diabetes," my mother explained further, but my brain was already far away.

Do I look like diabetes? What does diabetes look like? 

Maybe people only see Type 2 diabetes on the news, so they think that everyone with diabetes looks like that? But someone can look overweight and not have Type 2. 

How come people don't understand the difference? 

But all of my friends understand the difference. In fact, most people my age would never say something like that. The only people who have really misunderstood are older people. Is it a problem with education? 

When I look in the mirror, I don't see a diabetic person. I see a collection of ideas in one person who happens to be me. Before diabetes, I didn't even think about my body. I didn't think about what I ate. I didn't think about how healthy or unhealthy I was.

I just was.

Now, just being takes more thought, but I still am. 

Finals Week

Finals week was surprisingly good.
I mean, not exam-wise. My first exam (Great Books) and my last exam (Statistics) were horrible. I didn't get done until Friday, but at least I wasn't there until Saturday.
I was also trying to schedule for my last class (I got American Government and I have to get from one side of the campus to the other in 15 minutes in order to get to my next class). That's a problem for future me though. Next semester's schedule has no classes on Friday or Monday at least.
I kept telling Pauline, "I can't believe my blood sugar is so good. I can't believe it!"
I was running around without a safety net and I hadn't fallen yet.
I was midway through finals week when I started to feel sick one day. Not sniffly nose and coughing sick. I just felt awful and too warm and like my stomach was filled with goo. I thought, "Maybe I should check my blood just in case."
The number 352 blinked on the screen.
"Well, that explains everything!"
It was the only problem I had all week.
I was more worried about my grades which was what I should have been worried about.

Now I'm back home with a new working Dexcom and everything is going to be fine until Christmas which I assume is going to be a whole new adventure.

Dexcom Problems

Remember the insulin disaster I told you about yesterday?
Yeah, settle down, I got another story.

It was the Friday before finals week. My friend Pauline, and I were having a Christmas party in our dorm. It was just a small party: we exchanged gifts with a few friends, built gingerbread houses, played card games, and watched The Grinch.
In the middle of all of this, I was fighting with my Dexcom.
The Dexcom transmitter battery was dead. It had been three months since I had gotten the Dexcom, so this was normal. It just meant getting my new transmitter out and putting that in instead. I read the directions and tried to get the new one to work, but it just wasn't happening. I thought that I must have been doing something wrong. I was a newbie at this...
So, I decide that for the Christmas party, I wasn't going to worry about this. I was going to take care of it in the morning. Next morning, I call the Dexcom office. The guy at the tech phone walked me through everything. Nothing seemed to work and to top it all off, my receiver wasn't working either.
I had already used one sensor the night before and I had taken it out because things didn't seem to be working. The tech guy suggested I put a new sensor in and try again.
Still nothing.
What had I done?
It turns out there was a batch of Dexcom transmitters that just weren't hooking up to Bluetooth. The man from Dexcom apologized to me, but I was just relieved that it wasn't my fault.
So I had stabbed myself twice just to find out that it was a manufacturing problem and that I would be without my Dexcom for all of finals week.
No problem.
Right?

Insulin Disaster

It was after Thanksgiving and I had just returned to school. I was back to work getting all sorts of stuff done. Finals were quickly approaching. 

I was foolish. I wasn't even thinking about the fact that I have T1D. 

That morning, I took my insulin and realized I was finished with that pen. I went to my mini-fridge to get a new pen when I realized that I had left them all at home. My mom had picked up my insulin and was going to give it to me over Thanksgiving, but in all the hustle and bustle, both of us had forgotten. 

We were right in the middle of the first snowstorm of the season on the day I realized that I didn't have enough insulin. My mom couldn't drive down. 

In retrospect, I wasn't in that much danger, but at the time, it felt like I was at death's door. 

At first, I thought about taking my old basal insulin, but that would mean different doses which I didn't remember the numbers for. 

My mom suggested getting in touch with the endocrinologists and getting my insulin sent to the nearest CVS. That's all well and good, but what if it doesn't make it in time? What if the insurance doesn't cover this? What if I can't get a ride there? What if, what if, what if!!!!

Well, the insulin got sent over the next day. Both my friend, Pauline, and I were able to get to the CVS before lunchtime. She was fine driving me over. She even got some Christmas stuff for a little party we were planning. The insurance covered everything.

Sometimes, it feels like the whole world is falling apart. It isn't, but that's what it feels like. It's scary because you think, "These people aren't going to care if you don't have the money or the ability to get what you need. They don't care that I'm sick. They only care about taking care of themselves and I understand." 

But my friend cared. I had a few people that offered to take me to CVS to get my insulin.
The endocrinologists cared. They got my insulin shipped there as fast as possible. 

The fear sets in when you think you're alone. When you think "I'm the one with the disease so it's on me and only me." It's not. No one wants to see you fail. You're important to a lot of people. Stay strong. 

I'm Back

Hello, friends! Happy holidays!
I said I would be back to writing blog posts after November ended, but I got a little swamped with finals and all sorts of diabetes-related problems which I will share with you in the following days!
You have all been so patient so I'm going to reward you with a post every day until Christmas.
I'm gonna tell you all about living without my Dexcom for finals week, trying to get my insulin, and an awkward conversation at a farmer's market.
I'll see you all in the coming days! Peace and joy to you in this holiday season!

Tomorrow is November

November means I'm going to attempt my yearly NaNoWriMo Novel.
That means I might not update the blog for a while.
I will still be checking in throughout the month however so if you have any questions or any topics you want to talk about, feel free to comment or leave a question!
I will return to writing semi-regular updates at the start of December.
See you on the other side!

A Letter to an Old Friend

I recently heard from a friend from my youth who has had T1D for a long as I've known her. I'll call her Ace Silver just in case she doesn't want her name to be out there on the internet.
When I got diagnosed, I thought of three things: Ace Silver, the fact that she always had diet soda at her house, and all the needles and blood testing she had to do. I thought, "I can't have diabetes! Ace already has it!" as if because Ace had diabetes, I was somehow exempt from getting it.

I have a friend here at college who is both diabetic and a twin (of which I am both). I walked back with her from a fun Halloween celebration. It some ways, I feel like I'm cheating when it comes to diabetes. I got it now, when there are so many medical advances and things aren't as difficult. I mean, it still sucks, but not as much as it used to. And I didn't have to deal with the public school system!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was ignorant back then when it came to diabetes. I didn't really understand or else I didn't listen or pay attention. I had no idea what it was like. When I got this, suddenly all these people that I didn't know were T1D found me. Now I'm going to try to make sure that others know about what we are going through. I don't want people to be ignorant of what it's like to be T1D. It's not like Type 2. I'm going to speak up for you.

Is Life Worth Suffering

On Facebook, sometimes old posts show up. 

Three years ago today you said something about procrastinating on your school work.

Four years ago today you were worried about that test.

I'd just like to share with you something I posted three years ago today.

-----

Is it worth it?

Is life worth all of this?
Day after day we hear stories of adults killing kids and kids killing adults and people killing other people over petty things like the color of their skin or the amount of money in their purse or who they ate breakfast with this morning while you were still sleeping.
Also, the small, killings that happen every day that the media forgets. Like the stab wound left after you get embarrassed by the teacher in front of the whole class. Or the tiny but deadly hole gouged out every day during lunch when you only have your pb&j sandwich to talk to. Or the deaths of children around the world who have decided to live their life without feeling anything because feeling is too painful and going numb is so much easier than dealing with heartache every day.
Is life worth suffering?

Answer the question only in the very early mornings when you are warm in your bed and you are watching the sunrise. Only when you get an A on the test you studied hard for. Only when you are with your friends and watching a movie and you all laugh at the very same time so it sounds like one giant laugh.
Because when bad things happen, we forget about the good in the world. We forget about our favorite books and songs and movies and colors and sounds and foods.

Don't forget about the good things.

Because life is worth it.

You are worth it.

-----

This wasn't about diabetes at the time. I had a lot of friend problems when I was younger. I had a lot of emotional pain I was going through. 

Honestly, I'm in a good place these days. Even with all of this. 

Dealing With Highs

Finger-pricked hands down, I would take high blood sugar over low blood sugar any day. I mean, you can't have snacks like when your blood sugar is low, but low blood sugar can be scary while high blood sugar is just a nuisance.

High blood sugar is awful to have for a long period of time and can lead to all sorts of health problems so it isn't good to float in the 300+ area for long, but it can be lowered pretty easily. 

• Drink water 
• Even if you don't want to drink any more water. Remember what it was like when you were first diagnosed? Pretend you're that thirsty again. Just keep drinking water.
• Exercise 
• No one wants to hear that phrase, but if you want your blood sugar to go down, you better start moving. Turn on some music and jump around a little. It's not gonna hurt you.
• Go to bed
• If you've done all you can to lower your blood sugar but it still won't cooperate, go ahead and take a nap. 

If you have a pattern of highs, you might need to change your insulin to carb ratio.

Just remember, this number is not forever. Your blood sugar will change. You aren't bad at managing your diabetes if your number is high, okay? Keep moving forward and don't give up. 

You're doing so well.

I'm rooting for you. 

Self-Confidence

Being uncomfortable makes me a real tough guy (as tough as a college girl with an avalanche of sweaters can be). If someone is shouting while I'm trying to sleep or smoking outside my window, I go out and tell them to stop. Frustration makes me self-confident and a little too headstrong.

I sent in my blood glucose data last week and I got an e-mail back from one of the doctors in the office. He wasn't my regular doctor. He was just one of the doctors that worked there. In my report, I mentioned that I was having high blood sugar after dinner. He told me to change my lunch insulin to carb ratio from 1:15 to 1:12 and my dinner ratio from 1:22 to 1:18.
I knew it was a bad idea, but he was a doctor so he must know more than I do.

I lasted with those ratios for two days.
Two days where I completely lost my mind.
I don't think I've ever lost it so quickly.
I was having trouble getting to classes because I was going so low.
"Stick it out, Elizabeth" I told myself. But my mom said, "Change your ratios back NOW."
Who can argue with that.

So, I sent them this e-mail:
Due to the dangerous lows I've been having, I'm going back to the original equation for lunch (1:15). It seems like 1:22 for dinner makes my blood sugar too high and 1:18 sends it too low, I'm going to take the middle route of 1:20 to see how that works. I tried to follow the advice I was given, but I'm two days in and I can't be dealing with lows during my classes.

What I wanted to say was:
Do you employ fruitcakes? Who thought this was a good idea? To drop from 1:22 to 1:18 for moderate highs is numb! I was able to manage my highs on my own with water and exercise and get to good numbers before bed most nights, I just didn't want to walk a mile before bed every night! Gosh!

But I didn't say that. Instead I was courteous and polite. I still felt rude. It was like I was saying "I'm going to do this now and I don't care what you think." But it's my diabetes, right?

Symptoms Before Diagnosis

I get asked all the time, "What was it like before you were diagnosed? How did you know you had diabetes?"
Well, I didn't know, not until the very end, and even then, I wasn't really all there mentally.

The most noticeable symptom was how thirsty I was. I kind of miss being that thirsty. Water tasted so good. I thought, "Why don't people drink more water? Water is fantastic!" There wasn't enough water on Earth for me. All I wanted to do was drink water. I would chug down bottle after bottle and think "Water is good for me. I'm going to be so healthy."
And what goes in must come out. I was getting up late at night to pee. I had to pee all the time. Rode trips were the worst. Every rest stop I would insist that we stop to pee. My family was so annoyed with me. "What's wrong with you, Elizabeth?" How could they have known?
Family trips were frustrating for another reason: I was incredibly tired. I couldn't keep up when we were walking around Washington D.C. I hardly remember the trip at all. I lagged behind my family as they walked. The only time I sped up what when I needed to race to the next bathroom.

I didn't have the energy to feel sorry for myself. I didn't have any energy at all. I think, how did I get through any of that? How could I feel so horrible for so long and not know that something was wrong? I lost a chunk of my life to feeling that way, which is why I try so hard to take care of myself now. I know what's wrong and what I can do to not feel like that ever again.
Life comes at a cost and I'm willing to pay it.

I won't lie, I cried while I wrote this. This disease has made me feel like a burden to my family since it started. There's a part of me that stopped being me over the course of this, call it what you like: my childhood, being carefree, my freedom. It was gone long before I knew I had lost it, or even had it. But I knew I had stopped being a kid the moment I first put that needle in my leg. I knew, from this moment on, I needed to be on top of my own health. I knew that it was on me and nobody else.

Diabetic Stigma

I love all the support my friends and family have given me through this frustrating and stressful time. They've been so kind and understanding. I appreciate all of the things they've done for me because there are some really obnoxious people that come out of the woodwork when you're diabetic.

I love that a lot of my friends have been willing to learn about diabetes, but their previous misconceptions bother me. For example, one morning I was talking to my friends about how I wished I could go back in time and enjoy all that time eating without calculating carbs and one of my friends said, "You could also go back and prevent yourself from getting diabetes." Type 1 Diabetes is a genetic disorder. It's my autoimmune system fighting the beta cells in my pancreas. There is no diet, no shot, nothing I could have done to slow it down or prevent it. This was all out of my control. That definitely pisses off some people with T1D. I'd like to think that I can control my diabetes for the most part, but even how much insulin I take is in flux.

Nothing I did caused me to have T1D and you can bet that it wasn't my choice. I know that there are people in the world that are vegan or gluten-free not because of a disease, but because it's their choice. That's very good for them, but having diabetes isn't like that. I was at a fancy dinner and I needed to know what I was eating so I could bolus accordingly. I asked the waitstaff what was being served along with dinner and they went out back. Next thing I know, a very condescending older woman came out and talked to me as if I was a child. I didn't ask her what the carbs were since I've had interactions like this before and I've learned that people in this position know a disturbingly small amount about the food they serve. Bolusing for my meals is hard enough, I don't need a condescending attitude about a disease I cannot fully control.

Well, it was not my choice to become diabetic.
I smile through these painful interactions because I know they don't know any better.
Just like it's not my fault that I have this, I know it's not their fault that they are ignorant.
I wish I could take my shots and get through this without the stigma that it's my fault or that I can control it.

Love/Hate Relationship with my Dexcom

Here's the bare bones of the matter:
Knowing your blood glucose level is a blessing and a curse.

You can say, "Oh, my blood sugar is low and going down, I guess I'll have that extra cookie" or "It's a little high, I should drink some water".
On the other hand, low blood sugar during class is bad enough. It's worse when your Dexcom is beeping at you while the professor is talking. It's like "Shhhh, I just ate a glucose tab, you'll be up in a minute".

And of course, putting the Dexcom in is a pain. It doesn't hurt as much as a flu shot, but it still hurts.
So I try to get my sensor to last longer than a week so I don't have to put it back in.
It doesn't appreciate that.

So, do I recommend a CGM for first time T1Ders?
Absolutely. You can sleep the whole night through without any worries about waking up at 3 to test.
It's the least you've earned after waking up to pee in the middle of the night for months!

Roommate Diabetes

I accepted my diagnosis quickly. 

Maybe it's because I had felt horrible for so long I would do anything to not feel so tired and sad.

Maybe it's because some part of me always knew that something like this would happen. 

(I don't mean to freak you out, but I always sort of suspected I would get some big, life-changing disease. *shrug*) 

But I accepted being diabetic quickly. Even subconsciously. 

Whenever I have dreams, I think, "I can't eat anything here. I'm diabetic." It's kind of frustrating when all I want is a big slice of dream pie. (No calories or carbs in dream pie.)

But I'm still surprised sometimes that I have this. That I have to take shots. 

I was walking to my first class today and I suddenly realized, "Oh my gosh. I have this disease. I'm sick all the time now." I think I separate the diabetic part of me from the rest of me mentally.

I heard it described once that living with diabetes is like living with a new member of your family.

I think living with diabetes is like living with a new roommate (but not a roommate you necessarily want). This roommate fills your fridge with her seltzer water and slaps your hand away from that cheesecake you really want and pinches you and shouts at you and whines. 

She whines. All. The. Time.

"My blood sugar it too hiiiiiigh." "Hurry up!!! My blood sugar is too low!!" 

She's frustrating and annoying and I'd like to evict her from my life, but she follows me everywhere. She hops into my backpack and comes to all my classes with me. She looks over my shoulder at the homework I'm doing. She's here right now, watching me type and nagging me to check my blood sugar right now. 

But she's invisible to everyone but me. Even other diabetics can't see her. They're dealing with their own diabetes. And here's the big thing, she follows me, but she isn't me. She's like me. She has my body and face, but she's only a piece of me. A piece of me I can ignore if I want, but I can't ignore her for too long. 

Maybe someday soon I can say goodbye to my roommate for good. The new artificial pancreas has just been released. One day I might be able to leave my diabetes for good. 

Being a T1D at a Nursing College

I go to a college with a huge nursing program. I am not a nursing major myself, but I have lots of nursing friends. I went in and got a flu shot today and ended up talking about my diabetes. The nursing students loved hearing all about my disease. It was actually kind of awesome that I could be so calm and educational about it.

Them: Are you a nursing student? (The nursing students all needed to get a flu shot)
Me: No
Them: Ah, okay. Are you worried about the shot at all?
Me: No, actually, I have to get a lot of shots because I'm diabetic.
Them: Oh my gosh! So you must be a natural.
Me: Well, I just got it this last summer
Them: Holy cow! What were the symptoms? That must have been rough!

And then of course, I made my little Skelegrow joke:

Me: Yeah, you know that scene in Harry Potter when he doesn't have a bone in his arm anymore and they had to grow it back? That's how it felt when my leg muscles all grew back!

They were so interested and it felt pretty amazing to have this information.
I don't know what it is that made me feel so important. Maybe the attention of the nursing students. Maybe it's because I know firsthand what this is like. Maybe I was just proud of my bravery through all of this and the fact that I don't fear shots anymore.

No matter what though, that flu shot hurt!!!

Future With T1D

If everything I've heard is true, I will have this disease for the rest of my life. From now on until forever, it's all about counting carbs, taking shots, and staying on top of my blood sugar levels. It's quite daunting. I'd like to believe that in the next five years, a cure will be found and everything will go back to normal, but in case that isn't in the cards, there are still some things I'm looking forward to when it comes to my diabetes.

1) My math will definitely get faster. I'm already seeing a difference in how quickly I can do simple addition. (I only started to notice it in my statistics class when I finished all of my work before anyone else.)

2) I'm hoping that I gain the ability to just look at a meal and say "That will probably be 3 units worth of insulin". I wait for that skill. It would be really helpful at my college (where they don't give you a carb count for their food...)

3) Time will most certainly make me more confident in taking my shots. I'm still getting used to giving myself shots in my arm.

It doesn't make things better. My pancreas is still broken, but maybe it will be easier in the future.

Pre-T1D

In some ways, I feel like my whole life has been leading up to this diagnosis.

When I was very young, if I liked a certain food, I would eat that food until I hated it. It's the reason I don't like butterscotch, I'm hesitant about how much quiche I eat, and I've learned to restrain myself around jellybeans.
Obviously, mindless eating is not something that a person with Type 1 Diabetes can do. Everything must be methodically planned out before I consume anything.

I also tended to ignore my body. I would sit around working on one project for hours, even if I was hungry, I would wait until the project was finished before I ate. This became quite dangerous in college since my projects went on late into the night and I would often skip dinner.
Now, I pay very close attention to my body. I have my fitbit on me, telling me how much I've exercised (too much and I go too low, too little and I go too high). I have a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to measure my blood sugar. I am constantly aware of how I need to treat my body since the consequences are quite serious.

But the biggest change T1D has brought into my life is that I didn't think I could change. I thought that I would always be afraid of needles and that I would never be able to pay attention to my body and that I would always be this way. And I was okay with this. I didn't think I could change and I didn't necessarily want to change.

I am a practicing Catholic and I have read several stories about the saints. Many of these saints overcame great odds, most of which were diseases of all sorts. I thought, maybe if I had a disease I could overcome, I could be more like the saints. Not that just having T1D will automatically put me on the path to sainthood. It's just interesting how things turned out.

I'm stronger, smarter, and more aware now because of this. I sympathize with others that have chronic diseases. I don't just feel bad for my friends with asthma and others with auto-immune diseases, I understand them better now. I can understand what they are going through and relate to them better.
For all the bad that has come from this, there is always good.

Thoughts on Insulin

I'm not going to lie, I have thought about skipping insulin doses and just letting myself go high recently. Like, if my meal only amounts to 5 grams of carbs, maybe I could just skip the shot?

My legs have been bruising so I started to put insulin in my arm, but even that is bruising. My Dexcom makes only half of my belly usable. Not to mention that I live in a cooler climate which means more clothes and less ways to get at my skin. For example, today I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and long pants which means no insulin in my legs and I could have difficulty putting it in my arm.

Shots are physically the worst part of Type 1 Diabetes. When I gave myself that first shot in the doctor's office, I was stunned. I was going to have to do this five times a day for the rest of my life? I was afraid I would upset others if I gave myself my shot in front of them. When I was on a date with my boyfriend, the first time I had seen him since being diagnosed, I took my shot in the bathroom so I wouldn't freak him out.

Obviously, this isn't ideal. If you have T1D, it takes a lot of time out of your life trying to manage it. The math and prep and shots take so much out of an already busy schedule that by the time I'm ready to eat and finished taking my shot, my friends have already finished eating. Why get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of that to take one lousy six-second shot?

Of course, not everyone is okay with seeing a T1Der take insulin. I know of people who want me to go to the bathroom to take a shot just for their own sake. I babysat three kids this summer, one of which did NOT like that I had to test my blood and take my shots. He was very upset with me that I had to do that. But you know, these people need to have this experience, They are going to meet people in their lives that are also going to be suffering from T1D and it's better that they get all of their initial feelings out on me so they can have more compassion for the next person, Shots are scary, I know. I was one of those people once. I'm sure that before this happened to me, I would have been squeamish about seeing someone else take their shots too. The more you learn, the braver you are though and experience is the best teacher.

If you have a friend or family member suffering from T1D, let them know you care. Tell them that you're proud that they're taking care of themselves and that you hope for only the best blood sugar numbers of them.
If you have T1D, know you're not alone and that we can make it through this together.

Best of numbers.
Elizabeth

Diabetic Danica: T1D Resource

Diabetic Danica is a great resource for first time Type 1 Diabetics. She has been such a major help in learning about and getting through the first few weeks of my diabetes.

This video was especially helpful when I was getting my own Dexcom. She was so calm and informative. I thought, "If Danica can do it, so can I!"
I strongly suggest watching some of her other videos if you need support when it comes to making a diabetic decision.

My Story

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Valcourt and I was just recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
I'm 19 years old and I am currently a sophomore in college.

At the end of freshman year, I noticed that I was getting very thirsty and tired during finals. I thought that is was nothing and that I just needed to get home and rest. But over the summer things didn't get better. I went in for a doctor's check up and I had lost over 20 pounds over the last year. My doctor thought it was nothing and so I left that day still oblivious. One of my mom's friends told her that I should go to the doctor's again, but this time to a female doctor. This friend's daughter also had Type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed after the first year of college as well.
So my mom took me to the doctor's again.

At the beginning of the school year I was 110 lbs. When I was diagnosed, I was 84 lbs.
I was tired.
I was thirsty.
I was miserable, but I didn't even know how unhappy I was.

After all of my tests, my blood sugar was too high to even register.
I didn't end up going to the ER, but I did go right to the diabetes educator.
I was so afraid of needles at that point. The thought of giving myself multiple shots every day terrified me.

The first week was awful.
But things have changed now. I'm in a much better place mentally when it comes to my diabetes.

I hope to tell you more about:
Being diagnosed
My summer learning about T1D
How I've changed how I think about diabetes
Updates on living with T1D in college

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!