help in dealing with diabetes?!
Question: Help in dealing with diabetes?
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last January, so i've had it for a year now. Even though its been a year it still feels new...It's hard because i think about it a lot. I am flying somewhere for vacation on spring break and im so excited but i know it's going to be a hassle bringing all those supplies & taking care of blood sugars while swimming in the pool/ocean & stuff ):
any tips on dealing with it? I feel like other teenagers my age are thinking about boyfriends & all that teenager stuff while I am dealing with a disease & my health all the time ): It sort of makes me paranoid even though i know everyone has bad things in their lives. I sometimes find it hard to relate with people my age. I would love some words of wisdom from a diabetic or a parent of a diabetic.
thanks for reading
Answers:
I totally understand what you are going through. I got diagnosed with diabetes last January, too! January 17th, to be exact. It's a really hard thing. I've also had some other medical complications which made it worse. What I've realized, though, is that lots of kids have diabetes and lots of other diseases. For example, my best friend has CF, and she's only expected to live till she's 35 -- that's if she's lucky. Every time I've having a bad day, I think of someone worse off than me. Maybe a kid with cancer or progeria. I've realized that we're lucky to grow up in a time when insulin pumps and shots are avaible. You might want to google "before insulin for type 1 diabetics". It really makes you realize how lucky you are.
Also, feel free to e-mail me at mryburne@att.net
We can be dia-buddies, if you like :)
I hope this helps!:)
All I can say is that now it is going to be a pain having to inject yourself with insulin before every meal. You also better watch what you eat and drink, and stay away from alcoholic beverages. I am very sorry this happened to you. Good luck.
just exercise and eat healthy. Thats the best you could do.
god I knew I would get thumbed down by some lardasses.
Get over it. Not like it's HIV or terminal cancer.
You can still have diabetes ad fun at the same time .
My daughter was diagnosed with diabetes at age 2.She doesn't remember life without it .
She will be 21 in a week and I am so proud of her .
She always participated in all the things other kids do.She went to sleep away camp, sleep overs with friends and now is in college about 5 hours away and yes, she had a boyfriend for a couple of years but now is not in a relationship .
She went ocean canoeing .Swims ,went on a cruise with her High school class and has earned a second degree black belt in Karate .
You can also do everything.It takes about 3 more minutes of thought to bring your supplies and snacks .
Think about joining a support group for teens, either on or off line
This once deadly disease is now very manageable.Be proud .
Diabetes is a particular nuisance on vacation. My son is 18 and was diagnosed at age 7. For summer vacations he switches to shots so that he doesn't have to worry about the pump. Taking the supplies on vacation hasn't really been a problem. Take all supplies on carry on luggage with you so there's no chance of anything getting lost.
My son learned a lot about coping with diabetes by going to diabetes summer camps every year from age 7 - 16. www.childrenwithdiabetes.com has a list of diabetes summer camps. It is good to see other girls your age who are going through the same stuff. Also ask your endocrinologist about diabetes summer camps and if there are support groups in your area. If there is no support group ask about getting one started for teens. We are also involved in JDRF volunteer activities, and that really helps too, because you meet other people with diabetes when you participate. For my son, and the rest of the family, we've find great comfort in meeting others with diabtes.
You can still have boyfriends, and go to sleep overs, and eat at Mc Donald's and everythng you did before your diagnosis!! You can particpate in sports, and swim and everything other girls are doing, the only difference is that you have to do a quick finger stick and test your sugar from time to time.
Don't let diabetes slow you down. Also, remember that the better care you take of your diabetes, the better you will feel so don't get in bad habits and skip shots or testing your blood because you want to be like everyone else.
One other thing, this forum is lousy for type 1 help. Go to www.tudiabetes.com instead.
I was the same a year after I was diagnosed - I think everyone is. It's really tough growing up with diabetes on top of all the usual teenage stuff! People say it's not like it's HIV or cancer or something, but actually that doesn't mean that it's not hard to deal with. We are lucky that we have insulin - check out pictures online of kids with diabetes 100 years ago before insulin was discovered - it makes me cry because the idea of dying from diabetes just seems so awful to me! But it doesn't mean that it's an easy thing to deal with. You never get a break from diabetes or stop thinking about it - people who don't have it have absolutely no idea how much you think about it every second of the day. But it doesn't have to stop you from doing anything. I was successful at university and graduated top of my class. I went to Nepal to study my masters. Now I've changed career and do a job I love. I'm really fit and work out at the gym pretty much every day. I live with my boyfriend. My life is good. Diabetes is annoying and difficult and never far from your mind - I'm still struggling with it often and I've had it for 14 years now! But it doesn't stop you from having fun or being happy. In fact it can open opportunities and give you skills that have no end of uses - when I was in Nepal I could administer first aid to street kids much more effectively because I know a lot about health because I have diabetes! There are positives too. Hang in there xxx If you want another dia-buddy, email me - cathy1@rocketmail.com :)