I am just curious, since you joined juvenation has it helped you gain better control of your diabetes? have you been able to feel less stressed? are you able to talk about having diabetes with your friends more now? do you feel less alone?
You don't have to answer these exact questions if you don't want to I am just using it as an example. You can just write how juvenation has helped you personally since you joined.
Gina,
I think it has helped me realize that there are others out there going through the same thing that I am, and I don't feel so alone. When I get up at 2am to test my son and can't get back to sleep, it gives me something to read, something that makes sense.
Dawn
This site has helped me out alot. Being more open with my wife and my parents and even myself. I know that I am not alone in dealing with this and that other people are here to help me. I would just like to thank you all for your help!
Josh
I've enjoyed being able to talk about what I go through and deal with on a daily basis with other people who understand and who do the same. It's neat to learn how others deal with it and maybe take tips from them as a way to better manage it for myself or to simplify something that I've been doing.
It's also very nice knowing there's so much support available (people, forums, etc.).
Thanks Gina!
I haven't been a member long but the whole concept of being able to connect to people with diabetes is really neat for me. I really only know one other person that's T1 and he's not really a close friend. My girlfriend understands things pretty well and I'm definitely able to share and talk with her about anything on my mind, but it is comforting being able to actually communicate with other people like me.
It has helped me come to terms with the fact that diabetes is NOT a perfect science. Now I don't feel as bad about my BGs being all out of whack alot cause I know I'm not the only one struggling with it every day.
It's also nice being able to relate to someone and to help someone through what you've experienced. I love reading what mothers of T1 write about their children and it makes me think of what a diabetic-pain I was to my mother in my teens and how much crap I put her through with my diabetes management. Lucky for her, now I'm an adult and live on the other side of the country!
Bottom line is - it's nice to be able to communicate with people who really and trully know how it is to be diabetic. It's nice to have family and friends who support you - but they will never really know how it REALLY is.
Thanks.
I've learnt some stuff I didn't know before which was nice and I've gotten a lot of useful tips. And I've found more people like me who are hestitant to switch to pumping, which is nice..I'm used to getting yelled at by other diabetics in online forums for being against it..haha.
This site has been fantastic! I quickly decided to switch to the pump because of this site (I had never heard of the omnipod till I came here), and I have loved reading others comments and advice. And I don't feel as alone as I used to knowing that so many others go through the same things I do each day!
Gina,
This site has been a great source of support, insight and inspiration. For me, juvenation has helped my management and my outlook. I think about diabetes more and think about more facets of the illness due to the input from other D’s. The support is fantastic… Ya’ll really make it easy to learn and hard to stay down! LOL
Cheers!
A-D
Batts,
I'm glad no one has yelled at you about not wanting a pump:) I went through the same thing with folks and my Dr's. However, I did switch a couple a years ago, but to each is their own. My Ma is also a T1 diabetic and she has been on shots her whole life (since she was 13) and she is in her mid 50's and she is doing fantastic! So you do whats best for you ALWAYS! I think you know that already though:)
Gina,
The site is wonderful and I really enjoy talking with other diabetics. I have learned many new things and its nice to see that I am not the only person who has problems from time to time with my diabetes. I look forward to the discussions people post and hopefully offer some support if needed. I still don't know what the term "honeymooning" means...
Hey Gina -- I just wanted to let you know that during our First Aid/CPR training at work yesterday, I stood up in front of all 250 employees, told everyone I'm T1 and explained where I keep my glucogan, when it use it. etc. I think being on Juvenation has helped me b/c I wasn't embarrassed at all to do that. (:
Juvenation came along at just the right time for me. I had already decided to begin focusing on my health which I had let slip over the past few years. I had gained weight, become easily fatigued, was emotionally stressed out and had just about given up. Reading Dr. Rickard K Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution" fueled my inspiration as I learned about Dr. Bernstein, himself a Type 1 diabetic for over 62 years who had taken control of his blood sugars and even reversed his complicatations. I began following his lo-carb diet and then signed up at a local gym to begin working out. It was at this time that I discovered and joined the Juvenation community. Seeing and communicating with all the young, newly-diagnosed Type diabetics became my main impetus to persist in my new diet, exercise and intense monitoring regimen. My goal has become to set a good example and show them -- my Juvenation friends, that it's not too late, even for a Type 1 of almost 40 years who didn't always take care of himself and who had deveoped heart disease, critical retinapathy and various meuropathetic complications. I am very happy about the progress I've made over the past 2-3 months, as well as my involvement with my new friends of all ages on Juvenation. Thanks everyone!!!
Juvenation is the BEST website!!! I learn so much here and see things from so many different perspectives. I've found easier ways to cope with some situations I encounter on a daily basis. The website helps me to keep everything moving in the right direction, even when things seem so messed up sometimes. While I hate to see how much some of the younger people struggle with self-identity issues, I'm glad that this support system is here for all of us. Now we need to start setting up a juvenation convention, something like that anyway...
Juvenation has helped me to be more outgoing, and has helped me make T1 friends with similar interests. I also get a lot of inspiration from this site, and from the people who contribute.
It has helped being able to see other people that understand what Im going through, and its nice to be able to say something Im going through or have dealt with and be able to feel like people understand what Im saying
I don't know that I would say that it helps me take better control, because I am a control freak with my diabetes. But, I love being able to talk to people that truly understand me. My own mother doesn't understand sometimes. I love the community feeling and the togetherness.
I feel as if everyone here is part of me in one way or another.
[quote user="Paul Glantzman"]
Juvenation came along at just the right time for me. I had already decided to begin focusing on my health which I had let slip over the past few years. I had gained weight, become easily fatigued, was emotionally stressed out and had just about given up. Reading Dr. Rickard K Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution" fueled my inspiration as I learned about Dr. Bernstein, himself a Type 1 diabetic for over 62 years who had taken control of his blood sugars and even reversed his complicatations. I began following his lo-carb diet and then signed up at a local gym to begin working out. It was at this time that I discovered and joined the Juvenation community. Seeing and communicating with all the young, newly-diagnosed Type diabetics became my main impetus to persist in my new diet, exercise and intense monitoring regimen. My goal has become to set a good example and show them -- my Juvenation friends, that it's not too late, even for a Type 1 of almost 40 years who didn't always take care of himself and who had deveoped heart disease, critical retinapathy and various meuropathetic complications. I am very happy about the progress I've made over the past 2-3 months, as well as my involvement with my new friends of all ages on Juvenation. Thanks everyone!!!
[/quote]
Paul, I don't think I knew the details of your story ... only that you had switched to low-carb. (: But, that's very encouraging to show that you can turn your health around at any age. Thanks for sharing your story!
It has helped that I now have several people to talk to at any point during the day about my disease and how it is affecting me. Before I found this place, I didn't really have people that completely understood my way of thinking and my feelings towards it. Here there is a great collective that I can tap into and finally feel one hundred percent understood.
I DEFINITELY feel less alone. In my whole life I had only met one other Type 1 and it was when I lived in Spain. Turns out I didn't have the vocabulary in Spanish to talk about it. So it's been great to know I am not alone in this big world. Lots and lots of you all have the same problems and issues that I have each and every day and it's wonderful to hear everyone's stories and read how supportive everyone is of each other.
In fact, on my first day on Juvenation, I found someone post about Omnipod. I had always been very anti-pump (I didn't like the idea of tubing) but reading about the Omnipod really inspired me. Within in a month, I had mine. It's been 8 months now and I love. My a1cs have been better too.
So I am extremely grateful to Juvenation for helping me get in touch with other T1s and learning more about the technology available to help us manage our care.
I love the site.. I was amazed the first time I posted a question.. I had like 3-4 reply's in the first two hours. And I also love reading the other posts..
As a parent of a child with type 1.. Hearing about all the ups and downs everyone goes through helps me be better prepared for my child as she gets older and the different situations that may arise.
Thank-you Juvenators!!