Hey, my name is Jenny, I am 16 years old. I was diagnosed with type 1 on August 17 of this year, and though I was advised to join one of these websites at that time, I thought I could handle all of this on my own because I am really independent. I do not personally know anyone who has diabetes, and this is alot more challenging both physically and mentally than I thought it would be. I’ve been struggling to stay happy and in control, and so I decided to join this to see how everyone else is handling it. If you have any advice or you wanna talk, please do not hesitate to message me. Thanks
Hello Jenny,
Well, I am going to take seeing your post as “a sign,” because I just joined this site and your post was the first I saw.
I was diagnosed Type I at 16 also. I was quite independent also. I never met anyone else who had type I diabetes…Everything you said reminded me of myself.
I remember choking on the word “diabetes.” I didn’t even know how to say it, “dia-bee-tees,” or “di-bee-dis?” Back on my “diagnosis day,” it was called “Sugar Diabetes,” and my grandparents called it just “sugar.” I never told anyone in school. Even the teachers didn’t know. I felt alone and very different.
I was given 1 glass syringe and a couple of metal needles that I needed to boil each day and told not to drink soda or eat cake anymore. I was told not to have children, my life expectancy would be shorter than a “normal” person and there was a good chance I could lose my eyesight and/or a leg. I listened to the doctor tell me all this as I sat in his big, over-stuffed chairs in his dusty old office and remember the tears that fell down my cheeks. I was all alone - 16 years old with no mother or anyone overseeing my emotional needs. The date was April 7, 1972.
On April 8, 1972 I set out to prove that old doctor wrong. So far, I have.
I am now 61 years old with two grown sons (neither diabetic) and six healthy grandchildren. I have been wearing an insulin pump since 1999 and a glucose monitor for about 4 years. I have no major complications. Have I been perfect? No…that’s impossible. But I’ve been persistent and pro-active.
If you would like to communicate with me, I’d love to share my successes and the pitfalls I’ve encountered. Like how I used to have weekly pity-parties that became monthly, and now, just annually. It’s a heavy load to carry alone, so I’m glad to see you reached out.
My best advice to you is to educate yourself as much as possible. This is YOUR disease and you need to treat it as an enemy. Fight it wth knowledge and confidence.
Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Best of luck.
Hi Jenny, my name is Michelle. I was also diagnosed in August at the age of 14, 20 years ago. Being diagnosed during the teen years is really hard. Reaching out for help and support is the best thing you can do. If you have a local JDRF try contacting them for ways to get connected to others your age.
Diabetes is hard. Everybody has tough days (or weeks). Don’t get too caught up on the numbers. Just keep doing the best you can. Your best today may not be the same tomorrow. It’s ok, just keeping moving forward. You’ll make mistakes, that’s just part of life. Just do your best to be prepared. And when hard times hit just focus on each step one at a time. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family. Educate them on Diabetes and allow them to help you get through the hard days. I don’t know what I would do without my Husband and my family. He is the reason my A1C is what it is. Before I met him I was at 10 and going up. A healthy support team makes a huge difference!
Best Wishes!!
Michelle
Hi Jenny, I’m Amber. I was diagnosed on 8/19/16, I was 16 at the time, and I turned 17 in October. I have started to accept that one or two bad days doesn’t truly affect you in the grand scheme of things. I know having really high or really low days stinks, and you wish you could be normal without type one again, but you learn to move on and accept yourself for the unique person you are. I hope you find a way to find the bright side, and find a great support team. I’m always free to talk if you need someone to just listen.
My best of wishes!
Amber