I turn 15 on October 3rd.
UPDATE: I know it has been almost a year since I posted this, but I hope everyone who responded or liked the post is doing well. I hope each of your New Year is filled with great opportunities, big surprises, and content blood sugars. 
Hey my name is Rita and I’ve been a diabetic for about four years now and this last October I got started on an insulin pump and sensor and I haven’t been able to talk or relate to anyone about being a type one and I feel like an outsider for the past four years and I wanted to reach out and find some people that understand me.
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Hi rita. I have been been using Dexcom com for 2 years now and the pump Tslim for a year now. If you need any help or have any questions and I can help I would gladly try and help you
Hi Hannah,
My name is Ben and I’m 31 years old. I was diagnosed when I was 15 and have been handling T1D for 16 years in April. I‘m sure most people who visit this site can relate to your story so you shouldn’t feel like your all alone! I recently joined this forum because I feel like I don’t have anyone to talk to about my diabetes either. My family has always been my greatest support system but since I’m the only diabetic in my family no one really understands what we have to go through on a daily basis. I think I could really benefit from talking to someone with diabetes and understand how they have the same experiences as I do. If you’re still looking for a new friend to talk to I would love to chat!
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Hi Ben. You’ve had diabetes for a while, how have you been handling it? I’m having trouble managing my sugars and it be really great to chat with someone about it, I don’t feel supported 
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Hi Samantha,
Thanks for reaching out! Yeah I’ve had diabetes for a while now. Overall i feel like i have a pretty good handle on things but like everyone else who has it i have some dark days too. I think the one thing that has given me the best help is telling myself that i am not alone in fighting it. When i was fist diagnosed, i just told myself that this was going to be my life now and i just kinda accepted things. It wasn’t until i was older that i began to stress about not being able to rid myself of it. The mental side has been getting me down lately…
Whats your background Samantha? how old are you now? How old were you when you were diagnosed? As far as handling your sugars, I really believe it comes down to life style.
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Hi Ben, nice to meet you. I’m turning 31 in February and I was diagnosed when I was 24. I a filipino, so think I’m having a hard time since a lot of out diet mainly consist of carbs. No one in my family has diabetes so it’s especially hard. I’ve been having a hard time relating to anyone since they don’t know what I’m experiencing so it kinda sucks. Yeah I totally agree it’s lifestyle choices and it’s been difficult to change. How’d you do it?
@benjmarks2 @Sammeola Hello y’all (excuse me, I’m southern)! I see both of you are handling your diabetes strong and that’s a good thing. I am with both of you when it comes to lacking that support knowingly not having anyone with Type 1 in my family. They support me and understand, but they can’t ever relate to what I’m going to. I feel like such a burden when I can’t or just won’t eat that, when I complain about not being able to control my blood sugars, and such. My grandparents all have Type 2 and they eat HORRIBLE. I couldn’t imagine what my blood sugars would be like if I ate like them. It’s surprising though because if they were diagnosed with diabetes, wouldn’t they want to eat a little better? Of course maybe the older you are, the more you may not care, but still I think it goes for young folks too. I had a friend who got diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and not even a few days later, she was back to eating a ton of greasy fast food and candy! I think if your doctor diagnoses you with either diabetes, that your eating habits and lifestyle would hopefully change for the better. I hope we can three chat with each other and learn more about each other! I am on this site off and on but I get the notifications on my gmail quite often. I like that it alerts me! I am currently using the Omnipod Dash system with a FreeStyle Libre. I have been contemplating on getting a Dexcom for some time, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for the big change yet. I have been diabetic for 7 1/2 years almost 8 years now and it still never gets easy.
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Hi Hannah! Nice to meet you I totally hear you, even with friends they try to understand but can never really relate. I’m so glad that there are places like this where we can all share together!
I’m having trouble with soo many diabetic related things like watching my carb counting, checking my blood sugar before meals, having my a1c stable (which it hasn’t been in a long time) getting regular exercise, paying for all the supplies, and the list goes on… it just never ends and I want to scream! I’ve been seeing a diabetic counsellor (I’m from Canada btw) here and I feel like she doesn’t have anything to say because every session we have, it just goes in circles and doesn’t have a solution. Iunno I’m sure these are all things I need to find out on my own but it’s hard to do alone. Haha iunno now I feel like I’m just ranting. @hanstan @benjmarks2 how do you guys deal with it all?
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@Sammeola I feel you and it’s hard for someone that isn’t diabetic, even a counselor, to really understand. I don’t exercise like I should because I’m scared of what it can do to my blood sugars. I’m also not prepared on how to take less insulin when doing so since exercise decreases insulin intake. The supplies are super expensive and I tend to be super sensitive to my products. Like for example, if my clean test strip falls over in my pouch or on a surface that looks remotely clean, I will dispose of it. I don’t like using things that touch surfaces because how clean could they really be, including my own pouch?! I say this because I have wiped my blood in my pouch when I didn’t have a tissue (gross, I know). I wash it though, so there’s that!
This may be a mind thing, but my eating habits have totally changed since I was first diagnosed. I have cut out sweets, I don’t eat over 40 grams of carbohydrates, and I don’t even try to do anything that consists of working out. Get this: I have a high metabolism and weigh 108-110 pounds. I am trying to maintain my weight and now I have to watch how much cholesterol I’m intaking in everything I eat. 
It’s nuts worrying about anything other than your own disease, but it’s hard not to. It is 11:11 p.m. here. What is it there?
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@hanstan wow it sounds like you have a good control over your carb count! I feel the same with the exercise tho, I too worry about going low when I work out. I try not to over exert myself so that it’s somewhat maintained…? Haha iunno, I just want someone to like be beside me all the time and tell me what to do 
Ugh it’s so annoying about the insulin and exercise and taking less to compensate the activity you do and making sure you have a snack before or whatever. It gives me a headache, just easier to not do it. It’s probably my downfall, not dealing with it because it’s too hard
Ya I think my metabolism is pretty stable too. I fluctuate between like 117 to 123 all the time regardless of what I eat and how much activity I do… I don’t get it.
I’m located more central in Canada so the time here is 12:19am. Since you posted about an hour ago, it seems we’re in the same time zone! That’s pretty cool
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@Sammeola As far as exercise goes, I just don’t do it like you said. I could put the effort in, but what if I overdo it and don’t realize it, and then go low later because I didn’t compensate correctly? I only let my doctor mess with my basal and bolus rates. I don’t do anything myself, but I agree with you to wish someone could be beside me at all times helping me. In this case, a diabetic dog could be the answer. The downside to all the pros of diabetic products is that everything is so durn expensive! I would need to be on Medicare or some kind of second insurance to be able to afford anything new. I’m still on my Dad’s insurance from his work because I’m 23 years old. They allow you to be on it, whether you live in the household or not, until you’re 26 years old. Well the truth is, I still live with my parents, so I wouldn’t qualify for Medicare yet.
One thing I would like is to get the artificial pancreas. I would rather lean on its understanding than mine because sometimes we overthink too much into what we’re doing. I would love to not have to count carbs, so I wouldn’t have to worry how much insulin I’m getting and if my body can handle it or not. Sweets are tempting and forcing yourself to not eat them when they’re around is hard! Another neat, but pricey idea, is getting a diabetic dog. I know some that have one, but how they afford it, I have no idea!
So really, no matter the slight age difference, we are alike. We’re skinny minis just trying to maintain our weight, scared of too much exercise (I want to ride a bike though), and we feel the same way about needing support. Support from family and friends is great, but not enough. It feels full when you have more who feel what you feel and whose bodies are like your own. #deadpancreasgang
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@hanstan I think diabetic supplies are more affordable here in Canada. I’m able to buy everything out of pocket as I’m not covered with any insurance. For example, a box of humalog refills are about 70.00$.
Omg a diabetic dog?! I’ve never heard of such a thing! I love dogs, that would be amazing to have one by my side helping me through everything.
Even though I’ve had diabetes for about 7 years now, I don’t know the lingo :s I’m reading all these forums and I don’t know what everyone is talking about another reason why I feel so lost with diabetes…
What kind of insulin/supplies do you use?
@Sammeola Oh really? You’re so lucky. Well, I am on a two-three month supply for pods ranging in at $200.00 alone. It isn’t too bad, but then again it’s another $200.00 for a supply of two to three month test strips too. Even with insurance paying, we still have to pay some out of pocket expenses. For my FreeStyle Libre, which is a semi accurate CGM, it costs $70.00 for a supply of three every two months. With it not being always accurate, I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re Type 2 maybe.
You will have to research about diabetic dogs! They’re pretty cool and they’d be a lot more helpful to have. They detect lows and highs before your body alerts you. My body alerts me of lows, but some highs go unknown. I use Novolog with my Omnipod Dash, which is the wireless pump. I still tend to knock my pod into walls and door frames, so I don’t think wires would be a good match for me. 
What devices do you use?
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@hanstan I use a Lilly pen with humalog refills and the one touch verios to prick the fingers and check blood sugars. I refuse to go on the pump for insulin, I dont want anything attached to me but I’m considering the pod things… I need to regularly check blood sugars and I’m terrible at it right now. I’m having a hard time with routine since my meals are sometimes everywhere in a day.
We have this thing in Canada called pharmacare where you can get 100% coverage if you pay up to a deductable, determined by your salary. It renews itself every year on April and you would get a new deductible to pay for that year. For example, last year my deductable was about 800.00$ so in order for me to get my prescriptions paid for, I’d have to pay 800.00$ worth of supplies, then the rest of the year would be free until April of the following year. This year I paid off my deductible in November so I get 4 months of coverage until April. Does that make sense? Hehe
Are there better supplies out there I should try? I feel like I’m behind on the new stuff
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Are there any T1D teens on here? Do your BGs fluctuate all the time? I heard that it’s more common in teens and that it gets better when you’re an adult.
Hi Hannah! I’m new to this community board but not new to being Diabetic, I’ve had it for 24 years now (I’m 31) and still struggle I would love to be friends and chat more about our experiences! Like many of us, I don’t know any diabetics either and man can it get lonely!! I’m from San Diego, where are you from?!
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@EmilyMcKinney Hello Emily! I am good. How are you doing? I would love to talk more with you on diabetes. Meeting new friends is fun! I am from good ole southern Arkansas. I would name the town but it’s so small I don’t think you’d know where it would be. 
I think I have only been to Arkansas once so yes, I might not know your town I think we went to some caves/caverns there
How long have you had T1D?