The end of The Olive Fox

I wrote this article originally for The Olive Fox, but recently to my utter disappointment they have ceased publication. They provided me with an opportunity to publish some of my writing and welcomed me into a wonderful community. I wrote several articles for them and I enjoyed writing them so much and now I don't want to lose them. 

So I'm just going to republish an article here, in case you missed it when it was originally published. It's very information heavy so soz, but spreading awareness and educating people about my health condition is something I'm clearly passionate about. One more person learning something new about my condition means less people might ask me a misinformed question about it. 

A Day in The Life - Type 1 Diabetes

Every day is different when managing diabetes. No day is identical, if there was a graph documenting the life of diabetic it would be frantically up and down.

This is my 5th year since diagnosis and woah, half a decade already? I was only seventeen at the time, it completely changed my life in every way possible. I had to grow up quicker than my friends, had to take more responsibility for my health and well-being and make sensible decisions. 

If you didn't know already, type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the insulin-producing cells in a person’s body have been destroyed and no longer produce insulin. For me, unfortunately this means a lifetime of daily self-administrated injections or, for other diabetics, an electronic pump attached to the skin, it all depends on your personal preference.

Insulin is a hormone produced that helps the body convert the glucose in our blood into energy. For someone with Type 1, the body does not produce insulin. (Thanks pancreas for not working xxx) The body failing to produce insulin is dangerous because your body needs it to break down the glucose in whatever you eat. No insulin normally means extremely high blood sugars and this leads to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis which can be fatal if not treated soon enough. In the weeks leading up to my diagnosis back in 2013 I was very unwell, I had entered ketoacidosis unaware and had lost 3st as a result. I was fatigued and nauseous, I was confused, I was drinking A LOT of water and then urinating 24/7. The most memorable part was getting up in the middle of the night and literally drinking litres of water, because my body was so desperate to flush out the excess sugar. 

To give you more of an idea about what all of this means for me, here’s a snapshot of an evening for me.

One evening I had a snack of two slices of toast and I administrated 6 units of insulin to cover the meal. I ate the toast and an hour later I felt extremely tired. What with it being midnight I assumed I was simply that, tired. I got into bed but then my body began to shake and my vision felt fuzzy and blurry.

Begrudgingly I got out of bed and checked my sugars. They read 3.6, which is low. Ugh. Another episode of low blood sugar where there is too much insulin in my body. This can happen after overestimating the amount of insulin needed for a meal. It's so easy to make a mistake and misjudge your food portion. It can also happen after exercise or consuming alcohol. On this occasion, I injected too much insulin accidentally. These things happen and it's always a learning process, always trial and error.

I felt weak and my hands were shaking. I was desperate for a sugar fix to bring my levels back to normal. I ate a handful of raisins then some complex carbs, but I accidentally over-eat, which is a common problem after a low. You are so desperate for this strange and scary feeling to pass that you will eat everything in your kitchen to make you feel better, which then ends with an extremely high reading. It is an endless cycle. You cannot win. My symptoms of low blood sugar are never the same. Sometimes I’m freezing, other times I’m sweating. Whilst recovering from the low, which sometimes takes hours, I pricked my finger again, a reading of 13.1 came up meaning I could probably go to sleep now.

The next morning after an expected bad night sleep, I checked my sugars. 20.0. Too high. Far too high. My mouth was dry, I was unbelievably thirsty. I needed litres of water. I felt sluggish, sick, thirsty and hungry. And much more exhausted than the previous night.

I made breakfast, my normal routine of porridge with banana. My blood sugar monitor allows you to input the amount of carbohydrates consumed, and based on the ratios you have figured out for carbohydrate to insulin, it works out your insulin dose. Technology is wonderful. It saves me all the mathematics hassle, although I still  have to count the carbohydrate content of my meal. The monitor tells me 15 units of insulin, it seems a lot but I need extra units because of the high. The injection hurts more than normal. I pinch the bit of skin I plan to inject in, the thin needle breaks the skin and it’s a bit painful. It was one of those moments I know so well now where I just want to scream and cry and be angry at everything because diabetes sucks, even on a good day.

It’s something I simply must get on with, there’s nothing I can do, yet, to make it all go away. Until then, every day is different. Every day comes with different meals, different emotions and different plans for the day.

Does someone wanna find a cure yet? PLEASE. I want to eat some of those hot sugary doughnuts you get at the seaside without having to worry.