Inspiring Stories

College Teaches More than Science

Being a college student, it is very hard trying to balance life. There's classes, work if you have a job, a social life, parties, etc. Add diabetes into the mix, and well, it's not a dream come true in the very least. I refer to the acclimation period of college when you have diabetes a nightmare.

My first semester at my university I took terrible care of myself. I didn't do my insulin all the time and I hardly ever touched my blood sugar monitor. Even though just a few short weeks before moving on campus I found myself in the hospital in DKA, it hadn't really hit me just how important it was I take care of myself.

It hasn't been till recently that it registered in my mind that there is so much on the line. Being in college I only have a couple years before I leave and have a career. In less than 10 I'll be married and starting a family. For me to get the most out of these huge milestones I realized I needed to buckle down and take care of myself. I had to get over the hatred I've had for over 10 years towards this disease. I needed to get my crap in order or else I may lose a foot, lose a kidney, lose my ability to have healthy pregnancies, and may even lose my life.

College does more than teach me the information I need to have a successful career one day. It has taught me that to be my best me, to live to do what I want, I need to become a good diabetic. I hope other young people who have struggled like me will learn this sooner rather than later. I don't think anyone wants to become a statistic.

Anonymous
Indianapolis, IN

Are You Always This Thirsty?

I was 19 years old, a sophomore in college and working full time. Right around Thanksgiving is when I started being so thirsty that I would wake up in the middle of the night and drink from the bathroom sink because I was too weak and too thirsty to make it downstairs. I could eat two meals in a row and still be starving and the headaches; the worst possible ones you could imagine. I was sensitive to light and that made me tired. I spent more time sleeping than awake it felt like. And finally, the big indicator- I had lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I didn't want to believe that there was something wrong with me. It was every teenage girl's dream to eat whatever she wanted and still lose weight. Everyone was worried about me, except for myself. Finally, in late February of 2014 I was at my aunt's house for dinner. She had noticed I drank all the water in her Brita in about an hour. "Are you always this thirsty?" she asked me. I told her lately yes and she immediately said to me that she thinks I have diabetes. It runs in my family on my dad's side. My great-aunt was diagnosed with Type I when she was 29 years old. Three days later I went to the doctors (I had just switched so he knew nothing about me) and told him my symptoms and family history. He told me that he wasn't going to test me for it, but test my blood sugar. Sure enough my blood sugar was 402 and I hadn't eaten in over 8 hours. I gave myself my first dose of insulin in the office and left that day with everything I would need. I was scared, confused, and in denial.

It's been a year now and I still am trying to figure out this disease, but it doesn't define me. I am almost 21 and a teacher and still a full time student. I am proud to say I am a Type I diabetic.

Gianna
Dudley, MA

Even with Diabetes you need to stay strong!

Hello!

My name is Kevin and i am from The Netherlands.

I am 21 years old.

i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when i was 2 years old, One day before my birthday.

a lot i can´t remember of it cause i was way to young.

My mom told me some stories what happened at that moment, and believe me, that are not the stories that you want to hear.

I grew up with this disease and so on i tried to helped a friend of mine that has diabetes now for 4 years, it makes me happier to help another person that had almost no experience with this disease.

Everyone needs help where is possible and nobody is alone!

I want to share my story because i know it´s not easy to live with it and still you can live like somebody else that doesn't live with this disease.
If you take enough care of yourself, you can come much further in life!

Kevin De Waard
Eindhoven, Netherlands

how I ended (got )here ? 

The last weeks of December 2000 started with vomiting.  He kept throwing up everything she ate she vomited that day took me to the Castro Rendón Hospital in the city of Neuquén. The guard gave me an injection and I went home . Later that my situation got worse worsened. Vomiting was more frequent and also I had delirious moments with fever. Ambulance and hospital again. I did research.I had had meningitis . That same day I was taken to the ICU ( Intensive Care Unit ) .  On December 25 I went into an induced coma , Dec. 28 my son Franco was born. Days passed and my situation was getting worse . In mid- January 2001, my situation was complicated. On Jan. 15 he recommended to my parents to start thinking of organ donation as they tried all possible treatments and drugs for these diagnoses (because my situation was very bad)  On January 20th I woke up from a nightmare. It was like a dream that never ended. It had been nearly a month in a coma. I didn not understand anything , where I was or what had happened to me.  When I awoke, my body was completely atrophied. I couldn’ t move my legs , had paraplegia by spinal injury , product of Viral Meningitis . The doctor told me everything that had happened to me, and made me realized that I was on the verge of death. I was explained that he tried with all treatments and had lost any improvement hope. Also, told me I had diabetes, but not to worry about because I had a life ahead and diabetes was nothing compared to what I had suffered at the hospital. He gave me some pills and instructed me to begin rehabilitation. I went home with Diabetes in a wheelchair. It took me almost a year to recover from paraplegia . From wheelchair to crutches spent and time again to move on my own
Today , after 13 years, I live a normal life due to insulin pump therapy.  

Pablo Martin Padoani
Rio Negro, Argentina

A late Type 1 Diabetic

Hi there!
My name is Siff, and I'm from Copenhagen in Denmark.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2012, when I was 16 years old.
I am still not sure how to live a normal life with this disease, but I try my best!

After losing 20 pounds and drinking about 5 litres of water every day for 2 months, my mum finally forced me to see a doctor. My blood sugar was so high the machine could not read it, so I was sent straight to hospital (without any lunch :-( )
Having to deal with a suicide in the family shortly after didn't make it any easier.
I just wanted to share my story with every one out there to let you know, that YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT - even with an autoimmune disease! I had to figure that one out myself, and I wish someone had been there to tell me a little earlier. So there you go!

Together we are strong!

Anonymous
Copenhagen, Denmark

Vivian's Vision for a Cure.

September of 2008, 6 year old Vivian was the flower girl in her uncles wedding, despite feeling sick for numerous days. She smiled, danced, and laughed despite her discomfort. A few days later, she started vomiting and her parents took her to the pediatrician, assuming it was a bug she had. The doctor knew something was wrong instantly, so he summoned an ambulance and suggested they rush to the Children's hospital an hour away. They tried testing her blood sugar in the ambulance, but the number was too high for the meter to read. Not wanting to risk the long trip, the ambulance took Vivian to the nearest hospital so they could control her BS. Once at the hospital Vivian's BS was shown to be on the plus side of 900. After a few hours there, she was transported to the Children's hospital, where the Dr. was shocked to see that her blood sugar had been brought down much too low, risking brain damage. Needless to say,Vivian was very, very fortunate to only have to stay one night, where she was officially diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. Soon after being diagnosed, Vivian and her family created a non-profit organization called "Vivian's Vistion For A Cure," donating all proceeds raised to JDRF. For about a year she received insulin injections, and then switched over to the OmniPod, a tiny pump that she changes every 3 days. Almost 13 years old, Vivian Eve embodies everything life should be. Fun, joyful, and full of love. Since, Vivian has had several seizures due to low BS, as well as been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, another auto-immune disease that all too often accompanies Type One Diabetes. There are plenty of nuisances that go along with being a teenager, yet alone a teenager with two diseases. While some days are harder than others, Vivian lives by a motto: "You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice." She is bright and spirited and passionate. She is an inspiration to me, her sister, and a true blessing to all who know her.

Anonymous
Camden, NY

Who knew what strep could do?

At age 5, Megan was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. 2 Days after Christmas, she began drinking everything in sight. For a kid who was picky about juice boxes, she drank one right after another. The only thing she complained about was her throat hurting. We took her to our family doctor to find out she had strep throat. No big deal, gave us some medicine and said we were good to go. After I mentioned she was drinking a lot and had been having accidents at night, even though she was potty trained and hadn't had an accident in over 2 years, our P.A. decided to run a urine test to check for a UTI. After waiting on the results, the main doctor at the facility came in and said that Megan's sugar level was coming up as "high" and we needed to get her to the hospital right away.

After being admitted, they found her sugar level was 642. Strep throat seemed to creep up out of nowhere every few months. Megan was hospitalized over 6 times due to strep throat, once sending her into the PICU in DKA. Who knew something that seems so little could send her sugar skyrocketing and unmanageable. Finally, we were able to have her tonsils removed. 3 years later, we are happy to say she has had NO hospitalizations and her diabetes is under control.

Sarah Hurst
Salem, WV

Depression Gave Me Diabetes 2

I grew up in a family that had relatives with Diabetes 2, none were terribly overweight, just a few pounds here and there.
While in tech school for 2 years, I went through a health craze phase (80's) along with everyone else bent on not becoming Diabetic and for the time I ate salad with no dressing, smoked and lived on coffee, I not only lost weight but went anorexic.
After a date rape made me pregnant and after the delivery of my now 27 year old gravely disabled son, life became really hard. I was a single mom, my child was disabled with a myriad of disabilities and I was struggling trying to keep up. Then I became very depressed.
I remember walking to my Dr.'s office crying so hard I was dry heaving as I made my way there. The Dr. put me on Paxil. The medication required blood tests to get a beneficial drug level in the blood. For about 6 mos, my blood tests came back normal on ALL the panels.
Then from nowhere, I started becoming extremely ill, I couldn't see straight, was starving myself because I was nauseated, thirsty and cranky. The Dr. thought anxiety and put me on Atarax but then when that didn't improve my condition after a month or so she had a hunch, a new blood test showed that my fasting glucose level was near 400 mg/dL. I was taken off Paxil and given 1 last blood test to rule out a false positive but sadly it was confirmed when my A1C came back at 14; Triglycerides over 600 mg/dL; Cholesterol over 600 mg/dL.
I've been Diabetic 2 now since 1998 and am still struggling with insulin and diet to control my blood sugars as a Carbohydrate lover. Tried all the medications, went through the Diabetic clinics, etc, the medicines just made me sick or feeling near death.
Years ago I tried a low carb diet with success. I am back on that low carb diet now 2 years later trying to reverse Diabetes 2 and drop about 100 lbs.

Deborah Crow
Fresno, CA

I was diagnosed at the age of 18 months old

I have been a diabetic all my life. I was diagnosed at the age of 18 months old. My parents told me how they found out. I was a healthy baby at the beginning but at 18 months I started to not eat, was getting sick all the time and couldn't stop crying. My parents took me to the hospital and the 1st doctor diagnosed me as having the flu. So my parents took me home and started to treat me with the flu. I wasn't getting better so they took me back in. As they were talking to the nurse, a doctor over heard my parents and asked permission to run some tests on me. All my parents said was find out what's wrong with our son. The doctor ran blood work and found out I was a type 1 diabetic. They rushed me into the pediatrics ward and started working on me right away. Thanks to that doctor I am here and able to share my story with others who have this disease. I will be 45 this June and thankful that a doctor took the time and found out what was really wrong with me. I have had many complications due to this illness but instead of giving up I have learned to share my experiences with others so that they hopefully avoid the things that caused my problems. I also chair a diabetic support group for newly diagnosed diabetics and family members or for anyone that just want's to know more about the disease

Marc Bois
Blind River, Canada

My Journey So Far With Type 2 Diabetes

I knew prior to diagnosis that I was at risk for type 2 diabetes as it runs on all sides of my family and hasa 50/50 chance of being diagnosed with it... I was diagnosed in 2009 and by 2010 I was diagnosed with one of the worst cases of diabetic never pain in my age group 30 somethings and I have battled ever since to get my mobility needs met and find the correct treatment for my needs and recently in early 2015 I have found 2 alterantive treatements that are offered at the teaching unniversity that the clinic that serves me as a patient that are actually very effective and they are Yoga that is adaptive specifically for chronic pain and accupuncture for the same! I have also been able to meet my mobility needs with a walker and power wheelchair that I uses one or the other to get around as my diabetic nerve pain is so great that it causes my legs to randomly go from under me and I have fallen on a few occassions so thank goodness for these 2 miracles and for those that don't think so there is light in the tunnel ahead and research being done to make these problems better and or be cured!

T. Allen Lumsden
Portland, OR