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.
Dudley, MA
