I had never paid any attention to diabetes or its symptoms. In the weeks leading up to my diagnosis I had been going to the toilet a lot, and i was so thirsty all the time, I was going through drink after drink, all flavors!! None of them helped, my mouth remained dry as did the thirst. I just put it down to my new job, as I was being more active and up earlier than I used to be. Anyway I woke up around 3.30am one morning and was violently vomiting , this continued for the next 12 hours until I had such a pain I thought my chest was going to explode, I was out of breath and couldn't hold myself up, of course i thought i had a sick day bug and ignored it for another 2 hours or so until the pain got too much, it was then the doctor came and said we had to get an ambulance immediately , blood sugar should be between 4 & 7mmol/mol, mine was 58mmol/mol . I was very lucky I went in when I did. Although the diagnosis of diabetes is hard to take at the start , theirs loads of people telling you this and that and all your thinking is why me, it can get you down, but it just becomes part of your life. I'm 20 now and in college so partying is top of the agenda at the moment and it has not affected me in that or any other aspect of life. I eat better, and keep active and I still do everything that I used to do before, that's the main thing, don't let it get in the way of anything in life. Enjoy life and don't let it hold you back.

Thomas
Limerick, Ireland