Eleven days before my birthday in 2009 I was rushed to the hospital with severe abdominal pain only to be diagnosed within hours as being diabetic and having a severe infection. I am not unfamiliar with diabetes as my mom is a T2, so I had a basic knowledge of what I could and couldn't have. My first meal in there was a diabetic nightmare: regular soda, grape juice, bread, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots and cake. Really?? After a week, I was released without any kind of knowledge of what type I had. It took a school nurse (a 30+ year nursing vet) to tell me I had T1 adult onset. I researched and everything she told me was true. I am a T1 adult onset. This threw my world spinning even more, and my family at home was, and is, no help. The constant comments about diet and weight do not serve to support me. They "try" to help, mostly by buying no sugar added/reduced sugar/sugar free sweets and baked goods in addition to the regular ones but then eat all the "diabetic friendly" food first. This is a daily thing; even with salads. In a way, I have given up hoping that they will ever change and want to understand my new reality. They truly do not get that there are sometimes I -have- to go without food in order to by syringes...or strips...or insulin. It is a daily struggle to remain positive and to live my life to the utmost. In the midst of one of my biggest battles with T1, I was actually asked to take another position at work because "...perhaps you're physically incapable of keeping up with the demands of (your) shift." This was a huge blow, especially where I work. I have chosen to look at the positives of life and to keep moving forward. It's really all I can do. Instead, I have found miraculous support with my colleagues, certain extended family and friends. I am truly blessed in this regard.

Jessie
Citrus Springs, FL