I am a type 1 diabetic, I was diagnosed when i was 2.5 but we believe i was born with it. I have no nerve damage what so ever. I am on Lantus and Novorapid pens. I am now 32 years old. Two years ago i started with severe migraines, daily. I had been backwards and forwards to Doctors until i went to see a fantastic specialist in South Africa. It turned out that i was having to much insulin and as a result of taking so much over so many years, it was overdose. My symptoms were memory loss, loss of concentration, headaches, exhaustion, fatigue, confusion, gaining alot of weight and then dropping it faster than i gained it and i had lost all feelings of going into a hypo. I would only start feeling the symptoms when i was about to go into a fit. I am a personal trainer and was put off work and exercise till further notice and i had to move back to my folks home in Zambia (i was living alone in Zimbabwe). It is now 1 year since i started seeing my Dr in South Africa, i am doing much better but still have bad days. I have recently got out of a relationship with a guy that i was engaged to so have suffered alot from stress and now recently also started with night sweats which i am trying to get to the bottom of. I will be starting exercise and work soon. BTW....I now inject 24 units less of my insulin. I had never been told or heard of carb counting so that is all pretty new to me and from when i was a child we were told NO sweets what so ever. I have now learned that i can anything i want in moderation, work out my carb intake and live a pretty normal life. My end result.....to be on a pump and to reach out to others with diabetes. I have come to realise that i am passionate about my disease:-)

Anita Viljoen
Lusaka, Zambia