Skip to main content

30 Things About Type 1 Diabetes You May Not Know

In an attempt to bring Invisible Illness week full circle, I have decided to include this list made up by the people at http://invisibleillnessweek.com. I promise to return to space-blogging next week :-)

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes


2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 1998 (barely, December 30th)


3. But I had symptoms since: about November 1998


4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: taking shots and poking my finger several times a day.


5. Most people assume: you get used to the shots after a while...


6. The hardest part about mornings are: waking up low and already exhausted...


7. My favorite medical TV show is: scrubs :-) Especially Turk, since he has Diabetes!


8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: well I could probably live without my pump and my glucose meter, but I don't really want to try it...


9. The hardest part about nights are: when I have to change my site...for some reason at night it is really hard to feel "ok" about having to stab yourself with a needle


10. Each day I take 0 pills & vitamins. But I do take a constant stream of insulin...


11. Regarding alternative treatments I: am not sure if I will ever see a cure in my lifetime...and I'm not sure if they can really come up with any alternative treatments besides insulin...haha...


12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: NO ILLNESS!


13. Regarding working and career: at the moment Diabetes has really put a kink in my Astronaut dream...we'll see how that plays out in the future...


14. People would be surprised to know: that I HATE needles!


15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: that I may not be able to be an astronaut :-(


16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: I don't really have an answer to this one yet, although I think I may try SCUBA diving soon...


17. The commercials about my illness: there isn't very many for TYPE 1...just old people with Type 2.


18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: not having to count every carbohydrate that goes into my mouth...


19. It was really hard to have to give up: sleep overs at friends' houses right after I was diagnosed...mom said I couldn't sleep over until I could give myself a shot...


20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: well, I was diagnosed when I was 11, therefore I have lots of new hobbies...but I would say: blogging about having Type 1.


21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: go on a spontaneous trip far away and not worry about how many sites, reservoirs, test strips, meters, lancets, insulin pens, pen needles, syringes, glucose tablets, or insulin bottles I have with me!!! Hurray!!!!
22. My illness has taught me: empathy


23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: "I could never give myself shots" cause honestly, if you were going to die, you probably could...


24. But I love it when people: understand or try to understand that Diabetes is not my fault...


25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: "What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise" --Oscar Wilde


26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: that there are people (like me!) who actually know what it feels like!


27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: how you can feel guilty for having something that isn't even your fault...


28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: stay up late with me until I felt better...


29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I want more people to be informed...


30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: ECSTATIC! That someone is actually reading my blog...and maybe even learning a little about this little diabetic!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Who has two thumbs and loves comments? Nerdy April!!! Type one out and hit publish!

Popular posts from this blog

The road to curing Type 1 Diabetes

From the moment of diagnosis, the road is rough, the learning curve is steep and the stakes are literally life or death. The map is less-than-helpful - paths originating from virtually every corner, coalescing at a center point (aka "diagnosis") and bursting back outwards - some paths cross and wrap around each other but others are isolated. And even with all of these roads, most of the territory is uncharted - how did we all get here and how will we all exit? Where are the obstacles we haven't found yet? Which passage holds the key to unlocking the solution?

On any given day I feel pretty isolated with this disease - I'm the only T1D in my group at work, the only one in mission control, the only one in my family. I go through the logistics of calling insurance companies, ordering supplies, changing sites and troubleshooting malfunctions mostly on my own. Even those pesky carbs really only get counted in my brain, no group think for a meal bolus here. But there is b…
2 comments
More Nerdy This Way! »

Type 1 Diabetes - IT life.

Nine years ago (9 years ago?!), I was still waiting for the black-box-doctors at the FAA to clear my Class III medical certificate - a requirement for my then-job flying on experimental Army helicopters. To 'pump' up my diabetes-dejected ego (ha), Dave let me tag along with him for his MH-47G proficiency simulator runs. That tiny taste into helicopter flight dynamics gave me so much appreciation for him - hovering is literally the.hardest.thing, I was tense the entire time and constantly felt like I was one small cyclic movement away from losing control. Even though I knew in the back of my mind we were in a (moving) simulator, my senses got lost in the weight of the flight controls, the movement on the screens, and the hard thumps when I hovered right into the ground.

At the end of the runs I asked him how he has the stamina to pilot this monster of a helicopter for literally 15 hours straight (these special ops versions can mid-air refuel). He sort of laughed, but his answer…
2 comments
More Nerdy This Way! »

International Travel with Type 1 Diabetes

Whew! Back from one international trip and on to another next week! I will admit my eyes roll every time I get the "we're gunna need to pat you down" talk at TSA, but international travel is a whole different animal. I thought it might be fun to see what goes through my brain and into my bags for these types of trips!


I wouldn't be a NASA Flight Controller if I wasn't good at planning, the key to international travel as a T1D is PLANNING!

3 months prior

Assess supplies. Mine come in 90-days supplies so I like to inventory at least 3 months prior and make a plan to order more early if the trip is going to coincide with the end of my 90-day stock. In my experience supply companies are usually pretty good about adjusting orders as needed if you tell them the reason for the early request - just mention you have an international trip coming up and want to make sure to have plenty of supplies (and backups!) in time. Request a loaner insulin pump. It's likely the comp…
2 comments
More Nerdy This Way! »
01 09 10