Johana's Story
My T1D journey began approximately 222 days, 1216 finger pricks, 739 insulin needle injections ago, to be exact it began on November 30, 2017. Those numbers would've been higher but I decided to become half machine and half human. I'm a proud insulin pumper and CGM owner.
Let me take you back to November 30, 2017. I still remember that day like if it was yesterday. Yet, here I am trying to remember what I had for dinner last night. Well back to November 30th. After, not feeling myself for a few months, I finally decided to go see my doctor. I blamed everything I was feeling on my anxiety and depression medication. (No, I'm not taking that medication anymore) I go to my appointment, while the nurse was checking my vitals I was telling her how exhausted I was feeling everyday and how thirsty I was all the time but not like a normal thirst this was a life or death kind of thirst. While I was telling her my symptoms she asked for me to hop on the scale, thinking to myself I have gained weight since I hadn't been dieting or exercising due to my exhaustion. Surprisingly, I see the number on the scale and tell her that the scale is off or might be broken because I haven't been dieting or exercising and it's 16 lbs lighter than when I weighed myself a couple weeks ago. She told me to wait in the room, when she came back she brought back a weird device, something I had never seen before, a "glucometer". She pricks my finger and a number pops on the glucometer reading 428. Before she could say anything I immediately ask her what that number meant and if it was ok, she of course said, "No". She left me in the room again but when she came back she entered the room with my doctor and ketone strips. At this point I was terrified. I didn't know if I had to pee because of all the water I had drank before entering the clinic or if it was my nerves. My doctor told me what exactly was going on and at the end added, we called the hospital they already have a room ready for you, you have to go right away.
I end up spending the night in the hospital. That night, I experienced my first "low". They had given me insulin to help bring down my blood sugar but only had me eat low carb snacks because they were going to do some lab tests the following morning but I had to be fasting. It was too much insulin for the little carbs my snack had. Not too much longer after my snack I started feeling drowsy, sweaty, shakey, and just out of it. I call for my nurse, she checks my BG and it's at 58. She runs out of the room and comes back with 3 different kinds of juices. I picked apple juice and drank it like no ones business. She explained to me what had happened and what could happen if my sugar drops too low.
I was in denial, I couldn't wrap my head around it all, it was overwhelming and so much for me to process. With tears running down my cheeks, I laid back down and couldn't believe that would be my life. When I went home, that's when it hit me the hardest. Those following days were filled with tears, stress, disappointment, denial and lots and lots of questions. I knew I had to do something because I have a family who depends on me. That's when I started to do my research and learn more about type 1 diabetes. I came across websites, Instagram accounts, blogs, it was a whole community with people just like me, with parents representing their little ones, battling just like me. I felt a sigh of relief knowing how supportive everyone was, including my family and loved ones. I wasn't fighting alone and that took some of my fear away.
In these passed months I have been able to travel to different type one diabetes events. I have met wonderful people, I have learned so much and now my job is to raise awareness, my job is to educate others about type 1 diabetes. I am also, back in school studying nutrition, which will give me the knowledge I need to help others to live a healthy lifestyle. We all know that no diet or exercise can cure type 1 diabetes but my goal is to help others suffering other health issues or anyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle.
After a storm, God sends us a rainbow. My storm is TYPE ONE DIABETES and my rainbow are all of my DIABUDDIES I have met along this journey.
Johana