Age: 26
Occupation: Broadcast Associate
Health issue: Type 1 Diabetes
Symptoms: The first symptom I noticed was fatigue. I was in university at the time, and I found that after a morning class, I would almost require a nap just to make it through my afternoon session. Next was a constant thirst and need to urinate. I was waking up having to go to the bathroom two or three times a night. Finally, I experienced weight loss. Leading up to my diagnosis, I lost between 15 to 20 pounds. At first, I thought I was just having some sort of reverse “freshman 15” thing; then soon clued in that something was wrong. I was diagnosed in the fall of 2006, when I was 19 years old.
Health recommendations: Diabetes can cause a lot of complications later in life if it’s not taken care of, so I can’t stress enough that having your diabetes in check should be a number one priority. I’d also suggest trying to stay active and in good shape. It will improve your diabetes and also your overall life. I started a wireless insulin pump in the spring of 2012 and have seen a dramatic improvement in my blood sugar levels. With technology getting better and better, I recommend any diabetic who is not on some sort of insulin pump to try one.
The results: I am proud to say I haven’t let diabetes change my life in any way (minus switching to diet pop!). I am still able to do all the things I did before being diagnosed and still get to enjoy the foods and lifestyle that I used to. Thanks to my insulin pump, my A1C (which is your average blood sugar over a three-month period) is exactly where a healthy person’s should be, and my doctors tell me that looking at my blood work, you’d never know I was diabetic. With the technology out there improving every day, living with diabetes is only going to get easier as I get older, which is very exciting.
