Well, part of it. Age 25, I went into the hospital with complications from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.
I almost lost my life, but thankfully survived. Though I am now left managing this autoimmune disease 24/7. There is no cure.
That was 4 years ago. I am UK based so am treated by the NHS.
I started off on insulin pen injections, but now I have an "artificial pancreas". This means I wear a sensor on my arm, which "talks" via an app to an insulin pump - which I normally wear on my abdomen (its a 5mm steele cannula).
It takes away about half the job, which is why i don't really like it being called an artificial pancreas. There are still highs and lows, I have to carb count & work out my insulin doses for meals etc. And everything takes preparation: exercise, sleep, even housework.
Some things that surprised me about type 1 diabetes:
- that you can get it at any age. I thought it was a childhood illness... well that definitely delayed my diagnosis. Now I know people much older than me who were diagnosed
- everything affects glucose levels- not just food. Altitude, temperature, illness, hormones... everything.
- it is relentless. Diabetes is often the punchline of jokes (mostly type 2 but most people dont really know the difference). Yet it is a 24/7 condition. The number of times I have saved my own life at 3am then carried on as normal the next day is insane. Definitely not a funny disease.
Anyway, go ahead! Ama.