Living with Type-1 Diabetes

I have type-1 diabetes. I was diagnosed when I was ten years old. I’ve been living with this for 14 years now. It was life changing. In every aspect. How I spent my time, what I ate, what I thought about, what clothes I wore. Today I want to explain what I do every single day living with type-1 diabetes. I hope some of you can relate and feel connected to a community after reading this. It can be hard to find fellow type-1 diabetics online so if you enjoy reading about this topic I hope you stick around.

I wake up. It’s 6 AM. First thing I do is test my blood sugar. This morning it’s high so I calculate my correction bolus and add in what I’m going to have for breakfast. Then I take my insulin via an insulin pen. I drink my coffee and eat my breakfast. Then I am off to work.

I arrive to work and it’s now around 10 AM and I’m starting to feel like my blood sugar is dropping and I’m low. I feel shaky, light headed, and warm. I test my blood sugar and it isn’t low. Why do I feel low when I’m not? Maybe it’s jitters from my coffee? Maybe I’m dehydrated? Maybe I’m just hungry? I decide to have a light snack that does not have much carbs so my blood sugar does not go high. That way some food in my belly will hopefully help.

Now it’s time for lunch. I test my blood sugar and it’s in normal range. I decide what I’m going to eat and then I add up all the carbs and subtract the fiber. I take my insulin for my meal and eat.

I’m looking forward to my afternoon iced coffee. I pour my coffee concentrate into my mason jar and measure out exactly how much creamer I add. I bolus and drink my coffee.

It’s now 7 PM and it’s dinner time but I’m not feeling hungry. Why? It’s been six hours since I’ve ate anything. I should be hungry. Is it because my blood sugar is high? I test. It’s low. Why do I feel high when it’s low? Now I’m forced to eat a snack before dinner when I wasn’t even hungry in the first place. I snack while prepping dinner.

My dinner is made, I calculate my carbs, and give my insulin. It’s also 8:15 PM now which is when I take my long lasting insulin. I take it at the same time every night. I give myself both shots and can now finally sit down and enjoy my dinner.

It is now time for bed. I test my blood sugar and it is low. This means that I need to have another snack before I can go to bed. I go out into the kitchen and search for something that sounds good. Of course I’m already full from dinner and do not feel like eating anymore but it’s part of the journey. I find a bar. I eat that and hope for the best.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my day with type-1 diabetes. It’s been a journey but I finally feel like I’m in a place where I enjoy taking care of myself and my health. I hope that if you are struggling with having type-1 diabetes or some other chronic illness that you will find inspiration. Know that it will get better and that you can do this. Thanks for reading. I hope to make more posts about type-1 diabetes and other topics involving health and wellness.