hey everyone,
im a type one diabetic and was diagnosed just over a year ago. i hate to say it and i hate to complain but im so miserable
at first i took the diagnosis in my stride, got control of my sugar levels and i was ok, but then it dawned on me that i would be injecting insulin for the rest of my life....
i know it is ridiculous but i still cant believe it, i hate that im diabetic and im so ashamed of it. i would never tell someone i was diabetic, in my head its like this awful weakness that i cant control. i feel so compleatly alone. when i was first diagnosed, i handeled it so well that my close friends and family (2 of whom are type 2) dont ever mention it and just asume that im managing it. but im really really not. i take just enough insulin so as i dont go into a coma, i NEVER check my levels because i know there terrible, i eat whatever i want, i smoke. im a student and i party all the time..... i know thats its bad and i know that its wrong, but i dont care! i want to be a normal 21 year old, all i want is to be normal and forget the last year ever happened.
and i know your prob all thinking im just a stupid woman with no regard for her health, and you'd prob be right, but thats why im here, i need you to tell me that im not alone, that somebody else out there hates this as much as i do. that somebody else is fuc*ing angry at their bodies as much as i am. or at least were at first.
i think that if i feel less alone i wont be as wreckless..... is that insane? am i going insane? i need help....
im so sorry but at this stage i dont know where else to turn.... maybe someone who has the same disease as me would understand what im feeling?
sarah x

Hands up here, I'm a type 2 err... too.

S'funny, but it does seem that there's a link between diabetes and stress - I'll bet Sara that you went to the docs with symptoms you didn't expect would be diagnosed with diabetes. I was told I was a diabetic after having a stroke.

Everything CW said. Plus that there's no reason why you shouldn't have a normal life. Years ago it was a 'avoid sugars like the plague' mindset, including complex sugars and carbohydrates. But nowadays, it's thought that a good diet like anyone else wanting to eat healthily, is sufficient.

Stuff anything you might hear about not checking your levels. Particularly if you're a Type One. It's easy, it's cheap, and anyone that objects to you doing it while you're out, isn't worth knowing anyway. Personally, my mates have been fantasic. And if you are in the uk, and prescriptions you get for anything from now are free. Sorry to sound so cavalier, but at nearly seven quid per item, that'll save you a fortune. If you post back, I'll expand on that.

Only thing I'd suggest is that, diet-wise, keep the meat and other proteins a little above your carbohydrates, and remember that if you test, and
it's ummmm 4? (uk) or below, keep a few sweets handy. Bestbuddy (aka -The Boss) is a Type 2, who uses insulin, and it's worth digging around this forum for his comments.

Alcohol. It's a bit of a b***ger actually. That can beef up your levels initially, then they'll dive like heck later. And you don't want to that to happen. You'd look drunk, but may not be. You could be hypo. So before you go out, or while you're out, have a good meal, and keep moving. Exercise helps.

If you have good mates, don't be embarrassed about testing and injecting in front of them. If you are a tum or thigh injector, it just takes a tick. I have a mate who does it in his thigh through his Jeans. If your worried about what to do with the 'sharps', keep a 'cash-bag' handy, and drops it back home.

Bless you, and keep us up to date with your experiences - it helps us all. Dray