When I was diagnosed, I was in college too. Same basic story, plus I just started pledgeship for my fraternity so I was under extremely heavy stress.
I’ll just tell you my mentality on this disease:
Screw it, don’t feel bad for yourself and don’t slow down. It could have been SO much worse. One of my friends who was 22 years old passed away last week from colon cancer, now THAT is being dealt a raw deal. I think you shouldn’t even consider yourself unlucky. I sure as hell don’t. I’m healthy, involved and don’t let diabetes hold me back. Just make sure you are controlling your diabetes, not the other way around.
I’m from the U.S. but I’ve done lots of worldwide traveling with my diabetes. I’ve been to places that didn’t have hospitals anywhere even remotely close (BeachComber in Fiji) or foreign countries that probably wouldn’t know the first thing about my diabetes (Remote islands in thailand). My friends and family would always suggest that I not go to these places because what if something bad happened…As long as you pack an extra glucose meter, extra insulin, test strips, etc. then I’ll be fine. In fact, I’ve actually run into some problems with stolen insulin in Thailand where I had to regulate my blood sugar for over 24 hours by eating very low carb and running after meals. And I was fine, just like you would be.
I had a blog post regarding similar situations on my blog, http://www.glucosebuddy.blogspot.com, and here is a copy and paste of it:
Dec 21:
Watching the Giants game right now, it’s in overtime. Watching football always reminds me of Jay Cutler, the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, one heck of a QB and also a Type 1 diabetic. He was just diagnosed last year…Imagine playing a football game in the NFL having to worry about your glucose levels, when to drink Gatorade rather than water, taking insulin injections, etc. Wow! I have the utmost respect for people that don’t let diabetes get in the way of their dreams. Another guy, Geri Winkler, climbed Mount Everest! Are you serious!?!? Next time you worry if your diabetes will get in the way of a normal, everyday activity, think about Jay Cutler and Geri Winkler and what they’ve done with diabetes.
Anastasija, some people might think I’m just reckless, but I would suppose those would be the same naysayers that told Geri Winkler to reconsider his climb on Everest, or any paraplegics to reconsider competing Iron Man triathlons, or those 70 year olds who complete the marathon every year.
Don’t feel bad for yourself or have to revert to feeling like a child again, that’s just letting the disease win!