So, its been a little over 9 years since i was diagnosed, ive been on this site for about a month, and i though id let everyone know the story of how i was diagnosed.
So the wierd thing is that out of all the symptoms a person can notice to know that they have Diabetes, the only one that showed up with me was the constant urination. Long Beach Unified School District elementary school had a yearly tradition where they would take all their 5th grade classes to a camp in the woods called Camp Hi-Hill during the winter or the summer. My class was able to go the week before Christmas break.
It was pretty exciting and exhilarating since it was probably the first time most of us were gone for a week without our parents. I was pretty stoked and had fun throughout the whole week, but, the problem started around the 3rd day. I began going to the restroom like every 10mins and it was becoming a real nuisance. Id have to rush to the cabin to use the restroom when returning from a hike, have to step off the trail if on a hike, have to excuse myself from the table during chow time, it was staring to bother. It got so bad, that a ■■■■ attack occurred halfway through a hike, so i decided to hold it in. Nuh-uh. My bladder decided to slap me for that and i ended up ■■■■■■■ on myself in front of everyone. luckily, it was the 5th day so i would almost go home. Another thing that happened, was during this one hike, I got a really bad headache. I had previously been diagnosed with getting migraine headaches so the nurse thought that might be a cause, gave me piils and sent me back to the cabin to sleep it off.
I arrived home, and spent a whole week rushing to the restroom every 15mins. Finally, one day, i got fed up and went to my dad and tod him to take me to the doctor, that it wasnt normal for a kid my age to go to the restroom so frequently. The next day, January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I found out my blood sugar level was 759. I was hospitalized for 3 days, with an IV needle in my wrist, learning a completely new lifestyle, how to count carbs, what to be careful eating, what to do in case of an emergency, the risks, the consequences.
Not a nice thing for a 9 year old to go through. Im the ONLY one in my ENTIRE family to have Diabetes, although some people have gotten it. No grandparent had, it, no grand uncle, no uncle, no cousin, no previous family member, just me. At such a young age, with such a life changing event, you really start to question things, but thats a topic ill rant about at a later time.
The docs had me confined to a bed, in a cold, gray room all by myself, in a ward that housed other little kids with health ailments ranging from severe to not so much. Some had Diabetes, some had Cancer, others had kidney problems, but you could hear them cry at night, and even though i was there only 3 nights, it changed me.