Hi Hannah!
Your story is so amazing! I'm 20 now and I was diagnosed with Type 1 when I was 21 months old, so I don't have any real memories of my diagnosis. I can only imagine how scary that was for you and all your family and friends. You are such a brave girl and I'm really proud of you! You seem to know that you're stronger than your diabetes and that's such an important part of it! Keep strong and let me know if you have any questions or just want to talk! :)
Thanks for the article, I always suspected immunizations were a culprit in my son's diagnosis of Type 1 because he was diagnosed a month after his 4 year old immunizations. This gives me some assurance that was not the cause. Thank you !
My pleasure :)
Thankyou so much!
Thanks! i do have tons of great supporters :)
Hi Hannah, thanks for sharing your story. My mother is a nurse too -- and a strong an insistent one also, when dealing with doctors, which is good. She discovered "something was wrong" and brought me to the doctor before anything bad happened, I was just going to the bathroom a lot, very thirsty, and she said I was losing weight (though I don't remember it). It was 1981 and I was 7 years old at the time.
Any other time I've been in the hospital, for any reason, since then, she's been by my side, recording every bit of insulin and food I had and questioning everything the doctors did. Which is good, because Emergency Room doctors don't know much about diabetes at all, and the meals you sometimes get in the hospital aren't always appropriate. Hopefully you won't spend much more time in the hospital (I've been there for everything from hypoglycemia to hockey injuries!) Make sure your mom is there for you (at least during childhood) to look out for you, in case someone other than yourself or your own doctor tries to tell you how to handle your meals or insulin. She seems strong, and I'm sure she'll do that. And yeah, sometimes riding in an ambulance can be fun! (If you're in a state of mind to appreciate it).
I remember when I was diagnosed, I was just getting over a very contagious case of the chicken pox, so rather than be put in pediatrics, I had a room in the adult section of the hospital. The nurses loved me, since they rarely saw kids during the course of their work. I had so much fun playing with the motorized bed (moving my head and feet up and down) that I ended up breaking it, so they brought me a manual bed with a big hand-crank on it. Aahh, the things we remember! I was only 7, so I don't remember much about the actual diabetes part of it, but I sure know a lot now, I've learned so much about diabetes in the last 30+ years. And you'll learn a lot too. I'm convinced that people with diabetes are some of the smartest people in the world, because we have to be.
I wish you the best of luck and the best of health, Hannah. Be well.
Thank you for your story Hannah. When I was diagnosed 6 months ago I went through a very similar situation and I know you were starving! Just remember in the next few months to talk to your friends and family about how you’re feeling no matter what. A few weeks after being diagnosed I starte to feel like everyone around me was tired of hearing about what I was going through and I started holding it all in. I got really sad and stopped taking care of myself the way I should have. I thought it would go away if I ignored it. Type 1 trully sucks and no matter how much your friends and family care about you, they will never fully understand what you’re going through. Just remember that there are tons of people who know how you feel and are always here to help you with advise or just to listen. I hope you continue to feel better and better as you regain your strength. You are a brave girl and you should be SO proud of yourself!
<3emily
Hannah, you are a brave, smart, and strong young lady. I was diagnosed at the age of 13, and I remember being so scared, but so glad my mother and family was there to support me!!! You also know that God WILL be with you ALL the way.Feel free to ask us anything here at Tudiabetes..This is a community of very caring people, and as another poster mentioned, there is a Type One teen Forum as well.
You ARE a gem!!!
God Bless,
Brunetta
Type One 44 years
Thank you for sharing your story Hannah! Sounds like you have been very brave about this.
Diabetes is not always easy and you will have tough days. Feel free to write to us when you do! We understand.
After I was diagnosed with diabetes (when I was 21 years old), I was determined not to let diabetes slow me down. I wanted to study in another country -- so I did! And now I am happily married and had a healthy baby boy a few months ago. So always remind yourself that you can do anything that you dream of with type 1 diabetes!! You just need to take good care of yourself.
If you have any questions, always feel free to ask! Hugs!!
My son is 13 years old now and was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when he was 10 years old. Thanks for sharing your story. May God Bless you and your family!
Hey, Hannah, just checking in - how's it going?
Thanks :) Pretty good, we STILL haven't gotten my doses right and there was a mix-up in the pharmacy so im actually getting the pen TOMORROW. Schools going great and im doing swell :) thanks- Hannah
Thankyou :)
Wow thats awesome! Thanks :)
Thanks! Yeah i was really happy i dident have to do it alone too :) I know. Thank you very much
Yeah I feel that way too im pretty much going through that to but I guess i shouldent be sneaking foods and ignoring everything. thank you this is very helpful. Sometimes i just feel like im the only one ON EARTH with type one and I have a question for you but i dont know if you will be able to answer it because im 13 but is it okay to cry everynight?? Everyones been saying its okay to cry, but "to this extent??" Is my question. Thankyou a bunch
So, you decided to use the pen. I think that was a good decision ;) It can take quite a bit of time to get doses correct. Of course, once you do, everything will eventually change. You'll get there Hannah, I suspect that you can do whatever you set your mind to.
Thankyou very much hearing other diagnoses storys is always great for me :)
Welcome, Hannah. It's good to read your story. I'm so very glad for you that you have such a warm, supportive family. It sounds like you feel you can trust the people in your life to help you learn how to manage your diabetes and be safe. That is a wonderful thing.
I've only been diagnosed for about two months and I'm waiting to find out whether I'm a Type 1 or a Type 2. I think I'm a T1/LADA, which is Type 1 that happens in adulthood. I'm 53 years old.
Whenever someone finds out they have diabetes, it's a big shock, for sure. So many things to learn, decisions and changes to make--it's dizzying! But I'm doing it, and I know I'm doing a good job because my BG numbers have already come down a lot in two months. I'm sure you'll get your BG stable and your insulin doses worked out soon.
You asked, awhile back, if it was okay to cry every night. I want to say, absolutely! If you feel sad and want to cry, do it. Don't keep your emotions bottled up inside too much because, sometimes when we do that, we start to get confused about what we really feel. Then it's harder to know what we truly need or how to ask for it. I think that all of us go through some mourning because our lives have suddenly had to change. We weren't consulted about whether this is a good time to get diabetes, or whether we feel up to learning everything we need to know, now. No one likes to feel that they're "different" from other people around them, but we weren't consulted about that, either.
You may want to tell friends and others that you're feeling good, doing okay, and things like that, most of the time. That's perfectly okay. Just make sure that you have some people that you talk to about how you really feel, especially when you're having a hard time. What you feel matters a lot! And if even just a couple of people understand what's on your mind and heart, you may find that it's easier for you to manage, too. Knowing that our closest friends and family understand us and believe in us is important for everyone in the world. When we're managing a chronic disease like diabetes, it's even more important not to feel like we're alone.
Thank you for joining TuDiabetes and for sharing your story with us. I can tell that you're a strong, determined, thoughtful and smart girl. You'll do well. Sometimes it will be hard. Sometimes it will be easy. The community here will be with you all the time.
Ann
Wow,Hannah I have a daughter,whose name is also Hannah and she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on November 13,2011!! My Hannah's story is much like yours with the frequency of using the bathroom at night,when I was in close proximity of her I could smell something sweet,but not the kind of good smelling sweet,quite the opposite,actually. This went on for about a month. I had mentioned this to my husband,Hannah's dad,who just so happened to have been a paramedic for 20yrs,prior to a career change and he just told me to relax,stop being so paranoid, She is healthy,active and I was the one being a little too much in thinking it could possibly be related to diabetes. Sadly though it was. Much like yourself in the hospital,we ended up at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia(CHOP). Hannah went into the hospital with a BG of 760. I was beyond scared,but also extremely sad for her too. Sad because this is something that is so unbelievably overwhelming I wasn't sure of how I could even begin to try and make this ok. Hannah is now 9yrs old and obviously this is going to be a life long journey. Thank you for sharing your story with this group. I too am very new to this group and am learning how to navigate through. I am truly looking forward to sharing your story with my Hannah when she gets home from school. You are a true inspiration Hannah!