I am a history geek but I had never heard (or bothered looking for…) that they knew about insulin but didn’t know how to make it for decades while people continued dying. Elizabeth Hughes’ story, that she’d wasted away to something like 45 pounds waiting for Banting’s miracle got treated what I presume must have been “just in time” but she lived a long and seemingly productive life, surviving into her 80s. I’d always figured I’d last until around 40 but am 44 now and learning about somebody who lasted that long back in the “dark ages” of boiled syringes and minimal testing was really inspirational for me. It’s kind of a long video and I would not argue that diabetes doesn’t suck but the movie provides very grim reminders that it used to suck a lot more!
I am a software engineer for a fortune 500 company and there have been some times where the stress of work was not very kind to me. There was a period of time where I was putting 70 to 80 hour weeks for about 4 months straight. I started to lose control of my numbers and started to just feel drained. I would throw up at least once a day because the highs would make me sick or dealt with lows cause I would not get a chance to get food. The lows were bad since it takes me about an hour or two to bounce back. The one thing I learned about that period of time was how far I would go for work and when I needed to push back. I realized that life was a balance. Also if the people around me wanted top level work then they would have to deal with me on my terms. I just started to test right in front of people. We were forced to work in one big room with at least 10 people in the room.
Since my control was so bad my meds went up and that caused me to have migraines that lasted for a year and a half. I could not get up in time for work cause I felt so weak. I delivered every project on time during that time. I even had issues with coming to work on time and got written up for it.
I am doing better now and even got a promotion. I was lucky enough to get a more understanding boss. I looked back and wondered why I did not quit or ask for time and all I could think is about my son and wife. I could not let them down and felt that I needed to give them all I could even if it would break me. I once lost everything during the first it bust in the early 2000s. I sold everything I owned and lost my home after I was first diagnosed and I promised myself that as long as I could get up I would keep coming back for more. So somewhere in your life must be someone who motivates you to get up and push. Also don’t feel bad if it takes a while to get back up. I have been knocked down quite a few times by the big d. I have had my share amount of crying and feeling bad so give yourself a break when you do. Sometimes you need those times to put yourself together. I used to be a perfectionist when it came to work. I try to live with good enough these days and that is ok for me. Take care. They say that time is a healer. So take the time that is right for you.
Breathe in breathe out and kiss your freedom goodbye. It sucks royally in every aspect. The sugar swings will beat you to a pulp physically and emotionally. Been doing it nearly 4 decades and to say it ruined my life is an understatement. Try and be patient and do the best you can for now with tools you have as I believe we will eventually see a better form of treatment. Help support the Faustman lab for starters.
We all face obstacles in our lives. Lots of bad stuff happens to people. And it is fine to mourn our condition and feel a bit sad. But over time, you need to pick yourself up off the ground, dust yourself off and get on with your life. Your life is yours to make into something. You can be happy and lead a fulfilling satisfying life. And remember, diabetes cannot take that away from you, you have to “let” diabetes rob you of that. I choose happiness. I will make my life happy despite my diabetes. I hope you do too.
I’m not a T1 – I’m the mother of a 15-year-old T1 diagnosed last November. It was a shock for us. I keep thinking now about how I would sit for hours some days in January & February & really do nothing. I couldn’t do anything: I was kind of stunned, in shock. When I went to the grocery store, I wanted to burst into tears from the stress. I didn’t know what to buy; I wanted to do everything right, but I wasn’t sure about anything. It’s so hard to leave your former “normal” when everything seems “abnormal” but it’s the way you have to live now, if that makes any sense. If it helps any, we got through it ok – we learned some things by mistake, we’re still learning a lot & that’s the way it goes. It’s ok to conquer one day at a time. “How to manage my life” is a huge thing. It’s overwhelming sometimes to look at the whole picture – the appointments, the prescriptions, what to carry, etc, etc, etc & it all comes at you fast in the beginning. Hang in there & focus on what you can handle, a little at a time.
thank you for sharing, over time your routines will fall into place. it is not easy getting type 1 diabetes after you have already established so many things into your daily life and now to change them. it is perfectly normal that you feel more emotional than usual because you have a lot on your plate to handle, i am confident that over time that will settle down and just become part of you, the transition may be difficult but you will start to do things such as take insulin and check your sugar unconsiously. when my sugars are out of wack i also get terrible headaches that eventually go away. I am only working part time, but i have a full college schedule and i know that when i overload my work it breaks me down and its very overwhelming, especially because we have a lot to deal with on a daily basis. I think you should just let everything fall into your routines and try to listen to your body, if your not feeling well then take breaks or do what you can while at work. although it seems frusturating and emotionally draining, i promise with time it will get better its just a matter of getting used to everything. i hope that helped if you have any other questions or want to talk im here ! take care
Hang in there Pinky, you’ll be fine. The biggest pieces of advice I can give you would be not to beat up on yourself, be kind and good to yourself and, in time, find your motivation to take control.
I’m type 1 for 25 years now and still working full time. I remember when I was first diagnosed I cried for three days. I too had a high stress job working for our state legislature and working insane hours. I too gained weight once started on insulin because I had lost so much weight so quickly prior to diagnosis. My emotions were all over the place and I felt like my life was over. It’s a grieving process and I wish I could say that I grieved and was done but I can’t. I was 28 when diagnosed and did my best to get control but there were times especially in the early years when I would just be angry…“it’s not fair, why me, why can’t I just live my life like all my friends”.
BUT we all find our own motivation to go forward. Mine was and still is my daughter. She is an only child and she has always been my inspiration to take care of myself - she needed a mother to take care of her. It wasn’t just about me. I still carry guilt though because it’s not easy growing up with a parent with diabetes either at times. My lows would really scare her when she was little. I remember waking up from a nap once and at 4 years old she was leaning over me to make sure I was breathing.
Now my motivation is to take care of myself so that I can live to hold my future grandchildren one day. My daughter is now in grad school working on a Ph.D. to work with children with autism and developmental disabilities. At the school she works with there is a set of boy quads who have all been diagnosed with autism - can you imagine caring for 4 preschoolers all with autism? I’ve come to learn that we all have our “thing” that we struggle with in life - mine just happens to be diabetes.
Take care of yourself and best wishes to you. Let your loved ones help you. Try to eliminate stress from your life. I too left the high stress job for one that I love on a university campus - a relaxed casual atmosphere that makes me happy.
You can do this. You really can. It’s not always easy and I sometimes still feel overwhelmed but most of the time, it’s just one of those things that I have to deal with.
Pinky - I agree with lots above. I am T1 and was lucky to only be 27 yrs when I got it, Stress........... without my CGM I would be lost. I have been doing 18hrs a day, sleep tricky, and back in. I also use an OmniPod. Thats how I deal with it. Many people may disagree - but I have to PDAs and two pods on my arms or elsewhere, I can reduce fear and hypos by - lots.
if you have any other questions or want to talk im here ! take care