November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and, more specifically, the Type 1 diabetes (T1D) community’s month of awareness. It has been 3 years since my life was turned upside down and I was diagnosed with T1D. There are many misconceptions about this disease and friends ask me tons of questions. So, here’s my take on explaining what living with T1D is all about!First, the most condensed background I can provide. Type 1 can hit suddenly, kids and adults alike (even though there is a misconception that only young children can get diagnosed) and it is unrelated to diet and lifestyle. One day you’re chugging along and then BOOM, suddenly you are diagnosed with T1D. You go from not knowing what blood sugar is and being terrified of needles to constantly giving yourself shots (by far the largest learning curve for me!). T1D occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin, an important hormone that helps your body receive nutrients from food. So we have to manually act as our pancreas by injecting insulin multiple times per day and constantly monitoring our blood sugar. This sounds easy enough, but whew, is it hard!
Each day we manuever between high and low blood sugar, each requiring attention. If our blood sugar is high, we take insulin, if it is low, we must consume some form of sugar. Oh, we also have to take into account our sleep schedule, exercise schedule and stress levels, because that can impact our blood sugar too (who knew?!?). Here’s how a typical day for me might look. Remember every single “take insulin” or “check blood sugar”, can mean a needle!
Wake up – check blood sugar; take insulin if blood sugar is high
Breakfast – take insulin prior to eating
2 hours post breakfast – check blood sugar two hours post meal and take more insulin if needed
Gym – monitor blood sugar to make sure I don’t crash during my workout. If I crash, make sure I have some Gatorade with me at all times for a quick fix.
Lunch – take insulin prior to eating
2 hours post lunch – check blood sugar two hours post meal and take more insulin if needed
Dinner – take insulin prior to eating
2 hours post dinner – check blood sugar two hours post meal and take more insulin if needed
Bedtime – check blood sugar and take long acting insulin. Make sure I have Gatorade on my nightstand should my blood sugar crash in the middle of the night.
So I add all of this into my regular day of chasing kids and changing diapers. I counted up to 13 potential needles in one day or 4,628 NEEDLES PER YEAR. Now imagine the moms out there that add this in for a CHILD each day. Moms of children with T1D are super hero moms. Seriously, you all deserve the biggest hug and high five of all time.
So… how can you support someone with T1D?
Give us grace. There are days where I absolutely just can’t get my blood sugar to cooperate (low or high). I might not feel very well that day or seem out of it. With any chronic disease, we have good and bad days and we just want you to love us either way.
Advocate for us. T1D is an incredibly expensive disease (we spend $800/month!). Advocate that insurance covers the care we need, for better treatments, and ADVOCATE FOR A CURE.
One thing this disease has taught me is that those living with T1D are resilient. We do all of the things others do, but somehow find the time and courage to handle this disease each and every day. We are strong and won’t let this disease define us.
And for all of you moms out there with a T1D child, you are incredible. Your child is learning from the work you’re putting in, the disease management you are teaching and they will thrive on their own someday. To all of the T1D warriors out there, you are definitely not alone and you are amazing.
Cheers to finding a cure and lower A1Cs!
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