My Diabetes Health and History

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was eleven years old. I had no family history of diabetes. I had just started sixth grade and had the symptoms of: unquenchable thirst, insatiable hunger, and extreme fatigue. Because the timing coincided with the first month of sixth grade I thought that my body was taking its time to adjust to the new schedule, six new teachers, and the disappointment of no recess (Boo!). Fortunately, I sprained my ankle (this is probably the only time I have felt fortunate about a sprained ankle) which required me to go see a doctor at urgent care. During the examination my symptoms led the doctor to tell me to go see my regular doctor the next day, who subsequently diagnosed me with diabetes. I spent the next three or four days in the hospital learning with my family how to take care of my health.

Diabetes can be genetically inherited but in the case of someone like me with no family history,
doctors theorize that it was an auto-immune reaction where my confused immune system attacked my insulin producing cells on my pancreas and slowly killed them off. That was fifteen years ago. I had a period of time especially throughout middle school and early high school when I had real difficulty controlling my blood sugar. Because blood sugar control is affected by EVERYTHING: stress, hormones, sickness, etc.; I had several years when growth hormones kicked in (being a 6’3” woman - I had several growth spurts:)) and could not get my blood sugars to be predictable. Late in high school I got an insulin pump in an attempt to control my blood sugars better which turned out to be a great tool especially in college when schedules change often.

As far as my health today, I am doing well. I have the beginnings of some very mild complications of diabetes, but have been assured that these are either genetic (not-diabetes related) or are simply because I have been diabetic for 15 years. I am generally more susceptible to regular illness (colds, flu) and sometimes have a difficult time fighting them off. This year I had about four months (two months two separate times) when I couldn’t shake sinus infections, but this is not usual. I exercise regularly and test my blood sugar eight to ten times a day. I have a great health care team and see my endocrinologist every three months and my regular doctor whenever I have something not diabetes related going on.

While parts of this trip: adjusting to new time zones, different foods, and non-consistent amounts of exercise, will be challenging to blood sugar control, ultimately I hope to quell the biggest problem I face in diabetes management – worry and stress – which affects not just how I feel mentally but also what and how I eat which affects my physical condition. This year in particular I have found diabetes to be very stressful, especially when I had reoccurring sinus infections that would not go away. My logic said that if I was taking the best care of myself possible (which I was) that I should automatically get better. This is also the same logic that questions why do bad things happen to good people. Well, we all know that the world does not work this way. My faith in God helps me trust that there is something bigger going on in the world and that there is someone that cares for me, but my faith also leaves much room for mystery and if anything, supplies more questions than answers.

Taking this trip is a bit more risky as a diabetic. However, I have a deep sense of peace that I'll come out on the other side of this trip more confident and assured of what I can do. I also, more importantly, have been amazed at how everything diabetes related came together, and can only attribute it to God and His care for me as His child.

Andrea