At the age of 12 I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. My carefree life suddenly changed to a life full of finger sticks, carb counting, and insulin shots. The previous two weeks I had all the classic symptoms--I was drinking everything I could get my hands on and having to use the restroom every 15 minutes. I lost about 30 pounds, my eyesight got worse, and I had problems focusing my attention. The day I was diagnosed, I was so weak that I couldn’t stand or even sit up. Yet, diabetes never crossed any of our minds. My doctor took one look at me and ordered a blood glucose level. It didn’t take long for him to come back in and tell me that I had diabetes. At 12 I didn’t understand what this meant. I thought it just meant that I couldn’t eat sugar or candy. Was I in for a rude awakening! I spent the next three days in the hospital getting a crash course on diabetes from doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and social workers. In the midst of all the overwhelming information, they were telling me (someone who was terrified of shots) that I would have to learn how to check my blood sugar and give insulin injections to myself several times a day! I didn’t think I could do it, but I had no choice. This was now my life. I would just have to deal with it.
I had to change my whole life around to manage my diabetes. I could no longer sleep in, I had to wake up to take my morning insulin and eat breakfast everyday at 7:30 a.m. I could no longer eat what I wanted, when I wanted. I had to eat the same amount of food at the same time every day. With time it got easier, and now it’s just a part of my life which has become routine and sort of a second nature. I now wear an insulin pump, and sometimes even forget I’m diabetic. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t still difficult some times. There have been times where I asked, “Why me? Why do I have to go through this?” But I know God does not give me anything I can’t handle. Now I try to make the best of it and use my personal experiences to help others. When diabetics come into the pharmacy, I know what they are going through. I know what struggles they have and how hard it is to manage their disease. I know how you can do everything you are supposed to do and still your blood sugar goes high. I have the same fears of kidney failure, blindness, and neuropathy all diabetics have. It’s not as easy as some healthcare providers make it seem. It’s a complicated disease, and no one really knows how truly difficult it is to be a diabetic unless you live with the disease yourself. That’s why I feel it is important for the diabetic patients that come into the pharmacy to know that I personally understand the challenges that come with managing their diabetes.
Beth Black
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