29
LIVING
1 diabetics, it seems my diagnosis
experience is not that uncommon.
Being told you have a chronic
condition is, arguably, traumatic
enough, so I have often considered
what small changes could be made
to prevent additional stress and
anxiety for those who have been
recently diagnosed.
"In all I spent three days in
hospital, I was hooked up to three
drips and - needless to say - the
holiday was cancelled, sorry mum! A
lovely DSN bought me a teddy bear
so I could learn where to inject and
talked to me about blood glucose
monitoring and insulin dosing. She
also gave me a blood test diary.
"I was very lucky to have my mum
stay with me throughout my hospital
stay. It's made me think I should ask
her how it was for her, I never have.
My grandad had Type 2 diabetes but
Type 1 was a whole new ballgame
and a massive learning curve. I left
hospital with two metal insulin pens
- a silver one and a green one - one
each for the long-acting Lantus and
short-acting NovoRapid insulins. I
also had meter, test strips, a lancing
device, ketone test strips that you
could dip into your urine, and a book
to write notes in."
Taking control
Shortly after her diagnosis, Mitchell
invited her close friends round for
a sort of 'party', so they could learn
more about T1D and how they could
help, if ever needed. She recalls,
"It was my parents' brilliant idea.
We talked about the condition and
explained that I need to test my blood
sugar and inject insulin multiple times
a day to stay alive. We also discussed
what they should do if I were ever to
collapse. I was keen to keep it really
upbeat and positive, as I'm a glass half
full kind of person, so we made sure
everyone was learning, but having fun
and a laugh at the same time.
"My best friends, Estelle and
Laura, have been incredible - they've
been with me since day one. We've
been on lots of holidays and had
many adventures together - and,
although I'm able to look after myself,
I know they would look after me
if anything ever happened. I feel
very fortunate to be surrounded by
incredibly supportive friends and
family. In fact, they even know when
I've injected and will say, 'I can smell
your insulin'."
Although the initial diagnosis
was a shock and quite frightening,
Mitchell's journey has been positive
so far. "My diabetes team has been
fantastic from the start. Now I'm in
Mitchell at her 13th 'diaversary' party in summer 2020, when she'd spent
exactly 13 years with and 13 years without diabetes.
It is incredible
how far
technology,
equipment and
research have
come since I
was diagnosed
13 years ago.