📜 Introduction.

My Type 1 Diabetes story started almost 30 years ago.

If you remember the exact date of your diagnosis, well…let me say you are lucky. It means you were old enough to remember life before T1D, or someone made it a day to cherish.

My memories of the time right before the onset are quite blurred. But after that, I actually have some vivid reminiscence.

This is my Type 1 Diabetes story of the day everything changed.

💉 The Onset.

I was only five years old in January 1998 when I was officially diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Around that time, I remember being constantly thirsty and going frequently to the loo.

I don’t remember how much time passed between this constant water binge and loo visits, but I was then rushed to hospital for pneumonia. However, the results were worse than expected and the truth was life-changing. I had Type 1 Diabetes.

Lying on the stretcher, I remember a nurse with curly red hair trying to put me on an IV drip, and I saw my parents through a round window in the door. They were crying.

That night, sleep was impossible. Nurses kept waking me up and pinching my fingers for blood tests.

In the following days, relatives visited me with toys, puzzles, and colouring books to help pass the time. For a few days, doctors didn’t allow me to eat, and I just wanted to go home. I kept asking when the injections would stop, when they would take off the IV drip, and when I could start eating normally again.

Nobody told me clearly what was going on, and I wondered if this would be my life forever. Sadly, yes.

🚨 Recognise the Symptoms.

Early detection is so important and can even be life-saving. Undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes may lead to fatal consequences, including coma, organ failure, DKA, and even death.

Please look out for these common symptoms:

• Extreme thirst. Feeling like you can’t drink enough water.
• Frequent urination. Visiting the loo much more than usual.
• Unexplained weight loss. Losing weight without trying.
• Extreme tiredness. Feeling exhausted for no clear reason.
• Sense of nausea. Feeling like you are going to throw up at any moment.

As for me, I was too young to notice any weight loss or tiredness, but thirst and frequent urination were already clear signs of Type 1 Diabetes. These, along with nausea, are also among the many symptoms and feelings experienced during extreme hyperglycaemia episodes.

Important note: I am only sharing my personal experience here. If you notice these symptoms, please see a doctor or a specialist immediately.

💙 Life now with Type 1 Diabetes.

It has been 28 years since the day I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. So much has happened since then. I have faced other autoimmune diseases, other painful diagnoses, episodes of DKA, and years of being bullied and excluded at school. I have struggled to balance work, life, and the constant demands of diabetes. I have experienced failed relationships too (yes, sometimes because of my Type 1 Diabetes), and friendships that didn’t quite empathise or understand my illness.

But there has also been so much beauty. Degrees earned, good jobs too, friendships grown, countless journeys taken, and this community I am trying to build to show that living with T1D is absolutely possible.

Life has been both cruel and rewarding, and diabetes has influenced every single aspect of it. It has shaped my routines, my choices, my fears, and my strength.

I am still learning how to accept this disease and how to survive it, every day. Acceptance is not linear, and neither is life with diabetes. But when I stop and look back, I see how far I have come. I see resilience. I see courage. I see dreams achieved despite everything.

I travel the world and explore new cultures. Diabetes travels with me, tucked into my suitcase, always present. But it does not define me, and it does not stop me. Check also my article Tips for Travelling Long-Term with Type 1 Diabetes for further advice on how to travel with T1D.

🎈 Conclusion.

My Type 1 Diabetes story is not a finished book. Every day is a new page of an unknown chapter. Will I wake up at 3 AM because of a hypo, or wake up thirsty with a blood sugar of 300? Even after 28 years with diabetes, I still struggle daily with acceptance, hunger control, basal doses, injections, and life-balance.

But I am still here. And diabetes has not stopped me from achieving my goals in life.

💬 And you? Do you remember the day of your diagnosis, or life before Type 1 Diabetes? Tell me in the comments. I love hearing stories from people who truly understand.

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