I'm Still Here!

Sorry I've been MIA for the last couple of days, I got so busy with school. Today I am going to start off with the day I was diagnosed. It was November 25, 2007 and I remember that night very clearly. I was at home with my Dad watching TV and I felt awful. I was constantly thirsty and losing weight like crazy.  By the fifth trip to the restroom of the hour, and my eighth glass of water, my Dad knew what was going on. He had me check my blood sugar and it wouldn't even read on the meter. A good range to be in is between 70-120 and when it won't read on the meter, that means it is over 600. That was the beginning of my whole world changing. I gave myself my very first shot of insulin that night, and I instantly felt better.

Since that day I have pricked my finger over 28,000 times and given over 15,000 shots. For that, there is no bright side. This disease has brought much dismay into my life. I've had people tell me that I need to eat healthier and lose weight, or that "at least it's not cancer", or people even try to relate to it by telling me they know exactly how I feel. But just because I have diabetes doesn't mean I am fat or need to eat less sugar- sugar is what saves my life on sometimes a daily occasion. Yes I am very grateful I don't have cancer, I still have to live with this disease 24/7 and I will never ever get a break for the rest of my life until there is a cure. So I am adding to the 28,000 finger pricks, and that number may double by the time the cure comes. Life isn't always fair, but it is my life and I must keep fighting the battle.

The picture on the LEFT is me just weeks after diagnosis, and the one on the RIGHT is me just this past year