My name is Eve. I am 13 and I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was six years old. I didn’t understand it at all until up to about eight because my mum did everything for me. I knew I was the only one with it and in that way I felt kind of special.
As I got older, about 11 or 12, I found diabetes suddenly becoming harder and harder because I was depending on myself. Whatever I did wrong, I didn’t tell anyone; I just bottled it up.
Struggling to cope
There was a point where I started to miss out some injections, mostly my lunch time ones, because of being in school. I felt I was alone and different and I felt that was the only way to deal with it.
I used to cry about my diabetes, telling my friends that I needed their help because I wasn't controlling it. I couldn't tell my Mum because she used to cry about it, saying that she wishes she could take it away.
Fighting back
Now I have realised that what I’m doing to myself is just harming myself. I need to be serious and take on what I have to do. Life's been better with the help from everyone and learning to open up. It feel's so much better when you're not alone.
Diabetes UK Careline
If you have been having a hard time with your diabetes, like Eve had, you may like to contact the Diabetes UK Careline. Full information on contacting them can be found here.
Your comments
Hi Ross, you're welcome to chat and get in touch with others on our facebook page and you can find similar opportunities on our My Life communities page.
- My Life
Hi Eve im glad you found a way to deal with it and realised what you were doing wasnt great and i would love to talk to you or anyone really as i dont know any other diabetics of my age. - Ross
I am fourteen and was diagnosed age 10 just before secondary school. I used to hate having to go at lunch and do my injections as it is hardly something you can call discrete so sometimes i missed them on purpose and did them at home, but sice i got an insulin pumps 2 years ago, i no longer do that as i can do my insulin at the touch of a button, maybe suggest this to your nurse? I find the Insulin pump also helped my control :) - Lauren
i hate it when everyone in class stares at u when u r doing a blood or going hypo and eating. after class u get all these questions, i've only had it 2 months, since decmber 17 2009. - Charlotte
I've had diabetes for three years, since I was 12. I still find it really hard. I cry almost every day about it. I've even tried to overdose on insulin.
I just don't see how I cope. It's realy hard in school. Someone thought I was a drug addict! - Aimee
This sounds very much like my life. I know I am doing it all wrong and often come home feeling guilty from not testing my blood sugar. - Aggie
I used to miss out injections, but then it suddenly hit me that I could become ill and go back in hospital, so I stopped. :) xx - Aimee
I used to do that [missing out injections] but now I know there are consequences so I stopped. Simple =D - Emma
When I was diagnosed earlier this year, I was told I had ketoacidosis and was told I was lucky to be alive.
I've felt pressured at school too, because I thought I was different and didn't want people to know what I was doing. Now I try not to let it bother me, but I sometimes wonder if I could just skip insulin and I will be okay. I know I could end up seriously ill, so whenever I feel like that I try to just have a laugh with my friends.
People say that there are thousands of people with diabetes who cope, but it's hard. I think that speaking to your friends about it and explaining what you're doing helps them to understand what you're going through. - Laura
I know how you feel about lunchtimes. I always want to skip doing my injections. however, I always get a friend to come with me to keep me company xoxo. - Hollie
Hi, I was told I had diabetes in May 2007 (just before my Mum's birthday). I have just started high school. I am 12. I have to take two injections a day but I am about to start taking four a day and I am worried about taking one at school but I know that my Mum is there for me. - Rachel G
I was diagnosed when I was 13 and I'm now 21. I was fine with coping with it until I turned 16 and I would miss out injections on purpose as I felt it wasn't fair for me to have diabetes when all my friends didn't. I've been in and out of hospital from the age of 16 and the last time was a year ago owing to ketoacidosis. I was given 24 hours to live. Bascially all my organs were shutting down.
That hit me hard, when my family told me what had happened, and since then I've been taking all my injections and testing my blood. So basically to anyone out there, don't stop taking your insulin. It's stupid and can cause serious damage to yourself. I've learned from my mistakes and I'm lucky to be here.- Loraine
I'm 12 and in high school now. I'm also deaf so this makes things even harder for me. I'm the same as you, Eve. I've had diabetes for one year now and I found it really hard to cope with. I always missed my daily injections, sometimes not injecting myself for weeks and weeks because no one was really helping me and the doctor was depending on me to do it myself without anyone telling me, or reminding me.
Until I got ill in the holidays and at that point I realised that my body was posioning itself and I changed from this smiley girl to this bad tempered girl so i decided to change.
Now I can cope with diabetes because I have help and I dont miss my daily injections.- Laura
I am now 28 and have had diabetes for over 18 years.
I struggled with the control of my diabetes for years especially as a teenager, keeping it to myself and putting on a face telling people I was ok and that my control was going well even though it clearly wasn't.
My advice to you is to seek the help you need. People are generally very supportive and anyone that isn't really isn't worth bothering about. It took me 15 years and in hindsight I regret not doing something sooner because I've spent a lot of time being consumed by my diabetes and not allowing myself to live my life to the fullest.
I have a very supportive doctor who has made me realise that it is ok to not be perfect with my diabetes all the time and for me not to feel guilty about that. This has resulted in my control improving and me facing my problems rather than trying to ignore it.- Rachael
Hi, I've had diabetes since I was 4 and I'm now nearly 20! I found school especially difficult and often felt I had noone to talk to. I considered my doctors as useless and used to comfort eat, just so I could feel like I had control. Went through many stages of depression and every now and again still do!
Even though everyone says 'diabetes doesn't hold you back' I still find this hard to believe. There are still things in life I wish I could do/ have done but I know it just wasn't possible. On the other hand, I feel I have come a long way since the time I was in school and am glad diabetes treatment is changing all the time. It can only get better. :)- Becki
Hi Eve, My name's Charlie and I've had diabetes from the age of 4. I'm now nearly 19 so had for a fair few years now! I understand completely where you're coming from with not liking to have to do your injections in front of people but there are always alternatives.
For instance for the first 3 years of school I never felt confident doing my injections in front of people. I ended up at first doing them in the toilets (which I got told off for because obviously they're not the cleanest of places!) but then I spoke to one of the teachers who I got on with and he used to allow me into his classroom at lunch times to do my injections :).
Eventually though I used to just do them wherever and although people asked questions it was quite a good feeling to be able to answer them in confidence because this was one thing I actually knew what I was talking about lol!
If people do make fun of you it's just because they don't understand!
Remember your parents are always there for you. They used to help me a lot and they still do my injections in my arms every so often to help spread the area's where I do all my injections.
Hope this helps =)- Charlie
I was diagnosed in December 2007 (on my sister's birthday). I found it hard and I always used to cry. People were making fun of me and I wasn't happy but then I realised I have to understand I need to keep myself healthy by giving myself insulin. I do get upset but if you're upset, I go and talk to people and it makes me feel well.- Milly
I was told I had Type 1 diabetes in 2007 (aged 12). I hated having to do injections as well but I realised that it's me that it affects the most so it's just stupid to hate it. =] Remember there's always people to talk to.- Amanda B
I have had diabetes for two years since I was ten. I am twelve and I have just left primary school and I hated lunch times. I just wanted to go and get my lunch but you get used to that. My friends don't have diabetes and they went to the shops and felt like I had been punished but I will get used to that.- Jessica-Leigh
I was diagnosed at the age of 8 and did my injections from the first day, I had my diabetes under perfect control for 4 years but I went through a period of shock, anger and a lot of upset. I'm 15 now and I have the same problem through what happened, I miss injections, not because I can't be bothered but because I don't remember at all, I am frequently in hospital because of this and I'm scared that one day its going to result in me dying a teenager.
I have had numerous meetings with my diabetes nurse and doctors to see why I'm not doing this but nothing helps or makes a difference, being in hospital helps me remember because the environment reminds me of medicines. At home and school I am constantly busy and distracted from doing my injections.- Mia
I found taking insulin in school hard, Eve, but since leaving and finding the right support I've never looked back. :-) It's hard at first but don't worry it'll all turn out ok... Trust me I've been there before.- Stephanie