We have lots of short stories you've been sending us. You can read them below – and there are even more here and here!
Why not write your own story and send it to us?
Moha
Hi, I'm Moha and I'm 12. I have been a diabetic for 10 years and was diagnosed when I was two. I don't really remember much about when I was diagnosed, just that I was losing a lot of weight, drinking a lot and going to the toilet.
For the past 8 years, things had gone mostly well apart from a few ups and downs. As I grew older, the more times I kept noticing that none of my friends had to test their bloods or do their injections like I did.
So I started to skip injections and drink fizzy drinks and eat more and more sugar and fats and lying to the doctors who wanted to help me. I was losing weight and was hospitalized at least 3 times because of my recklessness.
But one visit to the clinic changed my life. My doctor said was starting to leak protein in my urine, which meant my kidneys were starting to fail. Luckily, the hospital said because I was young, I could reverse this just by cutting down on the bad food and testing my bloods and doing my injections.
Now I'm much better my sugars are up and down sometimes but now they're mostly down. Thank God I stopped harming myself before I did any real damage...
Sarah
Hey, I'm sarah. I'm 17 years old. I was diagnosed with my diabetes just under a year ago. i know most of you have had years of experience with diabetes - I ust wanted to share my story too.
As we're all teenagers on here, i think were all in the same boat really, me being diagnosed with my diabetes has probably been the worst thing that's happened to me. It's lead to deep depression, and all sorts of problems for me.
I have been in hospital twice with ketoacidosis, it's so hard to go through, having everyone tell you what you can and can't do.. you feel like you're locked away and you can't do anything to make others happy as nothings good enough as you're either eating the wrong things.
When you know what it's like to not be a diabetic then all of a sudden you are diagnosed and your whole lifestyle changes! it's hard as you know before you could eat/drink + do whatever you wanted, now you have to be careful, and with the constant pricking your finger everyday and injecting 2-4 times a day, you get worked up. Everyone who isn't a diabetic says 'it's easy, just stab yourself' it's not the best thing to cope with, people need to understand that teenagers newly diagnosed are going through an absolute massive learning curve to keep them healthy and to help keep them alive.
I'm training to be a hairdresser at the minute. It's great having the work girls around you helping and understanding.. but it's pretty hard when you have a hypoglycemia at work, rushing round trying to get sugar back to the right level to be able to work on your feet again.
Anyway, i hope I'e made my point through, and hopefully can start talking to people my age going through similar problems as me.
Gemma
During my second of University I lost alot of weight. Going from a size 14 down to a 10 in a matter of months. I figured it was the whole uni life style and wasn't going to whine about it, despite my diet honestly not being that great what girl doesn't mind losing a bit of weight?
I came home for the summer and got a full-time job, every day I'd come home from work and struggle to stay awake past 8pm. Putting it down to working six days a week I never thought anything of it.
But I quickly detoriated. I was drinking 7 or more Robinsons fruit squash bottles a day filled with water. A 10 minute walk would leave me gasping for a drink. My vision became blurry if I moved suddenly. I was constantly needing to have a wee. I had manic mood swings, almost a stranger to my family at times. Ate alot, I mean alot and would get questioned why I wasn't fat. I had alot infections and thrush and what not.
It seemed I had it for such a long that I thought it was normal when hungry to have the shakes and sweats.
I was diagnoised by going to the doctor's explaining every thing to which they responded would be impossible as no family background history of it and supposably fit as a fiddle. My parents brushed of the idea as well. I was tested regardless, my blood sugars were 28 and called into hospital urgently. A week before my birthday. There were alot of tears, alot of discovering who my real friends were.
Five months down the line, I've never felt so alive. So much energy. There's up's and down's, but I'm fully in control of my life. I'm in my third and final year of University and doing well.
Josie
I was diagnosed when I was 15; I'm now 17. At first it was a shock to find out I was diabetic, but then my mum phoned my brother (who is also a Type 1 diabetic) and I realised its not as bad as it could have been. It really helped having my brother talk to me as I knew I wasn't alone and now we have competitions to see who's Hb1ac scores best.
Having diabetes has't stopped me from doing anything. I still perform on stage like I used to and last year I went to Iceland with my school. It was the most amazing place and I really want to go back. While I was in Iceland I climbed a glacier, went to the Blue Lagoon, and went in a monster truck type of 4x4 to go bum bording down a dorment volcano! Diabetes hasn't changed my life in a big deal in many ways it's made me who I am and makes me even more unique than I already am :)
Tom
I persuaded my Grandma and Granddad to collect donations instead of gifts at their Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration - after 50 years they already had everything they wanted! I really wanted to collect money for diabetes research - I want to go into medicine when I get older.
My Diabetic Consultant at Nottingham University Hospital has offered me work experience already. I hope that I can help with a cure or make it easier for people to live with and I hope the money helps. I made sure the donations were all gift aided - so the £400 we collected ends up as £500 for Diabetes UK. We also had a good time celebrating the anniversary!
Daniel
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on the 8 November 2011. My journey started when I had the usual symptoms of losing weight, thirsty, fatigue and going to the toilet a lot. My parents had suspected something was up when I was losing three pounds a week when I was eating junk.
Luckily for me my auntie has Type 1 diabetes and recognised the symptoms so she did a blood sugar test which showed I was 22.2 which made her phone up the doctors to get me in as soon as possible. I can remember crying when going to hospital knowing diabetes was going to change my life. I had to re-adjust my diet and cut out all the sugary foods but my family have been there every step of the way.
I may have had diabetes just over a year but it has been hard work. I try not to let diabetes get in my way of anything I want to do. However, people at school even so called friends make remarks and jokes all of the time which can make me feel low at times. Sometimes it even makes me think am I normal. This year I have found somebody who is there every step of the way and always looks out for me. This person has been so supportive and has helped me through times when I feel down like times just recently.
My HBA1C is generally ok but sometimes can be high. I have recently done really well in my GCSE’s and currently doing my A levels which also learning to drive and diabetes has not stopped me succeeding.
I have recently raised money for Diabetes UK doing a charity football match and I am collecting the money in now. My message is don’t let people make you feel different. Find somebody you can trust and talk about any problems you may have even if it’s for reassurance. Don’t suffer in silence and remember never stopping taking your insulin.
Sophie
I was diagnosed when I was 10 - three weeks after my birthday it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I remember it so clearly I was always thirsty, tired and needing the loo. I lost so much weight. I remember putting on a pair of jeans that a few weeks ago had been to small and then being so big on me. I would get up in the middle of the night to get a drink. One time I drank almost a whole carton of orange juice my parents knew something was wrong.
One Monday morning my mum came to wake me up for school. I was exhausted I could barely get out if bed. I was so pale and my skin was so dry my mum booked me in for an appointment with my GP. We got to the doctors and he asked for a urine sample. After he tested it he asked me too test my blood with a blood sugar meter exactly like the one I use today. I was scared that it would hurt so I refused. So my doctor told me to go to hospital immediately!
I was so confused I burst out crying my mum phoned my dad and then I packed an over night bag and my mum drove me to the hospital . When we got their I waited a while I was so confused I had no idea what was wrong with me. I was taken into a room were a doctor asked me about my symptoms and then told me That It sounds like diabetes . I remember thinking 'what' 'how'. Before i knew it the doctor took a blood test I cried because I was scared and confused. When the blood test came back it confirmed I had diabetes.
I was taken to a ward with lots of other patients similar to my age. When the nurse came round at dinner time to give me my first injection I was intrigued but terrified 'will it hurt?' I asked many times . After I had been injected I realised it wasn't that bad just a little prick ,by the next day I was injecting myself.
Before I left I was given a sack. Inside was a book for me to understand about diabetes and a teddy bear called rupert which had little patches on to show were I could inject. I now use that blue bag to carry my kit around which includes my pen, meter, tester strips and needles. I also carb count my meals.
When I started senior school things started going down hill. I was fed up of my diabetes and I just wanted to be the same as my friends like I used to be. So I skipped loads of injections and never tested my blood. My mum and my doctors found out at my clinic they gave me tips and they just wanted to help my HBA1 was between 8-10 so quite high. I went away and came back much better. I now know never to miss injections. I make sure diabetes doesn't stop me from doing anything and I hope they find a cure.
India
Hi my name is India and I have had Type 1 Diabetes since my 2nd Birthday. I was diagnosed after falling into a coma at my party :( it was so upsetting, I was air lifted to hospital in front of all my friends, I don't remember it at all. I was let out of hospital a month later.
I've never let diabetes stand in my way! I have quite good control but still get the odd 3.2 and 14.3! Whoops!
I get good grades on my school work and participate in many activities :) I am on the insulin pump now and I don't no if I could have coped without it. I have the best diabetes team anyone could ask for, they are just great!!!! I named my pump Pinklet as its pink :p
Rheanna
hello my name is rheanna and i was dignosed with diabites on march 20th 2013 ...im stll new at all of this but all i know is that it gets easyer ..and for all u new people i just want to say dont worry it gets easyer and things will come to u like nothing....lol youll be able to look at an apple and tell everyone how may carbs it is :D...
Kelly-Louise
I was first diagnosed when I was 4 I am now 16. I've had my ups and downs with diabetes and it all started going wrong when in was 13 and started high school and I started getting bullied. They always called me fat and said that I was a disease. I started to reject my insulin. It was a couple of days before my mums birthday and I woke up being sick and I kept wanting a drink of water, once I had finished one glass of water I wanted another after another.
I got took to the doctors and they put me on the sick days. I got better but then it changed dramatically I started drinking to much water.. It got worse my lips started turning blue and I was really white my mum rushed me to the hospital and they tried to get a cannula into my hand but my organs were shutting down. This event happened a lot to me.
A few months after I had been admitted to hospital (6 times) the diabetic team wanted to see me, they had told me about a insulin pump. They gave me a week trial to see if I liked it during the week of having it I felt so much freedom I didn't have to show anyone that I was injecting.
I got given the insulin pump 7 months ago and everything seems to be going well. I have now learnt never listen to anyone who bullies you about diabetes it's just something your born with and your exactly same as everybody else.
Mia
My name is mia I am 10 years old I was diagonosed with diabetes at the age of 9. Its really difficult sometimes but my family and friends help all the time. It does not bother me because im still the same person but I do want to get rid of it. There is two tipes of diabetes tipe 1 and tipe 2 i have got tipe 1. So if you are reading this and you have diabetes dont worry because there are lods of people that will help you. x
Megan
Im Megan and Im nearly 17 years old. I was diagnosed with diabetes just before Christmas in 2010, and i have now had it for 2 years. At first i was really worried about diabetes, and how it would effect my life. I got so much help from the doctors and the nurses, and i have my own nurse who comes to see me when ever I need it. I have no friends or relatives who have diabetes which also made the situation a little harder. The thought of having to do 4 injections a day terrified me, and also the thought of pricking my finger scared me.
But now, it is just a normal routine and its just a part of my life. Sure, diabetes can be a pain sometimes, and there are good times, and harder times with it, but with all the help and support you get from friends and family it makes it loads easier. It hasnt stopped me from doing anything that I want, and I still do everything that I used to! Diabetes wont completely take over your life or change it if you dont let it. Just stay positive and look after yourself! :)
Dan
Hello My Names Dan and i was Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes since i was 14 and i would of had it for 12 years this summer. My Story is that from about the age of about 13 and onwards i have got upset/depressed about my Diabetes. I was being bullied by people at my school and i would then go back home after school and would cry and cry and i wouldn't except help from anyone, i then thought i was different to everyone else and i wasn't as good as them and thought that everyone hated me and my life would be terrible.
One day i told a really close friend about all my problems and she encouraged me too people and that i wasn't any different from anyone and everyone is equal. Then thats when i realised i was normal just like everyone else and just because i have Diabetes doesnt mean i should be treated differently so eventually told my school and the bullying stopped and later got the chance to do a assembly about Diabetes and now everyone else understands that im still normal and it fixed all my problems and i felt a lot better about myself
Megan
Hey, Im Megan.
i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 3 days before Christmas last year i am now eleven but the next day i found i had cataracts in both eyes which was a real pain this was all in the school holidays and i was due to move schools which helped a bit because it was a new place where people would always know me as a diabetic then the day after my last cataract operation i found i had coaliac as well a year later and im fine dont let it get to you do what you want to just dont over do it
Dubbzzii
Heyy XD im emily AKA dubbzzii,, i was diagnosed when i was 7 :L i was petrified of needes and hospitals so it wasnt great for the nurses! I m now on an insulinpump which s much better because i can est more and put on a little weight after i was vey light!!!! I have had some ups and downs and was recently in hospital for ketoacidosis :L xx
Aimee
Hi my names Aimee, Ive had diabetes for nearly 11 years and im 13 now.
When i was first diagnosed I was quite ill already and the doctor said thats what triggered it. I was so thirsty and had a temperature. I went onto two injections daily and i was only 3 so my mam did them for me :)
I then went onto multiple injections when i was in about year 5 or 6 i think. I liked it how I could eat what I wanted and when I wanted to.
Now I have the pump. It so much better as I can eat flexibly and only change the cannula (needle in me) every 2 days instead of all the time. I also have Hypo-thyrodism I take 2 tablets daily for this and if I dont take them I will gain ALOT of weight and not be able to loose it again :( thankfully that hasnt happened to me! :D
Thank you for reading my story!xxxx
Caitlin
Hi I'm Caitlin, I am 15 years old and have had Type 1 diabetes for 5 years. I was diagnosed with Diabetes on 1st August 2007. During the day, around 12pm, I started shaking, so I spoke to a teacher from school and they said to go get my dinner. Once i got home i told my mum and she took me straight to the doctors to have a test done. If i wouldn't have gone for dinner, i would have fainted. The shakiness was caused by hypoglycaemia.
When i got diabetes i was injecting the insulin, then in 2010, i got given an insulin pump which has bluetooth. I check my blood sugars, if they are high i see if i need a correction and if i do the blood monitor tells the insulin pump and the insulin is delivered. My insulin pump is so much easier than injecting.
I cope with my diabetes really well. Unfortunately a couple of months ago, i got tested for Coeliac and the test came back positive so last month i had to go for an endoscopy. I am still waiting for my results. I just hope that I dont have Coeliac because i have enough conditions to deal with such as temporal lobe epilepsy as well as my Type 1 Diabetes.
Thank you for reading my story :)
Aysha
i was diagnosed 1 day after my eighth birthday. i remember being bed-bound, having all sorts of scary tests in a huge hospital. Scary needles. a year on and i was doing fantastic! i was doing my own injections, blood sugar testing, and everything was fine.
as i hit puberty things changed. not only was i going through things every other child my age was, but i had to deal with the diabetes too! but it got pushed aside, the least of my worries. i wasn't looking after myself the way i should have. i lied to my parents and said it was all under control, but it wasn't. i stopped taking my insulin at the age of 13, and went into ketoacidosis. i was in a coma for 2 days, it affected me so badly that i wasn't allowed to drink, because my kidneys were failing. if i had of drunk anything, my brain could have swelled and i would have died. i was in hospital then for roughly a week. it was traumatizing. my family and friends are helping me through it all still, 3 years after.
Diabetes is a big burden, if you don't let people support you. im 16 now so half of my life i've lived with it. don't let it ruin your life, it almost ruined mine.
Ashleigh
Hi, My name is Ashleigh. I am 16 years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes earlier this year in April. I was suffering from really bad thirst and needing to go to the toilet every 10 minutes. My mams friend came down who has diabetes and she took my blood sugar which was 33. I was the rushed to hospital where i spent 2 days.
My sugars are some what under control but can bounce. The bruises and the painful fingers are not nice, but you have to deal with it. The doctors have been really helpful and my friends and family have been there every step of the way.
It's nice to hear other peoples stories and know im not the only one because people say they know what im going through, but you actually dont if your not going through it.
Ashleigh x
Yashvi
Hi I am yashvi and I was diagnosed in October 2011 i had no idea that I was going to have diabetes. I found out that I have diabetes when I went on a school trip to bragate park in leicester it was all hills and mountains we had to climb it, i got really tired i told my teacher that i am tired and i cant breathe she took me back to school and called my mum but my mum wasn't at home so i had to go in my aunty's shop she took me for a blood test they said they will give the result in 2 weeks but it got worse they had to give it straight away they said i have diabetes i was horrified but i had to cope up with it.
when i went back to school people use to tease me because i have diabetes they even stopped playing with me and now i have a new school and new friends who have no problems with me having diabetes.Nowadays diabetes is really common, i can cope up it.
Cai
Im cai and im only 12 13 in February I was only diagnosed on the 21 June 2012 and my mum was meaning to take me to the doctors for few months I was drinking loads and going to the toilet every 5 mins and i lost 1 stone in about 2 months but i was eating so much i was keeping my body Weight up thats what my nurse said and i was ill every month so i missed alot of school that wasnt that bad.
My mum took me to the docter on the 21 june and i had a blood test and i was 38.5.Then i was sent to hospital and of course i had to pee in a pot and had my blood taken and they said i had diabetes and i was put 4 injections a day 3 Humalog and 1 lantus the nurse said if i had given it another week and i would of been i a coma and i was out of hospital on the 22nd of june.
Its now 28 October and im coping really well my blood is between 4-8 alot but having some lows and highs at times but no really high and really lows and i am carbs counting and on 1 units for every 15 carbs and im having my first 4 months gap between clinic. Thanx for reading :D
Rhi
Im Rhi (short for rhianne) and im 13 years old. My gran noticed the signs first and then my mum, i was drinking alot of water, i was litterally going to the sink filling it up with cold water, drinking it all being sick and drinking again. i got taken to the doctors on a monday and they sent me staright to the hospital i immediatly started crying as my older sister had diabetes and i know how hard it is to handle. when i go to the hospital the nurse did my fingerprick and my sugar was 34.2 which is rediculously high, they even said if i left it a week longer i would have been in a coma!
for the first few years i had really good controll but as ive become a teenager its become alot harder, going out with my friends, going to partys has made things so much harder! recently at clinic i had a break down, every now and again i do. it just gets to me i just think "why me, what did i do to deserve this" and i had a wake up call. my sister was in hospital on intensive care because she had a major hypo and i thought i dont want to be like thta, on deaths door because of my diabetes. ive decided to change and make things better, i just want people to know your not the only ones out there who feel fed up and things will get better :) lots of love huns xox
Fasika
Hey, i'm fasika,i'm 17 years old . I'm a type one diabetic and i was diagnosed since i was 15,at that moment i was shocked when i found about it but it's so irritating,sometimes i remember about it and it makes me cry . I feel bad about it,as a dm patient i have to take medicen daily to prolong my life,i have to keep my self from sweet foods. Dm patients have to keep their diet and they should exercise at least just go for a walk for 30 minutes,it will help to burn the sugar inside the body.
for me life is not easy.but we all should trust our selves and live our life in a way that makes us happy,if u are diabetic in the morning after u wake up before taking the medicen n before u eat drink 4 cups of water then take ur medicen,after that eat salad with garlic,onion,vinear an lemon joined together it helps to control the blood sugar level for real, in conclusion although it is difficult to treat it and control it ,we should sometimes we should sacrify the good for the better,have a nhce life.
Laura
hello my names laura and im 15 years old, ive had type 1 diabetes since i was 6 years old,and i didnt control my diabetes well, i used to rebel against it,and thought that if i didnt control it that it would go away but it didnt it just made it worst, i cant believe how stupid i was about my diabetes and im finally getting them under control,all im trying to say is if your new to diabetes then dont rebel because it will just be worse later on in life,trust me ive been in hospital in and out for a few years now,and suffered with DKA in hospital it was really horrible
Liam
Hi I'm Liam, I've had diabetes for 5years now at first when I was diagnosed I was scared about taking part in sports, managing my food in take and how to control my diabetes in school, but really diabetes hasn't affected my life at all, Im in a rugby team, I can eat whatever I want but theres limits which really don't bother me and my bloods are always fine! My life is no different from any other 15 year old boy, other than having to have 2 needles a day which really don't bother me!
John
In Febuary 2003 when I was 6 years old I was in my mum's house playing with toys but I seemed to be going to the toilet much more often with darker urine. I was also drinking much more substantially - I downed a 500ml bottle of coke in 10 seconds. This was going on for 2 days until my mum took me to the doctor. My dad claimed this was un-necessary and I just had a cold. My mum was about to not take me until I started vomiting.
The doctor gave me a blood sugar test and I was 16.3 mmol/l - the doctor suspected I has diabetes. I was took to hospital immedietly and I got into hospital ward immedietly. My family had no idea what was going on and just thought I was unwell.
I got blood tests and urine tests and they concluded I has type 1 diabetes and I was given 5 + injections a day and 10 finger pricks a day until now. I am fine about doing it now and I keep my diabetes under full control without problems
Laura
I've had diabetes for nearly six years now and I do injections to control my diabetes and I must admit my story isn't really a dramatic one. When I first got diabetes at the age of 7, I didn't like it. It was scary for me and I didn't know how my friends were going to react. It was hard at primary school because I was the only one with diabetes, everyone kept asking me questions and I got unwanted attention. As the years went by, it got better. Until I learnt to do my own injections. Because the school didn't have the right facilities for me, I ended up having to use the disabled toilet. It wasn't right but I put up with it and got on with it.
High school - When I first moved up it was torture and relief at the same time because then at least I would be able to meet diabetics abs they would know how I felt. But torture because I had to go through the whole answering question palava again. I'm about to go into year 9 ave things are settling down a bit now. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy my last few years at school without any more hassle! :)
Reagan
When i was 9 me and my family went on holiday, while we was there my mum noticed that i had lost alot of weight and that i had started drinking more and going to the toilet alot more often. I was always tired and moody with everyone. In the last week of my holiday we was going to some sightseeing place but i had a massive headache so we stoped at the doctors to get some paracetemol, while we was there my mum started explaining the changes she notcied in me.
The doctors checked my bloods and they was was mega high, we waited for abit and then the doctor come through and told me i have Diabetes, because of the Di(die) in diabetes i started panacing thinking i was gonna die but then the doctor explained to me what diabetes is and how it can effect me and why ive got it. After a night in hospital we came back home and went to the hospital where i met my diabetic nurse and the rest of the diabetic team.
I am 14 now and its been 5 years since i found out about my diabetes and tbf its still quite scary but with the help of the people surrounding me i get through it with out the scary thoughts coming foward in my mind. Ive met soo much people in the same position as me and they all say the same as 'dont let diabetes effect your life because so long as you take your injections and test your blood sugars everything is oka'.
Awesomedude
I was diagnosed on 14/10/11. Wasn't that long ago but it was hard. I felt tired and my mum is diabetic so she started to realised that i was diabetic. She had a spare blood tester so she asked me could she do a quick test on me and my sugars were of the scale! so mum rang a doctor and he said to take me down to the hospital. So me being dopey old me didn't have a clue what was going on so we went to my aunts because mum had left it a bit to see if they came down a little but they didn't so my took me to the hospital.
Well then they took ANOTHER blood test on me and then i had to wait in a room (this was at 12 midnight on a FRIDAY night) and they then came and told me I was Type 1 diabetic. I ended up staying in hospital for 4 nights because something else in my body was poorly as well. When I went into school everyone in my class was specifically told they can't mess with ANY of my stuff. And if they did they were in VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY DEEP trouble. So then i started to get smothered by my class but they help me through my diabetes every day at school.
Nicole
I've had diabetes for 6 months now and things are getting a lot better! At first I felt everything was going to be hard to cope with, but honestly it's just the same as before. When I was first in hospital being diagnosed I did genuinely think diabetes was a mean, nasty condition... but I promise you.. it's not! There are things far worse and harder to cope with. The injections may get annoying but they have to be done there's no way out of them. I'm getting used to being diabetic and I know it's a part of who I am.
I have recently being diagnosed with Coeliac disease too which can be tricky finding things with low sugar and gluten-free but it's getting easier. I've had A LOT of support and I will support any of you! :)
Kellie Marie
hello my name is kellie marie and im 13 year old and iam typi one diabetic and i been diabetic for 18 mothes and i still get really up sat about and my family look out for me and i really happy that i can still eat some thing well some of the time ad i just hope ican hear your storys to
love kellie xxx
Katie
hi my name is katie im 16 year old (17 next month). well a bit about me: i was diagnosed June 2009 so 3 years ago, I have always struggled to keep my levels under control but i was thinking about having a pump but the thing is that i want to work with young children and i worry about being able to get a job with under 4's if i have a pump as the job involves picking up children/ babies and feeding and changing nappies and im worried about it being seen under my clothes. please let me know what you think.
Beth
i was diagnosed with diabetes just before my 8th birthday, I didn't really understand what diabetes was until I got it. I do my injections myself, and i test my blood sugars regularly. i went through a stage when i was liying about my blood sugars& not doing my injections. i lost alot weight, and when i went for a check-up at the hospital and my HbA1c was 10, I was very scared as i knew why this happened but the nurses didnt.
after this i had to do this 'continuess blood glucose monitoring' - a little needle inserted into my tummy, with a pump attached to it. It would record what my bloods were doing. The first time it didn't work, the nurses thought it was because i was so small. The second time i was ill so it couldn't show what they were. I had waited about another year to do it again.
My bloods have been all over the place recently. the nurse think this is because i am growing. i have to inject 4 times a day. Novorapid when i have breakfast, lunch and dinner and i have to do my Lantus at night.
I do find diabetes hard to manage even though i have had it since i was 7, i am now 13, so that's about 6 years. It does get a bit easier, but its still hard, especially when you go to party's. Thank-you:)
Megan
Hi im megan, im 14, 15 in october. It was in 2008 that i got diagnosed with diabetes. I hadnt even heard the word diabetes before. it started the night before.. i was sitting downstairs with my mom and dad, eating m&ms, and drinking sunny d. The next morning i didnt wake up, mom and dad had to take me to hospital, and i got poked with needles. They told my mom and dad i was in a coma, and eeded to get to intensive care straight away. The doctors there put me on a life machine, and i had tubes everywhere, they told mom and dad i was more then a 50/50 chance of not surviving, but I DID wake up, i was perfectly fine.
i now have an isolin pump and am doing well, i find diabetes hard sometimes, and forget a few things, but dad helps me, i hate people who try and treat me differant cos of diabetes, its not going to effect how i live, because i can eat what i like with the pump i have now, i just hate people who think they understand and they dont. With anyone with diabetes, trust me, it does get easier, and it does get better, you will have your good and bad days, but your still learning, and so am i, we have new things to discover, just keep on smiling.
Ben
Hi my name is ben and i am 11 years old and i have had diabetes for six months!.I was admitted into hospital on the 28th of november 2011 and i was in a seriouse d.k.a which stands for a diabeticketoasidosis coma.When me,my mom and my 18 year old brother was told we all got quite worried but the following day we wearnt as worried, i came out of hospital 1st of december 2011 and i was quite sad because it was before christmas:-( .
My bloods havent been between 4 and 8 for a hole day they are usually 10.5 and over of 3.9 and below. At first i hated diabeteis but i like it much more now because i have made so much more freinds.I am on injections 4 times a day and i do carbahidrate countin.I have only been doing this for 4 weeks.I am a bit better at handiling my diabeteis. The best way to cope with diabetes is to talk to people who understand how you are felling.
Yazzy
Basically hi I'm yaz and I hate having diabetes. I got it last April and have been my consultants top patient and etc but now I just came out of honeymoon period and I hate it. Hate. It. I hate being different and having to come out of my way to do injections and prick my fingers, it's horrible. At the beginning my HBA1C was like 6.8 and 7-8 and stuff but last check up it was 8.1 and I'm soooo terrified of what it will be this time bye and gud luck xxxxxxxx
Isabel
I am a Type 1 Diabetic, my mum noticed I was drinking tons, and weeing every 5 mins, I also lost 2 stone in less than a month. So she took me to the Dr, he made me wee in a tube and when he had finished testing, he told me and my Mum it was Type 1 Diabetes, so I was rushed to Hospital. I have a phobia of needles, and of course I needed a BIG blood test, I was terrified, after 45 mins waiting for the blood test results it was official I had Type 1 Diabetes.
When I found out more about it I realised I needed 4 injections a day, so I bit the bullet and faced reality and decided to do my 1st injection. For about 2 months I was very very sad, and cried everyday and asked WHY??? I am a lot happier now though, because of the support from my Mum and my nurses. Diabetes CAN'T take over your life!!!! It just cant. Be happy, Diabetes makes you unique and special. If I didn't have to have it I wouldn't, but there's NO cure, so we just have to get on with it!!!
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Sam
Hey guys! I’m 13 and was diagnosed with type 1 just before i was 11. I used to have jabs 4 times a day for a year and a bit. I'm now on an insulin pump which makes my life a whole lot easier. I love sport. A problemo with the pump is that i seem to have less energy. I take 6-8 blood sugars on an average day. To do this i just prick my finger with a pricky thing! It doesn't hurt! :) I have to change my infusion every 3 days which is really annoying but doesn't really hurt. Also have to go to the hospital for a check up every few months. The pump is far better than injections but it only makes life a bit easier.
I test my blood sugar 6-8 times on an average day. For this I just give myself a prick with a pricky thing and then my monitor sucks the blood up. Doesn't hurt a bit! :) The monitor then automatically tells my pump via bluetooth what to do. If my blood sugar is high it gives more insulin and if its low it gives me less. Pump's pretty good but is a right pain in the backside sometimes. Sometimes i feel i want to go back to injections but then i know that the pump is actually far better. I also enjoy readin' other peoples' diabetes stories and i would like to speak to others my age who have diabetes.
Cheers guys for reading and i hope your life with your diabetes is going well! :)
Georgina
Before christmas i used to drink alot and go to the toliet alot. In January i went to the doctors and they found ketones in my urine, so i got rushed up to hospital to have lots of blood tests done. I wen tin to my room and the doctor came in and said that i had Type 1 diabetes. I started to cry a lot and i got really worried.
The next day my diabetic nurse and dietitian came down to help and explain to me the meaing of diabetes and inform what i had to do. So i took everything in what they said.
At night time you could go to sleep whenever you wanted to. In the middle of the night Mark came roung to test my blood sugar an dit was very high. He woke my up by pricking my finger because it really hurt me. In the morning they said i could go home friday night but i got a bit worried because my friend was going to sleep round. So i had to ring her and tell her she had to stay the next weekend.
On Friday the Pharmicist came up to my ward and gave me a big brown bag with all my drugs in for me to take home and sort out. So i went home and i was fine. I really hate diabetes but acctualy i should't let it interfear with my life. I had lots of support off my family and all of the hospital. I hope everyone else with dai betes get the support i did. xx
Liam
I was diagnosed on November the third 2011 when I was twelve I was scared as I didn't know anything about it. I didn't want to tell anyone but I realised it would be better. everyone under stood me and no-one laughed. Now I feel I can be comfortable to be around them.Now I feel I can control diabetes and not let it get in the way of anything. Also i am very keen to do a lot more sports and get more active.
Beth
At the age of 7 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after falling in and out of consciousness and nearly losing my life, because the doctors lost my urine sample other wise it wouldn't have got that bad. I was in hospital for 8 days where i was in an induced coma for four days, in ICU for two days then on a childrens ward for the last two days.
The first few months my mum injected me, then I grew more confident and injected myself.
A few years went by I had the regular routine check ups at hospital and everything was fine. Then in 2010 I started asking questions about my parents split after I'd had no contact with my dad for 6 years. I suffered from low moods which became gradually worse until october 2011 when I was diagnosed with depression. My blood sugars regularly fluctuated in readings and I suffer from bad mood swings.
I'm 13 now and have started counselling I'm getting my bloods back under control and getting my life back on track.
Just remember you're never suffering you're just coping! You may not like having diabetes but if you can deal with it then you're stronger than every 'healthy' person out there!
George
Hi, I'm George. I was diagnosed about 1/2 a year ago with Type 1 Diabetes. For about three weeks before I was diagnosed, I had been suffering from severe abdominal pains and dehydration. I was stuck out of school, and I became really pale and weak. Once I managed to faint and collapse, I was rushed off to my local hospital for treatment. I had to stay for about a week, and my dad stayed with me the entire time.
At first I had no idea what had happened, but thanks to my brilliant team I now know far more about my condition and how to maintain it. I always look back on the day I was rushed to hospital with a little sort of sense of irony, as my mum that very same morning had told me "You're not really ill" and "You'll be fine". My mother is still waiting to get the joke.
Before I always thought that people with Diabetes were weak, and that they were far more limited in life. Now that I have first hand experience, I know that's not true. I openly acknowledge it, talking about it with my friends and cracking a joke about it.
Natalie
I've been a type 1 diabetic for the past 10 years, i was diognosed when i was 5 and i have grown up with it. I never really understood why i had to do all of this on my own when i was younger, as much and my parents and family try to understand they will never really know what it feels like to be a diabetic as i am the only one in my family with it, they have always tried to help but i feel like sometimes they just don't get it. I have been on the pump for 2 years now and i would never go back, it has changed how i am, i can now do anything as before i felt restricted by the injections, however i have only been putting my sets in around my tummy and back area, does anyone know where else is comfortable for them to go? :)
Hi Natalie, thanks for getting in touch. We're really pleased to hear that having a pump has made your life so much easier! You can insert your infusion set anywhere that you can do your insulin injections, so your tummy area, thighs, bum, hips and arms. It's important to rotate your sites, as this can reduce the risk of developing small lumps or 'pits' under the skin. You should not only choose different sites, but make sure you use different areas within the sites. It might be a good idea to give your diabetes nurse a call if you are unsure – they'll be happy to talk it through with you or give you a demo session.
– My Life
Laura
Hey, I'm Laura. I'm 15 now and I've been diagnose with diabetes type 1 since just before my 4th birthday. For year my bloods have been almost constantly high with a few good results. Nearly everyday I used to hate having diabetes and that made me hate myself.
In year 7/8 I had a huge fall out with the people I had been friends with since year 1 and that had made e so upset that I started missing injections and making myself very ill just so I didn't have to go to school. I thought I had no one to turn to without getting anyone involved. I didn't even trust my parents, teachers or hospital.
Well I made it through that because I realized that I could easily get help and get a better hand on my blood control just by talking. To be honest i just wished I realized that earlier so now I'm telling you that you can before things do get so out of hand like they did for me.
Stay strong: that's what everyone always says. It's not that easy though. I'm doing my GCSE's now and my blood is still really high however I have much more control now and more good results. My total averages have come down. I can't tell you how to handle you're diabetes because we're all different, I'm just saying don't stress out. Let things take their time because there really is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if there are some nasty monsters on the way! :)
Claire
Hi my name is Claire, i'm 13 years old and i've had diabetes for nearly 7 years. Now my diabetes has been, lets just say not the best it can be. But i have finaly got it back on track and i'm the one in control:), it's the best way for anyone with diabetes, you should be the one in control, not it being in control of you :D ...Thank you+I hope this helped xx.
Martha
Im Martha, im 17 and i've had type 1 diabetes for just over 4 years now.
Being diagnosed was the most terrifying thing i have ever experienced, i had no idea what the condition was or what was wrong with me. It was also such a relief to finally out a stop to all the horrible symptons you get pre-diagnosis, the constant needing the toilet, drinking 9-10L of fluids a day and the general feeling lethargic.
As the years have gone on i have learnt so much about the condition and after going through some upsetting and worrying hospital visits where my HbA1c was around 10mmol i've finally managed to take control and responsibility for myself. I row 8 times a week and put myself through physical hell and have not let my diabetes affect that in any way. I look to Sir Steve Redgrave (fellow rower and type 1 diabetic) for inspiration - he also would never let his illness get in the way.
I feel confident that as my control gets better, my health does too but i am terrified of the health defects that diabetes can cause... These have all scared me into trying my hardest to control my diabetes and live a long and healthy life. I wont let this illness defeat me! :)
Ellen
i got my diabetes when i was 10. It all happen in the middle of class i started anwsering back to my teacher then i just felt really sick we had to get the head master and he rang my mum to come a get me. mummy had to take me to the nurse.The nuse took a few tests the sent me home. i was sleepimg when i got the call to take my back down to my local clinic.
When i arrived they got a doctor in to speak to my mum and i he said you must go to the hospital stright away we have a feeling you have type 1 diabetes as your bloods are 27.5.It was true i did have type 1 diabetes.
I found the hospatil very scarey as i had to get needles in to me and it was the first time ever in my life. 3 years on and i am doing really well my bloods are under control and i have just found out that i am getting the pump i am delighted and for anyone one who is reding this and you have just got dibetes it is not that bad it will turn out well tust me. i hope you liked reading my story and tht everything turn out alright for you.
Chloe
Hey, I'm 17 now and have been diabetic since I was 4. I think I'm basically here to say that I know somedays it gets a bit hard and a bit tedious, and its sort of like you sit there and think, why on earth did it pick me? Did it ever think that maybe I dont want to do injections every day? Did it ever think that maybe I just wanted to live life the way all my friends live life? But most days, living with diabetes is okay, you soon get used to it (I guess that goes out to all the newly diagnosed) and it very quickly just becomes part of life.
Not to say that I am always the best behaved with it, I most certainly aren't, but I think it says somewhere else on the site that you aren't alone, and that's true, you're never alone in this!!!
I am diabetic, and I personally know quite a few others who are too, sometimes we talk about it, most of the time we just talk about normal things, it isn't a sin to talk about it, if you feel like its overwhelming you (and it can do sometimes) find a friend, talk about it, make them understand. Or else talk to us guys, we all know what its like :-) There's strength in numbers guys, remember that :-)
Nicole
I'm 14 and I have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It all came as a shock really, went to the doctors about something and the next minute I was being tested for diabetes. All that was running through my head was 'Am I gonna die?' (I didn't have much knowledge of what diabetes was).
I got sent to the hospital to be tested more and have some injections and be taught about diabetes. I stayed a night there and that was the most boring thing ever. No sleep. The next day I got home and I was injecting insulin before I knew it. None of this bothered me, I knew I had to do it and I just get on with it!
People with diabetes are NEVER alone, there's always support available.. friends,family,schools,hospitals etc. It's been about a week now and I'm feeling much calmer and happier than I was!
Dara
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when i was 13, two days before my 14th birthday, I am now 15. My mammy is a nurse and picked up the signs quite quickly, the only sign I had was sugar in my urine which then lead to a urinary tract infection. The next day i went to the doctors and they told me that they think i have diabetes, i was sent to the hospital afterwards.
It was a big shock to me and i was worrying that i would not be able to eat any sweets again and what way my future would be like for me , i wondered if it would stop me from doing things throughout my life and i didn't like the sound of giving 5 injections a day. I thought i would be treated differently than others.
When i was in hospital they didn't rush me into giving injections all i had to for the mean time was checking my sugars and recording them. My pancreas was still working a bit, but i had to come back into hospital 2 weeks later to start on the injections. I found it hard to record and check my blood sugars, but as the days went on i realized what could happen if i don't look after my diabetes correctly.
Am getting on well with my diabetes now and i have learned it does not stop you from doing anything or interfere with your social life.
Kathryn
Hello I’m Kathryn I’m 15 years old, and I’ve had diabetes for almost 4 years now. I was 11, and I was already starting to feel very thirsty all the time. I would drink bottles of water in seconds, rush to the toilet for a wee, and then come back and ask for another drink! My mum thought something was wrong but I told her I was fine and she didn’t need to worry.
I wasn’t properly ill until March 2008. My throat was so dry I had something sticky and dark red lining my throat and stuck to my teeth and tongue; I couldn’t eat without feeling sick and I was constantly thirsty and weeing! You could see all the bones in my body and I started to feel so, so weak. A doctor was called round but I had slipped into a sort of sleep, and I was immediately rushed into hospital. I couldn't walk, my body had lost all strength and I had to be carried everywhere.
I was taken into Charlie’s Day Unit and I didn’t even feel it when the nurses couldn’t find any blood to connect the drip tool; I didn’t notice anything, even my dad fainting! I was kept in intensive care for two days, and I was so dehydrated I wasn’t allowed anything to actually drink. That’s the only thing that annoyed me, which is quite funny as I was being woken up every hour! I had to have one of the air mask things as well which made my throat even drier.
Eventually I was let out and things started to get a lot better, I was very scared at first but I soon started to manage. I've only been back in hospital once, for high sugars, which gave me the worst cramps in the world: I thought they were going to cripple my legs! But other than that I’m doing okay, nobody’s perfect and I get quite a few high readings but I’m really trying to bring them down.
I always feel like everyone is nagging me, especially at the hospital, but I know they’re just trying to help. Sometimes it’s hard, but you get through it and someone is always there to help :-)
Natalie
Hi, Ive been living with diabetes for 13 years now, its not been the easiest of things to live with. Back 10 years ago i nearly died from ketoacidosis, I was shopping in Cardiff When i fell on the floor feeling out of breath, my mam had to carry me back to the car to take me back home, When i gt back home i rushed to the toilet to be sick but as i was walking back from the bathroom i was sick on the landing and past out.
I was then taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital to get help but they never had the right medical team to help me so i was the rushed down to the Heath Hospital in Cardiff were i was put on a ventelator for 48 hours before coming around.
My parents thort they had lost me and we found the problem was my lung had collapsed earlier that day. Ever since that day my body keeps having small episods, and every time this happens i get really scared. Through all that i have caused damage to my left eye and my hypo awareness as gone.
Its now been ust over 10 years and my sugars are better controlled and im currently doing the DAFNE reguine which i find its alot better as i can eat and drink what i like when i like, but as long as i do the insulin.
Imogen
I am 12 years old. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 5 years old. I was extremely ill. I was in hospital for 6 days. exactly a year later I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and a year ago I was diagnosed with asthma.
I was never bullied in primary school. my friends were really good and understanding. I am in year 7 now and my friends are really supportive here too.Why is she writing this?, you ask yourself...
The answer is; although I had really supportive family & friends etc, I wanted to rebel. This started to affect me in a lot of ways. I was generally unhappy too. I had a really bad temper, especially when my sugar was high. I started to think that things could not get any better. I thought my heart could not break, because it was never whole to start with. this sounds dramatic, but its how i felt.
Then I went on a Diabetes UK holiday. IT CHANGED ME. I was able to see things differently. I didn't want to rebel as much. After a while I can now say things are a lot better. They are by no means perfect. I just want people to get involved and not let their condition affect them. I am telling people this now because know one told me when i needed to be told. x
Zoe
hey im zoe, im fourteen years old and have been living with type 1 diabeties since i was two. i am very sporty and used to struggle controlling my blood glucose levels whilst engaged in activity. I recently was put on to a medtronic insulin pump which has made my life so much easier. Now i can do what ever when ever however i like. Last summer i participated in a diabetes uk holiday in giggleswick. This helped greatly meeting new people with the same condition i also tried lots of new acctivities and loads of new food.
Shannon
I've just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but a week before they said i was Type 2 so I was taking medication (tablets) for it, so it was a big shock to find out I was type 1!
I'm really worried and a bit scared, it's nearly Christmas, and I'm worried that I'm not allowed to eat anything. I'm also worried about having the injections and going to school, especially as i have a school trip soon.
But reading everyone's story has made me feel positive about the whole situation, and I know I can over come it with the support from my family and most of all my friends.
Diabetes isn't a disease, it's a condition and it's part of me. It makes me who i am...
Caitlin
im 14 and ive had diabetes for 4 years now and on a insulin pump which is much easier than injections. my diabetes is well controlled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tiernach
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on 25/08/2011, on G.C.S.E. results day, which wasn't great news. I have to take my blood sugars 4 times a week and take one metaformin everyday. I find mine quite easy to control my glucose levels, but it's really evident if you have had something sugary or didn't have a lot of glucose. To be honest I don't like my Diabetes very much because of the temptations around you but I have to keep telling myself that other people have this as well so they know how i feel. My tip is to not worry much and exercise and try to eat more healthily but don't stop taking tablets or glucose tests, that'll just ruin your streak! :) I've been getting scores of 4-5 so be strong! :D
Zoe
I got diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of year 7 , for the first year i had really good control of it but as i grew up i have found my diabetes harder to control. A big part of it is that i want to be like the rest of my friends and try and push my diabetes to the back of my mind. My mum and others around me keep going on about how important control is and i know they are just trying to help but it seems like their nagging and makes me try and forget about my diabetes more. I really want to have my control back and prove to myself and others around me i can do it but it just seems like a uphill struggle. :/
zoe xx
Annie
hi im annie, im nearly 18 years old. i was diagnosed with diabetes type 1 when i was 6 years old. i cant remember anything about getting it apart from a bit in hospital.
but nearly 12 years on im still not used to it. i understand how important it is to keep my sugars under control and i do im usually really good with it. its just that i hate everything about it.
last year in college i got so depressed about it i was getting ill and exhausted and didnt want to be around anyone. i missed a lot of college but didnt tell anybody how i felt. my boyfriend knew how it kept me up at night, i would cry for ages about it thinking all the worst thoughts. he finally took me to see a councillor. im much better now, i sleep, and i can actually say to somebody i have diabetes. i could never have said that word i hate it so much, i would say "the 'd' word."
i still hate it and it makes me angry and upset. i just wish i didnt have it. its frustrating. people say, its what makes you. no its not. im annie. not annie with diabetes. how have other people coped with it? :( x
Gav
Hi im gav , im 15 years old. i was diganosed with diabetes when i was around 11 or 12 and i rember thinking it was the worst thing in the world! I had to stay in hospital for a few days then i was allowed to go home. At the time i was very shy about my condition and didnt want any of my freinds to know , but over the years i overcome that fear and now i dont mind.
I recently had to start have my jab at school, i really didnt want to but i know i had to so i just got on with it, my mates are really supportive and they let me just get on with it. Im in my last year of school now and my diabtes is under control. To anyoner else who has just been diganosed, i know it seems scary but over time you get use to it and it becomes a way of life. You just have to be strong and accept it because its not going anywhere, Anyways adleast diabtes is treatable unlike some diseeas! Look at the postives and stay strong and you'll pull through it. Hope this helps some people out! (:
