Living with Type 1 Diabetes

I was 5 years old when I started wetting my bed several times at night. Mum tells me that from a

friendly, energetic little girl, I turned into a tired, cranky, withdrawn person. I was losing weight,

always hungry but feeling awful after eating, so mum bought me LOTS of sugary stuff, to make sure I ate.

Taking me over to the local GP again and again resulted in the GP telling my mum she is paranoid.

Not once did he suggest a urine test!

It took 6 months and one frantic drive to the hospital, moving in and out of consciousness and about

15 minutes before DKA took my life, as explained by emergency DRs at the Melbourne Royal

Children’s hospital, for my parents to be notified that I have diabetes mellitus.

Yep! That was in 1978, an era that blood tests at home didn’t yet exist, neither did mobile phones

and needles that had to be boiled in between use to keep clean, you can only imagine how life

changed, for me and for my family.

Starting school, teachers were terrified I will have a hypo, instructing mum to stay at school all day.

Mum negotiated and managed to get the school to agree to bring me to school, and pick me up but

stay at home for a potential phone call (yes, land lines people!). This meant mum had to quit work,

which meant less income to the family, which meant financial stress, which meant fights between

my parents…can you see where this is going?

And what about the children at school? Well, I can write a book about that, let’s just say that kids

can be cruel sometimes…. It certainly didn’t help when I had to leave parties earlier so I can inject at

home, couldn’t eat anything at a birthday party as it wasn’t monitored by mum, mum had to come

to school excursions with me- Can you imagine the embarrassment!?

Not to mention the mood swings when the BGLs are high or low- a true rollercoaster- go explain that

to everyone when you are a kid?!

Teenage life was full of adventures, but what are adventures without risks? Well, how can one be

spontaneous if they need to inject insulin and eat at specific times?? How can one explain that they

need to stop dancing…..like now and get out of the club, sit quietly chewing on jelly beans.

A few years later in my early 20s, how can one be spontaneous and calculate how much alcohol one

can drink without having a profound impact on BGLs? That didn’t go down well with some of my

friends. I remember a friend on a beach in Greece stating ‘Goldy why do you always have to talk

about plans for dinner when we are sitting at the beach, it is only 2pm; you are taking the fun out of

this trip’. This friend was a childhood friend, someone who knew me well, who was supposed to be

my support person. I was so hurt, it took us a few breakdowns and tears to stay connected. It wasn’t

her fault, she just didn’t get it!

I also discovered that parents’ influence on their kids at an older age creates difficulties and heart

breaks. I found that out when a mother of a young man I was dating at the age of 22 called me one

day to let me know she was very unhappy with our relationship, stating that I am a beautiful person

but she doesn’t want her son having children with a person with diabetes.

Going through university saw me having to learn how to self-advocate regarding potential low BGLs

during assessments, ensuring I get extra time if needed. It wasn’t always easy, as people don’t

always understand what a low BGL means and the inability to assess how long it will take till we are

back to our normal self. Many visits to the GP just to get that letter confirming I am not lying

through my teeth.

This is not the place to write about intimate partner relationship and the impact of living with

someone who juggles a chronic condition has on both people- but if you are in, you know this and if

not, you need to.

To sum this blog on a positive note, I am a proof that after 47 years with diabetes, many

relationships, one marriage and one divorce and a gorgeous teen, 2 university degrees and several

careers across 3 countries, life can be beautiful and meaningful, despite not always being easy.