Personal Narrative: Type One Diabetes

I couldnt see at all nor could I get out of bed. I was extremly deydrated. A friend of mine came over with her husbands blood testing kit. She poked my finger and my blood registered at 652. Normal blood sugar count is around 100. I needed to get to the doctor. I called the urgent care in my town and the nurse told me there was nothing they could do for me. I needed to get to the emergency room as soon as i could. I had my daugher help me out to the car and she drove me to the hospital in Gulfport.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that is most commonly diagnosed in children, is rarely diagnosed in adulthood, and “Diabetes at a glance” (2016) reveals that nearly two million people were newly diagnosed with the disease in 2016 in the U.S. alone, and one of the people included in that two million is myself. Throughout the

The summer of 2004 is when I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, it was very shocking for my family except for me, I still didn’t completely understand what I had. All I knew was that the poking and pricking with different sized needles was painful. Eventually I began to learn what Type 1 Diabetes really was, and even though i had it, it didn’t slow me down, I focused on my academics and when it affected me I addressed and fixed the problem and went back to work. I also didn’t let it slow down my physical activities either, I would be outside every single day as kid non-stop, also in middle school I joined gymnastics as well and pursued it until the start of my junior year of high school. Diabetes affected my way of life, it made me different than everyone else and could’ve slowed me down but I didn’t let it, I still participated in different activities that everyone else did.

Instead of just eating when I wanted, I had to poke my finger and then get a shot. Now, instead of shots every time I eat, I only needs shots every three days. I think that diabetes has changed me in many ways. It definitely made me a stronger person. I joined groups on Facebook with other diabetics, and even joined a support group in a local town. Being with other people who were like me, made me feel like I was the same after that. Being Type 1 Diabetic has made me a stronger, more independent, and more confident person overall. Having to deal with all of the highs and lows of diabetes has shown me that sometimes I need to work hard to receive good results. Every three months I get a blood test of my average blood sugar for the last three months. That number helps keep me in line, and I need to put all of my effort into improving my health. One key thing that effects blood sugars is stress. That has had a big impact on my life, because I don’t chose when I’m stressed, I just am. That makes me realize that I can’t control everything in my life, but I need to do my best that I can

Let’s rewind to August (2010), the first day of fourth grade was rapidly approaching. I became sick with a strong virus, a virus that may possibly have been the start to a never ending obstacle. Weeks after the virus was gone, I began to experience strange and unusual symptoms. These symptoms included increased thirst, extreme hunger, unintended weight loss, and weakness. These symptoms didn’t go unnoticed. When my mom noticed these changes, she immediately wanted my blood sugar tested. When it was tested, the number that appeared was 518. A healthy, non-diabetic person should have

When most people look at me, they probably don't realize that every day I deal with type one diabetes. Which, is rather ironic considering that diabetes is a vast part of my life. Not a day goes by where I can just stop caring about my blood sugars or the carbohydrates in the foods I eat, even though doing so would be much easier.

I hate my diabetes. I wish I could take a vacation from it and eat a slice of cake without calculating carbohydrates. But, I can’t. So instead, I’ve learned to flip things around, and use the challenges of diabetes as an inspiration to live as fully as I would if I didn’t have diabetes. Living with Type One is an exercise in judgments, measurements, willpower and self-restraint.

Reason for Referral: Mrs. R was misdiagnosed with Type two diabetes a few years ago. She was re-tested and found to have Type one. The misdiagnosis by her general practitioner (GP) caused her to lose weight, become anemic, depressed, and unable to sleep as a result of taking the wrong medications. It has taken her two-and-a-half-months to have an appointment with an endocrinologist to find out she was misdiagnosed. She has been diabetic for at least 9 years.

Being diagnosed as type one diabetic, it creates multiple situations that require the patient to take responsibility to help control their disease. Receiving this type of diagnoses can restrict the opportunities for the patient and impede their comfort of life. “In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes” (ADA par.1). Thus being diagnosed as a type one diabetic is not a common incident, only affecting the few “unlucky” individual’s from the total population. Majority of the time individuals are

Imagine what life would be like having a shot every day to control a person’s sugar level.Mr.Whisler is sixty-one years old and he retired from Bryan middle school. He was a science teacher.Mr.Whisler likes to travel, he has a wife, has 2 adult sons, and he also does photography. Mr. Whisler is a person with Diabetes and he has a story that is inspiring. Type one Diabetes is a lifelong illness that requires daily treatment.

Being diagnosed as type one diabetic, it creates multiple situations that require the patient to take responsibility to help control their disease. Receiving this type of diagnoses can restrict the opportunities for the patient and impede their comfort of life. “In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes” (ADA par.1). Thus being diagnosed as a type one diabetic is not a common incident, only affecting the few “unlucky” individual’s

Being diagnosed with type one diabetes it creates multiple situations that requires the patient to take responsibility to help control their disease. While also the diagnoses can restrict the opportunities for the patient. According to the American Diabetes Association, “In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes” (ADA. Par.1). Thus being diagnosed by type one

Diabetes has been around for many years and even though our healthcare system in the United States is better than many years ago, it’s still a current problem that our society has to deal with. We have better understanding of diabetes and we don’t have doctors tasting the patients’ urine, instead we have lab test that can tell a story on the potential diagnoses that a person might have. Five years ago Ofelia a 58 year old female, got diagnosed with type II diabetes and hypertension. Her early symptoms that she had before being diagnosed with diabetes were feeling thirsty all the time. Ofelia stated, “Even though I kept drinking a lot of water, I was still thirsty. I would constantly have to go to the bathroom. I was tired all the time” (O.Navarro , personal interview, March 17,2017). When Ofelia was diagnosed with diabetes her blood sugar reading was at 525mg/dL. Ofelia has limited resources since she lives in Mexico: when she was first diagnosed she would go to the government clinic. She stated, “My diabetes was not in control. Every time I went to the clinic I would have different doctors who kept on changing my medications. I felt like nothing was controlling it and no one talked to me about how to control it” (O.Navarro, personal interview, March 17, 2017). The only thing that the doctors would tell Ofelia, was to walk and to cut down on the salts, but never

Patient G.M. is a four-year-old female from a middle class family living in San Diego. She originally presented with her mother and father to her general practitioner with lethargy and several vomiting episodes in the past few days. Her father stated concern after realizing her frequent urination in the past week. Her vital signs upon initial assessment were HR 140 RR 22 Temperature 102.7 degrees Fahrenheit, BP 70/62, O2 saturation 97%, 32 pounds, and 40 inches tall. Her General practitioner was concerned about type I diabetes and performed a blood sugar check. Upon assessment the monitor read HI, indicating that the level was above 500 and too high for the monitor to read. The doctor informed them she needed immediate treated in the closest pediatric ER due to the potential for diabetic ketoacidosis.

On September 26, 2016, three days after my nineteenth birthday, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes.