#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - type1

My A Level art mood board about Type 1. Including pictures of only diabetic friends, old omnipod insulin pods and my favourite inspirational quotes

Once upon a time a 12 year old girl was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Nearly 7 years on there is a few things I wish people knew...

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes 

• Is 24/7 - there are no days off (not even Christmas!)
• T1D affects around 400,000 people in the UK
• Is a roller coaster of emotions and blood sugar readings
• but somehow we keep positive - most of the time!
• as no two days are the same and it can be frustrating
• no we didn't get it from eating too much sugar
• there are two main types of diabetes
• is nothing to do with lack of exercise
• …or poor diet
• and does not always come from elderly people
• and diabetics don't want to hear how a distant relative have their foot chopped off
• we have to carry around life saving equipment every every da

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• is not a death sentence if managed
• but it nearly killed my best friend so it is very downplayed in seriousness 
• and sometimes there is no explanation why
• it is emotionally hard to deal with
• and there is no such thing as a perfect diabetic
• it causes 40% of diabetics to have an eating disorder
• and burnout is common - it needs to be talked about
• and its OK to ask for help
• even though we aren't alone sometimes we feel it
• if we have a low blood sugar it is not because we did something wrong and we DO have to have sugar to bring our bloods back up
• it is not cured by cinnamon or other herbal diets - not even by a low carb diet
• it makes any common illness you get ten times worse
• but makes us 10 times stronger
• has given me the best friends 
• has allowed me to be part of an amazing community
• … who feel like my family - some of whom i haven't even met yet

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• if seen in a positive light has allows you to conquer and do some amazing things
• but has led to struggles during exams and stressful times
• but at the same time we forget everyone struggles 
• its a hard job - theres no sugar coating it
• and we SHOULD NOT be defined by our Hba1c
• it affects the whole family not just the sufferer
• and although we may not always say it were so thankful

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• my insulin pump doesn't magically ‘do’ my diabetes for me - its not a pancreas!
• and some devices we have to pay for… 
• we have to calculate all carbs in our head
• … but we don't get a maths degree (boo)
• we can eat ANYTHING (in proportion obvs) as long as we inject for it
• diabetes doesn't stop me from doing anything… i just need to be more prepared (good job i used to be a girlguide and scout!)
• and it DEFINITELY does not define me
• but to those who feel defined by it at the moment - one of my nurses called Sarah from my old team in Doncaster once told me ‘Life always has its ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like your entering a black tunnel with no light is sight - but you will come out the other side’ - that stuck with me and I hope it will stick we you too - keep going x

Finally…

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - makes me part superhuman (well thats what I used to tell the Beaver Scouts anyway ;) 

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx