So today is my 10 year Diaversary. I’ve been living with diabetes for a decade now. That feels very weird to say. It almost doesn’t even seem real.
Growing up and not knowing anything about diabetes, there are a lot of things I always dreamed and thought that I would do when I got older and I had no idea that I would be doing those with diabetes.
Turning 21 and going out with all of my friends….with a BG meter and insulin pump.
Moving in with my now wife….and having a storage area in the closet for my diabetes supplies.
Getting married….at that time with a syringe and vial of insulin in my tux pocket.
Going on a honeymoon….. with a package of syringes and lots of insulin.
Having kids….and worrying about if my child will also have diabetes.
And many, many more life events that occurred during these past 10 years.
Every year around this time, I think back on the night that I went to the hospital and think about the couple of months leading to me being rushed to the ER and think about if I knew then what I knew now. This is the number one reason why I am so adamant about getting general diabetes information to the public, so they never get to an 858 blood sugar and almost go into a coma without even knowing what is going on.
I’ve told my diagnosis story plenty of times, but a brief version goes like this. For 2-3 months before being diagnosed, I had every single possible symptom of high blood sugars that existed. I was drinking water like a boss and going to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I felt bad for my college roommate at the time because I was getting 20 times during the night to go to the bathroom.
On a Friday night at college, I was sick all day long and vomited at least 5-6 times. Finally around 9 p.m. while getting sick again in the community bathroom on the 7th floor of the dorms, a friend of mine from across the hall was in the bathroom at same time and said he was taking me to the hospital because I “looked like death” and that’s when the phone call to my parents happened and I was taken to the ER with an 858 blood sugar.
Two interactions from the ER that night replay in my head almost every single day. First, when the triage nurse pricked my finger and said that I need to be rushed to a bed right away because the meter wouldn’t even give her a reading. At that time, I had no idea what that even meant. The second interaction is when the ER doctor walked in and said, “Chris, you have type 1 diabetes”
And that’s when my new life began.
I have learned so much about this disease in these 10 years. It shocks me how many people living with type 1 diabetes barely even know enough about their diabetes to manage it. I’ve met so many incredible people that have been such a positive influence on my life and motivate me to manage my diabetes better. Hell, I would have never met my wife if it wasn’t for being diagnosed with diabetes.
One decade down, many more to go.
Here’s to your first decade diaversary, Chris! I am honored to know you, and despite the fact that it’s D that made that connection possible, am glad to have had the chance to meet you and consider you a friend. Thanks for writing this and everything that you do, and just in general for sharing your story. Like you, I hope we can get to a point where people aren’t caught off guard so much at diagnosis. Raising a brew in your honor today, my friend, and hope it’s a day of smooth and steady BGs on that end!