Living with something like this requires a great amount of motivation, positive mindset and a healthy living. Struggling with diabetes or any disease in fact is not easy and it breaks you at many points of your life because you loose hope and the desire to live. It is important to not give up and accept your body with the same way you used to. My writing will include all kind of emotions and I hope I am able to help and motivate teenagers struggling with the same.
The only hope I carry with me is that there are people who are struggling with even worse diseases and are not able to afford their treatment and I am thankful to life that my parents are able to provide me with the best treatment available.
Beginning
Life is a beautiful gift but it can be challenging as well. Same happened with me. Life was simpler until I was diagnosed with a chronic disease, Type 1 diabetes at the age of 15. You all must be aware about what diabetes is but do you know that it has types too? Type 1 Diabetes is something anyone or everyone doesn’t get, it is mostly diagnosed in children and young people, that is why it is called juvenile diabetes. It is a situation where your immune system destroys insulin making cells in your pancreas. Where in Type 2 diabetes your pancreas partially produce insulin and you have to take oral medication because your blood doesn’t respond to insulin the way it should.
My immune system has been weak and sensitive from the time I was born. I’ve had many tummy aches, upsets and ulcers, even undergone a surgery at the age of 2 when my appendicitis got blast and have been admitted to the hospital several times. But this time it was different, it was big.
I had no idea what I was going to get and that I have to live with it all my life. Getting diagnosed with T1D at an early age is not easy to live with because children aren’t aware about it and they don’t know what to do with it, how to mange it and take care of themselves in different situations. I was one of them.
When it happened.
When I was diagnosed with it in 2013, I knew that diabetes is something that old people get and you are not allowed to eat sugars in it because my Nani (grandmother) had it. But I had no idea what all things it brings with it and T1D was a new term for me about which I had completely no idea.
I was in 10th standard when I got diagnosed with it. From few weeks I was feeling really fatigue and tired all the time. I would get irritated without any reason and on every other small possible reason. I had lost too much of weight and I was eating like a monster. These things didn’t come to notice until I met the doctor. One usual school morning I was feeling not very well and nauseous and didn’t feel like going to the school. My parents then decided to take me to the doctor because I’d been complaining about it from past few days. On meeting with the doctor I got to know some of the things I’d been experiencing but didn’t know it could lead to something as serious as Diabetes. He asked me whether I was undergoing any changes and I told him “yes” – ‘ I have lost 5 kgs in a week in-spite of eating double of what I usually eat, drinking too much of water and going to the toilet 100 times a day.’
I thought that he’s asking me general questions but my mom got suspicious listening to me that I might be having diabetes because of all these symptoms. The doctor asked me to get few blood tests done – thyroid, diabetes and some more. Even then I had no idea that my life was going to change the very next day. I still remember while going back I mumbled these words – ‘ bass diabetes na hojaye mujhe aur kuch bhi chalega.’ But guess what life had plannd for me.
Next morning, my reports came and seeing my mother’s reaction I knew something was wrong. My mother uttered these words – ‘ iski fasting 315 hai’ ( it should be between 90-120 ). The very next minute I was crying and she was crying too. I didn’t know what to say , how to react, what and what not to feel. I felt numb. I just knew that my life is going to change from the very same moment and that I am sick. At that point of time I just needed everyone with me and thats when I called my dad to come back home from the office. By the evening my whole family was there to support me in every way possible. During times like this it is very important to have your family and friends to be there with you. I didn’t talk to anyone about it I was just quite the whole time. I was unable to react to express to talk. I was too scared to be admitted to the hospital the next day. I could literally feel nothing that day. I just knew that now my body won’t be making any insulin on its own and that I have to take it externally. It still gives me shivers when I think about it but now I think I’ve undergone that fear and learned to live with it. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 years now.
My thought to write is mostly for the young people that are getting diagnosed with T1D and I hope I am able to keep them pushed and motivated by sharing my journey and my story with them.
Anurati Aggarwal, 22 years old from New Delhi. I am an interior designer student currently working with a firm as a design intern. I love dancing, sketching and watching drama t.v shows. I am living with Type 1 Diabetes from past 7 years and I am here to talk about how living with it feels like. My blog is my way to express my emotions, feelings and my journey with you all. https://parindaaa.wordpress.com/
SIGN UP FOR COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWS LETTER
