Age: 29 Year Diagnosed: 2019 Location: Los Angeles, Ca
“Only a few months after my diagnosis, I was trying to venture back out of my comfort zone so I went on a date with a guy and was VERY nervous about going high or low not only in public but also in front of a new person. Of course, I ended up going high because I was nervous and my Dexcom started blaring in the middle of the bar. I had to whip out my pen and do a correction all while apologizing and mumbling: ‘Oh by the way, I'm diabetic. You're not afraid of needles are you?’ Thankfully, he was very understanding.
I used to think that diabetes would dictate everything I could or couldn't do in life. It seemed like the most important thing in the world and I wanted to take care of myself as best I could. It's still very important and of course I want to take care of myself, but I've tried to shift my mindset and see it more as a passenger in my life - not the driver. It will always be with me (until there's a cure!) and sometimes I'll have to give it more attention and rearrange things around it. But I am in the driver's seat of my own life and I refuse to let diabetes hold me back from anything I want to do.
When I was first diagnosed, I felt a lot of shame around my diabetes. Shame for being diagnosed with this disease - like it was my fault somehow (which I know now is ridiculous, but I was so uninformed at the time!), shame around a high blood sugar or a low one, like I wasn't being diligent enough. It all just felt like so much to handle and manage. I still have bad days, but for the most part I try to take one decision at a time and laugh when things don't go my way instead of getting super upset. We're all trying out best and none of us signed up to work a second job as a pancreas. I'm also thankful that every day is a new start!”