Christmas 28 years ago

It was Christmas eve.  I was 5 years old.  My parents, sister and I were waiting for more of our family to come over as they always did to celebrate Christmas.  I don’t remember if it was cold.  I don’t remember if it was raining or snowing.  I actually don’t remember much at all about that night.  I was extremely thirsty and kept asking my parents for something to drink.  I was urinating way too much.  My parents knew what those signs probably meant so they tested my glucose level via my father’s urine strips which were more like tape back then.  It came out pretty dark.  I can only imagine their disbelief in what was happening to one of their 5 year old daughters.  They called my father’s endocrinologist and he obviously advised them to bring me to the hospital, which they did.  They left my poor twin sister with family members at home, packed up some things and took my little self to the emergency room.  And that was the day I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  It ruined my Christmas that year and in a way, has put a damper on it every year since then.  It’s a date that I can never forget but in a way am glad I don’t remember a lot.  I don’t really remember being told my blood glucose level was about 300.  I don’t really remember having to spend Christmas in the hospital and not playing with new toys with my sister.  I don’t really remember having to learn how to give injections and being told I couldn’t eat certain things anymore.  I don’t really remember how my parents reacted to the fact that their daughter now was a type 1 diabetic.  I don’t remember missing school for an extended period of time due to my hospitalization.       

 Now that it’s been 28 years, I cannot believe myself how much things have changed.  I started out with testing glucose levels by peeing in a test tube and dropping a tablet in it to get a more “accurate” result.  I also was taking maybe one or two injections a day.  When glucose meters eventually were available to patients, I needed a letter from my pediatric endocrinologist to make it sound like I would die if I didn’t have one, to get just one.  And who knows, that could have been true!  I don’t recall testing my blood glucose often, if at all, at school growing up.  I don’t think I took injections at school either.  (Lord knows that is probably why my a1c’s were always high!)  Now I don’t go anywhere without a meter and test no matter where it is that I am.  I have an electronic insulin pump that delivers insulin to me continuously and with the touch of a few buttons.  I even use a continuous glucose monitor that provides glucose readings from a sensor that reads interstitial fluid.  Living with diabetes is still a daily struggle and always will be.  But the resources to manage it that are available now compared to what they were 28 years ago, are astounding.  And I hope that I live long enough to see the much more advanced resources that are yet to come.  I am very thankful to be able to “celebrate” this anniversary as I’ve done pretty darn well all these years.  And now I know that I have a special D angel watching over me …. thank you Daddy.          

 Happy 28^th d-versary to me! (well a day early) 

 And happy holidays to everyone!  Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2010 for all of you