Diabetes Week

2 weeks ago I celebrated my 1 year "Diaversary", or diabetic anniversary to everyone else. A strange thing for most people to understand, but for everyone living with diabetes, that date every year is just as important as a birthday. In this past year, my eyes have really been opened to the huge lack of awareness and stigma surrounding the condition. That's why I thought it was important to get involved in raising aware this week.

This years theme for diabetes week is #TheBigPicture with the aim to raise awareness of what it is like to live with this condition and to try and reduce the stigma attached. So here goes....

For me, type 1 diabetes is a full time job that I never applied for. I also don't get paid for it, no matter how excellent a job I do. In fact, this job is more stressful, and on my mind, more than my actual job. You have to think about your blood sugar levels every minute of the day, before/after everything you eat and also how any activity might impact your levels e.g. A simple walk to the shop or drinking a morning coffee.

However, these are the obvious things.

What you might no know is that stress, temperature, sleep, illness, a previous days exercise, caffeine etc. all have an impact. A lot of these are not quantifiable and this can make your "job" very difficult. Not to mention the countless trips to the diabetic clinic, ordering and collecting medicines every month, the planning that goes into a simple weekend away, the waking up at 2am when your sugars plummet and having to carry insulin and glucose EVERYWHERE you go...

There is a lot more I could go into, however this isn't a diabetic medical forum. My goal is only to give quick insight to my experience with the condition. Every day I keep learning and every day I am a bit closer to understanding my own body and how it reacts to the condition. I also have incredible support from my wife (who pretty much goes through the same daily stresses as I do) and my sister, who has had the condition for 10+ years.

Thanks for reading.