I take four injections a day and test regularly. I do my treatments wherever and whenever my body tells me I need to, whether it’s school, work, home, or at a concert, etc.
Mary, 25 years old
Coping with insulin shots
It was hard because I used to do two to eight shots a day. If I ate something, it would’ve been more. I got used to them, but I kind of didn’t like them. I had this little stuffed animal dog, and I used to take him and squeeze him when I got shots.
Brady, 7 years old
Using an insulin pump
What you do is you test your blood with a meter and you stick a little tiny needle into your finger and then blood comes out. Then you put it on a little strip and the meter tells what your number is. Then you take your pump and you type in the number and how many carbs you ate, like 26 for a cup of hot chocolate. The pump gives you a number, like maybe like 1.5 or something, and then you press a button on the pump and then the insulin goes in to your set so your blood sugar won’t be high.
Allie, 9 years old
Occasional treats
They have chocolate milk at the school, which I can’t drink because it has a lot of sugar. It has like 26 grams of sugar or something like that. So, usually I have something that’s still chocolaty, but it doesn’t have so much sugar. Like, I would have like the 100 calorie packs of Oreos. You can eat like a chocolate bar like once in a while or like hot chocolate or something like that — as long as you cover it with insulin.
Allie, 9 years old
Testing blood sugar
When I go out, my mom will make me test my blood sugar. If I am low then I have to have a snack or juice and then I’ll test like ten or fifteen minutes later to make sure my blood sugar is going up.
Stephanie, 10 years old
I gained weight. I knew I had to watch what I ate before, but I really have to now so I think it’s better to lose the weight and stuff.
Alisha, 20 years old
Big changes
I have not really had to change any of my activities, though I have had to do more to make sure that the people I do these activities with know about my condition and what to do if something happens.
The biggest and most obvious change is the fact that I have to test my blood sugar and take injections 3, 4 times a day, and I was also put on several oral medications. This has affected some changes in my routine. Other changes involved activities that I had not even begun yet. For instance, I do not know how much alcohol I would have drank in college had I not had diabetes, but I never let myself get very drunk because I need to remain alert enough to take care of my medical routines.
Sarah, 23 years old
A matter of independence
I always do my treatments on my own. I am not comfortable with others being too close when I do them. It is not embarrassment; it is simply a matter of independence.
Sarah, 23 years old
Diabetes has made me a more active person
If anything, having diabetes has made me a more active person. I run almost every day and hate going a day without it. I also play on a women’s soccer team every weekend. I don’t think that I would be so active, or understand how important it is to be active, if I did not have diabetes.
Mary, 25 years old
Running to stay healthy
I try to eat healthy, first of all. That doesn’t always work though I really like chocolate. So running is definitely the most important thing I do to stay healthy. Keeping active helps control my blood sugar and just makes me feel better.
Mary, 25 years old