From the ages of 8 to 27, I managed my type 1 diabetes using fingerprick testing and multiple daily injections – as happily as one can in the context of chronic illness. The nature of social media means that it can feel like everyone’s wired up (perpetuated here by yours truly) but in fact around 70% of type 1s manage their condition using injections, and there is no perfect solution. It took me a longggg time to come around to the idea of hooking myself up to diabetes technology, and the fact that I had the option at all is not lost on me when there are huge disparities in access across the UK and the world.
But after taking the plunge and allowing for a bit of time to get my head around these bonkers boxes, I’ve come to love my gadgets and everything they represent – the insane amount of work our trio does as a team to literally keep everything ticking is something I’m proud to own. In an ideal world we wouldn’t need them at all, but until that’s the reality I’m jazzed at how quickly the tech is improving.
Despite my concerns that a physical attachment would make me feel self-conscious, instead these two have given me MORE confidence with not only the dozens of decisions I have to make as part of the daily ride, but in going out there and actually living my little life. Whether it’s working night shifts in a jungle across the world, inhaling an entire advent calendar before December 1st 🤷🏼♀️ or taking myself on a rainy lockdown run of a Thursday, the extra control I have over my diabetes management means there’s more space in my head to just get on and LIVE, which is ultimately the point of these spins around the sun, ain’t it?
And while I still get plenty of those daily decisions wrong, still get wonky blood sugars on the regular, and sometimes the beeps are a pain in the tits, the technology means that the substantially weighty load of diabetes feels considerably lighter… which, as brie-mozzarella-gorgonzola as it sounds, makes my life louder-brighter-better.
What do you reckon? This shoutout to my bionic bits is part of Beyond Type 1’s #DiabetesAnd conversation. Let’s chat
No Comments