ABOUT ME

I’m Rebecca, a thirty one year old woman from the UK, who’s life was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. 

Before diagnosis, it’s fair to say I knew nothing about diabetes. There was no history of it in my family and no one within my circle of friends who had experienced it. So, when the words ‘type one diabetes’ were said to me, I had no idea how my life was about to change.

Each day was a rollercoaster, one minute I was up and the next I was down, with no real way of controlling it I just had to hang on tight and settle in for the ride ahead. Now, years later, each day is still a rollercoaster and I am still hanging on tight.

One thing that surprised me most upon diagnosis was the lack of information and support available. I had just been told that a vital function of my body has failed and I am going to be on medication for the rest of my life. That’s a lot to take in but that is only just the start. After weeks of trial and error, tweaking and changing, highs and lows, pricking and jabbing, my old simple life felt like a distant memory and one which was fading further away each day. 

The only thing that got me through this initial period was reading about other people’s experience of type one diabetes. Realising that all the emotions I was feeling and the confusion I was suffering, other people had been through this too. I no longer felt I was in this battle on my own.

So, as a way of giving back to the diabetes family who have helped me through the years and hopefully help any fellow diabetics or friends and families of diabetics, I wanted to share some of the experiences I’ve had. Some might be funny, some might be sad and some will hopefully be insightful but it’s important to me to share the true stories of being a type one diabetic, no matter how ugly the truth might be.