There is one day that will forever be burned into the memories of those with diabetes: the day of their diagnosis. Mine was on October 12, 2007. I had just moved to Cape Town from Westville, and was told by a quack of a doctor that I was “practically diabetic” with a blood sugar reading of 25 (the normal range is between five and seven).
In fact, I was three days away from a diabetic coma, as my doctor at Westville Hospital confirmed the next day, when my parents flew me home and drove me straight from the airport to the ICU unit.
Four years on, diabetes has become as everyday a part of my life as a chronic condition can be. I inject before every meal and before going to bed, I count every carbohydrate I eat, and I never leave the house without my kit (blood glucose meter and insulin). I have to be aware of exercise, stress and hormones, and how those might affect my blood sugar. I have to carry snacks on me at all times. But in all other ways I live a happy, healthy life as a Type 1 diabetic.
Getting your blood sugar tested is as simple as going to your local pharmacy for a pinprick blood test – don’t hesitate, get tested today!
I’m one of the lucky ones – many people are either not diagnosed properly (or, in the case of Type 2 diabetes particularly, early enough to avoid complications) or don’t have a doctor and dietitian to explain the condition thoroughly and give them a sense of hope. I was lucky enough to never feel like a patient – both my doctor and dietitian empowered me right from the start to live as normal a life as possible. I went on a two-week holiday to an island in Malawi two months after I was diagnosed, with my doctor’s blessing!
But I remember, distinctly, the weeks after my diagnosis – recovering in my childhood home in Westville, spending a lot of time lying in the shade in the garden or on the verandah, slowly getting my strength back – that the condition felt completely overwhelming. I may not have felt like a patient, but I certainly felt different and as if I was the only person who had ever woken up with high blood sugar and a groggy head, or gone too low when I took too much insulin, or bemoaned the fact that I couldn’t just snack without being aware of every carb I was eating. It’s a feeling I’ve heard a lot of people with diabetes echo: it feels as if you’re the only one to ever feel this way.
Of course, none of us are, which is one of the reasons I decided to start Sweet Life, an inspiring diabetes lifestyle magazine and community for all those with diabetes in South Africa. Four times a year, we’ll send out a print magazine (free to anyone who signs up), with all kinds of interesting, inspiring information. We also have a website and community blog (www.sweetlifemag.co.za), where anyone can write in and share their questions, advice and experiences of living with diabetes. There’s also a Facebook page, mobi site and monthly e-mail newsletter, so there’s really no reason to feel alone with the condition, ever again.
My fourth anniversary of being diabetic has just passed, but now I’ve replaced it with another anniversary – Sweet Life’s first issue in November 2011. Be sure to sign up to get the next one and join our community.
The Sugarbabe Foundation is a Westville-based organisation that aims to make life easier for all children with diabetes. Call 031 266 1280 or e-mail sgrbbfoundation@gmail.com
For free talks on diabetes at the Hillcrest Private Hospital, click here.