Raquel : I remember spending a lot of time in hospital

My name is Raquel and I’ve had type one diabetes for 40 years now.

I was diagnosed 7 months after I was born and it has definitely been a roller coaster ride that’s for sure.

When I was diagnosed, it was in the early 80s, when diabetes wasn’t as well known as it is today. The equipment was so much bigger and so much more expensive. My parents had to get a loan off my grandparents, just to afford my blood testing machine, which was the size of a brick back then, plus to cover the costs of my insulin, testing equipment, as well as syringes for my insulin.

They went through so many battles with having to test and inject a young baby, through to 4 years old, when I was able to do it myself.

I always remember how painful it was each time and struggling day-to-day with reading books, playing and even just picking up things. As well as dressing, having showers and riding my bike, as my fingers were always so sore. But I managed to cope and got use to it in the end, knowing that this was going to be a thing for my whole life and couldn’t stop, otherwise my health would go downhill and I would become very ill.

I remember spending a lot of time in hospital, throughout the years trying to keep my glucose levels balanced and all the obstacles of trying to keep them balance, for instance physical activity at school, taking too much insulin or suffering from a illness, that would make my levels go very low and would end up having a hypoglycemic seizure.

The seizure’s were very scary, I would always wake up from them scared, extremely forgetful and fatigued, seeing my parents very worried, upset and tired afterwards, from having to treat them.

I hardly ever went to birthday parties, as my parents were so scared and worried that my levels would go the opposite way from having food that had too much sugar, not knowing how much insulin to cover anything sweet and see me suffer from having to go without.

There were many times when just catching a cold or some type of virus that would send me to the ICU due to hyperglycemia leading to DKA (diabetic keto acidosis), where I would be severely sick, vomiting, breathless, extremely thirsty, frequent toilet visits and close to being in a coma.

My teenage years were the worst, due to many insulins not working and Doctors having to trial many as well as being diagnosed with Coeliac disease.

If only the technology was as great back then as it is today. Sadly it’s not affordable for me.

It would be absolutely amazing if the government fund them so people living with diabetes can find an easier and more painless way to manage this lifelong condition, allowing us live a close to normal life with more time to do the things we love, especially with our friends, family & loved ones.