MUSE
My Faulty Pancreas
Learning to Love My Imperfect Body
On the 4th of November 2019, four weeks after moving to London to start university, my life changed forever after my GP told me, “I think you have Type 1 diabetes.” Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin which controls and converts glucose (sugar) into energy. Untreated Type 1 diabetes will eventually lead to death, however, the injection of insulin multiple times a day can regulate glucose levels. Two years on from my diagnosis, with the support of family, friends, medical technology, my hospital team and the diabetic community online, my diabetes has turned from my worst nightmare into a part of my life that I celebrate for making me unique and strong. My journey must start at my diagnosis, where after finishing my conversation with my GP, I immediately fled home to my parents who took me straight to A & E at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The hospital confirmed my diagnosis and within 24 hours had sent me home with blood testing kits and a leaflet that contained the frightening reality of my new life. It sounds silly how much of a shock my diagnosis was, as I had felt unwell enough to request a blood test, but I fell victim to the classic thought “it will never happen to me.” I had blamed my symptoms on becoming a vegetarian and my busy new social life. I was losing a lot of weight, had no energy, was constantly thirsty and was going to the toilet so often I couldn’t sleep through the night. Luckily these symptoms all disappeared as soon as I started injecting insulin and I returned to university two weeks later ready to begin my new diabetic life. Illustration by Saif Ul Alim Ahmed
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