A full time, permanent job.

Diabetes is a full time job. Us diabetics cannot, at any time, take a break. We cannot resign, nor can we retire. It is a full time, permanent job. A diabetic has to act as his/her body’s pancreas 24/7, 365 days, for the rest of his/her life.

Most people don’t actually get that. Most people think that the job only starts when we prick our finger, put the drop of blood onto the strip and then inject ourselves. Most people think that the job then stops once we have completed this process, but that’s where they’re wrong.

Diabetes is a FULL TIME job. And, like any other job, there are the bad days, there are the VERY bad days and there are the good days, where we grasp and cling onto each moment like it’s our last breath.

People who don’t have diabetes probably aren’t aware that us diabetics get so excited when we see a reading on our tester that’s within our target. They don’t know that the moment we see a good reading it feels as though we can take a deep breath and smile for just a moment. They don’t understand what it feels like to put the drop on blood onto the strip, close our eyes, hold our breath and just hope or pray the reading isn’t high.

Some days are tough… I don’t know how else to put it. Some days, all we can do is burst out into tears, sit with exhaustion weighing us down and beg God to just help us and be our strength. Our bad days are not, in any way, a sign of weakness though. Those are actually the days we fight our absolute hardest. And even if on those days we feel like giving up and resigning from the very tiring and emotionally draining job, we don’t. We make it through those days. We keep our heads up, we keep trying and we keep going.

This is to all you other diabetics who are fighting a battle that most don’t understand:

Keep your head up, keep trying and DON’T GIVE UP! You are strong and you have got this!

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The beginning of my journey on the craziest roller coaster.

13 years ago my pancreas decided to go on early retirement and leave its job completely in my hands.

At the age of 6, I started wetting my bed, running to the toilet very often, and I had a very fruit smell on my breath each day. My parents took me to a doctor and told the doctor all the symptoms. Immediately i was sent to give a urine sample. The doctor put a stick into the sample and, after a few seconds, looked up at my parents with a look I will never forget. What he said after that look is completely blank. My parents and I got into the car. I didn’t know what was happening and where we were going. My parents phoned family and the words “…we are taking her to the hospital now” were spoken, as tears rolled down their cheeks. My heart dropped. The rest of the journey to the hospital is completely blank, as is the whole process of me being admitted into hospital.

The next few days I had doctors pricking and poking me very often. And as a 6 year old girl, I was scared and confused. I had people come in to explain to me what diabetes was and how I was to deal with it. I was told I had to prick my fingers with a needle numerous times a day, inject myself numerous times a day, and change my diet and lifestyle completely.

Before going to the doctor, I had no idea that my entire life was about to change. And as I sat in the car after I was discharged from hospital, nothing felt the same. I remember getting home and sitting on the carpet in the lounge and I just felt different.

This was just the beginning of my journey on the craziest roller coaster.