Note: When I originally told my diagnosis story, I held something back that I wasn’t emotionally ready to share: our journey of infertility. I’ve overcome a lot and feel ready to share. I’ve joined the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Family here in San Antonio, and this afternoon I was a guest speaker at a special event. Below is what I shared: 

A little bit about me: I’m 32 and have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 15 months. So I’m pretty new to this journey.

For me, my diagnosis started with something completely unrelated: back pain. I was heading to bed one night, leaned forward awkwardly, and experienced a sharp pain in my lower back. My husband helped me lay back, got a heating pad, and we went to bed for the night. I figured it would go away. But the next morning, it hurt so bad that I couldn’t move.

Every few years I deal with back pain, and every time the solve from the doctor is pain killers and muscle relaxers. I hate how I feel on both and often delay going to see the doctor. But this time I was especially stubborn, because we were going through an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. I was full of hormone shots and growing the eggs that could one day be my future kids…I surely did not want to take a bunch of drugs.

But when I couldn’t even get up to use the restroom, my husband made the call that we were going to the ER clinic down the road. This particular clinic had just opened, and I was one of only two patients in the clinic at the time. I thank God that the nurses and doctor took their time to fully examine me—even though I thought it was silly at the time.

They had me take a urine test, because they thought there was a chance I had a kidney stone. When they got the results of my test, they came into the room to confirm that I was diabetic. This threw me off a bit. I assured them that I wasn’t diabetic, but they asked if they could prick my finger for a glucose test. I was completely okay with that, as long as we dealt with my back first. I was either going to throw up or pass out from the pain.

As I sat there with my barf bag, I remember them placing the IV for pain meds and fluids…and then reaching for my hand for the finger prick. Blood Sugar: 286. They tested again: 294. I remember thinking, “That sounds high, but what the heck is a good blood sugar?” But now I know that my blood sugars were about three times my current blood sugar goal.

Then they said they normally didn’t do this at the ER, but they were going to test my A1C (3 month measure of sugar levels in the blood).

I got a moment to rest and the pain relaxed into a dull ache. They came back into the room with the A1C results. Diabetes results are 6.5 or higher. Mine was 12.9. They assured me that I was diabetic. I was in COMPLETE SHOCK….and if I’m honest: denial.

I remember heading home late that morning being in a haze of disbelief and crawling back into bed, grabbing my cell phone, and googling Diabetes. I had obviously heard about it a lot, but I didn’t really know what it was.

The next few days were filled with doctors appointments: primary care, endocrinologist, eye doctor, and my fertility specialist (who triple assured me that everything would be okay, even after the pain meds that I took). All of my appointments confirmed my diagnosis as a Type 1 Diabetic. And that I would have to start taking insulin shots multiple times a day.

I was horrified.

Because we were going through an IVF treatment, I had been getting multiple shots a day. But I was not good with needles. To get my nightly IVF shots, I would put on a sleeping mask, my husband would play relaxing music, and I would lay back while he administered the shots. Ridiculous, I know. But I had to get over that REAL quick.

A week after my diagnosis, my fertility specialist harvested the eggs, fertilized them in the culture, and froze what I lovingly refer to as our babycicles. The doctor told me that I had to get my A1C below 6 before we implanted. My husband, who works in the medical field, went into protective mode and told the doctor in a stern voice that an A1C below 6 for a diabetic was dangerous and impossible. And we left the clinic downtrodden.

After a month or two, I snapped out of my haze and was determined to get my A1C below 6. I got on the Omnipod insulin pump and then a few months later the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor. I kept my carb counts low and regularly went to the gym. And I’m proud to say that about a year after diagnosis, my A1C came in at 5.9.

When my diabetes started to get under control, I felt like a new person. I didn’t come home from work, eat dinner, and fall asleep on the couch. I wasn’t constantly thirsty…and hungry. I didn’t have to pee all the time. My dry skin had started to accept lotion again. All signs of diabetes that I had written off to stress.

My story of hope is that on May 1, we implanted our first babycicle, and I’m blessed to say that I’m 15 weeks pregnant with a baby girl due in January.

And I feel like I’m starting to figure out this journey of Type 1 Diabetes. Of course, I’m still learning. I have moments of extreme lows like last Monday when I flew to Dallas for work and landed with a blood sugar in the 20s. Or when I’m sitting in a meeting and my Dexcom alarm keeps going off because my blood sugar is high…and I feel like I have to quickly explain to others that I’m not rude because my phone is going off. My phone is on silent,but it’s a medical alarm.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve been a walking/talking diabetes advocate. I want others to know about this disease. I want them to know that we don’t have diabetes because of the stereotype that we don’t take care of our bodies…instead it’s quite the opposite. We’ve just been dealt the cards of a bum pancreas. And I want to empower, support, and encourage other T1Ds and their families…because T1D can be taxing.

I also want others to know that I believe we will find a cure in my lifetime…and definitely my daughter’s lifetime. There are so many exciting medical advances that it’s imperative that we do our part to fully fund the research.

Now fundraising can be an uncomfortable topic. I get it. My Walk Team goal is $5,000. You may not have thousands to give, but I’m hoping that you’re willing to give $10, $50, or maybe $100. And that adds up to an important and impactful amount.

Please consider giving to my team. And if you’re local, please join my team and walk with us! Donate or sign up by clicking here. 

Thank you for your support and helping to create a world where Type One becomes Type None.