Sara's Page

Im Sara and I hail from the South Wales Valleys, UK. During term time I live in West Wales, and am currently going into my final year at university, and I'm a trainee teacher. I am 20 years young, and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three days after my third birthday in early November 1990 - not really something I remember. My family, friends and teachers while I was growing up with Diabetes were absolutly amazing, I've always been open about my diabetes, and growing up, it never bothered me, or stopped me from doing anything I wanted to do. I was always good at sports, academic in class, I guess being diagnosed so young was kinda a blessing in disguise because I didn't know any different. When I was younger I was on two daily injections of insulin, which was increase to three in my early teens, and then four around the age of 16. My Mam and Dad (although I tend to think they over worried about me!!) have been awsome, always checking I've eaten, done my insulin, done this done that...just being a Mum and Dad I think! It wasn't until I started taking control of my diabetes myself that things have started to go down hill...Mam always knows best trust me!

My First Serious Struggle, leading to battle of survival....
At the age of 16, just finishing school for the summer and about to start my first summer job, I fell ill. Started to get sick, and was very tired...My uncle had a stomach bug around that week I visited him, so I just thought maybe I'd caught that...Over the course of a weekend, I couldn't eat anything, or drink anything, nothing would stay down...and me being me not checking my BM's regularly, didn't think anything more of it. The fact I couldn't eat was alarming, still having to keep my sugar up, or so I thought...I started drinking sweet lemonade, hoping the sugar would keep me going. Truth was, it was killing me...at an alarming rate, after two days of this, Dad rung the NHS 24helpline...I was having trouble catching my breathe, and just shortly after, I couldn't even speak...My mouth as dry as anything, smelling of acetone...the symptoms were all there, urinating ten times more than normal, and no appetite. I wanted to die! Next thing I remember was my Mam trying to carry me to the car, like deadweight...and my dad driving to the hospital as quick as he could. I was put in a wheelchair as I couldn't walk, and my Mam was trying her best to carry me, but with me not responding or co-operating very well, it was the quickest option, and I was taken to a room, and lay on a bed. This bit is pretty hazey, I only remember asking for water and the nurse shuving a swop of cotton wool around my mouth....not barely enough water to what I wanted...and the next thing, I'd passed out. My Mum and Dad had been put in a room, with a Doctor telling them it wasn't looking promising, but they were going to do all they could. Not the words you want to here about your16year old daughter. They thought I had a bright future ahead of me, back to school, get my Alevels, go to university, travel, all the things I was forever talking about...this in the space of a weekend was coming to look impossible. My state was fatal. I had friends and family all phoning each other, crying to each other...girls, boys, adults, looking back I never expected anything like this to ever happen, and Im sorry to everyone that I put through all this. Hours later I woke up in intensive care in Prince Charles Hospital. I'd lost about two stone in weight, i was just a zombie. I wanted nothing more than to go home, but I could barely move...wires coming out of me left right and center, an oxygen mask constantly on my face. My arms were black and blue, from my wrists to my elbow, where they had tried taking blood and putting insulin in my body, but with my body deteriating at the rate it was, my veins all collapsed, they ever tried four times to find the vains in my groin, they were black and blue too, it was awful. I was lucky, very lucky, Id suffered from what was called ketoacidosis, which is dangerous, it is a result of losing control of your diabetes, with constant high blood sugars, and a lack of insulin to the body. Often resulting in a coma, which can quickly lead to death if untreated. I had no idea that this existed. This was my first hospital trip other than clinic since being diagnosed, and possible one of the worst times of my life looking back...not that I remember much after the observation and assessment room at the begining. Living with diabetes is hard, and as I'm getting older I'm realising that I do struggle, and since coming to college, I don't look after myself very well. I wan't this to change and I think talking about it is the first step to the right direction.