My Life As a T1D

Chapter 1: How It All Started - Part 2: A Different Life

I can never forget what how that day changed my life. But there is one thing that no matter how hard I try I just won't forget. I still remember it as if I had seen it a few hours ago when in reality it has been a little more than 6 years. Something that I will never forget is the room where I spent 2 weeks trying to learn how to take care of myself..........or rather my parents learned.......I was only 7 remember? Depending on how you know me you might say that I am forgetful. My mom thinks I am forgetful.....and I can't really disagree with her. Then again I think that I am also able to remember a lot of things that my parents can't. So I guess you can say that I am 50% forgetful and 50% non-forgetful. I have forgotten friends of my parents and grandparents, I have forgotten most of the things we did in my first trip to Disney World (6 years old), I have also forgotten many times to control my diabetes (that I will explain later), but of all the things I can forget and remember I have never forgotten what my room looked like. I have no idea why I can't forget that room! The room is a very minor detail but somehow I remember it better than my first trip to Disney.

I remember that when you through the door you see a bed in the middle of the room. I would probably be on it if you were visiting me 6 years ago. Next to me is a pole with with a bag of insulin and some other medicine all attached to an IV in my arm. Then there is a window that looks out to one of the streets in Quito, I am not sure which one. The window is big and covers the entire top part of the wall. Under the window is a brown couch that can convert into a bed. My mom slept on it the whole time I was in the hospital. Then in the corner is a black T.V in which I would watch any shows the were on the channel Discovery Kids. A few feet from my bed was the bathroom. The bathroom shared the same wall as the door to the room. Then in front of my bed was a desk with three chairs. 1 chair on one side and 2 on the other. One chair for my doctor and the other two for my Mom and Dad. That is how I remember my room.

I don't really remember my emotions or reaction when the doctor told me and my parents that I have Type 1 diabetes. I have heard that many people when they find out that they were diagnosed that they didn't believe the doctors, or cried or felt determined not to let diabetes control them. But I didn't feel that way. In fact when they told me I think I just ignored them. I was only a child, I didn't know my life would be filed with needles from then on or that I would live with this condition my whole life. No, I didn't know any of that. The only thing I understood is that I would be in the hospital for a few days, I had to be poked with tiny needles several times a day and I would have lots and lots of guests.

Some things I like about the hospital is that I would get breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner (sometimes an extra snack) served to me in my bed. I got all my food in bed for 2 weeks, I was so happy for the service! Some things that I didn't like about the hospital was that for the first week I was not allowed to get out of bed at all (not even to go to the bathroom) so when I had to go the gave me the container and I would do my stuff in it and the nurse or my parents would dump it out. I know right, it sounds pretty disgusting but that what I had to do and I hated it. One time my grandpa's friends were visiting me and I whispered to my mom "I have to go to the bathroom but I can't do it with the guests". "Ok" is what she said. We had to tell the guests to get out of the room for a moment so I could go. I was so embarrassed! I wonder what the guests thought when we kicked them out. Luckily, they were able to come back in.

When my doctor came to teach my parents about how to take care of me I would usually be one my bed. He usually came in the morning and night. I hated when he came and talk to my parents because he would get their attention off of me. I'll admit I like attention from my parents and family but not when I am presenting a project in class. I bet I am not the only who feels this way. Anyways, when he came my parents always paid attention to him and when I wanted something I was forced to be patient and wait, not easy for a 7 year old. While they chatted, I read or colored (again!). Now it was 8:00 or 9:00 pm so I could sleep. Well, smart idea, the only problem was that I couldn't because my doctor and parents were talking and the lights were on. When you try to sleep with the lights on they seem brighter than ever. 98% of the time that my doctor came to teach my parents, in the night, I tried to sleep and 99.99% of the time I wasn't able to. Very frustrating.

When I was diagnosed I missed two weeks of school. My teacher and classmates were very supportive though. My teacher would send me work to do in the hospital which wasn't a problem since the hospital was pretty boring. Also, I was only in first grade so I didn't have much work to do. My classmates sent a video saying how much they missed me and what I was missing out on at school. The video made me very emotional and I sent a video back with my dad's help too. Since my parents are teachers at the same school that I go to, they could share the video that my classmates made for me and visa versa. The video I sent explained why I was in the hospital. I also showed them all the gifts and toys I had gotten from friends and family. It was fun sharing everything with them.

My best friend from school, Catalina, came to visit me during my stay at the hospital. When she came I still had an IV and a couple of wires from machines that monitored various organs. I walked down the hospital aisle to meet her. When she saw me with all the cords and machinery attached she didn't want to come close to me. I guess her mother hadn't prepared her for what she was going to see. Adults should prepare kids when they come to see somebody in the hospital because they don't know what to expect and going to the hospital might scare them, like it happened to my friend. When I saw her reaction I started crying. She handed me a small present and left shortly after that.

Finally, a week later, I left the hospital and headed home. Within time, I got used to pinching my fingers and getting an injection every time I ate. At first, it was difficult but soon I got used to it. When I went back to school, my classmates were so excited to see me! But...I was shy and nervous, and I hid behind my mother, like a little child. I tried hiding my face from everybody. I didn't want to speak I didn't want to move, I didn't want to do anything.

Finally, I started feeling a little bit more comfortable and showed my classmates how I checked myself and showed them my insulin pen. It felt good to show them everything, even though I was nervous (no clue why) and they asked a lot of questions. Little by little I started getting used to the change. I would go to the nurse anytime I felt my sugar go low or high, and before lunch and recess everyday. I didn't exactly like going to the nurse but I had no choice. That's what I had to do.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. And also remember that this is true and it actually all happened to me.