Hello,
I am a 29-year-old soon to be 30 married man living in the South West. My diabetes story is as follows:
I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 16/17 following so blood tests because I had frequent and loose stools. I was put on insulin but was not good at remembering to check my sugar levels and also take my insulin. I also had anxiety about being different from my friends, having to eat at different times watch what I ate and drank.
I went off to uni when I turned 18 and things went downhill. I stopped taking all my medication, not because I wanted to harm myself. Again it was the lack of fitting in with my friends that I was most worried about and I didn't feel unwell, yes I had the common signs of high blood sugar peeing at night drinking a lot but I didn't remember a time when I was not like that so it just seemed normal to me.
When I got home from uni after graduating my mum took me to see our GP as she was worried about me. He said because I was alive that I was not type 1 diabetic and I went through the rigmore of being noncompliant with my medication.
It has not just been diabetic medication it has been all medication even when having a tooth infection I would take the meds until there was no pain and then forget one dose then forget one a day or so later then all hell would break loose and I would not take any.
10 years passed of no medication and things caught up with me. I went for my 1st diabetic eye screening in over 8 years and bingo I had changes at the back of my eyes. I now have diabetic retinopathy in both eyes and have been having laser eye surgery in both eyes since Christmas 2022 my first appointment being on the 23rd.
I will say that I have now been fully medication-compliant since Jan 2022. I have had blips in the road and the odd missed dose here and there but have been 99.9% compliant.
I have my amazing family and my amazing wife to thank for standing by me all of the way I know I have not been the best but I'm trying to turn that around.
I am a 29-year-old soon to be 30 married man living in the South West. My diabetes story is as follows:
I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 16/17 following so blood tests because I had frequent and loose stools. I was put on insulin but was not good at remembering to check my sugar levels and also take my insulin. I also had anxiety about being different from my friends, having to eat at different times watch what I ate and drank.
I went off to uni when I turned 18 and things went downhill. I stopped taking all my medication, not because I wanted to harm myself. Again it was the lack of fitting in with my friends that I was most worried about and I didn't feel unwell, yes I had the common signs of high blood sugar peeing at night drinking a lot but I didn't remember a time when I was not like that so it just seemed normal to me.
When I got home from uni after graduating my mum took me to see our GP as she was worried about me. He said because I was alive that I was not type 1 diabetic and I went through the rigmore of being noncompliant with my medication.
It has not just been diabetic medication it has been all medication even when having a tooth infection I would take the meds until there was no pain and then forget one dose then forget one a day or so later then all hell would break loose and I would not take any.
10 years passed of no medication and things caught up with me. I went for my 1st diabetic eye screening in over 8 years and bingo I had changes at the back of my eyes. I now have diabetic retinopathy in both eyes and have been having laser eye surgery in both eyes since Christmas 2022 my first appointment being on the 23rd.
I will say that I have now been fully medication-compliant since Jan 2022. I have had blips in the road and the odd missed dose here and there but have been 99.9% compliant.
I have my amazing family and my amazing wife to thank for standing by me all of the way I know I have not been the best but I'm trying to turn that around.
