Diabetes today affects many people, young and old, but this does not often stop them living pleasant and contented lives. Diabetes occurs when a persons insulin levels start to become increasingly low or even to high. Many people suffer from ''type 1'' diabetes meaning they're insulin (sugar) levels are too low. In this case, they may have to inject insulin into they're their bodies everyday or risk having a diabetic fit. This is not the case with all diabetics though. Some diabetics, including myself, have ''type 2'' diabetes and insulin resistance, meaning the body does not store the right amount of insulin. The main reason I decided to write this essay was I felt people didn't really understand what was wrong with me when I told them I had diabetes.

I was first diagnosed with diabetes about 6 months ago, when I was 13. Of course I was shocked and angry at first. I was Angry at myself for letting my body get into the unfit state it was in. If you haven't already guessed, my diabetes was brought on because of my weight. I have been on a strict diet since the diagnoses and have managed to shed around 3 stone since then. My body was under quite a lot of stress until I lost that weight but is now a lot healthier internally and externally and I also feel a lot better about myself.
I feel a lot stronger as a person and I've proved myself and other people wrong by losing the weight.

I always felt peoples first reactions were over the top and unessesery. One of the first questions people always ask when I tell them I have diabetes is ''Are you on insulin?'' I'm not, of course, because I have type 2 diabetes. I then have to explain the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and why I'm not on insulin. This often made me feel really frustrated with myself and the person I was explaining to so I tend not to let the subject slip into conversations now. Instead of insulin I use a suppressive drug called Metformin. This drug suppresses my hunger and decreases the thought of eating.
I was originally subscribed to take 1 Metformin tablet a day but my dosage was to increase from 1 to 3 tablets in a matter of weeks. However, my body was not ready for this and as a result I would feel very tired and I would sleep 10 hours a night plus extra hours in the day.
We later went back to my consultant at Queens hospital, Rumford and he lowered my dosage back to one tablet a day.

The whole experience over the last year has been frustrating and an inconvenience but I now feel a lot happier with myself and I hope to go on to loose more weight and live life just as any other healthy person would. I am not ashamed of my diabetes and it does not stop me doing the things I want to do and I don't expect people to treat me any differently. Thank you for reading.