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This is one of the contributions to:DIABETES ESSAY AND POEM COMPETITION 2009
Well, I was not ready for this, at just 5 years old I had been told my worst nightmare. Of course I didn’t fully understand but my mum and dad sure did. They were torn to pieces. Diabetes, well surely I couldn't have that. Me, Megan no way. But my nightmare was very true. I can remember the constant thirst months before my diagnosis. Water to me then was like an addictive drug. I couldn't get enough of it. The night time was terrible I couldn't go more than 3 hours without drinking a whole pint glass of water and then wanting more. My lips were dry too and the more I drank the more sick I felt as well. In between the thirst, I produced an abscess on my left cheek. I visited my dentist who gently examined it but told my mum and dad it was nothing to worry about and it would fade. My abscess stayed on my cheek for about a week and then began to fade. It was really painful! As time went by I was getting more and more thirsty each day and started to produce a couple of pus filled warts on my fingers. I can remember my aunty being round for tea and my dad popped them for me while I was sitting on her lap. That was painful too! Warts were a common thing in children weren’t they? So that was passed by as well and they went within 2 weeks. With antibiotics. All the symptoms that I experienced seem so obvious when I look back now. But without the knowledge in my family of diabetes nobody was able to recognise it. Still thirsty everyday I began to loose weight. It wasn't noticeable until we look back at photos but my weight was an obvious problem then. My face began to look pale and my bones stuck out from summer tops I wore. Nobody realised it but I was deteriorating fast. I grew more and more thirsty and In the middle of January my Symptoms caught up with me. On a normal School Day I was ready and wearing to go it was a cold day I can remember but it was lovely a sunny. My mum came into my bedroom to help me get up and get going when she realised I wasn't my usual self. I knew it too. As she drew back my curtains I can remember her asking me if I was ok. I could respond normally. But I couldn't move. My whole body felt like jelly and I couldn't feel my feet. I just about managed to move my body so I could sit up on the end of my bed but that was a struggle I can see my mum now checking my temperature with her hand and starting to feel concerned and when she tried to get me up. I couldn't stand. My sister Katy was only 2 then so she didn't have to go to school. This was a lot easier for my mum at that point. So I’m sitting on my bed shivering, feeling clammy and I can hardly move when my mum decides to ring the doctors. It all seems like a blur now but I can just make out her voice speaking on the phone in panic. This time she seemed really worried, it wasn't your usual bug or flu this was serious. After making the appointment my mum struggled to get me dressed so she left me in my pyjamas and put a warm coat and some shoes on me. She carried me to the car and I felt sick all the way there. I'm 13 now so it seems such a long time ago but the detail of that January morning is still very fresh in my memory. My dad had already gone off to work so before we left for the doctors my mum contacted he and he followed us straight there. We dropped my sister off at my auntie’s house. Arriving at the doctors and my dad arriving straight after he carried me in as my bones became weaker and weaker. I had to lie on the waiting room chairs because I couldn't sit up. Feeling like that makes me think about when my levels are on the high side occasionally ,I get the exact same feelings although a little less hard to bare and when I think logically about it and I piece all the bits together it gives me a clearer look into exactly how my body works. After seeing the doctor I was referred to Salisbury District hospital where I was given specialist care and a drip to give me insulin. The nurses at the hospital were amazing they helped me with everything and answered any of my questions. I never felt alone with my mum and dad Staying with me and my sister visiting. The nurses gave me a sense of security too. Everyone’s smiles always kept me going. I was in hospital for a whole week and was monitored carefully. The nurses and doctors showed me how to take my injections and I was given a special testing kit. I was soon fit and healthy again but just with Medication. That wasn't so bad! It keeps me alive and I am thankful for the work that these scientists put in to finding ways to treat my condition. After My hospital Ordeal I soon got into injecting myself and the injections became more frequent. When I started out I was on 1 injection a day and now I am doing 4 injections because that’s what my body needs. I was showered with cards when I was in hospital which I have kept to this day from all of my primary school friends. That also kept me going. Diabetes was running smoothly until my levels were starting to creep up and up and up. We were all unaware again of the consequences and thought it was something that would mend itself. We were all still getting used to the way of life and finding a balance in my levels was difficult. I soon became ill and got ketoacidosis a fatal illness that you can get with diabetes if you have poor level control. I was admitted again to hospital and was monitored for 2 days. I was constantly being violently sick and couldn't keep any food down. It was a difficult time for all of my family. I was allowed home again soon after and my mum, Dad and me were all educated a lot more about getting good control. Things are a lot better now. Looking back on my childhood I am grateful for who I have become. If it wasn't for Diabetes I don’t think I would be the person I am today. I live a normal life like all my other friends apart from I have to inject and test which my friends like helping me out with all the time at school. They dial the dosage for me and hold my needle tops and cases while I pinch up some skin on my stomach. They are very supportive. I sometimes ask myself. Why me? What did I do? and I have moments when I am down and feeling sorry for myself but my mum and dad and sister are always there to help me feel better. At the moment my Diabetes is under good control I sometimes have a few lows and some highs but I take dextrose tablets and digestive biscuits to help me feel better and some insulin and exercise to bring my levels back to normal. I like to think I am mostly positive about my Diabetes and I like to look at diabetes as bringing out the best in me . Stay Positive.