Pumpsley and Me!: The Truth About Being a Juvenile Adult

I'm a typical "Adult". I work as a Recreation Therapy Director, and CNA at a Retirement Community. I LOVE my Grandfriends! They are super sweet and I love playing and having fun with them.

A lot of people don't realize that Type 1 Diabetes is a complicated and hard to disease to live with everyday, because I look "Normal".

The truth is.... Everyday is a battle! A juggling act of trying to keep my numbers where they belong. People don't see my "Diabetic Friends" that help me make it through everyday.

Pumpsley (Insulin Pump)

Lola and Vlad the Impaler Blood Sugar Meter & Poker

Dexter (CGMS)

Ping (Controller for Pumpsley)

They are my lifeline!

TYPE 1 is. . . . . . . . .

*Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease!

*Diabetes cannot be caught from another person. It is not contagious.

*Type 1 diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar or any other foods.

*There is nothing you could have done to prevent yourself from getting diabetes.

It was something that was going to happen anyway.

*You cannot grow out of type 1 diabetes.

*It does not change to type 2 diabetes as you get older.

*If I exercise it's not going to go away!

WITHOUT INSULIN I WILL DIE! Insulin is not a CURE it is a life support!

It means wearing an infusion site in my body everyday! It gets changed out every 2 days. I have a hard time with the soft plastic catheters, so the infusion sets I wear means there is a needle inside you all the time!

This is NOT my tummy, I wish!

Yes it hurts sometimes!

I also wear a similar devise for my Dexcom!

I still have to poke my fingers 4-7 times a day with is better than 8-15 times before Dexter!

I have to wear oxygen at night because I have pulmonary hypertension.

My oxygen stats drop REALLY low without it

When my numbers are off, I feel sick, and yucky! I just want to sleep!

I feel yucky sometimes EVEN when my numbers are fine.

Diabetes NEVER takes a vacation!

Diabetes NEVER sleeps, and sometimes it doesn't let me either! A bad night can honestly mean the difference of life and death!

Diabetes makes Holidays, Birthdays, and Parties VERY difficult!

Diabetes HURTS the people I care most about! My family! They have to watch and worry knowing there is nothing they can do!

Some of my family (There's 11 of us!)

Diabetes is killing my Poppy! I love my dad so much, and all my Grandparents have died. Three were type 1 diabetics and died from complications of diabetes including, Diabetic Coma, and Kidney, Liver failure. I never got to know them. They were in their early 50's when they died. I miss them. My dad suffers everyday and I worry that any day I could loose him.