The First Five

5 years ago I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In that moment of shock everything about my life changed forever. I was terrified, I was devastated and I had no idea what this new diagnosis meant. I knew only 3 things about T1: it happened to kids, it meant injecting insulin, and I didn’t want it. At that same moment nothing in my life changed at all. I was still me, still had the same family and friends, the same job and the same interests. I still had the same life I had the day before.

Everything changed and nothing changed, and out of that illogical equation comes this unlikely result: my life got better. Bear with me on this, I don’t think I’ve lost my mind. All of the good things that were part of my life 5 years ago are still here…a family I love, close friends that I can count on, a job that keeps me challenged…T1 didn’t take them away. But on top of the good I already had, think about what I’ve added…I’ve met people and made friends in the T1 community and I’ve become involved in a cause that couldn’t be more personal. I’ve gained an increased focus on taking care of myself, and I’ve gained a patience with myself that continues to shock my mom when we talk. And not surprisingly, I’m much more able to appreciate every opportunity I have to do new things and make new memories, because I’m reminded daily that I could be here anywhere between 5 more minutes and 50 more years.

Is life all sunshine and roses? Hell, no! I don’t cry and yell anymore, but you could absolutely catch me shaking my head and talking to myself when my numbers don’t quite add up. It can be frustrating, but I don’t get angry or upset when that happens because even when I don’t know why something happens with diabetes, I still know that I need to shut up and fix whatever's going on.

In the 5 years since my diagnosis I’ve been able to do some pretty cool things. I took a second trip to Disney World with my mom, I was there when the Monsters won the Calder Cup, I went skydiving in Las Vegas and I’ve managed to finish 3 half marathons since the first one when I’d actually been told I had Type 2 diabetes. I’ve visited new places, gotten to watch my nephew grow into a 14 year old man child, and I moved from a pretty good job to an even better one. I’ve also gotten new technology, adding a CGM after 2 years and getting the upgrade from the Dexcom G5 to G6 last year. And I’ve gone from having zero clue about Type 1 to a place where most of the time on most days I feel like I can handle things. Those other times…I just keep muttering to myself.

How am I celebrating my fifth anniversary? First, I’m going to eat the things I rarely eat. A lot of T1Ds eat pizza and ice cream as often as anyone else, but it doesn’t work for me or my weight. For my diaversary…I’m choosing gluttony. Second, I’m planning a vacation to Cooperstown, NY. I’ve always wanted to see the Baseball Hall of Fame and I think this is the summer to make that trip happen. I’m planning to go by myself, a first for me. I suspect my reaction to a solo vacation will be a mix of love and hate, but I won’t know if I don’t go. I made a lot of great memories over the last 5 years and it’s time to get started on the next 5.

I follow too many Type 1 pages on Facebook and need to thin the herd. But sometimes there are topics like the one in the screenshot below that catch my attention. Being diagnosed as an adult gives me a different perspective than a lot of other T1s, and you can see my answer. A few hours after posting that I got a notification that my dad liked a comment I’d posted. I couldn’t remember any comments that day until I saw it…the thumbs up is his. Thanks for getting it, Dad. I’ve done some awesome things since I was diagnosed, but they weren’t in spite of Type 1. They were all things I would have done anyway, but I'm proud that I did them with Type 1.