Dealing With Type 1 As A Teenager
Hey y'all! I'm going to keep this intro a little short! But here's another blog post! Thank y'all so much for reading these and I hope you find these helpful!
Okay so if you've been keeping up with my posts (which I haven't posted a lot) then you probably read my first post about my story. So that brings me to talk abt a big part in my life-- being a teenager and dealing with the daily battle of t1d. I've been through all the teen years, and I won't lie and say it was all perfect rainbows 24/7. There were times where I was burnt out and wanted to quit, but obviously I can't with this disease. I kept going and here I am now at 19 years old and am a pretty healthy young adult.
Here's one thing I'm going to throw out there to all of the teens with t1d, you can still be a teenager and have fun! Don't let this disease hold you back from doing what you want want to do! And parents with t1d teens, let your teens do that big thing they want to do. Whether it's playing football, or joining a school club, let them try it out. I cheered for several years and was a part of some school clubs during my teen years and it was great! Parents, let your teens be teens and let them live their life to the fullest! Now teens, listen to your parents and endocrinologist because they know what's best for you! But don't let petty stuff get you down or stop you from living your life to the fullest!
Being a teenager with t1d is not always pretty and anyone my age or older who's gone through the teen years with t1d knows what I'm talking about. I'm going to get real with this post so I'm warning y'all now.
I'm going to be honest, everyone goes through puberty. For t1d teens, puberty means crazy sugars due to their hormones going crazy. And especially for girls, their sugars will go crazy it seems when their hormones start up, too. But here's the good news, things get better. You will start to gain more control over your sugars if you take into account when they start to go out of your particular range. Ladies, notice what your sugars do when your that time of the month rolls around and be prepared to act on those sugars as they change with that hormonal change. Teens listen. You will have higher highs. You will have lower lows. You'll get sick. But you'll also have amazing days. You'll have days where your sugars are good. But you have to stay dedicated to keeping your numbers in check. Test your BG levels. Bolus for meals. Count your carbs. Drink water, and lots of it! Exercise because I promise it will help keep your numbers in a good range, also! Y'all, when your hormones cause your sugars to go crazy, don't stress. Just breathe and take action when necessary. You'll learn your body in due time and notice when it starts to change! I cannot tell y'all how many times I've had my sugars go crazy because my own hormones. Yes I've gotten sick, some minor sickness and a couple that needed a little medical attention (getting fluids via an IV). I'm no perfect t1d. I don't always have perfect numbers. There are days where I just can't keep my sugars down. And there are days when it just seems like I keep dropping low. But that doesn't mean I'm not working really hard to keep them in range the best that I can. If I can do it, so can you.
For those who want to play sports, do it. Play that sport but watch your sugars closely. Pay attention to how your sugars react with the activity that sport has. If you start to feel uncomfortable with the sport you're in, talk to your coach(es). If you need more time between playing times, that's okay. If you feel like you need to take a break from the sport for a while then that's okay too. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable!
Another thing I'd like to talk about is t1d and academics. Tests always made my sugars higher because I stressed out a little. I'm not always the best test taker either so that sometimes factored in. But y'all, don't let this little thing get you down either! I've learned that studying hard and keeping a good focus helps me remember things I find hard to remember. Some assignments may even stress you out and cause you to go high. Just realize if your sugar is rising, be careful and take action. Give some insulin if you need it and get back to what you were working on.
Be caefrul of drama, teens. This may seem like it doesn't belong in this post, but it does. Emotions can definitely take a toll on your sugars so be careful about what you get yourself into. If there's an event that's happened and it really hits you hard emotionally (whether it be sad or happy), it may cause your sugars to go high or low. So just watch for those changing numbers and how you feel when those numbers change. I've gotten excited about something before and had my sugar go high. I've also had things sad happen, and also had my sugars go high as well. So different events can cause your sugars to change. They may not always go high, they could go low as well. It just depends on your body.
Teens, always keep an eye on your sugars. Find friends that will help you. Don't be afraid to tell you teachers about your disease. Educate others. Let them know. Keep your sugars as controlled as you can during these weird and sometimes crazy years. But they go by so fast so enjoy the fun times and live your life to the fullest, teens! I hope this was helpful and if anyone has questions, please feel free to contact me! I'll always be happy to answer questions! Again, thank y'all so much for all the support I've gotten over the years! It means so much! Be on the lookout for my future posts! There are some good ones coming!
xo,
Maddie
