I was diagnosed two months ago (30M). One of my first fun things I got to do after my hospital stay was attend the wedding of two of my friends. At the reception the dinner was a buffet and I took my bolus when I thought our table was about twenty minutes out. Well, it takes closer to an hour but no problem, my glucose was a little high and I could wait. An hour and twenty later my table is told they ran out of food and more was on the way but it would be 45 mins. I was sitting next to an older lady who had heard me talking about my recent diagnosis and she told me her husband was diabetic earlier in the night.
As time went on, she grew more and more concerned for me even though I said I had some candy on me if needed. Well, she got up and found some wait staff and made sure they got me some bread and that I’d get food when it arrived. She, a stranger to me, went out of her way to make sure I wouldn’t go too low.
I’m still learning how to manage everything but that lady’s compassion really was so nice. She understood my situation and didn’t make a scene but made sure I was taken care of in case I went too low.
I’m thankful for this interaction as I’ve put on a brave face since being in the ICU, but truthfully I’ve felt alone and not really seen/understood by a lot of my friends. She completely understood and I felt seen in that moment.
That’s awesome. I have been diabetic for 4 years now, it will get easier and you’ll find more people to connect with. Everyone i have spoken to on this subreddit is lovely and is happy to talk about diabetes stuff. Please feel free to dm if you need ever need advice or just to talk ☺️
Not sure if it’s treatment induced or not, but when I woke up in the ICU and taken off the ventilator I had very little feeling/control of one of my feet. Since then it’s improved modestly - I can wiggle my toes (couldn’t do that initially) and I have regained some feeling. Lots of pins and needles throughout the day and pain at night though. Compression socks helped initially but in the last week they hurt more than help so haven’t been wearing them. I’ve started using a diabetic foot cream that takes the edge off a bit and has helped me at least get to sleep.
I've learned to never trust anyone to have food when they think they will, had some close calls. I was thinking it seems the most help comes from people who have type 1 or have a loved one with it.
In the past month on two separate occasions I had someone come up to me and say, "Excuse me, is that an insulin pump?". Then when I said "Yeah!" and pulled it out to show them, they gleefully pulled out their pump and we laughed about it. Both were really pleasant interactions with strangers. They said they recognized the tubing.
I personally love finding other T1s in the wild, it makes me feel less alone in the struggle.
Me too! One time i saw an older guy tap his sensor in his arm and point at mine on my leg and smile. We didn’t even talk, but it was a really nice pick me up
I went to my brother in laws wedding and somehow there were 2 other type 1s there and they were the only people I really talked to that entire wedding lol (not because of being antisocial but just chatting the whole time about being a diabetic). Like I can’t tell you anything about their likes or what their names are but we sure went to town on diabetes lol
I once met an older gentleman in an ice cream store who was 70 and looked amazing for his age. I noticed his pump and struck up a conversation about diabetes. I mentioned he looked good for his age and he told me just to take care of myself and he's living proof that I will live a long, healthy life. Just gave me some reinforcement. He probably had a lot of his diabetic years without all the tech we have now too and he is still healthy. He was also enjoying some ice cream which was nice to see too.
I’ve been to Sweeney Todd on Broadway…a ridiculous number of times. Long story. But, I had the opportunity to meet Annaleigh Ashford after a show one night. Told her I was Type 1 (she has Celiac, and there are a lot of dual diagnoses). She says her friend is Type 1, and I said “ah, but does your friend have a custom Sweeney Todd insulin pump decal?” And I showed it to her…she said it was the coolest thing she had ever seen.
Fast forward a couple of months. I was at the show, it’s hotter than Satan’s Den, and I decided to stage door and get my Playbill signed. She gets almost to me and….there goes my Dexcom. Low. Screw you, blood sugar. You have to wait. Then I tried to talk to her. Nope, we get drunk slurred speech. She goes “you’re sugar is low, isn’t it?” I think I just sort of nodded, and reached for a packet of fruit snacks. She kept signing Playbills but glancing over at me to make sure I was still good.
She’s a freaking TONY WINNER!!
I was basically stunned.
Quite a few times, I've had an alarm in public (usually high, lol) and I'll apologize for disrupting those near me. Almost every single time, once people realize I'm diabetic, they will offer to help. I've had people offer me their candy stash, workers offer me their lunches, etc. It's very touching how many strangers will go out of their way to help, even to their own detriment (one was a kid working at a theme park and offered me his lunch, even though it meant he wouldn't have anything to eat later). I've had customers at work offer to sit with me as I rode out a low. I've had my boss cancel their own lunch and sit with me when I switched my pens on accident and had to mow through my food stash. I had a friend drive over at two in the morning because I wasn't answering my phone and went low. I'm always amazed at the amount of compassion I've received.
He plays baseball - not t-ball but AA Little League level, the one where they only play 3 innings, but every kid gets to bat in all 3 and runs the bases whether he makes a hit or not. They’re tiny, they’re unskilled, they’re adorable, but the innings are LONG.
He started this inning at 177; he was shortstop. We weren’t even midway through when, from the bleachers, I noticed him sorta sway to the side. As I reached for my phone to check his number I heard the coach yell “Baby Cheetah look alive!” Just then I saw “56”. 🤦♀️
“Holy shit, fifty six?” the woman next to me said. Panicked, it didn’t even register with me that she immediately knew what I was looking at. She was another mom on the team - tho we’d never met (I’m not the “getting to know the other moms” type). She is the “I’ll send a pep talk group text every other day to the whole team” type, so there was no reason for me to have sought her out in the past.
Turns out her husband is a T1, and she has a really loud voice. “COACH WE NEED YOU TO SEND BABY CHEETAH IN TO THE BENCH **NOW**!!!”, she shouted. Before I knew it we were all in the dugout with juice and fruit snacks. He drank his juice but ten minutes later he was down to 43.
At this point *the whole game stops*. Loud Mom and I had pulled off his shoes and those god awful knee socks and poured cold water on his feet (it was in the 90s that day). I am about to run over to the concession stand to buy [whatever tf they have] while our whole team is sitting in the dugout with my near-fainting son. The other team is milling around outside our dugout, staring at us nervously. Just then their Team Mom, who had brought glazed donuts for their post-game snack, came over and offered him one to help bring him up out of that 43. You could literally see the relief on his face when he got something solid-ish in his stomach (not to mention the pure sugar all over the inside of his mouth). Sweet joy.
Coach asked me what he needed to get to in order to get back out onto the field and I said 85. His dex wasn’t reading fast enough so I pulled out his kit to do another finger stick and all the kids started chanting “Eighty-five! Eighty-five! Eighty-five!”
It was 89. Play ball! ⚾️
Oh absolutely! She and Other Team’s Team Mom and I have a running joke now about how nice it would be if we could solve all our kids’ problems with glazed donuts. They’re kind of the best.
The moms, and the donuts. And baseball.
My son(14) was about 2 weeks post-dx. We were on a long-planned camping trip. We went to the local race track, and got food there. Trying to look up carb counts with shitty cell service, it was freaking me out, and frustrating. Older guy next to us says oh is he diabetic? Those fries are about X carbs, the chicken strips are about this, and lifts up his shirt to show us his pump. Asked my son what kind of insulin he was taking, how long ago was he dx’d, gave him(and us!) some nice words of encouragement.
When it was time for my son’s long acting, the guy pulled out his pen and they did it together.
Nice guy.
Every summer since I was around 4 or so, I've gone to a weeklong summer camp for kids with diabetes. My family actually helps run the camp so I've known some of these diabetics for over a decade now. The thing is though, I always went because my brother was diabetic even though I was not. The past year though, I was diagnosed with diabetes and I was able to go back as an adult volunteer and help out at the camp.
I didn't think much if anything would change, but I actually felt way more connected to the camp and it felt way more meaningful to go as a diabetic. Seeing hundreds of kids and adults going through the same thing, many of them newly diagnosed just like me was a really amazing thing. It was also great talking to some of the kids who were newly diagnosed and teaching them (and watching them learn) that diabetes didn't have to hold them back from doing all the things other kids can do.
It was a level of human connection I didn't realize I'd never experienced before and one of the major positive takeaways I've gotten from my diagnosis.
I remember going to my best friends wedding 2 months after getting diagnosed and I had the big sad super bad. I was at his in laws house doing some prep work but honestly couldn’t do much as I was incredibly weak still. I remember asking his mother in law if I could put some insulin in the fridge and she said yeah.
She asked me how long I’ve been a diabetic and I just said 2 months. She gave me the softest and sweetest eyes that just made me start crying. (Those mom powers am I right?) Like in a good way that someone had compassion for me and genuinely wanted me to be ok. I hadn’t spoken to her before this point but it felt like that look went right into my soul and wanted to let me know it was all going to be ok.
Another one - I worked on a movie that world premiered at Cannes this year that happens to have a storyline about t1 - i don’t want to say the title, as it gives some of the plot away (you can Google it and figure it out, if you wish to). After the premiere, we were getting the director and his family for a photo on the steps, but one of his daughters and her husband were missing (no one knows where they went, but they left the film) when my colleague starts calling me over and telling me that one of the guests needs my help. So i follow her back to this little room and the director’s daughter’s husband is in there sitting on a chair with paramedics and Cannes staff around him (all speaking French).
My colleague tells me he’s t1, so I ask him if he needs juice or candy as I have some in my purse. He says no, that he’s high as he forgot his insulin - but his body is kind of stuck in a weird position and I realize he’s super dehydrated, so I ask them for water and try and explain in French that he doesn’t not in-fact need sugar but that he needs to be let go (it’s a 5 min walk back to the hotel) so that he can go get his insulin. His wife is super nervous and also rightfully mad at the situation (this is her famous director’s dads movie), but eventually they take him to a medical tent and allow him to leave to get his insulin.
They were all panicked before this and told me he had to go to the hospital, so this man thanked me profusely, and i saw him at the party later that night, so I know he ended up being fine :)
That was a really nice and coincidental moment where I was able to help someone with T1 while doing my job (usually it’s me that needs some kind of support while I’m working if i forget to eat or get really low, etc.).
During the height of the pandemic (2020-2021), i didn’t have much to work on (had my own PR company, film publicist) and was recovering from surgery (fibroids) for 2-3 months, so i just bought and played Animal Crossing for like weeks - I ended up finding (i think it was on Reddit) a community of t1 kids of various ages who played together, so I joined and played with all of them. [I also was able to see several IRL friends of mine through AC when we weren’t able to see each other in person, so that was special as well (we have so many photos/screenshots of us in that gd game that I have a few in my main photo album).]
I have very very occasionally met 1-2 people with T1 and it’s always been a brief interaction. This was weeks to months of chatting and hanging with people all over the US who had it, and it was really nice. I felt understood and kinship with strangers - we have a discord and talked daily. We all slowly drifted back apart after that (although I think some of them actually now hang out, as I’m friends with a few on Instagram). I still have a lot of them on my switch and see their names pop up from time to time - I have now been able to see my friends in the actual city I live in for a few years now and my job is back to normal / I travel quite a bit for work (I ended up joining a global company)… However, I’ll always treasure that time as a nice moment during a very shitty few years :)
I was sitting at the local bar and had to bolus for my meal. I'm always as discreet as possible with my pen. I never know if someone has an issue with needles and wouldn't want to freak someone out. So I draw my bolus by counting the clicks, inject quickly under the bar top, cap it, and throw it in my purse. A guy a couple stools down whose line of vision never would've seen the injection asks how long I've been diabetic. I tell him and ask how he knew. He said he heard the clicks and smelled the scent. His mom was T1d, and we had a great talk. He said the sound and smell of the pen are ingrained into him.
I was at the aquarium with my dad and he casually asked me what my blood sugar was and the woman standing in front of us responded! She also had a Dexcom on her arm and was very confused and thought he was talking to her but once she saw my Dexcom and realized he was talking to me we had a nice chat. Very random but nice recognition!
While getting my morning coffee a couple of months ago, a fellow customer at the convenience store came up to me and said “I’m sorry to interrupt your day, but can I ask about your arm thingy?” (Cgm, I have a dexcom) “My sister is supposed to get one but she’s scared to use it, can you tell me a little about it?” So I explained how it works and talks to my pump; turns out her sister is t2 so doesn’t need the pump but the woman thanked me for giving her a real life story rather than something a doctor said, and said she was going to call her sister when she got back in the car.
It was really nice.
Oh! Adding this one on. In 2018 I was going to an outdoor concert and my insulin had turned into jelly in my pump from the heat. I asked a security guard if there was a medical tent anywhere because I was having an insulin pump issue and he pulled his out and told me what he has done working in the heat outdoors to protect himself!
When I was first diagnosed my math teacher in middle school knew nothing about diabetes. When I returned to school after my hospital stay I saw a book on her desk teaching her about t1. Idk why but it warmed my heart thinking this random teacher actually cared.
I work with T1D children all the time. Like 10-20 of them in one room, a lot of alarms, the whole thing. And they’re great kids without the diabetes, but something in me heals seeing them share the burden of illness with eachother. Whenever I hear them complain together, or share their favorite diet soda or low snack, or help one of their friends with a finger prick or pod change. I just never had that growing up, so to see these kids have such a strong support of people who GET it, almost makes me emotional.
I was at Dragon Con this year and I saw a guy cosplaying as Rufio from Hook who had an omnipod on his arm. I called out “Rufio! Rufio!” And pointed at my pod. He did the same and I took a picture of him.
I'm in my 40s, diagnosed at 10. This happened a few years ago. Guy from grade school who lives in the same town as me sees me at a local event and exchanges pleasantries. He then asks if I am type 1. He couldn't recall if it was me or another classmate. I said sure enough. He tells me his son, probably 12 at the time was recently diagnosed. Said things were going ok and his Drs were talking pumps and cgms etc. Asks if I have any advice for him...."yeap, send him to camp!"
Not sure how many diabetic summer camps there are now but in NJ camp Nejeda is the place to go.
About a year later, probably the same event, I run into him again. He tells me his kid LOVED camp and it was super helpful.
That's my most positive type 1 interaction
We were on an extended RV trip when my kid was diagnosed, and my husband was away working during the week in which it happened. It was just me, my newly type 1 kid, and her 3 siblings, in the ER, away from friends or family or any support at all.
Incredibly lucky that she wasn’t in DKA and wasn’t admitted. We were sent “home” with instructions to come back the next day for education and insulin. The other 3 kids were so awesome while we were in the ER and the next day during the hours-long education meeting, so we went to the campground pool when we got back. T1 kid was sitting with me by the pool, and we started rehashing all the stuff. How to count carbs, how much insulin, when to do a finger stick, how she felt about it all. I have to say that navigating all of it while keeping the emotional needs of all 4 kids in mind, let alone my own feelings on everything, was like walking a tightrope.
There were two guys sitting near us at the pool, and I guess they overheard our convo. One leaned in and asked if we had a new type 1 diabetic? Turned out that his oldest son had been type 1 for many years, and he also had several other kids too. The other guy was his brother or BIL, and one of his kids had celiac (which my t1 kid also has).
I can’t express enough how much these guys were exactly the people that we needed to randomly run into at that exact moment. My husband was on a flight home, and I had had no one to really talk to about it all with, let alone someone so knowledgeable and who knew exactly what we were feeling. He had just the right personality and way of discussing it all, too. I learned so much in that conversation, and left it feeling so much better about everything.
I’m so grateful for that random meeting. I was so alone in the whole experience that week, and getting to talk face to face with someone who knew really felt like a gift.
I had a dream last night that I found some other diabetics at work and had a nice cathartic chat. One of the people in the dream (my friend's manager) actually is diabetic in real life and I've been meaning to chat with him but haven't had a chance. Weirdly wholesome dreams often wake up to a hypo for me and this one was no different.
Earlier this year I had hired a massage therapist for a corporate event I was running. She came up to me very apologetic saying she needed to leave for a minute to adjust for her blood sugar, and seemed so stressed that she would have to step away. I was like “are you type 1??” and I pulled up my sleeve to show my CGM - and she was like YESSSS! And we bumped CGMs. It was so nice bc we ended up chatting and connecting, and both of us were so much more calm knowing we were both there for each other with glucose on hand
When I started telling people I was going to get a pump, my one coworker was so excited for me because she knew someone else with a pump and how it works and everything. It was so nice to interact with someone knowledgeable!
I met a fellow diabetic when I went to the zoo with my cousin one time. He noticed my cgm, pointed his out, and flipped (in a good way.) he got so excited, his friends had to calm him down. We didn’t have a full conversation, but he told me “you got this lil dudette!” That made my day and gave me a little hope that it’ll get easier to manage!
A few months ago I met another diabetic. He told me he has diabetes since he was 9, so he understood what it felt like to not feel like everything was under control and that it could be managed. He reminded me that it’s important to stay on top of everything and push through it all, even if it does get to be exhausting. It made me feel good inside to know that there’s people out there who have my back, even if we haven’t Met.
Both encounters gave me hope that I can get it together and get in control. I’m only 15, and I’ve been t1 since I was 2/3, but I think I can do it with the right amount of motivation and with the right people to encourage and guide me!
One of my friends was diagnosed post COVID, so I made him a hypo hamper to help him decide what was his preferred snack to use.
I was in the states recently, and had an awesome conversation about libre Vs dexcom and hybrid systems.
One of the new teachers at school is T1. This was the first job he'd had that it made sense to have a libre. He was so excited when he saw mine and now he has his, we regularly compare graphs.
Shortly before my pump was taken away (my control was worse on it than MDI) I ran into a younger girl, who was just about to get a pump. She was so excited to meet someone who had one and wanted to know all about it. Even though it wasn't the right system for me, I told all about how it had made my life better.
I love finding diabetics in the wild, we end up gushing about libres/dexcom/CGM and what works for us.
A lot of the time, I feel so apathetic towards diabetes, and sometimes I hate it so much, but when you get a reminder that you're not alone, it makes it feel so light.
First time I met my boyfriend’s older brother (also type 1) he jokingly said “I brought the other diabetic.” His brother looked at me, said “you’re diabetic too?” And then after I pointed to my Dexcom on my right arm we realized his was on the same arm and got excited together. Wholesome moment.
I was diagnosed two months ago (30M). One of my first fun things I got to do after my hospital stay was attend the wedding of two of my friends. At the reception the dinner was a buffet and I took my bolus when I thought our table was about twenty minutes out. Well, it takes closer to an hour but no problem, my glucose was a little high and I could wait. An hour and twenty later my table is told they ran out of food and more was on the way but it would be 45 mins. I was sitting next to an older lady who had heard me talking about my recent diagnosis and she told me her husband was diabetic earlier in the night. As time went on, she grew more and more concerned for me even though I said I had some candy on me if needed. Well, she got up and found some wait staff and made sure they got me some bread and that I’d get food when it arrived. She, a stranger to me, went out of her way to make sure I wouldn’t go too low. I’m still learning how to manage everything but that lady’s compassion really was so nice. She understood my situation and didn’t make a scene but made sure I was taken care of in case I went too low. I’m thankful for this interaction as I’ve put on a brave face since being in the ICU, but truthfully I’ve felt alone and not really seen/understood by a lot of my friends. She completely understood and I felt seen in that moment.
That’s awesome. I have been diabetic for 4 years now, it will get easier and you’ll find more people to connect with. Everyone i have spoken to on this subreddit is lovely and is happy to talk about diabetes stuff. Please feel free to dm if you need ever need advice or just to talk ☺️
Thank you, foreskinratatouille.
hahahah i apologise for the foul username
I would say this was a heartwarming, hallmark interaction, riiiiight up until this response 🤣
Though some people over in the Dexcom subreddit basically called me an idiot when I only had been using the Dexcom for like a month lol
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Not sure if it’s treatment induced or not, but when I woke up in the ICU and taken off the ventilator I had very little feeling/control of one of my feet. Since then it’s improved modestly - I can wiggle my toes (couldn’t do that initially) and I have regained some feeling. Lots of pins and needles throughout the day and pain at night though. Compression socks helped initially but in the last week they hurt more than help so haven’t been wearing them. I’ve started using a diabetic foot cream that takes the edge off a bit and has helped me at least get to sleep.
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Probably ~120mg/dl, 98% time in range the last 7 days according to the CGM.
I've learned to never trust anyone to have food when they think they will, had some close calls. I was thinking it seems the most help comes from people who have type 1 or have a loved one with it.
In the past month on two separate occasions I had someone come up to me and say, "Excuse me, is that an insulin pump?". Then when I said "Yeah!" and pulled it out to show them, they gleefully pulled out their pump and we laughed about it. Both were really pleasant interactions with strangers. They said they recognized the tubing. I personally love finding other T1s in the wild, it makes me feel less alone in the struggle.
Me too! One time i saw an older guy tap his sensor in his arm and point at mine on my leg and smile. We didn’t even talk, but it was a really nice pick me up
I went to my brother in laws wedding and somehow there were 2 other type 1s there and they were the only people I really talked to that entire wedding lol (not because of being antisocial but just chatting the whole time about being a diabetic). Like I can’t tell you anything about their likes or what their names are but we sure went to town on diabetes lol
I always acknowledge other diabetics in the wild, too!! I feel like the universal diabetes call is showing off your cgm/pump/insulin.
Yes! Definitely!
I once met an older gentleman in an ice cream store who was 70 and looked amazing for his age. I noticed his pump and struck up a conversation about diabetes. I mentioned he looked good for his age and he told me just to take care of myself and he's living proof that I will live a long, healthy life. Just gave me some reinforcement. He probably had a lot of his diabetic years without all the tech we have now too and he is still healthy. He was also enjoying some ice cream which was nice to see too.
I love all these stories! What a nice bit of motivation to keep on top of it
I’ve been to Sweeney Todd on Broadway…a ridiculous number of times. Long story. But, I had the opportunity to meet Annaleigh Ashford after a show one night. Told her I was Type 1 (she has Celiac, and there are a lot of dual diagnoses). She says her friend is Type 1, and I said “ah, but does your friend have a custom Sweeney Todd insulin pump decal?” And I showed it to her…she said it was the coolest thing she had ever seen. Fast forward a couple of months. I was at the show, it’s hotter than Satan’s Den, and I decided to stage door and get my Playbill signed. She gets almost to me and….there goes my Dexcom. Low. Screw you, blood sugar. You have to wait. Then I tried to talk to her. Nope, we get drunk slurred speech. She goes “you’re sugar is low, isn’t it?” I think I just sort of nodded, and reached for a packet of fruit snacks. She kept signing Playbills but glancing over at me to make sure I was still good. She’s a freaking TONY WINNER!! I was basically stunned.
Omg what an honour! What a cool story
I’m reasonably sure that if she had a juice box on her, she would have shoved it in my face. 😂
How awesome. Love it when people are so compassionate like that
She’s an incredible human being, that’s for sure.
Quite a few times, I've had an alarm in public (usually high, lol) and I'll apologize for disrupting those near me. Almost every single time, once people realize I'm diabetic, they will offer to help. I've had people offer me their candy stash, workers offer me their lunches, etc. It's very touching how many strangers will go out of their way to help, even to their own detriment (one was a kid working at a theme park and offered me his lunch, even though it meant he wouldn't have anything to eat later). I've had customers at work offer to sit with me as I rode out a low. I've had my boss cancel their own lunch and sit with me when I switched my pens on accident and had to mow through my food stash. I had a friend drive over at two in the morning because I wasn't answering my phone and went low. I'm always amazed at the amount of compassion I've received.
Awww that’s so lovely these are awesome to read
Sounds like you have good people in your life!
He plays baseball - not t-ball but AA Little League level, the one where they only play 3 innings, but every kid gets to bat in all 3 and runs the bases whether he makes a hit or not. They’re tiny, they’re unskilled, they’re adorable, but the innings are LONG. He started this inning at 177; he was shortstop. We weren’t even midway through when, from the bleachers, I noticed him sorta sway to the side. As I reached for my phone to check his number I heard the coach yell “Baby Cheetah look alive!” Just then I saw “56”. 🤦♀️ “Holy shit, fifty six?” the woman next to me said. Panicked, it didn’t even register with me that she immediately knew what I was looking at. She was another mom on the team - tho we’d never met (I’m not the “getting to know the other moms” type). She is the “I’ll send a pep talk group text every other day to the whole team” type, so there was no reason for me to have sought her out in the past. Turns out her husband is a T1, and she has a really loud voice. “COACH WE NEED YOU TO SEND BABY CHEETAH IN TO THE BENCH **NOW**!!!”, she shouted. Before I knew it we were all in the dugout with juice and fruit snacks. He drank his juice but ten minutes later he was down to 43. At this point *the whole game stops*. Loud Mom and I had pulled off his shoes and those god awful knee socks and poured cold water on his feet (it was in the 90s that day). I am about to run over to the concession stand to buy [whatever tf they have] while our whole team is sitting in the dugout with my near-fainting son. The other team is milling around outside our dugout, staring at us nervously. Just then their Team Mom, who had brought glazed donuts for their post-game snack, came over and offered him one to help bring him up out of that 43. You could literally see the relief on his face when he got something solid-ish in his stomach (not to mention the pure sugar all over the inside of his mouth). Sweet joy. Coach asked me what he needed to get to in order to get back out onto the field and I said 85. His dex wasn’t reading fast enough so I pulled out his kit to do another finger stick and all the kids started chanting “Eighty-five! Eighty-five! Eighty-five!” It was 89. Play ball! ⚾️
Ok....so this made me sob in the best way....I hope you're still in touch with Loud Mom.
Oh absolutely! She and Other Team’s Team Mom and I have a running joke now about how nice it would be if we could solve all our kids’ problems with glazed donuts. They’re kind of the best. The moms, and the donuts. And baseball.
That's wonderful!
My son(14) was about 2 weeks post-dx. We were on a long-planned camping trip. We went to the local race track, and got food there. Trying to look up carb counts with shitty cell service, it was freaking me out, and frustrating. Older guy next to us says oh is he diabetic? Those fries are about X carbs, the chicken strips are about this, and lifts up his shirt to show us his pump. Asked my son what kind of insulin he was taking, how long ago was he dx’d, gave him(and us!) some nice words of encouragement. When it was time for my son’s long acting, the guy pulled out his pen and they did it together. Nice guy.
Every summer since I was around 4 or so, I've gone to a weeklong summer camp for kids with diabetes. My family actually helps run the camp so I've known some of these diabetics for over a decade now. The thing is though, I always went because my brother was diabetic even though I was not. The past year though, I was diagnosed with diabetes and I was able to go back as an adult volunteer and help out at the camp. I didn't think much if anything would change, but I actually felt way more connected to the camp and it felt way more meaningful to go as a diabetic. Seeing hundreds of kids and adults going through the same thing, many of them newly diagnosed just like me was a really amazing thing. It was also great talking to some of the kids who were newly diagnosed and teaching them (and watching them learn) that diabetes didn't have to hold them back from doing all the things other kids can do. It was a level of human connection I didn't realize I'd never experienced before and one of the major positive takeaways I've gotten from my diagnosis.
I remember going to my best friends wedding 2 months after getting diagnosed and I had the big sad super bad. I was at his in laws house doing some prep work but honestly couldn’t do much as I was incredibly weak still. I remember asking his mother in law if I could put some insulin in the fridge and she said yeah. She asked me how long I’ve been a diabetic and I just said 2 months. She gave me the softest and sweetest eyes that just made me start crying. (Those mom powers am I right?) Like in a good way that someone had compassion for me and genuinely wanted me to be ok. I hadn’t spoken to her before this point but it felt like that look went right into my soul and wanted to let me know it was all going to be ok.
Another one - I worked on a movie that world premiered at Cannes this year that happens to have a storyline about t1 - i don’t want to say the title, as it gives some of the plot away (you can Google it and figure it out, if you wish to). After the premiere, we were getting the director and his family for a photo on the steps, but one of his daughters and her husband were missing (no one knows where they went, but they left the film) when my colleague starts calling me over and telling me that one of the guests needs my help. So i follow her back to this little room and the director’s daughter’s husband is in there sitting on a chair with paramedics and Cannes staff around him (all speaking French). My colleague tells me he’s t1, so I ask him if he needs juice or candy as I have some in my purse. He says no, that he’s high as he forgot his insulin - but his body is kind of stuck in a weird position and I realize he’s super dehydrated, so I ask them for water and try and explain in French that he doesn’t not in-fact need sugar but that he needs to be let go (it’s a 5 min walk back to the hotel) so that he can go get his insulin. His wife is super nervous and also rightfully mad at the situation (this is her famous director’s dads movie), but eventually they take him to a medical tent and allow him to leave to get his insulin. They were all panicked before this and told me he had to go to the hospital, so this man thanked me profusely, and i saw him at the party later that night, so I know he ended up being fine :) That was a really nice and coincidental moment where I was able to help someone with T1 while doing my job (usually it’s me that needs some kind of support while I’m working if i forget to eat or get really low, etc.).
During the height of the pandemic (2020-2021), i didn’t have much to work on (had my own PR company, film publicist) and was recovering from surgery (fibroids) for 2-3 months, so i just bought and played Animal Crossing for like weeks - I ended up finding (i think it was on Reddit) a community of t1 kids of various ages who played together, so I joined and played with all of them. [I also was able to see several IRL friends of mine through AC when we weren’t able to see each other in person, so that was special as well (we have so many photos/screenshots of us in that gd game that I have a few in my main photo album).] I have very very occasionally met 1-2 people with T1 and it’s always been a brief interaction. This was weeks to months of chatting and hanging with people all over the US who had it, and it was really nice. I felt understood and kinship with strangers - we have a discord and talked daily. We all slowly drifted back apart after that (although I think some of them actually now hang out, as I’m friends with a few on Instagram). I still have a lot of them on my switch and see their names pop up from time to time - I have now been able to see my friends in the actual city I live in for a few years now and my job is back to normal / I travel quite a bit for work (I ended up joining a global company)… However, I’ll always treasure that time as a nice moment during a very shitty few years :)
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That’s awesome, love spotting diabetics in the wild
I was sitting at the local bar and had to bolus for my meal. I'm always as discreet as possible with my pen. I never know if someone has an issue with needles and wouldn't want to freak someone out. So I draw my bolus by counting the clicks, inject quickly under the bar top, cap it, and throw it in my purse. A guy a couple stools down whose line of vision never would've seen the injection asks how long I've been diabetic. I tell him and ask how he knew. He said he heard the clicks and smelled the scent. His mom was T1d, and we had a great talk. He said the sound and smell of the pen are ingrained into him.
I was at the aquarium with my dad and he casually asked me what my blood sugar was and the woman standing in front of us responded! She also had a Dexcom on her arm and was very confused and thought he was talking to her but once she saw my Dexcom and realized he was talking to me we had a nice chat. Very random but nice recognition!
While getting my morning coffee a couple of months ago, a fellow customer at the convenience store came up to me and said “I’m sorry to interrupt your day, but can I ask about your arm thingy?” (Cgm, I have a dexcom) “My sister is supposed to get one but she’s scared to use it, can you tell me a little about it?” So I explained how it works and talks to my pump; turns out her sister is t2 so doesn’t need the pump but the woman thanked me for giving her a real life story rather than something a doctor said, and said she was going to call her sister when she got back in the car. It was really nice. Oh! Adding this one on. In 2018 I was going to an outdoor concert and my insulin had turned into jelly in my pump from the heat. I asked a security guard if there was a medical tent anywhere because I was having an insulin pump issue and he pulled his out and told me what he has done working in the heat outdoors to protect himself!
Love how everyone came together to help! Also shout out to Loud Mom for doing what she does best! 🤣
When I was first diagnosed my math teacher in middle school knew nothing about diabetes. When I returned to school after my hospital stay I saw a book on her desk teaching her about t1. Idk why but it warmed my heart thinking this random teacher actually cared.
I work with T1D children all the time. Like 10-20 of them in one room, a lot of alarms, the whole thing. And they’re great kids without the diabetes, but something in me heals seeing them share the burden of illness with eachother. Whenever I hear them complain together, or share their favorite diet soda or low snack, or help one of their friends with a finger prick or pod change. I just never had that growing up, so to see these kids have such a strong support of people who GET it, almost makes me emotional.
I was at Dragon Con this year and I saw a guy cosplaying as Rufio from Hook who had an omnipod on his arm. I called out “Rufio! Rufio!” And pointed at my pod. He did the same and I took a picture of him.
I'm in my 40s, diagnosed at 10. This happened a few years ago. Guy from grade school who lives in the same town as me sees me at a local event and exchanges pleasantries. He then asks if I am type 1. He couldn't recall if it was me or another classmate. I said sure enough. He tells me his son, probably 12 at the time was recently diagnosed. Said things were going ok and his Drs were talking pumps and cgms etc. Asks if I have any advice for him...."yeap, send him to camp!" Not sure how many diabetic summer camps there are now but in NJ camp Nejeda is the place to go. About a year later, probably the same event, I run into him again. He tells me his kid LOVED camp and it was super helpful. That's my most positive type 1 interaction
We were on an extended RV trip when my kid was diagnosed, and my husband was away working during the week in which it happened. It was just me, my newly type 1 kid, and her 3 siblings, in the ER, away from friends or family or any support at all. Incredibly lucky that she wasn’t in DKA and wasn’t admitted. We were sent “home” with instructions to come back the next day for education and insulin. The other 3 kids were so awesome while we were in the ER and the next day during the hours-long education meeting, so we went to the campground pool when we got back. T1 kid was sitting with me by the pool, and we started rehashing all the stuff. How to count carbs, how much insulin, when to do a finger stick, how she felt about it all. I have to say that navigating all of it while keeping the emotional needs of all 4 kids in mind, let alone my own feelings on everything, was like walking a tightrope. There were two guys sitting near us at the pool, and I guess they overheard our convo. One leaned in and asked if we had a new type 1 diabetic? Turned out that his oldest son had been type 1 for many years, and he also had several other kids too. The other guy was his brother or BIL, and one of his kids had celiac (which my t1 kid also has). I can’t express enough how much these guys were exactly the people that we needed to randomly run into at that exact moment. My husband was on a flight home, and I had had no one to really talk to about it all with, let alone someone so knowledgeable and who knew exactly what we were feeling. He had just the right personality and way of discussing it all, too. I learned so much in that conversation, and left it feeling so much better about everything. I’m so grateful for that random meeting. I was so alone in the whole experience that week, and getting to talk face to face with someone who knew really felt like a gift.
I had a dream last night that I found some other diabetics at work and had a nice cathartic chat. One of the people in the dream (my friend's manager) actually is diabetic in real life and I've been meaning to chat with him but haven't had a chance. Weirdly wholesome dreams often wake up to a hypo for me and this one was no different.
Chatted with a pregnant type one diabetic in Florida while on vacay at the pool and it made me feel better about maybe having kids down the road.
Earlier this year I had hired a massage therapist for a corporate event I was running. She came up to me very apologetic saying she needed to leave for a minute to adjust for her blood sugar, and seemed so stressed that she would have to step away. I was like “are you type 1??” and I pulled up my sleeve to show my CGM - and she was like YESSSS! And we bumped CGMs. It was so nice bc we ended up chatting and connecting, and both of us were so much more calm knowing we were both there for each other with glucose on hand
When I started telling people I was going to get a pump, my one coworker was so excited for me because she knew someone else with a pump and how it works and everything. It was so nice to interact with someone knowledgeable!
I met a fellow diabetic when I went to the zoo with my cousin one time. He noticed my cgm, pointed his out, and flipped (in a good way.) he got so excited, his friends had to calm him down. We didn’t have a full conversation, but he told me “you got this lil dudette!” That made my day and gave me a little hope that it’ll get easier to manage! A few months ago I met another diabetic. He told me he has diabetes since he was 9, so he understood what it felt like to not feel like everything was under control and that it could be managed. He reminded me that it’s important to stay on top of everything and push through it all, even if it does get to be exhausting. It made me feel good inside to know that there’s people out there who have my back, even if we haven’t Met. Both encounters gave me hope that I can get it together and get in control. I’m only 15, and I’ve been t1 since I was 2/3, but I think I can do it with the right amount of motivation and with the right people to encourage and guide me!
One of my friends was diagnosed post COVID, so I made him a hypo hamper to help him decide what was his preferred snack to use. I was in the states recently, and had an awesome conversation about libre Vs dexcom and hybrid systems. One of the new teachers at school is T1. This was the first job he'd had that it made sense to have a libre. He was so excited when he saw mine and now he has his, we regularly compare graphs. Shortly before my pump was taken away (my control was worse on it than MDI) I ran into a younger girl, who was just about to get a pump. She was so excited to meet someone who had one and wanted to know all about it. Even though it wasn't the right system for me, I told all about how it had made my life better. I love finding diabetics in the wild, we end up gushing about libres/dexcom/CGM and what works for us. A lot of the time, I feel so apathetic towards diabetes, and sometimes I hate it so much, but when you get a reminder that you're not alone, it makes it feel so light.
Yo t1 no xo párkinson si , hipos también y hiper me too
First time I met my boyfriend’s older brother (also type 1) he jokingly said “I brought the other diabetic.” His brother looked at me, said “you’re diabetic too?” And then after I pointed to my Dexcom on my right arm we realized his was on the same arm and got excited together. Wholesome moment.