Hey. I’m Frank, and I’m a young adult living in Perth, Western Australia.
In May 2010, I paid a visit to my doctor after being unable to stand on my own two feet at work for more than an hour. I was feeling extremely tired, had an insatiable thirst and was having a hard time concentrating on my uni assignments. He told me I had a virus and sent me home on bed rest and hot fluids.
Three days later, after vomiting during the night, I woke up feeling very short of breath. My Dad drove me to the hospital right away, where I soon learned that I had a condition called type 1 diabetes. My body had stopped producing insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. I would need to assume that role by injecting insulin and monitoring my blood sugar levels for the rest of my life.
For the first five years, I didn’t know a single other person living with diabetes. I didn’t feel very comfortable with my new ‘normal.’ I didn’t really know a lot about diabetes beyond my own ability to live with it. I was really just checking my blood sugar levels, guessing most of my insulin doses and riding the rollercoaster of high and low blood sugar levels.
It wasn’t until I immersed myself into the Diabetes Online Community and began connecting with other people with diabetes that I found my motivation. I actually took an interest in diabetes and began to feel comfortable with my condition. I began to more actively watch what my blood sugar levels were doing and learned how to better manage them.
I managed my diabetes on Multiple Daily Injections for six years, before taking a plunge into the world of insulin pumping in May 2016.
Most days I can be found writing, drinking coffee, thinking about pasta or cannoli and photographing landscapes. I love binge watching a good TV show (especially period dramas), and enjoy music along the lines of Good Charlotte, The Fray, Snow Patrol and Coldplay.
Welcome to my personal blog about life with type 1 diabetes.
I hope that you can relate to my stories in some way.