This month marks my fifth year of lancing my fingers, injecting or infusing insulin, monitoring carbs, and Having Type-1 Diabetes. In some ways it seems like longer but in others, it seems like this journey is just starting. That beginning trip to the emergency room is still clear in my mind. Mostly I remember the support and attention I got from family and friends, and the uncertainness of what the diagnosis meant. But here I am, through the ups and downs, after the successes and failures, in front of diligent times and moments of negligence, still happy and healthy with a life touched by diabetes.

The best eye opening moments came through my own research. I read into the personal experiences of other diabetics. I read books written with a doctoral undertone. I read laymen texts with writings surrounding the world of diabetes. All of them giving me a new angle in which to understand diabetes from. Sometimes is seemed daunting, realizing how much work should be put into diabetes management. Sometimes it was scary… statistics don’t lend a kind side to this disease. More often though, it seemed conquerable because I told myself I had what it takes to live long and healthy.

My last A1C was 6.0% and it hasn’t been above that for the past 16 months and the highest A1C being 6.6% since when I was first diagnosed… not including my abysmal 14.3% when my blood was first drawn in the emergency room. I feel a sense of pride thinking of that, but I also keep grounded knowing that there is more to staying healthy with diabetes than just an A1C value. I am still going strong with the OmniPod, pumping away each and every minute. Insulin pumping being one of the biggest changes to my management routine in the past five years.

I also get great satisfaction when I can shed some light on another’s diabetes dilemmas and questions. It is a good feeling to be able to help someone learn from your mistakes and successes. This rings true from the other side too. Seasoned diabetes veterans offer so much to me too. A word of inspiration, a model for actions, and proof that taking care of yourself the best ways possible is key to a trouble free diabetes life.