Happy (diabetes) Birthday To Me!

Today is my 'diabetes birthday'. I was diagnosed on the 9th January 1998 so exactly 14 years to this day. I'm not sure if everyone else can remember the date they were diagnosed, for me it seems pretty much engrained on my brain.

I can still remember waiting in the hospital to see the doctors and getting a can of pop and a chocolate bar from the vending machine, how little did I know about diabetes back then!

It probably doesn't come as a surprise to hear I don't celebrate this occasion like a normal birthday - no cake, candles, cards and I don't make a note in my calendar of the day but every year it comes around and I some how remember and take note. My life without diabetes gets further away as I get closer and closer to having had diabetes longer than I haven't had diabetes, which does feel kind of strange.

Happy birthday to me then and anyone else should I say 'celebrating'? their diabetes birthday today!

Winter Woes

I was on the Tube this morning reading the Metro when I noticed the headline 'Risk of diabetes rises in winter'. Being diagnosed in January I thought this was quite interesting, I read on waiting for the mystery of my diagnosis to be revealed....I then got to this paragraph:

'It may be caused by seasonal changes in blood glucose and insulin levels, seasonal viral infections or the fact that young people tend to eat more and do less exercise in winter'

It was the last statement that annoyed me, not only do I have to explain to people that I didn't get diabetes because I ate lots of sweets or because it runs in my family but now I potentially also have to explain that I wasn't an overweight lazy child who at the first sign of a chill in the air suddenly had the urge to overeat.

Maybe I should of adopted the head wear at the top of this page and that might of prevented me 'catching' diabetes. Whatever next. Read the full article here.

Picture via Flickr.