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My grandma loves dancing. Like she doesn’t even wait for people, if music starts she’s already up. I remember this one function about 7 years ago, it was loud, everyone talking, kids running around, and she was in the middle just smiling and dancing like always.

She didn’t even know she had diabetes. She never really went for checkups, she’d always say she feels fine. But looking back, there were signs. She was always asking for water, like every few minutes, and going to the bathroom a lot. I didn’t really know what to think of it at the time, I was like 9.

That day, she had been dancing for a while. I remember she laughed, sat down for a second, and then when she got up again she just collapsed. Suddenly.

Everything after that is kind of a blur. People rushing, calling for help, trying to wake her up.

Later we found out it was cardiac arrest.

She survived, thankfully. But that’s when we also found out her sugar had been high for years and she had no idea.

Now things are really different. She goes for checkups, takes her medicines, watches what she eats.

I still think about that moment a lot. It’s weird how normal everything felt right before it happened. It just reminds me not to take health lightly.

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I got diagnosed with type 1 kind of out of nowhere. I just remember being thirsty all the time, like finishing a whole water bottle and still feeling dry. I’d wake up in the middle of the night just to drink water and go to the bathroom again. I also started losing weight and everyone kept saying “oh you look slimmer” but it didn’t feel right.

One day at school I felt so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. When we finally went to the doctor, everything moved really fast after that.

Now I always have my kit with me. I check before meals, sometimes in class, sometimes in the car. My friends don’t really make a big deal out of it anymore.

It’s not something I can ignore, but it’s also not everything. Just something I’ve learned to handle.

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one time my blood sugar dropped in the middle of the night and I didn’t even realize what was happening at first. I just woke up feeling super weird, like shaky and kinda confused. I went to the kitchen half asleep and just stood there for a second not even knowing what I was looking for. then it hit me. I grabbed whatever was there, juice, random snacks, didn’t even think, just ate. after a few minutes I felt better but it was lowk kinda scary after, like how fast it happened. now I always keep something next to my bed, jic.

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I didn’t even believe it at first when they told me I had diabetes. I’ve been eating the same way my whole life, sweets, chai, everything, and suddenly now it’s a problem?

Fora while I did not change much. I thought how much difference can it make?

But then I started noticing small things. Like getting tired faster or little things like that. Now I try to check my sugar regularly and take my medicine on time.

At this age you don’t argue with your health too much. You just listen and adjust 😂

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One day everything was fine and the next my numbers just wouldn’t stay in range!

did eVerything the same as usual and it still didn’t work...

Those days are the most frustrating

but you just reset and try again the next day 🤷‍♀️

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there’s this moment no one really talks about

not the diagnosis, not the big scary numbers, not the hospital stuff

just the normal days

like sitting in class pretending you’re paying attention but actually doing math in your head that no one else can see. how much you ate, how much you need, what your number might be in an hour

or being out with friends and everyone just…eats. no pause, no thinking. and you do too, but there’s always that extra step in your head before you take a bite.

sometimes it’s annoying, like rlly annoying, especially when you do everything right and your numbers still don’t make sense

but then there are moments you don’t expect

like realizing you can handle it. like catching a low before it gets bad, or fixing a high on your own without freaking out

no one really sees those moments but they matter

it’s not about being perfect with it, because that’s impossible

it’s just learning, little by little, how to deal with something that doesn’t really go away

and somehow still living your life around it

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It is okay to not have everything figured out right away. You are learning as you go and that’s enough. Rooting for you all!

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my pancreas really clocked out and said “good luck tho”

now I’m just doing its job every day 😭

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Sometimes when my blood sugar is dropping, I get this super random urge to reorganize something like my desk or my bag. Its like my brain suddenly fixates on it like it’s urgent. Ive learned that if I’m weirdly hyper-focused on something pointless out of nowhere… I should probably check my blood sugar 😅

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everyone always says “just check your sugar” like yeah i know sometimes i don’t check because i already know it’s gonna be bad and i don’t feel like dealing with it and then i feel worse later but in that moment i just want to feel normal for like… 20 minutes

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low blood sugar = suddenly
i need to
clean my room
text people back
fix my entire personality

and then 10 minutes later i’m like
oh
i just needed juice 💀

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ate the same thing. got a different result. cool.

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ate the same thing. got a different result. cool.

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same breakfast
same time
same everything

yesterday: perfect
today: ABSOLUTELY NOT

like ok. good to know none of this actually makes sense

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like i know they’re trying to help

but why are you staring at me drink juice like it’s a medical emergency

i’m fine
i just need like
2 minutes

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like yeah ummm that’s not how this works

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there’s always that one person who becomes an expert

you mention diabetes once
and suddenly they’re explaining insulin to you

like thanks? i think i’ve got it

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sometimes i check just because i’m bored

not because i feel anything

just like huh
wonder what it is right now

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airport security is always a whole thing. i have to explain stuff. most of the time it’s fine but it just takes longer. but once they made me open everything in front of everyone and felt like i was unpacking my entire life

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i’ve had people assume i can’t eat certain things. like they’ll literally stop me...“wait can you have that?” and now i have to explain everything AGAIn

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i don’t like when people apologize for eating around me. like helloooo you’re allowed to eat

this isn’t a group project

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not enough people talk about how annoying it is to carry stuff everywhere...i don’t want to bring a whole mini pharmacy with me every time i leave the house. sometimes i just stare at my bag...do i really need all this

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anyone else have that one friend who lowkey monitors you

like they don’t say anything
but they notice everything

kinda helpful
kinda stressful

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i work retail and diabetes makes shifts weird in a very specific way. it’s not even the customers. it’s the timing. i’ll be fine for hours
and then right when there’s a line forming
something decides to drop?!

and now i’m trying to ring people up while also thinking ok fix this fast but don’t make it obvious. it turns a normal shift into strategy mode 🤣

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My younger brother thinks my supplies are “cool gadgets”. He’ll ask questions like
“what does this one do” and honestly
it’s kind of funny explaining it to someone who has zero context. He treats it like tech. Not a problem!

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my grandparent still doesn’t fully get it

they’ll say things like “just avoid sugar and you’ll be fine”...and i don’t correct them every time. Sometimes it’s just easier to nod!!

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My roommate has diabetes and living with someone who manages it daily changed my perspective more than any health class ever did. Checking, adjusting, moving on. The part that stood out to me was how much thinking goes into things most people do automatically, especially eating. It made me more mindful of my own habits without being told to be.

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It is less about big changes and more about small decisions repeated often.

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I was diagnosed during my second year of college and the hardest part was not the condition itself but trying to fit it into a schedule that was already inconsistent. Classes changed, sleep was irregular, meals were unpredictable. I had to build structure where there was none. Over time I stopped trying to follow an ideal routine and instead created one that actually worked with my day to day life. That made a bigger difference than trying to do everything perfectly.

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my gramma has type 2 and her perspective is COMPLETELY different. she doesn’t talk about numbers but she talks about discipline for ex the same meals, same timing, same habits and it’s very structured and while i don’t follow exactly..there’s something to learn from that consistency

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I work in a place where I am on my feet for most of the day, and that has made me notice patterns I would not have picked up otherwise. It is not just about what I eat, it is about how active I am, how long I have been standing, and even how stressful the shift is. There have been times where everything should have been fine based on what I ate, but my body reacted differently because I was moving more than usual. At first I thought I was doing something wrong, but over time I realized that it is more complex than just food. Activity changes things, stress changes things, even the timing of breaks matters. Now I prepare differently. I keep things in places that are easy to reach, I pay attention earlier instead of waiting for something to feel off, and I try to stay ahead of it rather than reacting late. It has made me more aware of how different factors connect, not just with health but in general.

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I was on a flight and could feel something changing and Of CoUrSe the seatbelt sign was on. nope to getting up. I had what I needed in my bag but the space is so small and AwKwArD. U r trying to handle it quietly
while sitting next to people who have NO IDEA what is going on. it was fine in the end
just one of those situations where the TiMiNg COulD NoT hAVe bEEn wOrSE.

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what’s the most inconvenient timing you’ve had? ike actually worst possible moment

mine is probably mid presentation or during a test..just curious what everyone else has dealt with