what i would like them to know

I have mody 3 diabetes

when i tell doctors or nurses that its often up to me to educate them on what exactly that is as they have normally only heard of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. That is frustrating, i mean I'm the patient, i don't have a medical degree.... obviously i don't expect a surgeon to know the ins and outs of mody diabetes, but a diabetes specialist should be able to educate me about it rather than the other way round...

so what would i like them to know?

I would like doctors and nurses to remember that often the patient knows best when it comes to their condition and whats going on, after all they are the ones living with it

I would like them to know that just because two people have the same type of diabetes it doesn't mean that their treatment will be the same or that they will react to treatment in the same way... every person is different

I would like them to know that its scary going to clinic appointments, get to know the patient, chat about other stuff as well as diabetes (after all that's not our entire lives) it will help us to trust and respect you, and it will help you to understand why we had high or low numbers... lots of things affect it

i would like them to remember that a hba1c doesn't always reflect what happens day to day, sometimes you have to believe the numbers in the log book even if it doesn't look like it matches, it is only an average and doesn't reflect the effort that is or isn't going into controlling diabetes

i would like them to listen when you say you need help. its hard enough to admit that let alone having to fight to get the support you need

i would like them to know that living with diabetes is tough, its not always easy to carb count or get doses right, you aren't always going to remember every injection, we are human after all

i would like them to know about my type of diabetes and be able to tell me how its going to progress or how much it will affect my life.... even at 19 i worry about passing it on to children or the likelihood of getting complications in the future

overall i just want doctors and nurses to look beyond the textbook examples and the treatment plans that are printed on paper.

i am an individual, i need my own plan that works for me. whether that involves insulin, tablets or diet control i just need the support for what I choose to do.

I am not a number

I am not defined by my condition

just remember




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