My Journey as a Very Fragile Type 1 Diabetic: Shelly's Story, Part II

This article was written exclusively for InformationAboutDiabetes.com by Shelly Hicks. Shelly developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with her first child, later being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In this article, she writes about her multiple hospital stays and the various complications she's had to endure over the years.

Click here to read Part I.

The months went by, and in 2009 I had gotten married and moved to Colorado then to Oklahoma then back to Colorado, still trying to cope the best I could. I went from one day at a time to hours at a time. I now have my husband for support as well as my parents. We moved back to Michigan in July of 2009 and lived with my parents, and then we moved to his sister's. My blood sugars were still uncontrolled.

Ready to Give Up

In 2010, I tried the insulin pump again – only to come off it because it was not working for me again. I spent three days in the hospital again severely dehydrated and in DKA. I was so frustrated that I wanted to give up, but I had two reasons not to: one was my husband and the other was my granddaughter.

I still coped the best I knew how. I went on checking my sugars but not keeping track of them. By 2011, I was still just barely coping. This disease had gotten the better of me, and I ended up in the hospital again because of my diabetes and with a gall bladder problem. I was in for a week. They had to take my gall bladder out, and they somewhat stabilized my blood sugars. The year came and went with nothing changing. In 2012, I ended up in the hospital in November and again in December for three days each time for my blood sugars, dehydration and vomiting.

Tired of Being in the Hospital All the Time

Still coping the best I could, I told my mom that I was tired of being in the hospital all the time. My nurse practioner was taking care of my insulin and always adjusting it.

In January of this year, I was back in the hospital for seven days vomiting. All sorts of tests were done, and the doctors could not tell me what was wrong. I was sent home, and two weeks later, in February, I was back in the hospital. More test were done, and I was told that I had gastroparesis, cyclic vomiting syndrome, and functional dysphesia with abdominal pain. I was put on medication for them and sent home.

I had been out of the hospital for eight months, and then I was back in for three days with what the doctors told me was gastrointestional flu. My blood sugars were still out of control, and the doctors could not do anything to control them.

Doing My Best to Cope and Live My Life

My blood sugars are still out of control to this day. I don't know what else to do but do my best to cope with this disease and live my life. I now check my sugars four times a day and keep record of them so the doctors can see how I am doing. I have to go in for two thyroid tests to find out why I am so cold all the time and why I can't keep any weight on.

The only advice I could give anyone is check your sugars often and keep a record so your doctors can see them and talk to your doctors, letting them know everything. Keep the doctors and your family members in the loop of how you are doing with your diabetes. Whether you are a type 1 or a type 2, communication is the key word with diabetes.