In 2000, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while expecting my third child. My diagnosis was towards the end of my pregnancy, and then my glucose levels returned to normal after my baby was born, so I didn’t have any further symptoms of diabetes. 

Then about 10 years ago, following a visit to the doctor and some blood tests, I was told I had type 2 diabetes, and I’ve been trying to manage my condition since then.

My clinicians advised me to try to lose some weight to help manage my diabetes, but not long after I was also diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. 

That’s made losing weight really difficult, and honestly, it can be quite frustrating. I’ve learned that managing diabetes isn’t as simple as ‘eat this, don’t eat that’ or ‘just lose a few pounds.’ There are often other health issues going on that make things more complicated. Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition with multiple risk factors.

Understanding how my thyroid affects my metabolism has helped me see things differently and be a bit kinder to myself. Everyone’s experience with diabetes is unique, and it’s so important to remember that – there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. A little more understanding and less judgment can go a long way.

In December 2022, whilst studying at university, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 18.

A couple of months prior to my diagnosis, I experienced a few symptoms and I remember being out for a meal with my flatmates and just feeling very unwell. I was nauseous, had no energy and just feeling very tired. My symptoms continued for well over a week, so I went home to my parents.

At home the out-of-hours advice line said that it was probably dehydration and exhaustion, but I was getting worse, so my mum booked an emergency doctors appointment. As soon as I went in, the doctor wanted to check my blood sugar levels which were too high for the meter to read, so he got me to do the ketone urine test and that was really high too, so I was sent off to the hospital and later that day I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

My diagnosis was a massive shock. I had no idea it would be something as serious as diabetes, and I don’t really remember much during the four days I spent in hospital. Whilst in hospital I was given some information, but I also went onto Instagram to find others with the same diagnosis to see how they were dealing with it, which was really useful and by the time I left hospital I had created my own Instagram account so that I could follow them and also share my own experiences of living with type 1 diabetes.

I’ve found writing and sharing things online to be a good outlet for me to process things.

My diagnosis period was an extremely difficult time in my life. While I was 17 when diagnosed, I already had impaired glucose regulation – also known as prediabetes, or higher than normal glucose levels – from 13 years of age. Physically, I remember the symptoms – feeling constantly thirsty, exhausted, and needing to use the bathroom often. 

The thirst was unimaginable – no matter how much water I drank, it never went away. I had been experiencing symptoms for at least a year before my official diagnosis, but felt too scared to face the truth. Deep down, I knew it was diabetes, yet the fear and denial kept me from going to the GP. 

"I avoided seeking help initially because I didn’t feel ready to deal with the reality of it, which meant I lived with these symptoms far longer than I should have."

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2016 at the age of 36, just a year after my wife and I married. 

I had gained a considerable amount of weight leading up to and after my wedding (despite my wife’s efforts to make changes to my diet). At my heaviest, I was around 21.5 stone – I had quite a sweet tooth but also enjoyed alcohol, sometimes to excess. 

In ways, this was my response to a stressful career and the grief I held from losing my father. He sadly passed away from diabetes-related complications in 2011. 

"Looking back, the signs leading up to my diagnosis were apparent – but I buried my head in the sand."

I noticed that I was running to the toilet more regularly during the day, and I was waking up a couple of times at night for the same reason. I was also thirsty all the time and suffering from fatigue. I noticed that I could easily have slept at my desk on many occasions (I resisted temptation, but it wasn’t easy). 

I spoke with my neighbour, who also has diabetes, for some advice, especially around the symptoms I was experiencing. It was more apparent that I needed to visit my GP.

When I did, they tested my blood, and around a week later, he called me to confirm my diagnosis. I was devastated – particularly because just before my dad passed away, I promised him that I would look after myself and not go on to develop diabetes. 

Gracie showed no symptoms until Halloween 2018. Dressed as cowgirl Jessie for her first trick-or-treat, she seemed only a little under the weather with a cough and cold, but in the end, we decided it was best for her to stay at home. That night, she wet the bed, which wasn’t out of the norm for her age. 

The next day, she was well enough to go to nursery, but after a few hours, we got a call – she was pale, tired and not herself. Once home, she began drinking more than usual, which we put down to soothing a sore throat. Later that evening, she went to bed but became very unwell and started vomiting. By morning, she was extremely lethargic, so we went straight to the GP. A locum doctor – our “guardian angel” – noticed her breathing was laboured on one side and sent us directly to the children’s ward, bypassing A&E. During that time, Gracie was very sick in the GP reception area, and on the car journey to the hospital, she became unresponsive.

At the hospital, we were met by a team of four paediatric doctors. A finger-prick test showed her blood glucose was 19mmol/L and her ketones were 5.4mmol/L. That’s when the doctor told us, “Your daughter has type 1 diabetes, but we’re going to get her better.” From there, everything was a blur – blood tests, tubes, syringe after syringe of saline. Every few minutes, an alarm would sound because a cannula had blocked, or Gracie had moved and pulled them out. By the next morning, however, she was like a different child – sitting up, eating toast, and feeding the fish in the play area (her reward for finishing her toast)! After we gave her the first insulin injection by ourselves, she was well enough to come home by Saturday evening [Nov 3rd].

It felt like a real punch to the stomach. We felt guilty for not recognising the signs and symptoms of diabetes and overwhelmed by questions we couldn’t process – it was hard to know where to begin. There was a relief that with Gareth’s profession, he did have some knowledge already on the medical aspects. Gareth recalls, “It was like we went into autopilot trying to sort all the practical things – ring work, ring family, make sure Gracie’s sister was okay. 

"It wasn’t until I went home to collect some things for Gracie that I broke down because I felt so sorry for Gracie having to go through this. Knowing the medicine doesn’t prepare you for living it, and although I understood what was happening, nothing prepares you for seeing your little girl unconscious or being injected.”

The days that followed

Our family was incredible. While also in shock, they were a great help – looking after Gracie’s sister, ferrying clothes and supplies back and forth and offering that emotional support. We do feel that due to Gareth’s experience in the medical world, Gracie was discharged quicker than perhaps others would have been. It did leave us feeling a bit abandoned initially. Although she was doing better, her blood glucose remained very high, and we were having to ring the diabetes nurses to ensure we had the correct insulin doses if she wanted to eat. Gracie’s diabetes team were amazing – they were always at the end of the phone if needed. They supported us so much over the first few days, weeks and months and continue to support us now.

"It was a lot to take on board, and we did feel unprepared – not that anything can fully prepare you. In essence, we had been given all the information we “needed”, but applying that was completely different, which I’m sure isn’t unusual for a parent in this position."

The one core memory we have is when Gracie’s nursery care worker visited us with a handmade card from her friends. She didn’t fully grasp it, but it broke our hearts a little bit as it dawned on us that things were going to be very different for her when she returned.