Living with diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic illness that will affect you every day for the rest of your life. Try to become friends with your diabetes (or at least not to see it as an enemy) since you can't escape it and there is currently no known cure. It will probably be easier to manage diabetes well if you have a life with some sort of regular routine. If you are accustomed to a lifestyle that is neither regular nor predictable, you may find it more difficult (though by no means impossible) to combine this with diabetes.
It is essential, however, that from the very beginning you plan how to carry on with your life in a manner that suits you. Don't let your diabetes dictate the type of life you should live. A lot of people find themselves thinking: "I can't do such and such any more, now that I have diabetes. But I used to enjoy it so much before my diagnosis". However, most activities are not only "allowed", but you can do them perfectly well. Nothing is absolutely forbidden, but you would be wise to think things through more carefully than you used to, in all sorts of situations.
It is important to experiment and learn by trial and error. If you choose the life you want to live, it is the job of diabetes professionals to tailor an insulin regimen that will enable you to do this. However, there are a few limitations on what sort of work you can do, for example it may not be possible to join the army, police force, or be a pilot.
This content is based on Dr Ragnar Hanas' helpful book, Type 1 Diabetes in children, adolescents and young adults. Click here to order copies of Dr Hanas' book online.
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