Living with Diabetes William Mackie

Being in a hospital is not a pleasant experience, especially when the doctors are unaware of the diagnosis, and you, the patient, are left in the dark. Learning I had diabetes was an overwhelming experience, to say the least. I had gone in for a routine check up and was floored by the news; I had had no symptoms, no signs whatsoever, but there it was. I didn’t believe it, mostly because I didn’t understand it. I did not know what a pancreas was, or why it would suddenly stop working. I could not comprehend all the information and the medical jargon the doctors were throwing at me. I was lost.

Living with diabetes is difficult and nothing was worse than the first year. I had to learn how to keep my pancreas on its best behavior, give myself a shot three times a day, and deal with my mother’s incessant neuroticism. All my relatives and friends kept telling me how horrible my situation was and they all expected me to become depressed. I merely shook it off. What are a few less snickers and ho-hos? I changed my screen name to dia-bill-ic, turned my glucose checks into a betting game and acquired a new pick up line: “slow down sugar, I’m diabetic”. I am not saying I let my disease go rampant as I am always conscious about staying...