I’m Laura, and will be guest blogging here for the next six months. It’s nice to “meet” everyone virtually!
I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes way back in 1989, when blood glucose meters seemed as huge as a concrete block.
It appears as though I’ve started a new collection!
I bake in grams. I weigh in kilograms.
I count time in (what Americans call) Military Time.
I pick my outfit and plan my day in Celsius.
I walk, run, and cycle in kilometers.
I go shopping with Euros, or a Chip & Pin debit card.
Although I know people don’t mean harm by saying this, I hate hearing this.
I hate the illogic of it–that I might have a choice in the matter. That somehow I’ve chosen the needles, the blood, the stupid Diet Coke. That somehow fear could conquer the factors that lead to an autoimmune disease.
Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails from people with type 1 diabetes who want to study/work/live abroad. Their stories are different, their destinations are different, but at the core of each one is the same issue: How will I take care of my diabetes while I’m abroad? What advice do you have for me? Some just flat out say, I’m scared.
2 weeks ago, I wrote about my experience getting insulin without health insurance in France in 2012. Little did I know while writing and sharing that story, that 2 weeks later, I would encounter a very similar situation in Amsterdam, where I've been living for the past 5 months.
The doctor led me to a large, clean, bright-white room. It had everything that a doctor's office in the US has, such as an exam table, medical posters on the walls, and sterilization equipment, but it also had a large desk with a computer and several chairs. Luckily, this doctor spoke English. (During my second visit several months later, however, the doctor did NOT speak English, so thankfully by then my French was at a much, much higher level.) I didn't need an exam, so we went straight to his desk. I told him I had Type 1 diabetes.
Before moving to Europe both times, I've gotten this question quite often: But how will you get your insulin over there?
Hi there! I'm Sarah.
I like to read and write and travel. I like hazelnut lattes and going hiking. Artichokes are my favorite food and have been since I was 5. I have a cat named Kitten. I also have type 1 diabetes.
“Moma, I want do it!” he says, as he holds out his finger after I’ve completed my nightly ritual of testing my glucose before bed.