I feel like I’ve ruined everything.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2019 at age 27. Both my parents are Type 2 diabetic so the chances of me getting it were already high. Long story short, I never really thought about my diet or lack of exercise. I’ve never been very athletic and I have a terrible sweet tooth, so it’s not surprising that I ended up with diabetes.
Over the past 7 years, I have had many ups and downs with my weight. I’ve had times where I’ve managed to come off medication entirely. But each time was usually down to extreme dieting and calorie restriction, so once that ended I didn’t implement healthy habits to maintain anything. I ended up gaining weight back and at the same place I started.
Last autumn, I got the shock of my life when my HbA1c was 89, even higher than when I was initially diagnosed. I was offered Mounjaro injections, which helped a lot and brought my HbA1c to 59.
Everything changed for me when I got married this year. I realised for the first time that these disease didn’t just have the potential to shorten my life, but it could also shorten the time I have with my own family.
My husband and I want to start trying for a baby, so I went to my GP for advice. I had no idea just how much was involved to prepare my body for pregnancy as a diabetic. I had to stop Mounjaro as it’s not advised to take it if you’re trying to conceive or are pregnant.
My GP gave me a CGM in order to determine whether I would need insulin in the long run. That’s been the real kick up the backside to change my diet and get some exercise into my routine. I’ve seen a bit of change but the CGM terrifies me. I just see spikes in my glucose levels all the time, hours after I’ve eaten, and I feel so helpless.
I feel like I messed up my future because I didn’t care enough to change my lifestyle and keep my diabetes controlled. It’s just so hard to be hopeful now.