I'm not really sure where to begin. I guess I can start with the fact I'm typing in word because the hospital internet wont let me sign into my blog account or the fact that the iv in my right hand makes typing (or using my right hand for anything ) nearly impossible.

I guess I can start with this past semester. I was very stressed, very tired, very hungry and thirsty and very thin. I lost nearly twenty pounds. I figured, hey- its the only perk I got from stress, not bad! But I knew something was off, especially when I found that I had lost not ten but seventeen pounds. I was eating, all the time and drinking roughly: 2 cups of coffee, 4 diet cokes, 3 glasses of milk, 2 cups of juice and 8 cups of water a day. I was drinking constantly, and chugging my drinks too. I was never not thirsty and never not tired.

This past Wednesday I finally made it to the doctors office. I explained my situation and they took some blood telling me to come back Friday when the results were in and we would reconvene. Peachy keen, no issues there. Thursday rolls around and I was woken up by a phone call from a private number. It was my doctor informing me my blood sugar was very high and needed to come in that day instead. He also said I should bring my mother. It cant be good news If a doctor wants you to bring a parent. So you know how I responded? Retail therapy. I bought six wonderful hardback books for under fifty and used my gift-card from Christmas and felt better.
I didn't just feel better because of the books (but they helped a lot), but I felt good because I thought of my best friend in Arizona who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was in school with her at 18 (Rare but not un heard of). She got it at 18, strange. But its even stranger for a 20 year old to get it, nonetheless a 20 year old who's friend was an odd ball too, right? The universe only lets those weird things happen in fiction. So I was counting on just having a small problem and went on with my day.

I brought lunch to my mom, went to get my hair dyed and then went to the doctors. I was told I had diabetes. Okay, no big deal, keep calm. And I did, until he mentioned the words 'for the rest of your life' and then breathing became difficult. I sent my friend a message saying I was diabetic too, she thought it was a mean joke. Once she realized I wasn't just trying to get her attention she became my personal mentor. She called me, told me tips and was even trying to fly out that day to come be with me which meant the world to me.

She came to put the IV in. I. Hate. IV's. This needle was apparently thicker and deeper than most which even now I'm not sure if I preferred knowing that information before getting injected or not. Eitherway, it hurt. It was the worst part about being in the hospital, and they put it in my right hand so I couldn't draw (not that I was feeling up to it) or write, or text, or type. I ate left handed, did everything left handed. It was a great motivation to become ambidexterious! (I got pretty good at eating with my left hand, let me tell you.)
Once the IV was in which was full of fluids and potassium, despite how much I had been drinking I was extremly dehydrated. And then the fun began. Every thirty minutes I had my blood pressure checked or blood sugar or insulin given. It wasn't that big of a deal until I tried to sleep. My mom stayed with me and slept on the chair next to my bed. But every hour a nurse would come in and do all of the above. I didn't get any sleep at all. Ontop of it, we were right by the helicopter landing. So we got to see it take off and land! But it also kept us from sleeping, it was pretty loud. I coudln't get comfortable with my IV and it was miserable, not to mention my blood sugar dropped down to 80. That caused my head to feel like it was getting pounded by a mallet for three hours. It went away around three am when I took more insulin but came back at seven and lasted most of the morning. I felt like shit to put it lightly. I couldn't focus on anything, my eyes were so tired and my head hurt to much. I ended up watching/listening to Peter Pan.

P.S. And we love you very much so if our spell fails,

They made my night, I proceeded to play cards and hang out with family and some good family friends stopped by and then two friends came that night and they proceeded to say the spell as well but changed the words on the 'aunties of the lake' part. It was hilarious, all of that made my night. I managed to convince them to let me walk around with my little IV friend in tow. We just did laps around the seventh floor and talked. It was nice to get up and move my legs. Eventually they left and I got ready for bed (had a bed snack of ice cream! Fat free, but still delicous) and managed to fall asleep. I slept much better and felt so much better when I woke up in the morning. My blood sugar had gone down to the 150's so I was cleared to leave at ten in the morning. My favorite nurse was back and she took my IV out, which makes my right wrist soar now and I have to re-learn to use my right hand. (While writing this blog I was dismissed, so I am finishing it with use of my right hadn finally!) We were out of the hospital by eleven.

I just got out of the shower and gave myself my first insulin shot and counted carbs for lunch. It took me a bit but I think I can get the hang of it pretty quickly, and I actually had quite a lot of food to eat! I can't have a lot of sugar and I need low fat things so I can eat more of it. It isn't what I can't eat as much as portions of what I can eat. If I want cake, I can have cake. (: But I need to calculate insulin and things, though so far it isn't bad. I even found some coffee that is in my snack range so I don't have ot take insulin! And it tastes good! (thank goodness, I need coffee.) So now I just have to get back down to school, stash snacks around the house incase my blood sugar gets to low and educate my roomates and friends how to give me a shot if I pass out and can't wake up. Easy stuff, right? It'll be a challenge, but right now I'm super over joyed to be out of the hospital that I'm not that worried about it.
I guess my blog will now become a mixture of writing, photography, thoughts (that are hopefully interesting) and diabetes related. I may post some attempts at cooking diabetic food, although I can't cook normal food so it might now be very appetizing haha.

Anyway, that's how my life has changed. Great way to start the year, don't you think? Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. (I do get a cool medical ID bracelet though!). This past New Years I guess I should have wished for a working pancreas, but I wished the same wish as I do every year. Maybe this was the bad, like the earthquake last year, and my wish will be the good and actually come true this year. One can hope, right?