Living Life as a Type 1 Diabetic


Living Life as a Type 1 Diabetic


Living with an autoimmune disease is hard—especially when it’s one people cannot see. One of those invisible illnesses is Type 1 Diabetes, and it is a condition that must be managed day by day, minute by minute.


Let me clear the air right away:

Type 1 Diabetes is NOT caused by what someone eats or doesn’t eat.

It is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.


To stay alive, we must take insulin. We count carbs, portion meals, exercise, and try to get the right amount of rest—when possible. Here’s the sneaky part: you can do everything right, and suddenly it stops working. Foods that once worked no longer do. Insulin needs change. Your body changes. And you’re left figuring it out all over again.


Even simple, everyday things—going to work or school, exercising, or even taking a shower—can become challenges. Getting sick or injured can cause blood sugars to swing dangerously, and healing can take much longer than normal. I’ve lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 44 years, and while I used to heal quickly, I developed an open sore on my leg nearly three years ago from something as simple as bumping it. It turned into bacterial infections and grew worse—but today, it is healing. Praise God for that.


What many people don’t see is the mental and physical toll this disease takes.


When blood sugar drops fast, your body breaks out in a sweat, your mind gets foggy, you feel shaky, desperate to eat, and exhausted—but you can’t sleep until your blood sugar is safe again. Once it finally stabilizes, your body is screaming for rest. If you’re able to rest, that’s a blessing. If not, you push through to finish the day.


Then the opposite happens—your blood sugar spikes high. Now you’re dosing insulin, drinking water, possibly exercising just to bring it down. You develop headaches, feel completely drained, and once again need rest. This cycle never truly ends.


Even things most people take for granted—like showering—can cause blood sugar to drop or spike. Leaving the house isn’t simple either. You can’t just grab your phone and go. You must make sure you have insulin, supplies, snacks for low blood sugar, and backup plans. This is everyday life for a Type 1 Diabetic.


So please remember:

You cannot judge a book by its cover.

What you see on the outside is not what’s happening on the inside. We smile. We push forward. We do our best to live life fully—taking the good with the bad, one day at a time.


Living with Type 1 Diabetes is hard—but we keep going.



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