Type 1 Diabetes

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Here’s a free collection of resources about Type 1 Diabetes- Type 1 Diabetes blogs, videos, support groups, first-hand experiences and advice from people who have Type 1 Diabetes, etc.

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*View Resources On Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes Blogs

Here’s a list of Type 1 Diabetes blogs- blogs written by people with Type 1 Diabetes, or about Type 1 Diabetes.

****Email alexbalinski@gmail.com to submit your blog to this list.***

Six Until Me	sixuntilme.com	2018
The Princess and the Pump	theprincessandthepump.com	2018
Diabetes Sisters	diabetessisters.org	2018
Global Diabetes Community	diabetes.co.uk	2018
Type 1 Writes	type1writes.com	2018
Type One Nation	typeonenation.org	2018
Dream Big Travel Far	dreambigtravelfarblog.com	2018
T1D Living	t1dliving.com	2018
T1 International	t1international.com	2018
Type1Bri	type1bri.com	2018
Miss Jen Grieves	missjengrieves.com	2018
Rock Type 1	rocktype1.org	2018
Type 1 To Go	type1togo.com	2018
Mindy Diabetes	mindydiabetes.wordpress.com	2018

Type 1 Diabetes Support Groups

Type 1 Diabetes Support Groups On Facebook

Other Type 1 Diabetes Support Groups And Forums

Daily Strength Diabetes Type 1 Support Group (186 members, 1,014 posts)

Type 1 Diabetes Survey

We’re surveying people about their experiences with Type 1 Diabetes. Here will be a collection of their responses.

*This information is not meant to replace medical advice, and the information gathered via surveys may or may not be correct. Hopefully it will be helpful to you!

*Response format = Answer (Name, Age)

**Click here to share your experience with Type 1 Diabetes**

Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms

What symptoms have you experienced?

Joshua began drinking a lot and wetting the bed multiple times though the night. (Joshua, 5 years old)
Extreme thirst, bed wetting, dark circles, weight loss, moodiness. (Mia, 6 years old)
Shaking, headache, thirsty, hungry, anger. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Thirst, stomach aches, feelings of anger, lethargy. (Alexander, 9 years old)
Excessive going to bathroom, and being thirsty. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
High fever, vomiting, being thirsty. (Klark A., 18 years old)
When I was diagnosed, I lost a lot of weight, became really thirsty and had to go to the bathroom frequently. (Maria, 20 years old)
Frequent urination, loss of weight, thirsty all the time. (Nancy, 20 years old)
Sadness, anger, joy, hypoglycémie, hyperglycemia. (Vianney, 24 years old)
Hunger, moodiness, thirst, peeing, blurry vision, depression, anxiety. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Extreme weight loss before diagnosis, occasional extreme thirst when BG is high, some discoloration on lower legs – doctor says it’s from t1d. (Sydney, 26 years old)
Increased thirst, urination, and hunger. (Brittani, 27 years old)
Drinking too much water, many times to toilet, dizziness. (Polis, 28 years old)
Fatigue, dry mouth, extreme thirst, frequent urination, dka, neropothy. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
Fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, frequent urination, feeling light headed, heart palpitations. (Lia, 30 years old)
High amount of urine and dry throat. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
Thirst, DKA, low blood sugar, high blood sugar. (Louis, 34 years )
Hypo and hyperglycemia. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
Thirst, weight loss, headaches, tingling. (Alanna, 40 years old)
Low and high sugar….DKA 42 times..extreme pain…gastroparesis…depression…anxiety…sadness…PTSD. (Lane, 42 years old)
Lows and highs, shaking, short temper. (Andy, 43 years old)
Highs make me dry, tired and cranky, and go to the bathroom a lot. Lows make me feel like the world is ending. I am grateful I can still feel them, though. I have no complications yet, and have had the disease for 30 years! (Sally T., 45 years old)
Low BSL. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Gastroparesis among others. (Helene, 53 years old)
Fatigue is number 1. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Facts

What are some interesting facts you’ve learned about Type 1 Diabetes?

The level of care needed, unless you have Type 1 or care for someone you never know the battles that are being faced. (Joshua, 5 years old)
That it’s not caused by poor diet. (Mia, 6 years old)
You can live a normal life. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
It’s easy to live with it when you use a pump and stay in connection with the doctor. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
Descipline. (Klark A., 18 years old)
That ketones could be caused by not having anything to eat. (Maria, 20 years old)
Physical activity can help the management of diabetes. (Vianney, 24 years old)
Hemp seed oil works wonders in lowering blood glucose levels. I have used it and not needed to take any fast acting insulin with meals. Dairy has been shown to be one of the leading causes of type 1 with a 1200% correlation between consuming dairy and developing type 1 diabetes. STAY AWAY FROM DAIRY!! Medical doctors are often unknowledgeable about alternative therapies so do your own research and bring it to them. I’ve noticed my glucose levels and HbA1c significantly improve since becoming vegan and eating 70% protein in my meals. This plant protein has carbs too so my meals are often coming to 100g of carbs and my sugars have stabilised dramatically. There is insufficient evidence to support the theory that type 1 diabetics HbA1c should be at 7%. Logistically speaking it should be at 5%, the same as the average person so don’t settle for second best. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Some think it is not genetic at all, while some think it is. (Sydney, 26 years old)
That it can affect so many different aspects of your life and body. (Brittani, 27 years old)
That is manageable. (Polis, 28 years old)
Stress is the #1 cause of dka. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
It can happen at any age – even if it’s not in your family. (Lia, 30 years old)
That it’s never controlled with tablets. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
There are less people diagnosed with t1 than t2. (Louis, 34 years old)
No matter how well you take care of yourself in the end the disease will still win. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
It’s never-ending work. (Alanna, 40 years old)
You have the gene in your body, and it is usually triggered by a virus. (Sally T., 45 years old)
We are all different. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
You can control it! (Helene, 53 years old)
It’s not something I did to cause it. (Ted, 54 years old)
No one in the medical profession understands this condition unless they have it themselves. (Barton, 58 years old)
Amount of monitoring that is required. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Pain Management

What are effective ways to manage your pain (if applicable)?

Sadly we haven’t found any yet. (Joshua, 5 years old)
Squeezing my mommy’s arms when I get injections. (Mia, 6 years old)
Paracetamol. (Libby, 15 years old)
I don’t know pain- it’s pain you can’t get rid of. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
Hang with friends or do something that takes my mind off of it. (Maria, 20 years old)
Physical activity, fun activties, insulin, water. (Vianney, 24 years old)
I get pain from injecting fast acting insulin. It is extremely stingy and sore and lasts for up to 30 seconds. There is nothing I can do but wait it out in this scenario. (Anonymous, 26 years old)
Marijuana. (Brittani, 27 years old)
Just keeping in check. (Polis, 28 years old)
Drink plenty of water and keep active. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
Whenever I have pain, I take panadol. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
Reading to find out natural remedies…I keep my mind off of the pain..I soak in Epson salts…I meditate. (Lane, 42 years old)
Deal with it. (Andy, 43 years old)
Not applicable yet. (Sally T., 45 years old)
No pain yet after 30 years. (Helene, 53 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Difficulties

What are the hardest aspects of living with Type 1 Diabetes?

Joshua isn’t aware of his blood glucose levels dropping or rising. (Joshua, 5 years old)
Having bad days. When I’m sick I get really scared. (Mia, 6 years old)
Watch your carbs and learn your body. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Being different to his friends. (Alexander, 9 years old)
People. (Libby, 15 years old)
Calculating carbs and night lows. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
The battle with high and low BG. (Klark A., 18 years old)
Being the only person in my family and my group of friends that has Type 1 Diabetes. (Maria, 20 years old)
Constantly thinking about what you eat. (Nancy, 20 years old)
How tired I get whenever my glucose is high. (Ana, 22 years old)
Hyperglycemia, insomnia due to hypoglycemia. (Vianney, 24 years old)
Doctors being unable, unknowledgeable, or unwilling to look outside the box when it comes to treatment plans. Doctors also being unable to give person centered care on an individual basis and so many people do not get the care that they require. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
My massive sweet tooth. (Sydney, 26 years old)
I was diagnosed at 5, so it’s been my whole life. I don’t remember a time I wasn’t diabetic. So to me, it isn’t really hard. The hardest thing I think most people face is affording insulin. (Brittani, 27 years old)
That you need to keep in check. (Polis, 28 years old)
Having to account for everything that you eat or drink. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
The daily ups and downs, and just not feeling well. (Lia, 30 years old)
Keeping control of my blood sugar level. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
I don’t always remember to check my blood sugar. (Louis, 34 years old)
Life revolves around food and for diabetics food is the devil. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
Testing. (Alanna, 40 years old)
The pain. (Lane, 42 years old)
Your schedule depends on blood sugars. (Andy, 43 years old)
The lows are the hardest. Pricking my finger never gets better. (Sally T., 45 years old)
Management. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Lows and highs. (Helene, 53 years old)
Always monitoring food. (Ted, 54 years old)
Having to cope with it 24/7. (Barton, 58 years old)
The fatigue. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Advice

What words of encouragement/advice can you share with others who have Type 1 Diabetes?

Keep fighting even though the days are long the nights are longer your not on your own, its ok to cry and ask for help. (Joshua, 5 years old)
You can do anything. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. (Mia, 6 years old)
Just be happy. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Don’t feel afraid to ask for help. Out of range blood sugars make you feel dreadful and irrational, but when the blood sugars are in range, you feel able to take on the world. Knowledge is the key. Every day you learn a bit more and adapt. (Alexander, 9 years old)
Don’t give up. (Libby, 15 years old)
Man, some people have cancer, and they know they will die in months. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
Be responsible, and love your self. (Klark A., 18 years old)
Take it slow and hang in there as it does get easier with time. (Maria, 20 years old)
You get used to it. (Ana, 22 years old)
Its tough but its ok at the end of the day 🙂 (Vianney, 24 years old)
It can be cured, through aruyvedic therapy/ cannabis oil etc. Do your research and don’t take no for an answer! If you are not happy with a treatment plan, ask for an alternative. Ask for more options. Ask for research to back up their statements. If not cured, many people have been able to get down to one background insulin injections a day and no fast acting insulin. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Count carbs, make time for regular exercise, and take care of yourself! Be loud and proud about your diabetes. It’s your reality, and it deserves to be shared, don’t hide it away in a bathroom stall or under toe clothes. (Sydney, 26 years old)
This is your life now. God could have given you something MUCH worse! Educate yourself and don’t spend your days complaining about it. It will only make YOU miserable. (Brittani, 27 years old)
You can still live with diabetes, and have an awesome life. (Polis, 28 years old)
Just keep pushing on. It doesn’t get easier we just get stronger. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
Give it all you have, because if you don’t, it will take your life. (Lia, 30 years old)
Don’t panic, and just live your normal life, and don’t try to keep you sugar level under control, because it’s impossible to keep it always controlled- a little up/down is normal. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
This disease is manageable. (Louis, 34 years old)
Never give up or the disease wins sooner than necessary. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
Find your routine and live. (Alanna, 40 years old)
When you need to rest…do so. When in doubt…recheck. Water, water and more water. (Lane, 42 years old)
Some day, it will get easier, and we will all have great A1c. (Sally T., 45 years old)
Do not stress out. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
You didn’t cause it. It is manageable. Don’t beat yourself up. (Ted, 54 years old)
Talk to other type1 diabetics. They know more than the medical profession. (Barton, 58 years old)
Keep it in perspective. Yes, it is a nuisance, yes it requires constant care but it is treatable. I have an older brother blind since age three so I consider T1 a nuisance. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Diet and Exercise

What’s been your experience with diet and exercise?

My son is very active in rugby, football, boxing, swimming, and horse riding. A cheeky jaffa cake or 2 helps keep his levels balanced. (Joshua, 5 years old)
My mommy makes sure I eat every 2 hours. (Mia, 6 years old)
Had to change my food but still exercise. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Diet – easy to get blood glucose into range if you have counted the carbs correctly and/or know the GI of the food. Trial and error generates the knowledge which needs to be applied every day. Exercise – important to do some! Test BGs after the exercise for a few hours to catch any lows. Again Trial and error generates the knowledge which needs to be applied every time, so keep records of what you did and what the effect was. (Alexander, 9 years old)
I play county Rugby and do county athletics and it’s been very positive. (Libby, 15 years old)
Hard and strict. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
I play basketball. (Klark A., 18 years old)
Keeping a workout schedule has helped with my a1c. (Nancy, 20 years old)
A lot of weight fluctuation since I found out I had diabetes. (Ana, 22 years old)
I train hard and eat clean 🙂 (Vianney, 24 years old)
Vegan diet with 70% protein has dramatically improved my blood sugar readings. Yoga has helped with my mind/stress levels and therefore my sugar levels also. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Diet and regular cardio exercise has helped me manage my sugar levels in a huge way. (Sydney, 26 years old)
Cardio is so good for you. Do it! (Brittani, 27 years old)
It’s very great, if I must say. (Polis, 28 years old)
The better I follow a plan the better I feel but it’s been super hard to stick with. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
It can work, but you have to be on top of it, especially the exercise due to the lows. (Lia, 30 years old)
Exercising is easier than dieting. (Louis, 34 years old)
Exercise makes my sugars sky rocket and dieting is hard and takes a lot more effort to lose weight. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
I don’t do either. (Alanna, 40 years old)
All over the map. (Lane, 42 years old)
I am inconsistent, even though I know better. I try to exercise daily, but it winds up being around three times a week. I eat a lot of fiber, but I ruin it with Diet Coke with a little cherry splash. I eat fairly low fat except when I snack with the Diet Coke. I do not drink enough water. (Sally T., 45 years old)
Avid cyclist, vegetarian low carb. This was my lifestyle pre-diabetes. Still on this plan, doing great! (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Very difficult. (Helene, 53 years old)
It was difficult at first. (Ted, 54 years old)
No 2 days are the same. (Barton, 58 years old)
Effective. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Treatments

What’s been your experience with treatments (medication, etc.)?

Some days are good some days are bad. (Joshua, 5 years old)
I don’t like them. (Mia, 6 years old)
I don’t like my insulin. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Very hard to get the correct balance between bolus and basal on MDI. (novorapid + levemir). Pump with novorapid only provides greater scope for better control, but when things go wrong they go wrong more dramatically with the pump. (Alexander, 9 years old)
Injections 2 years, pump 5. (Libby, 15 years old)
Taking insulin four times a day. (Klark A., 18 years old)
Only insulin. (Ana, 22 years old)
Good insulin needs decreased because of physical activity. (Vianney, 24 years old)
Fast acting insulin does not appear to work effectively for me. When I ask for an alternative I have not been given any options. Hemp seed oil works in lowering my blood sugar readings and I only take 3-6 drops 3 times a day for its effectiveness. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
I only take insulin injections, and use a CGM which has been a life changer/saver. (Sydney, 26 years old)
Sometimes it can be difficult, but not impossible. (Polis, 28 years old)
Insulin dependent both long and short acting. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
It works. (Lia, 30 years old)
I am becoming overweight after using insulin 30/70. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
Insulin in all of it’s forms is much too expensive. (Louis, 34 years old)
Pumps work best for me. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
I’m a don’t fix it if it ain’t broke…so I’m on my pump. (Alanna, 40 years old)
Doctors don’t care… (Lane, 42 years old)
Fast acting insulin on a pump. CGM is the best thing that I have ever used. (Sally T., 45 years old)
On the Omnipod for the last year with the Dexcom G5, life has been Great. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
No issues yet. (Helene, 53 years old)
So far so good. (Ted, 54 years old)
I feel we are guinea pigs for the pharmaceutical companies. (Barton, 58 years old)
Effective. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Recommendations

Anything you’d recommend for someone with Type 1 Diabetes?

If offered help take it. (Joshua, 5 years old)
Be brave. Eat healthily and you’ll be ok. (Mia, 6 years old)
Learn how to live a happy life. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
Don’t hide it, be proud of yourself. People are ignorant, but usually just curious. Tell them about it and don’t hide injections/testing. Educate others on T1 wherever you go! (Alexander, 9 years old)
The health care professionals don’t always know right. (Libby, 15 years old)
Stay positive, and control it. Be stronger than it buddy. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
Pay attention to what your body’s telling you as you may have a high or low blood sugar. (Maria, 20 years old)
Diet, exercise and therapy. (Ana, 22 years old)
Do sports!! (Vianney, 24 years old)
Do your research on alternative therapies and diets. Ask your doctor’s about finding out the root cause of your illness and then be able to look at treating that e.g. autoimmune disease, parasites of the liver/pancreas, dairy, lack of vitamin D. Diabetes is a symptom of something else so in order to manage that, we must first manage the underlying cause. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Get a CGM!! (Sydney, 26 years old)
Just to be awesome. (Polis, 28 years old)
Read everything you can on it and remember everyone is different so just because something did or didn’t work for someone else doesn’t mean you’ll have the same result. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
Just stay away from sweets and fats. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
Get educated, and educate your family and friends. (Louis, 34 years old)
Get a endocrinologist to help manage the disease not a primary care doctor. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
Don’t sweat the individual numbers. (Alanna, 40 years old)
Sleep. (Lane, 42 years old)
See a registered dietitian on a consistent basis. (Sally T., 45 years old)
Manage stress, check BSL’s, exercise. All of this with a low carb diet. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Stay positive. (Helene, 53 years old)
Never hesitate to ask LOTS of questions. (Ted, 54 years old)
If you have a physician or health care provider who attempts to make you feel bad, find another, ASAP. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Resources

What specific resources have you found most helpful?

A Facebook group for parents and carers of Type 1 children. (Joshua, 5 years old)
My doctor and nurses. (Mia, 6 years old)
My mom. (Joselyn, 8 years old)
JDRF, online talk forums. (Alexander, 9 years old)
My self. (Libby, 15 years old)
Apps that remind me of basel. (Mahdi, 17 years old)
By joining some groups for T1D. (Klark A., 18 years old)
Endocrinologists and educators. Support groups. (Maria, 20 years old)
Therapy. (Ana, 22 years old)
Doctors, internet. (Vianney, 24 years old)
The Beyond Type 1 online community has been great. (Sydney, 26 years old)
Friends and family. (Polis, 28 years old)
My endo and diabetes education classes. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
Facebook groups, and talking with other diabetics directly. (Lia, 30 years old)
Mostly Google. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
The internet, particularly support groups on Facebook. (Louis, 34 years old)
Google scholar has very informative up to date articles. (Anonymous, 36 years old)
My pump educator and nutritionist. (Alanna, 40 years old)
Other diabetics. (Lane, 42 years old)
A good doctor. (Andy, 43 years old)
Eatright.org. (Sally T., 45 years old)
My diabetes education specialist, Kat! She is the best! (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Facebook and personal experiences. (Helene, 53 years old
Support group on FB. (Ted, 54 years old)
Internet and books. (Kay, 65 years old)

Type 1 Diabetes Stories

Share an experience you’ve had related to living with Type 1 Diabetes.

That 1st week in hospital when diagnosed, I have never faced a scarier situation. (Joshua, 5 years old)
It makes me feel like I’m strong. (Mia, 6 years old)
That my son now knows so much about his body and how it works. (Alexander, 9 years old)
Seizures. (Libby, 15 years old)
Dealing with high blood sugars after an awful breakup. (Maria, 20 years old)
I was too worried about controlling my glucose level at the beginning, ended up anorexic and depressed, its good to worry, but not too much! (Ana, 22 years old)
Hallucinations from being on too much background insulin which resulted in fear of hypos and traumatic flashbacks. (Anonymous, 25 years old)
Several nearly life-threatening blood sugar situations, I might not be alive now if I’d been living alone at the time. (Sydney, 26 years old)
My scariest experiences have been in dropping low. Once I dropped in the middle of the night had no idea had a seizure wound up on the floor and probably wouldn’t have ever woke up if my parents older dog wouldn’t of kept barking to wake my mom up. (Alyssa, 30 years old)
I had a low of 28, and I lived to tell it. (Lia, 30 years old)
It’s difficult to carry diabetic accessories with you during travel. (Mohsin I., 31 years old)
I cried when I got my first a1c after using my pump for 3 months. Lowest it had ever been. (Alanna, 40 years old)
I had my pocketbook dumped out on the floor by security at a concert…because someone told then I was doing drugs in the bathroom…they were right and wrong…not street drugs…insulin. I still get nightmares from the incident. (Lane, 42 years old)
I became a dietitian as a result of living with type 1. I also became a Christian from it. (Sally T., 45 years old)
Low BSL’em. (Anonymous, 45 years old)
Public speaking. Being able to share my story with others who have diabetes. (Helene, 53 years old)
I’ve a friend who’s a nurse who is always there for me and encourages my successes. (Ted, 54 years old)
Recently, while my sister-in-law was in the hospital, my niece (out of state), her daughter, and my sister stopped to grab a “bite to eat”. Well we ordered our food and after about ten to fifteen minutes I took my insulin, and we waited and waited…Finally, they realized they forgot to put our order in…..we had to leave…then realized I had taken insulin for the planned meal and we made a quick stop at the Golden Arches to keep a low from coming… (Kay, 65 years old)