My Health Journey
When I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I had been married for just ten months and was just finishing my bachelor’s degree. Life was busy and I was working full time. I had lost weight but not enough to notice and was feeling mostly fine, other than frequent headaches that have plagued me my whole life. I started needing to go to the bathroom more frequently but I just figured it was because I was trying to stay healthy by drinking lots of water! My younger brother had been diagnosed a few years earlier and I had a hard time watching what he had to go through to stay alive. I was deathly afraid of needles and couldn’t bear the thought of ever giving myself a shot, like he had to learn to do.
The night that it all hit, my husband and I were serving in our church’s temple and an older gentleman noticed that I had to leave to use the restroom three times during a session. He asked me if I was diabetic and I shockingly said, “Oh no, no!” No way - I was never going to be diabetic and do the whole lifelong injection thing. No way. Not a chance. But I felt a wave of truth to his inquisition and thought that we should stop by my parents’ house to check my blood sugar level on my brothers’ meter. Sure enough, my blood sugar was at 596! Very scary! The scariest part to me now is that I felt totally fine at that level. Who knows how long I’d been creeping up that high. I felt completely frightened and defeated, as did my husband and my mom. Scared to death of what my future held at that point was almost too much to bear.
I remember how angry and terrified I was and it was a whole new life from that point forward. I went to the doctor the next morning and he officially diagnosed me and got me some insulin pens. He set me up with an endocrinologist and through months of trial and error, headaches and upset stomach episodes, I began to figure out how to make this work. I’ve been through five different endocrinologists and haven’t had a lot of help from any of them. They’ve honestly just given me my prescriptions and I’ve had to learn to be my own doctor. Nobody cares about your health more than you do and everybody responds to treatment so differently.
I know that through the trauma of my diagnosis and earlier struggles with eating disorders, my mind and body did not like the fact that I was no longer in control of my diet. I was at the mercy of the carbohydrates and insulin injections for every meal and snack, every day, for the rest of my life. It was devastating. For the first decade after my diagnosis, I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was a new way of living that consisted of carb-counting, finger poke testing, and food label reading.
In the beginning, I was too afraid to give myself my insulin shots, so my husband did them for me. I couldn’t eat unless he was nearby. I ate before and after work, but not during. My husband worked graveyard shifts so I’d have a snack before he left and hoped to not need another one until the next morning. One busy night, he had to leave early to work and I was so hungry and was craving waffles. I made a delicious platter and just sat there and cried until I mustered up the courage to give myself a shot. It was a big night and once I knew I could do this, things got easier from there. But I still didn’t want to change my diet to ease my poor organs’ workload. So I just kept shooting up insulin for every carb that I ever wanted. Two years of bringing my A1C down to a healthy level, my husband and I were able to begin our family.
I soon got pregnant and the hormonal shifts that came along with pregnancy sent me on quite the roller coaster ride. I developed postpartum depression and had dangerously low vitamin D and progesterone levels. Insulin is a hormone, and as such, is intertwined with the other working hormones in our bodies. My body was starving for nutrition and proper digestion. I don’t think I was absorbing anything very well. But I managed! Two more babies later and my hormones were just about shot. I had zero energy, terrible digestion, constant headaches, irritability and overall NO zest for life.
During my third pregnancy and a few years after my daughter was born, I had two big diabetic scares. One severe low while driving my kids to school and one severe high that led to ketoacidosis. A few too many scary experiences with children in my care and a painful hospital stay made me realize that I needed to start taking better care of myself.
I decided to go to a hormone specialist who got me started on progesterone and DHEA supplements. Within a few months I felt a night and day difference in my health. I whole-heartedly recommend a hormone check for everyone. Women especially. It was about that time that I also decided to finally give my body a break and try the keto diet.
I had friends and family who had tried to talk me into giving it a try for years. I laughed them off and knew that I was done with anyone telling me what I could or could not eat. I loved food more than I should and was definitely battling food addiction. I believe that this particular battle will be a lifelong one for me. But I now feel armed with the tools that can carry me through!
I followed a strict keto plan for a few months and lost about ten pounds. I got the “keto flu” a few weeks in and realized that I needed to supplement electrolytes to maintain this lifestyle. And let me tell you, those babies made a world of difference! They helped me sleep better, exercise better and digest better! I still supplement them daily and can’t go more than a few days without them.
The main “keto foods” like eggs, meat, butter, oils, fish and other fatty foods are great as main dishes, right? And I like green vegetables as much as the next health-conscious mom but nobody wants to live on protein and veggies alone forever, right? So there was my rub. Two months into keto, I was about to lose my mind and knew that this wasn’t realistically sustainable forever. But I had gone cold turkey and could NOT go back. My body was doing much better but my mind was not. I realized that my sweet tooth and love for eating desserts was all in my head and that I could technically live without them but I DID NOT WANT TO.
So I found some keto-friendly dessert recipes online that I ordered new, special ingredients for and tried them and they were mostly gross. They slightly helped but nothing tasted as yummy as I wanted. I soon found a small local business that sold keto-friendly cupcakes a few times per month out of the back of their truck. They tasted better than anything I’d had in months and I craved them and savored them and cherished the eight per month that I bought! Unfortunately, they went out of business, likely because the ingredients for keto desserts are much more expensive than the regular stuff. So I decided to try a little harder to make my own sugar-free and gluten-free goodies. I re-tried the recipes I found online and tweaked them and started adding more flavor and spices and better types of sweeteners.
Using my lifesaving Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, I’ve been able to test and see how every ingredient affects my blood sugar. I’m certain that all the things that work well for me won’t always work well for every diabetic, but I’m grateful that I’ve found what my body can handle now. My health has drastically improved and my energy levels are back in business. My A1C is low and steady and I don’t spend the day chasing highs and lows. I’ve finally found what works for my broken body and I’m so grateful to live in a day and age that has so many tools and support to help me to live my best life!
Outside of taking care of my kids and diabetes, one of my favorite hobbies is photography. Ever since 2020, I’ve been taking photos of my diabetic-friendly creations and I’m so excited to be able to share what I’ve learned with you! I’ve been recipe testing and tweaking and having so much fun doing so! I hope you’ll find some new favorite treats that curb your cravings and satisfy your sweet tooth! Best of luck to you on your journey and my prayers are with you all!
Love, Lindsay
