The final word: Maryam Al Shamsi on being a type 1 diabetic

Sometimes we need to learn life's lessons the hard way before we take notice.

Maryam Al Shamsi has been living with type 1 diabetes for the last 16 years. Ravindranath K / The National

I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes for the past 16 years, but I still remember vividly when I was diagnosed at the age of 9. It came as a surprise, and we all thought it might be hereditary, but at the time we were not aware of anyone in the family being diabetic. I was not in a state of shock or sadness; I simply had to live with it.

Diabetics refer to this disease as the “silent killer” and understand it can gradually kill us if we do not look after ourselves. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes is generally brought on by poor lifestyle choices and being overweight.

Both types can damage the kidneys, eyes, and even lead to amputation of the legs in severe cases.

Despite this danger I have to admit that in the past few years I have not taken care of myself very well or used my insulin properly. Over the past 12 months, I have progressively neglected to check my blood glucose levels. I just rely on taking my injections and guessing my sugar levels based on whether or not I am hydrated, dehydrated or cranky, all of which can be an indicator of my sugar levels. It seems most diabetics count their calories in order to inject the right amount of insulin. The problem is not that I am not aware, but that too often I choose not to care.

In May this year, I took a holiday with my family to San Francisco. During the lead-up to the trip I was feeling feeble, but I kept ignoring it. Wanting to travel, I chose not to deal with myself. This led to a traumatic event for my family and me.

As the plane took off, I put my head back and slept. During the flight I woke up with sudden dehydration. I couldn’t eat or drink and was extremely nauseated. I had no idea what was wrong with me. The flight attendant believed my situation was serious and they were debating whether to divert the flight, but my father refused until we arrived in San Francisco.

At the time I did not know that things would get uglier when I arrived there. It was a holiday that turned into a nightmare.

I was rushed to hospital the next day, learning that I had high ketoacids, which means having a poor control of the body’s sugar level – highly dangerous because it can lead to a coma or death. I also had a lot of abdomen pain, and not even painkillers could help. At that moment I felt like I had nothing to lose. I had thought I was dominant and healthy. I thought I was on top of the world and then all of a sudden I was on a hospital bed sheet.

I was poked several times a day with needles and I felt consumed with IV acid. My physical body was in total shutdown mode. The painkillers also made me even more fragile than I already was. Spitting out saliva and vomiting turned into my daily routine. It made me lose my appetite and made me feel crazy. Being on a strict liquid diet was one of the most unpleasant things at the hospital, and I decided to dismiss the food courses.

After nine days of misery and tiredness, I slowly regained my strength and began looking after myself more.

To this day I am still not in full control. I have my good days and bad days, but I want to have more good days and thinking about these makes me go on and take more care of myself. After this traumatic event, I learnt to overcome my fear of checking my sugar levels. I have also learnt that I need to be more aware of my diet.

The consequences of poor control over sugar levels is deadly. I therefore had to get a grip on my lifestyle before it was too late. I am still young, but I know that the best way to avoid diseases is to take control of yourself and your life. We as humans have to learn that we do have control over ourselves and our health.

Maryam Al Shamsi is a trainee reporter as part of The National’s trainee programme.