Type 1 diabetes , not to be confused with the more common type 2 , is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas which means it can no longer make any insulin. Currently, it's not clear what causes type 1 diabetes , however, people who have a family history have a slightly increased risk. The condition is more common in children than in adults but people can be diagnosed at any, however, you're more likely to be diagnosed under the age of 40.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old and remember distinctly some of the symptoms I experienced in the weeks leading up to my diagnosis. Unlike other diseases, including type 2 diabetes, symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop very quickly and can quickly progress until a person is seriously unwell. The main symptoms of type 1 diabetes include feeling tired, losing weight, feeling irritable, blurred vision and increased thirst and hunger.
As a child, I had always been on the thinner side so it wasn't immediately obvious that I had lost any weight until I was diagnosed and admitted to hospital. Being somewhat of an active child who went to gymnastics classes and was always running around the garden, yawning and feeling tired was also the norm. However, the one symptom that stood out looking back was how often I was urinating and how much water I was drinking.
Every night, there would be glasses left on the side in the kitchen where I had gotten .