My name's Nicole and I'm a Type 1 diabetic. I think that no one prepares you for mentally what it's gonna take to live with something that's so 24/7. -
Nurse
Wonderful. I've had diabetes for 18 years, and you always have to be thinking. You have to think before you exercise, what's your blood sugar? Before you go to sleep, what's your blood sugar? In the middle of the night, what's your blood sugar? When you're sick, what's your blood sugar? You know, it never escapes you. I was drinking a lot. It's like you're in a desert and you are, you're so thirsty, like, you can't stop. From there, I was telling my mom. She was like, "I think we need "to get you tested for diabetes," and I was like, "Diabetes? "What's that?" I didn't know what it was, and she was just like, "We need to take you to the doctor." And she took me and right away they diagnosed me with diabetes, and they started me on insulin within days, and I was terrified. I think it was deep-rooted denial. I skipped insulin injections, I ate whatever I wanted. I pretended like I wasn't a diabetic. I now have a list of diabetes complications to include kidney disease, which turned into kidney failure, which turned into now I'm a dialysis patient. I have to go to dialysis three times a week and have my blood filtered out. If I don't do those things, I'll die. I think diabetes can be a very lonely disease. Social media connects me to other people that are like me. The more I was posting, the more messages I would get. The best way to deal with diabetes complications? Prevent them to begin with. This stuff doesn't have an end date; it keeps going. This is why I desperately want a double transplant, kidney and pancreas. Even if I can help one person by sharing my story and showing them what this looks like, then it will be worth it because, like, I already know it's cut years off my life, so. I had just gotten back from Las Vegas, I go to dialysis and I have a 310 number calling me. So I answered it and it was a nurse and she preceded to tell me that they had found a match for me. Don't eat or drink anything. Happy and positive, I'm just nervous. That's like mostly what I'm feeling, and just to think that I'm not gonna be a diabetic anymore is crazy. Hi everybody! Hey, I'm alive. Some of you don't know that I had a kidney-pancreas transplant about 11 days ago. I'm doing really great. The kidney is functioning at almost 100% and the pancreas is working great. So everyone has two kidneys and one pancreas. So now that I've had my dual transplant, I have three kidneys, so my two, the two that I had that failed, plus the new one. The donor organs are right here, so the kidney and the pancreas, so you have a bunch in there. They're hangin' out. And on the pancreas, just doin' its thing, and I can eat whatever I want. -
Doctor
Actually are very good, so thought about what you can do with all your spare time now? I don't know. - That you don't have to be on dialysis. - I don't know. I mean, I feel like I think I'm in shock a little bit. -
Doctor
It's pretty exciting. This is basically at this point the only cure for Type 1 diabetes, and the cure is a pancreas transplant, so you're no longer a diabetic. Thanks, yeah. And just so you guys know, I'm not going anywhere; I'm still gonna be very connected to the diabetes communities. Love you, Kayla! Bye, you guys. I don't have to count carbs. I don't have to get up, like, in the night and drink juice. I don't have to count 10 chips, you know? Like, I could, it's like you're free.
Passport
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