numbers everywhere

Hello! Welcome to my shop! Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little bit more. My name is Amy and I have lived with type 1 diabetes for over 35 years now. Most of the time we get along, but I have days where I want it to leave me alone, and it doesn’t. But I keep moving forward and do my best to stay positive and hopeful.

I was diagnosed when I was 9 years old. It wasn’t easy grown up with this disease without the technology that we have now. My first blood glucose meter was almost the size of the VHS tape, and it took around 4 or 5 minutes to know what my blood sugar level was (there was a process to it). I also didn’t have short-acting insulin back then (like Humalog, Novolog, etc), but instead had Regular or “R”. That insulin took longer to work after injection, which made managing diabetes more difficult. But I did the best that I could, along with many other children at the time.

Fast forward all of these years into our new world of technology. We have insulin pumps, CGMs, apps and blood glucose meters that give you your reading in seconds, not minutes. It is truly a blessing to have these tools to help us manage diabetes more efficiently. I’m learning more and more to let go of the control that I needed to have for 30 years and to let my pump and sensor do what they are supposed to do.

So why the Numbered One, you ask? Well, my days are filled with numbers: what is my blood sugar level? (ex: 145), how many grams of carbs did I eat? (ex: 30), how many units of insulin do I need? (ex: 2), how long did I exercise for? (ex: 30 minutes), how long has it been since I exercised? (ex: 2 hours), etc, etc, etc. My day is literally filled with numbers and calculations. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a part of who I am and who I have been all of these years.

I am a single parent to an amazing 22 year old son. He is by far God’s greatest gift to me, and has been with me through so many ups and downs in life. I thank God for him daily, and am so very proud of the young man that he is. I am also blessed to have a wonderful family and friends. My parents, my brothers, my sister-in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, everyone is a blessing and have been there for me in ways that I can’t explain. My parents taught me so much growing up, but one of the best gifts that they gave me as a young t1d was independence. Although it was scary for them, they let me be a child. They didn’t hover over my every move. But instead they made sure that I had what I needed and let me go out into the world and enjoy life as I should. I played almost every sport that I could, I was always busy walking or riding my bike to friend’s houses, and I didn’t skip a beat.

I could go on and on about how thankful I am for what I have, but I don’t want to bore you. Lately I’ve been dealing with diabetic retinopathy and a detached retina. It has been very scary, and I honestly don’t know what the future holds for my eye sight. But for now, I’m going to keep enjoying life and hopefully brighten your days as much as possible.

Please follow my journey on my YouTube channel: thenumberedone

Thank you for your support!

Love and blessings, Amy