Before I was diagnosed

Before I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,

I didn't need to prick my finger,
I didn't need to inject insulin,
I didn't need to wear an insulin pump,
I didn't need to fire a needle into my stomach every three days,
I didn't need to feel the sting from my insulin,
I didn't need to feel the sting from pricking my finger,
I didn't need to avoid injecting in the same place,
I didn't need to rotate sites,
I didn't need to avoid pricking the same fingers,
I didn't need to have glucose tablets in my bag,
I didn't need to have glucose tablets by my bed,
I didn't need to have a cupboard full of supplies,
I didn't need to worry about low blood sugar,
I didn't need to worry about high blood sugar,
I didn't need to go to the hospital every three months,
I didn't need to explain to my friends what to do if I passed out,
I didn't need to explain to my little cousin why I wear my pump,
I didn't need to wear a Medical ID bracelet,
I didn't need to worry about long-term complications,
I didn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to treat low blood sugar,
I didn't need to stop my work at school to treat a high blood sugar,
I didn't need to tell my teachers about low and high blood sugar,
I didn't need to count the carbohydrate in my food,
I didn't need to carry a carbs and cals book around,
I didn't need to weigh my food,
I didn't need to work out an insulin dosage,
I didn't need to wake up earlier in case I went low,
I didn't need to draw blood from my fingers,
I didn't need to know the number for clinic,
I didn't need to hear a hba1c result every three months,
I didn't need to avoid going into DKA,
I didn't need to avoid passing out,
I didn't need to fight every single day to protect my organs,
I didn't need to keep vials of insulin in the fridge,
I didn't need to drinks tons of water for high blood sugar,
I didn't need to force-feed myself food for low blood sugar,
I didn't need to tuck in pump-tubing for fear of it being ripped out,
I didn't need to carry around extra-supplies,
I didn't need to wear a continuous glucose monitor,
I didn't need to know the symptoms of low blood sugar,
I didn't need to know the symptoms of high blood sugar,
I didn't need to learn how to inject myself,
I didn't need to learn how to use an insulin pump,
I didn't need to worry about not waking up in the morning,

I didn't need to depend on insulin to live.

Diabetes isn't just test and inject.
It's so much more.

-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]