Ankita Bardhan,29 from Kolkata has been living with Type 1 Diabetes since she was 13. Even though she would give anything for a non-diabetic life, that is not to be, and she has learnt to fight it every single day to respect the sacrifices her family has made for her and to acknowledge life as beautiful.
Please tell us a bit about your condition, as in what you are suffering from :
The condition is Type 1 diabetes. Essentially, in this condition, the insulin production from the pancreas of one’s body is either stopped altogether or the amount of insulin produced is very low. Hence, either ways, the only option a person is left with, is to inject insulin from outside.
When were you diagnosed?
I was diagnosed at the age of 13.
What were the early symptoms?
The early symptoms were as follows:
- Extreme thirst
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Extreme hunger
- Loss of weight
I did have a period of black out, but only once till date before the condition was officially diagnosed.
Is there a history of diabetes (Type 1 or 2) related condition in your family?
My father suffers from Type 2 diabetes.
What is your present condition?
At present, my blood sugar is well within control. All the numbers are satisfactorily in range.
What medications are you on?
I am currently on insulin only, for treating the condition. I take two insulins, basal and bolus insulin. Basal is the long acting insulin which I take once a day (at night). Bolus is the short acting insulin, which I take 3-4 times a day, before meals, depending on the type of meals I am having that day
Were there any side-effects of the medicines?
The basic side effect is having hypoglycemia attacks, i.e. blood sugar level falling below the specified range.
The condition can turn quite serious if it is not attended to quickly and appropriately. The symptoms of hypoglycemia are shivering of hands, blurred vision, confusion, loss of sight temporarily, sweating, palpitations amongst others.
But it can be safely said, that with practice and knowledge I (like almost all persons with diabetes) learned to manage and treat hypoglycemia effectively.
How does Jimmy Ong manage his hypoglycaemia?
What were some of the challenges you faced while handling your condition?
Honestly, there are many challenges in handling this condition -- financially, emotionally and socially.
The cost of insulin, testing strips and needles does amount to quite a chunk of money monthly, so called living tax, I suppose, that all of us persons with diabetes have to pay.
Must Read: What is Diabetes Distress and how to handle it
Have you learnt anything in managing this condition that you wish you knew before?
Nothing really, I was a normal teenage girl living quite an active life. I was into dancing and enjoyed sports as well. I really don’t regret anything, other than the fact that, life would have been easier if detection of the condition would have been sooner. Unfortunately, the awareness was not much, back in those days. Not that the awareness of the condition has improved drastically but at least we are getting there.
What kind of specialists do you consult and how often?
I do consultant a diabetologist once every 3 months or whenever there is a need
Have you had to make some changes to your lifestyle because of your condition?
Drastically! My lifestyle has completely changed post the diagnosis of diabetes. It is as if, I have been baptized to a different religion. The only positive side is, I eat healthy and have incorporated exercise in my daily schedule. There is always that calculation that I constantly do before I eat something to inject the proper dose of insulin.
Diabetes has forced me to understand my body, way better than any person without diabetes.
Have you tried complementary medicine or therapies, like homeopathy or yoga?
No.
Has it been difficult emotionally to cope with your condition?
Coping with diabetes emotionally, I feel, is the toughest part of managing this condition. When one is constantly being judged or sympathized with (98% people sympathize with us, but do not empathize). Unfortunately, we do live in a very hypocritical society. People, listen to my story, and get inspired and then they judge or reject us for the same reason.
When you get rejected for something, which is not your fault, you are bound to feel bad and when this happens regularly, you tend to feel like giving up.
Then again, giving up is not really an option, so you get up and handle the situation.
What was the hardest part of suffering from Type 1 diabetes?
I would say the discrimination that we face in all phases of life be it academics or social life. Getting a job or going for a vacation, discrimination is there everywhere.
Ankita, can you elaborate on the discriminations you have experienced?
I was asked to drop a plan of going on a vacation, a plan with a group of friends, while I was in college. Some people in that group thought I would be a liability for them, when the truth was they really didn't have to do any part in managing this condition.
A distant relative once said, because of this condition, I am putting a lot of pressure on my parents, at this age of theirs. Well, to be honest, it is not entirely wrong, but I really can't help it. I didn't invite this thing on myself, it just happened.
In the so called marriage market, we are rejected 99.9% of the times because of this. We directly get a lot of insensitive questions concerning this condition, at the end of which, irrespective of the answers, we are declared as unfit for marriage. What is even more amusing is, that, people who are highly qualified, like professors, engineers, bureaucrats and even doctors consider us unfit.
Has your family supported you in this?
Yes, completely. They have been a constant support through all my highs and lows, enduring all the drama I create because of my persisting frustration with my condition.
Did you see a counselor for support? Were you offered counselling by doctor?
No as of now I didn’t but I really feel just as consulting a dietitian is a part of the treatment package of diabetes, consulting a counselor should also be made mandatory.
I believe that it is all in the mind. To manage this constant attention seeking condition, being in right the right frame of mind is necessary.
Thinking in the right direction, without getting bogged down by the stress plays a key role as eating right in managing diabetes.
What kept you going?
I guess, all the struggle that my family did in keeping me alive kept me going. If I give up, then all the effort that they have put in would be wasted. I couldn’t bring my heart to be that unjust, though fate has been quite unjust to me.
Also, I believe, I am the kind of a person who by nature enjoys taking the challenge head on.
How has this changed your perspectives in life?
My perspectives have changed altogether. I have learnt to empathize with situations, that’s my biggest learning from diabetes.
It has made me realise, life is never meant to be easy, just beautiful.
Make no mistakes, I do not intend to romanticize with the condition. I hate it from the bottom of my heart. Given an option, I would kill to go back to the non diabetic life. But, nobody is giving me that option. So, I have learnt to understand how beautiful it is to lose all hope and then rise back from the ashes stronger than before every single time.
