This is part of our Diabetes Stories series, where people living with diabetes share their personal journeys, challenges, and insights.
Hello! Who are you? And tell us a little bit more about your diabetes.
Hey everyone! My name is Carolina Fernández Dominé. I’m 40 years old, and currently living in Toulouse, France. I’ve been living with Type 1 diabetes for 1 year.I was born in Argentina and I live in France. I am an Engineer and a globetrotter; I love sports and languages! Pierre and I got married 4 years ago, and he is the best T3D I have ever asked for!
My diabetes was discovered in July 2019; I was very shocked. Actually, I realized I did not know anyone, and I was not sure to know much more than “Diabetics don’t eat sugar”.
I spent three days in the hospital. When I came out, I started using the FreeStyle Libre, which was extremely helpful. The week after, my husband and I walked the St. James Portuguese Way, as our holidays were planned before Diabetes joined. We did 170 km in a week with an 8 kg backpack (which I did not carry for two days because the hills were a bit too much, and I did not know how my body was going to react).
I was so glad we made it. It showed me that diabetes should adapt to my life, not the other way around.
I never thought this could happen to me, being “this old.” After the initial shock and learning about my family on the other side of the Atlantic, I understood it was not something I could fight against. It was a new version of me! So go for it!
Honestly, the hardest part was the social part. The meetings around food and meal timetables could be late, which was stressing me a lot! I also had trouble finding what to eat, and I was not sure people understood that once you inject your insulin, you have to feed yourself! I ended up always taking a Tupperware container with me, and some people looked at me. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it was helping me participate instead of staying home.
My parents did not really accept my diabetes, we argued during Christmas on FaceTime because it was like a bad word to them, and they were not understanding that it can’t be dissociated. My diabetes and I are one! Now, it’s much better, and they have been very supportive when I was switching my treatment to the insulin pump. However, I have the impression that once we are together they will keep telling me; “eat some more, you can do an exception, can’t you?” Grrrrr…
“I’ve never thought this could happen to me, being this old.”
Your treatment
How do you treat your diabetes, did a lot change over the past years and are you able to manage it well?
I get the most support from my husband. He has always been there, curious about understanding the illness, how it works, and how we need to manage it. He even tested the 640G insulin pump (empty) to understand how we felt. Some friends and the type 1 community also help me not feel alone and speak up about T1D.
Since last Friday, I have a 640G MiniMed insulin pump with Novorapid for my current treatment. Before, I was using Novorapid and Tresiba. I’ve been using the FreeStyle Libre since the beginning, and I’ve recently added the MiaoMiao2. I’m glad I did. 🙂
I can’t say much has changed in the last few years since I was only diagnosed a year ago … but it has been positive for me.
I think I manage my diabetes pretty well. My levels are good, I exercise a lot, and I’m a healthy eater.
Can you recognize the symptoms of a low/high blood sugar? Do you test often and can you tell a bit more about your experiences with low blood sugar?
Yes, I can recognize them. I feel dizzy, a bit shaky sometimes, and very tired. I have some vision troubles. This does not happen very regularly.
I go to the hospital every quarter, and I monitor my levels daily with my continuous glucose monitor.
To treat my low blood sugar levels, I drink fruit juice right away. If not, I try to eat complex food so that I don’t get high blood sugar just after. Sometimes, both.
I fainted one time from low blood sugar. I woke up. My sugar level was 58 mg/DL, so I got my juice and ate something, but it was too late. I fainted, and the convulsions started. My husband called the emergency number, and an ambulance came and took me to the hospital.
Food and diet
How does your diabetes affect your eating and do you find being on a diet restrictive?
For breakfast early in the morning, I eat toast with cheese and white coffee or mate (a typical Argentinian drink). For lunch at noon and dinner at 8 pm, I eat some carbs, such as lentils, quinoa, or veggie burgers, with vegetables or salad and eggs for protein. I rarely eat meat. I have a quick bite around 5:30 PM before I do some sport.
My favorite food is arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), a typical Spanish dish that my grandma prepares beautifully.
I never skip any meals, and for snacks, which I don’t usually eat, I have yogurt and a cereal bar.
I’ve been taught to count the carbs and use ratios (ITF in French) for each meal, so I adjust the amount of insulin I use each time I eat.
I’m very bad at drinking water. I’m keeping a close eye on it, and I am drinking almost a liter every day, but I am nearly there … 🙁
I do not feel like being on a die. I’ve learned a lot about nutrition since my diabetes was diagnosed. I read the nutritional table of products and have never done that before. I choose better products and cook better, ensuring I eat carbs, vegetables, and protein in every meal.
When people ask me about the food I can or can’t eat, I don’t get annoyed. I explain why I choose not to eat it or why I just take one and not the whole package. 🙂
Do you believe that a plant based diet can improve diabetes? Did you ever experiment with this?
Yes, during the Corona lockdown, I just ate homemade food at home, and it really helped.
Do you have a hard time eating out in a restaurant? And what are you thoughts on making this easier?
Yes! I travel a lot because of my work and struggle to eat out. It really depends a lot on the person who is serving. If you ask about ingredients, if they know or try to ask in the kitchen, or if they choose just to answer without really thinking about how that can impact your health, even when you tell them that you are T1D, they will probably not answer. Menus usually do not list the full list of ingredients,, and we are not taught how to eat properly.
I think nutrition basics should be taught at school. We need to know what we eat and how to use ingredients more effectively.
I do not have a preference for food, as long as it is simple and tasty.
“T1D will adapt to your life and not your life to diabetes!”
Exercise and work
Does your diabetes restrict you from exercise or your daily job?
I exercise 3 or 4 times a week.
I am an Aerospace auditor, and I travel a lot. Long flights, too many restaurants, and changing time zones regularly are not easy to manage my diabetes, but it’s not impossible.
Final
Do you have any positive or negative effects because of your diabetes?
To manage my diabetes better, I have a MiaoMiao2 to use to conduct a better survey while I work. I choose food carefully and keep doing sport because it really helps with insulin sensitivity!
The hardest part of having diabetes is having meetings with friends and family about food and the fact that people don’t know anything about it!
The best part is that I care for myself very closely now and much better. I’m learning to listen to my body and act according to my needs.
Diabetes caused some vision troubles. I’ll be checking on that soon, but maybe it is just that I am getting old. Haha!
What is the best advice that you can give to non-diabetics, new diagnosed diabetics and diabetics?
To understand what T1 diabetes is and how we manage it.
There is a lot to learn, but T1D won’t be a limit.
T1D will adapt to your life and not your life to diabetes!! 💪🏻
What would you ask the other diabetics?
Please share your experience with the ups and downs. We learn a lot from achievement but much more from our errors!
Share your thoughts in the comments—I can’t wait to hear from you!
Ready to share your story with the world?
At Diabetic Me, we dive into the real-life stories of people living with diabetes, uncovering the challenges, triumphs, and everything in between. Through these powerful stories, we aim to shed light on what it truly means to live with diabetes, offering understanding, inspiration, and support.
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I’m curious about the FreeStyle Libre you mentioned. How has tech played a role in managing your diabetes? Does it actually make things easier or is it more of a hassle with constant alerts and monitoring?
well i think everyone makes too big a deal out of this stuff back in my day we just ate what we wanted and worked hard no fancy gadgets to tell us what to do i mean come on is it really that hard to just eat right and not complain
I get what you’re saying, but it’s not about making a big deal. It’s about staying healthy and managing a condition with the resources we have now.
this is so inspiring!! i always thought diabetes would stop my life but reading this, i know i can do anything just gotta plan around it thanks for sharing
Right?! Its all about not letting anything hold you back. We got this!
Ely Fornoville, walking 170km with diabetes is wild respect I know I couldnt even do half of that without stoppin for a beer or something
Hi Carolina! Nice to meet you!!