Hey everyone! My name is Kate Wallace. I’m 21 years old and currently living in England. I have Type 1 diabetes for a total of 9 years.I’m from London, I love sport, hanging out with friends and traveling.

I was diagnosed at age 11 with diabetes type 1. I didn’t hide my diabetes at first but then began too as I went into my teenage years.

The hardest part was emotionally for my family, a lot of changes happened.

“I developed diabulimia at around the age of 13.”

I get a lot of support from my boyfriend, family and friends of course!

I use an insulin pump with Novorapid insulin and a Dexcom G6 CGM. Before I used Novarapid, Levemir and Lantus insulin.

A lot has changed over the years. I developed diabulimia at around the age of 13, then at 17 I was diagnosed with nerve damage due to poor control in both my legs. However this made me realise how serious it is and important I look after myself. Now I try my hardest with my control.

I think I manage my diabetes pretty well now.Yes, I can recognize them. When I have high blood sugars I always get headaches and become thirsty. When my blood sugars are low I feel shaky.

I test my blood sugar around 4 to 5 times a day.

To treat my low blood sugars I use Glucogel.

Never have I fainted before due to a low blood sugar. Thank god.For breakfast I normally eat toast or cereal, for lunch a sandwich and for dinner a salad, chicken or pizza. Sometimes I skip meals.

I love pizza and I like to go out eating at Nandos, Pizza Express and any fancy restaurant. For snacks I eat fruit, biscuits and maybe some crisps.

Normally I stick to my insulin schedule when I eat something.

I drink one liter of water per day.

Being on a diet can be restrictive and I can get annoyed when somebody asks me something about a certain food I can or can’t eat. Because being diabetic doesn’t mean you can’t eat certain food, you just have to bolus your insulin correctly.I have never tried this. But potentially it could.I used to have a hard time eating out while I was on injections. However now I’m on an insulin pump, my life became so much easier!

“Talk to other diabetics! It really helps.”

I run, cycle and swim. I exercise about 5 to 6 times a week.

Just about to start my new job as a police officer! I don’t let my diabetes effect me in any job I’ve done.To manage my diabetes better I try to keep good control on it.

The hardest part about having diabetes is that it gets really lonely and no one that close to me understands what I go through daily.

But the best thing about it is having friends that are diabetic and all the amazing doctors and nurses who have looked after me!We can eat what we want and it is just as serious as any other illness or condition.

It gets better over time and you will learn to live with it!

Talk to other diabetics! It really helps.Have you heard of diabulimia? If so, how did you find out about it?Feel free to answer in the comments below.Hey! I’m Ely Fornoville, the founder of Diabetic & Me.

We interview people with diabetes share the stories behind their lives.

By sharing these stories, we want to help others to understand life with diabetes.

If you liked this story, join our mailing list for new stories.

Interested in sharing your own story? Share your story with us!

About the Author

Ely Fornoville

Hi, I'm Ely Fornoville, and I am the founder of Diabetic & Me. Being a type 1 diabetic since 1996, I developed a passion to help people learn more about diabetes. I write about diabetes and share stories from other diabetics around the world. I currently use a Medtronic Guardian 4 CGM and a MiniMed 780G insulin pump with Humalog insulin.

View All Articles