Type One Warrior Feature : Bridget McNulty

I have been so incredibly excited to share this month's Type One Warrior feature. Before we dive right in I just wanted to remind everyone that there are no two journeys the same and it's for this very reason that we like to share these features. It's to show all of us that the Type One Diabetes diagnosis is not specific to any one type of person. There is no discrimination and is unpredictable to say the least. There will be struggles along the way, and so too will there be triumphs.

It is often assumed that Type 1 is an affliction diagnosed in your younger years and it's only when you are part of the community that you realise how non-discriminatory Type 1 Diabetes actually is. I have met several Type 1 Diabetics who were diagnosed in their young adult years, and even much older, and you can only imagine the lifestyle shift when you already have so much exposure to life as a non-type 1.

This month's feature, Bridget McNulty.

​Many of you might already recognise this amazing woman as one of the co-founders of the largest online Diabetes communities, Sweet Life Diabetes Community as well as of SA Diabetes Advocacy, a non-profit that brings people with Diabetes together to advocate for the rights of people living with Diabetes in South Africa.

Bridget was diagnosed in 2007. She will be celebrating her 15th Diaversary next month. Below we feature our interview with her. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we did.

Your diagnosis story

I had just moved to Cape Town, just started my first full-time job as a Features Writer at Real Simple Magazine, and had just published my first novel called, Strange Nervous Laughter.

Life was nonstop exciting! But then I started getting insatiably hungry, and constantly thirsty, and I lost a lot of weight - no matter how much I ate. I was so exhausted that I had to take a rest after I had a shower. I eventually went to a quack of a doctor who told me I was losing weight because I ate too healthily (!) and only checked my blood sugar when I prompted him (Google is useful for some things!).

The glucometer told me my blood sugar was 25, but he sent me off into the city (on a scooter) saying I was, "practically diabetic" and had to have further blood tests. Thankfully my mom swooped into the rescue, booked me a flight home to Durban, and took me straight to ICU where I was diagnosed.

What do you do now for a living?

I'm the co-founder of Sweet Life Diabetes Community which is South Africa's largest online diabetes community. I'm also the co-founder and current chairperson of SA Diabetes Advocacy, a non-profit that brings all the organisations of people with diabetes together to advocate for the rights of people living with diabetes in South Africa.

My goal is to show that it's possibly for every South African with diabetes to live a happy, healthy life.

Noteable Hypo Moments

I've only ever had two emergency diabetes moments - both within the first 3 months of having my first child. Breastfeeding has a really dramatic effect on blood sugar, and it's entirely unpredictable. Breastfeeding lows remain the most intense of my life.

When my son was 6 weeks old, I went out at night for the first time (to watch a play) and was so excited I didn't finish all my supper. My blood sugar plummeted frighteningly fast at intermission - it went from 3.5mmol/l to me not being able to speak in 5 minutes, and I passed out. An ambulance arrived quickly and I recovered very quickly but was totally spooked.

​A month later, I was home in Durban for my dad's 70th and had such a fun night at his party. My blood sugar was in the 4s at bedtime, so I ate a piece of millionaire shortbread (literally sugar on sugar on sugar!) but still went dangerously low that night, and my husband had to put jam on my tongue to get me to come round. From then on I was much more careful with low blood sugar and breastfeeding, and didn't have any incidents (thankfully!) with my second child. I also think newer ultra-long-acting insulin plays a part, because it keeps your background blood sugar more stable.

What was the most difficult thing to overcome when you were first diagnosed, and how do you feel now about the same?

I thought I would never be able to eat delicious things again... I remember being devastated that I couldn't eat a piece of wedding cake at my own wedding! (I wasn't engaged or anything, just imagining the future...) Now I eat delicious things in moderation - I can live without most flavours of cake, but ice-cream is one of my favourite foods on earth, and a single scoop with a handful of nuts is fine for blood sugar!

Navigating the workplace with Type 1 Diabetes

I've never had issues with this. I have always been open about injecting and testing in the workplace, and I've been lucky to have really lovely colleagues who are supportive but mainly just leave me to my own devices!

​Now that I work full-time in the diabetes space, there are plenty of us in the same boat, and we start many of our meetings saying that if anyone needs to test or inject or get a snack, they must feel free to do what they need to.

Then & Now: Compare your Diabetes Regime from when you were diagnosed to now.

The biggest changes for me have been sensor technology - starting on the FreeStyle Libre felt like switching on headlights when I had been driving in the dark. And the improvements in insulin - ultra-long-acting insulin made me feel like I was standing on solid ground instead of shifting sand, and new ultra-rapid-acting insulin has given me so much flexibility back in my life.

Most annoying things people have said regarding your T1D:

It has to be, "Can you eat that?"
​I just smile and say, "Yes I can!"

Your hypo symptoms:

• Racing heart
  
• Sweaty
  
• Floaty head
  
• Feeling jittery - the worst!

Favourite Hypo Snacks

I recently discovered Glucose C sweets from Dis-Chem and they are awesome. Softer than Super C, so easier to chew, and they act almost immediately and (crucially!) are easy to dose, without overdosing.

I start with 3 of those and then have another one or two if I need to. Also a juicebox next to my bed for night-time lows has been a game-changer (easy reaching distance, no temptation from the fridge!)

Positive Message for Other Type 1's

We're all in this together. It can feel so lonely, but there's a whole community of people who deeply understand what it's like to live with T1D - please join us!

South Africans with Diabetes Podcast

South Africans with Diabetes Facebook

SweetLife Instagram

SweetLife LinkedIn

Best part about being a Type 1

It forces me to do the things we should all be doing - eat well, exercise, sleep enough, look after my health - and I'm sure I'm healthier because of it.

Hardest part about being a Type 1

Never getting a holiday! Just a day off to eat ice-cream all day and not have to test would be so nice...

One thing you would like non-diabetics to know

Even if it doesn't look like it on the outside, we are doing our best. It's a constant, never-ending job, and the more supportive you can be, the better.

A message for newly diagnosed parents

​Everything is going to be okay! It's so overwhelming at first, but you will fall into a rhythm and life will return to a new kind of normal. (Also! Get a free copy of our Type 1 Diabetes Guidebook - for parents here)

What do you do to stay active?

I walk on Chapman's Peak twice a week with a dear friend, love going on weekend hikes and nature walks, and do yoga with a very hunky online yoga instructor (Yoga with Tim).

Your support system

My husband is wonderful - he doesn't give me too much attention about diabetes, because his brother is a Type 1 so he's used to it, but he deeply supports me in every aspect of life. My kids are very kind when I tell them I need a minute to check or correct my blood sugar. And my family and friends try to understand what it's like, but mainly just support me in every aspect of life - diabetes and otherwise.