For the first 6 years after my diabetes diagnosis, I lived in a slight land of denial. I was very overwhelmed. As if CF wasn’t enough to deal with alone, now I had another major disease. I also was in my early twenties and thought I knew everything…. ok, I never really grew out of that.

I hated taking insulin shots and did not see the purpose. I tried to cut carbs out of my diet as much as possible so I wouldn’t need to take extra shots (occasionally I am still guilty of this, bad habits are hard to break). Hoping the minimal would get me by. ‘Come on, other diabetics were told to do that!’ I was soooo wrong! CFRD does not work that way.

Insulin works by helping protein, fat and sugar leave the blood and enter the cells where they are used for energy. Insulin is the only chemical in the body that moves nutrients from the blood stream into the cells. Without insulin and without nutrients your cells will starve. By not taking my insulin, I was starving my body. My body proved me this was true by dropping to 99 pounds on my already skinny 5′5″ frame. Once I started taking insulin on a more regular basis I quickly gained over eight pounds in just a few months!

It is super important to not cut the carbs if you have CFRD, unless your doctor suggests it. Your body needs to food for it’s cells. Also, it is important to have the right carbohydrate to insulin ratio as out of control CFRD causes all the similar complications other diabetics can get. Not wanting to add to the list, Cystics need to be even more careful as uncontrolled CFRD has shown to cause a large decline in

• pulmonary function (I went from the low 80% to the low 50%)

• weight loss (I went from 109lbs to 99lbs)

• and not to get to scary, but an increase in morbidity and mortality (well, thank goodness, I am not dead yet)

So be careful and listen to your doctor!!!