Following my third episode of pancreatitis, doctors spotted a very large cyst on my pancreas. Further examination showed I was at high-risk for pancreatic cancer. On March 21, 2025, I underwent a total pancreatectomy. During the eight-hour surgery, doctors removed my pancreas, spleen, and gallbladder.
As a result, I immediately became a type 1 diabetic. I'm now wearing a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump, plus taking digestive enzymes (Creon) before, during, and after each meal. Aside from carb counting, a CGM, insulin pump, and Creon...NOTHING has changed.
I was 21 years old when I was initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I had unknowingly been presenting symptoms for a few years: I was always thirsty, always tired, and needed the bathroom a lot. It never occurred to me or my parents that there was something serious going on.
I was long overdue for a physical in 2007, and the clinician found sugar in my urine and brought me in for a blood test. The night before I consumed an entire two-liter of pop, a fairly common thing for me at the time. When we tested my blood glucose the next day, it was over 600 mg/dL!
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