I was called up last September to pick up my blood test report. I was in disbelief when the doctor told to me that I am diabetic. I saw him circled both numbers, fasting blood glucose at 13.0 mmol/L and HbA1c at 13.4 mmol/L. It was like me looking at someone else’s report. This cannot be me. I have always been healthy and free of any chronic conditions. I was 47 years old.

He demanded that an appointment be made with an Endocrinologist (a specialist) that same day. It was lunch hour and the clinic assistant followed through his stern instructions to get me a specialist appointment that same afternoon.

At the specialist’s clinic, a random blood glucose test showed 22mmol/L when any regular person should read not more than 10mmol/L. Another critical test to check my ketones found an alarming level of 2.8mmol/L. I was asked to check myself into A&E right there and then. I still did not register the seriousness of my condition. Walking out of the clinic in full denial thinking I can easily reverse my condition through diet and exercise.

When I got home, I was preparing my dinner and had a video call with my best friend updating her about my situation. She listened intently and told me to please heed the doctor’s advice. Go check myself into A&E while I am fully functioning. I am glad I did. I strolled into A&E with referral papers from GP and Endocrinologist. Triage assessment sent two nurses and a doctor immediately by my side. I was in DKA – diabetic ketoacidosis, a critical state which was life-threatening. Cannula inserted, blood sampled, Hartmann’s solution, insulin, KCL all simultaneously IV at once. Hourly blood test, watched over by ED nurses; nil-by-mouth order, worst sentence ever for a “tam chiak gui” like me. I could smell very well despite laying flat out on the bed. Milo never smelled that good before and there was char bee hoon, kopi then lo and behold, alcohol wipes again, finger pricked and blood sampled.

I spent 5 days in the hospital for doctors to titrate the right treatment. CT scanned, antibodies checked, different drugs tested. Dietician consulted, insulin therapy, I watched and learned how to adminster insulin injection. It has been an exponential learning process and I have been encouraged many to share this experience and journey. I am now a T1D and it is an autoimmune condition where my body attacked my pancreas. It is no longer able to produce anymore insulin and I depend on insulin therapy (injections) to continue almost like a regular being.