"You can still have fun in life"

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

Marie Lohmann is a diabetes novice. Just a few months ago, the 22-year-old found out that she was diabetic - like her mother. In the interview, she explains what went through her head when she was diagnosed, how she is coping with the disease and how her life has changed.

Marie Lohmann

Marie Lohmann (name changed by the editors) studies pedagogy and German at the University of Kiel.

Marie, in March you learned that you had type 1 diabetes. How did you know that something was wrong?

I had been very thirsty for quite a while. But that was only the case on some days. That's why I hardly thought about it. One day I was visiting my parents and I was extremely thirsty again. And while driving, I suddenly couldn't read the traffic signs properly. My mother said: 'We should take a blood sugar test.'

Your mother also has type 1 diabetes. So you grew up with the disease.

It's correct. We measured the blood sugar immediately with my mother's test strips. I was worth over 600! 80 to 120 milligrams per deciliter are normal. We went straight to the hospital. The doctors immediately kept me there, gave me insulin and hung me on a drip with a saline solution - and then I lay there for two days.

What was going through your head?

At first I couldn't quite understand it. I thought: 'That's mama's illness, not mine! Why do I have it now? ’That was pretty strange. In the first few nights I pondered what it would be like when I had children. I didn't like the idea that I might be able to pass the diabetes on - even if the risk is not particularly high.

Then I thought that I already knew how to live with type 1 diabetes. Because of my mother's illness, I have dealt with it all my life. Diabetes is actually something normal for me. So I was confident that I would somehow get that sorted out.

It could also have been that the news hits you harder - precisely because you know the complications and dangers of diabetes.

No, knowing my way around so well made things easier for me. I was already privy to the fact that you have to keep an eye on the carbohydrates and how to calculate the necessary amounts of insulin. But most of all, through my mother, I know that you can live very well with the disease and still have fun!

How has diabetes changed your everyday life?

I now have to constantly think about what to eat and when and how to organize my day. You have to calculate how much insulin I still have in my blood. Eating something spontaneously has become difficult. What bothers me most is that I can't just go to the gym and do sports. My sugar levels are usually too low for that.

Otherwise I hardly feel restricted. My pancreas still produces small amounts of insulin, which makes up for a lot. However, insulin production will eventually dry up - and then it can get more complicated.

Diabetes is a potentially life-threatening disease that can be associated with many secondary diseases - from foot amputations to blindness. Do you think about it

I am definitely aware of the risks of diabetes. With my mother I saw how dangerous a blood sugar derailment can be. You always have to be careful, I've internalized that. So I try to keep my blood sugar levels within the normal range as much as possible. If they are too high, I immediately get in a bad mood. Fortunately, it's been going very well so far. But the question: 'What if my feet rot?' - I haven't asked myself that yet.

That doesn't have to happen either.

Exactly, I do everything for that!

How do those around you, for example your friends or fellow students at the university, react?

You are actually very interested. Many say that they also have a diabetic in their family. So I'm not alone with this. Diabetes is a widespread disease today, so most have heard of it. However, very few people know that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are completely different diseases with different causes.

You are young but chronically ill. Even so, you are fairly open about your illness.

If I had been sick three or four years ago, it would certainly have looked different. I probably wouldn't have dared to say that I can't go along with everything that the others do. In the meantime I have gained enough self-confidence and can talk about it openly.

What is your advice to other people who have diabetes?

It is important not to panic! It's best to take it easy at first. At first, the blood sugar levels often go up and down quite a bit. You have to get used to dealing with diabetes. But I can say: life is still beautiful!

Dear Marie, thank you very much for the interview.

The interview was conducted by Christiane Fux. She has known Marie since childhood.

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