I remember coming home from the hospital in a daze, as if I couldn’t grasp that I no longer was just 9-year-old Amy Walter. Now, my world included my worst fears on a daily basis: blood and needles. The doctors normalized it and reassured me that I would go on living my life just as I had before, but I wouldn’t. I was now a Type 1 diabetic.

Here are five things I've learned from having Type 1 diabetes:

1. There is an annoyingly large number of people who are ignorant on Type 1 diabetes who think they are experts.

“You’re diabetic, you can’t eat that.” No. Actually I can eat that. The reason that I inject myself with insulin is so that I can eat that. In fact, sometimes I need to eat that sugary treat because my blood sugar is too low.

“It could be worse.” Really? Every day of my life I have to inject insulin, prick my fingers and calculate every single thing that I eat. My days consist of highs that cause an unquenchable thirst, constant urination and could potentially lead to future complications like blindness and amputations, and lows that cause faintness, confusion and, if untreated, coma or death. Now, I do agree that it could be worse -- it could be way worse. I am not dying of cancer or some other medical condition, and for that I am grateful. But for someone to say that it could be worse makes me feel like they see T1D as nothing; my everyday trials as nothing.

“My (insert relative) was diabetic but then he/she changed their lifestyle and is fine now -- you should try that, too.”

My pancreas does not secrete insulin anymore. A little exercise and a healthy diet will not make my pancreas magically start pumping out insulin. Your relative has Type 2 diabetes, in which the effects may be reversed with a change of lifestyle. I, on the other hand, have Type 1 diabetes, which has no cure.

Even after nicely stating this difference, people will oftentimes insist on giving me advice on what to do as if it is the easiest thing ever. “No, seriously, my uncle started a gym membership and drastically changed his eating habits, and he was cured! I’m serious, it could work for you too!” If it was that simple, I’m sure my endocrinologist, who went to school for this, would have prescribed that instead of a life-long dependency on insulin. But please, go ahead and continue to give me advice, even after I have informed you it’s not that simple and that type 1 diabetes is currently not curable. I do not expect people to know about every medical condition -- I certainly do not -- but please do not act like an expert on something you know nothing of.

2. Diabetes burnout is real.

When you are first diagnosed, you follow every single direction the endocrinologist gives to the T: using an alcohol wipe before pricking your fingers, changing the lancet after every use, testing blood sugar before every meal and snack, exact carb counting and measuring every single food item. Yet, after a couple of years, it is almost impossible not to feel the burnout. For those who don’t, God must have blessed you. Diabetes can feel like a ball and chain constantly needing you to do something and sometimes, you just don’t want to bring it around everywhere.

Diabetes burnout is not always in the form of actions but rather it can be a feeling. A feeling that wears at you: tired of finger pricks, fatigued by injections, exasperated by the rollercoaster of high and low blood sugars, irritated by carb counting, sick of ignorant people and overwhelmed by the 24/7 need of Type 1 diabetes maintenance.

You just wish you could just take a break -- which unfortunately can’t be done. Our feelings are valid, yet we cannot let these feelings dictate our life. We need to remember that managing Type 1 diabetes is difficult but it is doable. Remember to focus on small goals and remember that nobody is perfect. So try your best to jump back on the bandwagon and the ride will be a lot less bumpy.

3. The number of times you have stabbed yourself with a needle will shock you if you calculate it.

Personally, I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 10-years; 4-6 insulin injections every day for 3,650 days adds up to roughly 18,250 injections. That is a little less than 20,000 shots! And that is a huge number that keeps growing. Most people only get shots when they receive a vaccine, which does not add up to anywhere close to how many shots Type 1 diabetics receive. The average Type 1 diabetic tests their blood sugar 4-8 times a day. This means for me that during the past 10-years, I have pricked my fingers about 25,550 times. If I add those two approximate numbers together, it comes to a grand total of 43,800 times I have stabbed myself with a needle for the sake of diabetes. And day by day, the number gets higher and higher.

4. Food labels suck.

Is it too much to ask for food labels to be in measurable units? I am so irritated when I read a pasta label that gives a nutrition value for it dry or when it needs me to weigh it. Or, when the can says there are “about 2 servings” of Spaghettio's, but then you measure it and it’s more like 1.25 servings. I'm always angry with myself when I accidentally throw away the package before I look to see how many carbs the pizza had, and now have to dig through the trash to find it. Even when I look up the carbohydrates at a fast-food place, the carbohydrates always seem to be off. Online it may say that those chicken tenders were 25 carbs; but two-hours later, the number on my meter begs to differ. Food labels just suck.

5. When life gives you a defective pancreas, make synthetic insulin.

Having Type 1 diabetes has given me a reminder that life is full of possibilities and is always manageable. Some think life is hard, others think its easy, but I prefer to think it’s doable. My pancreas failed me, my body no longer creates insulin, yet I am still alive 10-years later. This is proof that all things are possible. Life may be full of highs and lows but somehow it is doable. The point of life isn’t to perfect it but rather to make the most out of it and make your opportunities when there are none left.