Two Years

Healthy. Strong. Fit. Balanced. It is a part of many people's identity. Green juices, quinoa, all the cliches. You don't know how good you've got it until it all changes. 

So, it's pretty scary when you start to waste away. 

A body disappearing, 10kg in a few weeks to be precise. Noticeable, yet completely unexplainable. Panicking and drinking thick-shakes, ice-cream, and anything fatty to try and keep some flesh on your bones. Being told you've lost weight by everyone. Told how great you look. 

Thirst. Not just thirsty, but insatiable, incurable thirst. Thirst that turns your tongue into a labyrinth of cracks, that to speak you need to put water in your mouth so that your tongue doesn't cement itself to the top of your mouth. The moment you swallow a mouthful of water you need more. With this comes constant bathroom trips. Never-ending.  

Energy gone. Fatigue. Naps. 7pm bedtime. Hunger. Vision blurry. Head-spinning. Thrush. Leg cramps. Craving sweetness. 

No visible symptoms, so how can you explain this to anyone? It's flu season. Three doctors. 

Crying in the doctor's surgery while they tell me I have the flu. Again. I sob that my mouth is so dry. Antobiotics. That'll fix it.  

6 weeks on... A doctor listens. Orders a swathe of tests. That night, two years ago, today, I googled every test. I knew then what was wrong. The next day, I just waited for the call. 

Getting our dive certificates just before my immune system went crazy. 

Safari - Lions, elephants and hypo snacks

Happy place! 

Many people ask why we moved here, but for us, the opportunity was a no-brainer. We are wildlife obsessed, and the chance to live here meant safari, and Tanzania is where you want to be for animals. I think I am now the world expert on going on safari with T1D!

Here in Arusha, we are at the gateway to Northern Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is to the East, and the Serengeti to the West.  Forested Arusha National Park is a 1 hour drive from our house, elephant-rich Tarangire National Park 1 and a half hours, beautiful Lake Manyara National Park 2 hours and the famous Ngorongoro Crater 3 hours away. All the cliche African wildlife experiences can be had here on a Friday night weekend getaway...  I still have to pinch myself to believe that we live here. Oh I should have warned earlier, this is a major brag post!

Wildebeest migration. 

Living here we have three options for safari; self-drive, guided or fly. I am incredibly spoiled in that I have been able to tag along with Jarrod on his flights and overnights to the Serengeti. We have stayed in little tents, luxury tents, lodges... The great thing about Tanzania is that none of the camps are fenced, so seeing elephants or hearing lions and hyena outside your tent is all a part of the experience. I will never forget my first African camping trip; I made the mistake of offering to watch our friends baby and kids while the others set up the tents... I felt very vulnerable sitting with a squealing baby and chatty kiddies, knowing lions could be somewhere nearby in the darkness! Shining your torch around... lots of eyes reflect back, hopefully zebra and impala.


Of the challenges I have had to face going on safari, the biggest has to be hypo snacks. Sleeping in a tent, luxury or not, they are strict on the no-food policy, and for good reason. One of my friend's cars was smashed open by a hungry elephant who could smell fruit in the vehicle! This is a tricky one to get around, so my tip is to pack a plastic, seal-able tuppaware type container for any snacks. Keep simple plain snacks in your tent that don't smell too sweet - such as plain crackers and sweets (no fruit or meat). Glucose tabs would probably be a good option here (ugh). Give any additional snacks to the kitchen to store for you to collect at the beginning of each day. Or pack in the car, again, in seal-able containers.

Refrigeration of insulin and glucagon is another challenge. I think it's wise to travel with glucagon - you are in a very remote place. If you are with a safari company, many of their cars have a little fridge. If we are self-driving we have a cooler box with frozen bottles. For longer trips we are looking at investing in a Engel fridge. Jarrod is very keen to get one of these for my insulin... but I think he is mostly excited about a new gadget.

Mama cheetah and cubs. 

Another thing that struck me was be prepared to get stuck. I don't think this happens too often, but you do hear about cars getting stuck in the mud overnight, or even lost for several days (one of our guides rescued a group that had been lost for 2 days!). When I heard this I felt so vulnerable, and realised that I need to be responsible for always having my own food supply in the event that this might happen. Others might last a couple of days without food... I am not sure what would happen to my diabetic body. As such, now I always make sure I have a couple of full packets of decent crackers, dried fruit, nuts, juice boxes and biltong (dried meat).

If you plan on safariing, get used to injecting with the bumpy roads known as the "African massage." Let's just say I have become an expert at pinch, look away and stab. Not cool.

My last tip is to communicate. My husband Jarrod enters some kind of a state of safari frenzy and never notices if I am chowing down on sweets. I need to get better at telling him that I don't give a **** about that baboon riding a zebra right now, because I am busy hypo-ing. All things to learn! Another thing I learnt is that self-driving and having a huge male lion walk past and make eye-contact, about 2 meters away, causes a massive release of sugar into the blood-stream! My electric window was not fast enough.

This is such an amazing place. Sometimes I wonder what we are doing here... am I am crazy depriving myself of easy access to medical care, support and technology? Then I remind myself of the incredible things we have seen and done, and how much more we have to see, and it is so, so worth it.

Check-Ups in Nairobi - Getting Care in East Africa

Land border crossing between Tanzania and Nairobi - legitimate excuse for
procrastinating an endo appointment right? 

Last week I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, for my first big check-up since being in Tanzania, and since being diagnosed. Unfortunately the checkups and advice needed for my diabetes care isn't easily accessible in Arusha. I had one appointment with the endocrinologist at the hospital here, but the long queues of forlorn people outside his door made it clear that it would be difficult to get much of time in the face of such overwhelming need. As such, it is necessary to travel to Kenya for what I need.

High security in "Nairobbery." 

I had heard the private health care in Kenya is world-class, and on the advice of colleagues, booked to see the endocrinologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. The Aga Khan Hospitals are funded by the Aga Khan, the philanthropist leader of Ismaili Muslims. The service funds hospitals in Kenya, Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Pakistan, India, Uganda and Tajikstan, and aims to support low-middle income earners in developing countries. I was so impressed by the care I received and I have heard expats saying that it surpasses what they would receive in their home countries. My consultation was only $35 and while this unaffordable for most people in the region, it is significantly cheaper than I would face in the private system at home. The hospital had gardens for patients and was very clean and modern, the staff were friendly and all services and appointments efficient. My endocrinologist was thorough, knowledgeable and kind, and she allayed all my fears and nerves about my first big check-up.

While the drive to Nairobi from Arusha is less than 300km, I had been advised to take a shuttle bus to avoid driving in Nairobi's infamous traffic and to save border crossing issues with a private car. This was a good tip given the navigation and terrifying driving in Nairobi. 8 hours travel for 300kms for an endo appointment is longer than I would like... but it is better than many people in the world have access to. While waiting around for tests and appointments I made the most of Nairobis modern shops and food, stocking up on supplies such
 as decent shampoo and cooking ingredients.

So to summarise my first big check-up as a diabetic - terrifying, adventurous, and oh yeah, terrifying again. I was a bundle of nerves, self-judgement and anxiety for weeks leading up to this. Other T1s, do you all find it so nerve-wracking?! At least in the future I know I can reward myself with Nairobi food and shopping, seems only fair right? X

I was pretty happy when we found an Asian
restaurant... #small things. :)

When you have been in Arusha for a year and a half,
even Nairobi is a foodie holiday. 

The "African massage" is not so great for diabetics.
Trying to psyche myself up to jab on bumpy African
roads is always fun, but I am becoming an expert.  

Kuandaa. To Prepare.

Travel, holidays, exploring, new places… Love it. I am in Zanzibar writing this and having an incredible time. However I will get to that later.

Today I feel the need to share/moan/laugh about the preparation that occurs when a T1 diabetic travels. When I was diagnosed, I was due to depart for Tanzania only 6 weeks later, so I was thrown into the challenges of travel right from the beginning, and for this I feel somewhat grateful.

The key is organisation and preparation. Organisation of supplies, and preparation for the worst.

Here is photo of my medical supplies for this week in Zanzibar. It pretty much says it all. This is the day to day equipment I need to stay alive for one week, but going away, I need doubles or triples of everything, just in case something is lost/stolen or damaged. I always lay everything out one or two days before departure, and triple check I have everything. Travelling in developed countries this is not such an issue, as replacements are possible, however the lack of easy access to medical supplies in developing countries deems this necessary.

Ready for anything! Type 1 diabetes supplies for 1 week away.

Perhaps I overthink things, but I also consider natural disasters, political unrest, transport delays. For everyone else, getting stranded somewhere probably means a bit of discomfort. For a T1 diabetic who has lost their insulin or sugar, it’s a lot more serious. There is no need to let these worries prevent you from doing anything, but I believe it pays to plan for a worst case scenario. In addition, I always wear my medic-alert bracelet and an ugly medical wrist-band when travelling. There are so many unknowns being in this part of the world, and you are not always with people who know you. It is just better that people can easily see that you have a medical condition for if you are in an accident.

I really think that I should be allowed excess baggage on medical grounds, however I’m not so sure they will go for it. Maybe next time I fly I will ask and let you know. For any T1s reading, I will make a list of travel tips soon. For anyone who doesn’t have to carry this amount of medical equipment with you everywhere you go, feel grateful next time you are packing your bag and trying to organise your toiletries!

Kuanza. To Begin.

Many people have said to me I should keep a blog. I can understand why. Life has been fairly tumultuous this last year and a half and people are curious. The internet is full of adventurous, healthy ,young people blogging about their travel, so I think my situation is unique in doing this with the odds stacked a little bit more against me. Until now though, I think I have needed time to process just what has happened, and come to terms with how much my life has changed.

A few weeks ago I was pulling out of my drive, trying to get to work, and two Massai men walked by with their flock of goats. While I was waiting for them to pass I pricked my finger and checked my blood sugar before the chaos of the day began. Something came upon me and I saw this through the eyes of others. The beauty of the scene; the bag of needles and supplies on my lap and my vulnerability in being here, the Massai in their red checked shukas and tyre sandals, the bells of the goats chiming and the lush surrounds caused by the rains, all with Mt Meru looming. Suddenly I felt the need to share what has become my normal.

Kwa nini? Why? I hope this blog will be therapeutic for me, and I am excited about documenting my experiences. I hope this blog will reach one other T1 diabetic and give them one piece of useful advice. I hope that this blog will help one person make a difficult decision about pursuing an opportunity. I hope this blog will help one person realise that despite your challenges, there can be ways to work around them and with them. I hope this blog will help someone who finds themselves in a similar situation to me 18 months ago, and make them feel a little bit less alone. I hope it will make someone laugh. I cannot believe the changes in perspective that occur going from perfect health to “not,” and I hope I can share what I have learned. 

First post. I hope someone reads it. If you are a friend who knows me but did not know about all these changes, I’ll end with this quote that resonates strongly with me nowadays.  

Cheesy? Yes. True? Absolutely.

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Ian MacLaren

Dusty African sunrise on my morning commute.