One Cold, December Night

I remember like it was yesterday...
4 pm, NP's office. "Hon, your blood sugar was off our meters- you probably have diabetes. You need to go to the hospital immeadietly, would you rather go by ambulance or car?"
Shock, disbelief, brief blackness. Random thoughts racing through my brain. Diabetes?!? no more coke..you don't even know if its diabetes and my blood sugar is off your meter?! its not cancer..I won't die, maybe I'll feel better eventually! NP and my Mom staring at me like I'd keel over any minute.
An injection of insulin- my first. It doesn't hurt so much when your brain is numb. "We're giving you this, so you don't go into a coma on the way over."
I look at Mom, then the NP. "No, I'm not going in an ambulance. "(Teenage self-consciousness)
Frantic telephone call to university ER, an hours drive away. "I've got a patient coming in with a blood sugar of 1,100 mg/dl- she needs to be seen, STAT!"
Go home, pick up a few things. Go to bathroom a couple more times, drink a large drinking bottle of milk. Have the wild urge to eat everything I know I'll never be able to eat again. (but Mom won't let me)
Hit the road. Arrive at ER. Triage Nurse- Whats your bs? I don't know yet (really) what a blood sugar is, but my NP said 1100 so I repeat that. She looks at me, looks at the paperwork, and says "Oh! you're telling the truth" which immeadietly offends me, like I'm going to lie about that? Get immeadietly hustled back to the ICU. ("Our stat is here") Residents show up. "You're the highest blood sugar we've ever seen!" Get hooked up to various IV's, moniters, etc.A zillion people come in, the sicker one is, the worse it is. Spend next 8 hrs in ICU. Blood sugar comes down to 450's- get admitted up to the pediatric ward. Get checked all night..1 hour of sleep.
Next morning- breakfast. Tastes bad, but that doesn't matter when you're starving to death.
Pediatric endocrinoogist shows up ("You'll feel terrible until your body adjusts to lower bgs, but don't worry, that's normal") Meeting educator. The first "shot", which I didn't have a problem giving myself (in the leg, anywhere else was a no-no). The nurses shots didn't hurt, and I was so blissfully ignorant regarding diabetes I was good teaching material.
Next 2.5 days spent in hospital.
Two days later- phone call from ER. Back to hospital,(another 12 hours) potassium levels are scewed up. Spend next month taking potassium supplements.
7 YEARS AGO TODAY!!!( gee, and still no cure yet..)
I plan to go see Narnia today (with a friend). Since I still don't have a new vehicle- they'll provide the transportation, I pay for the flick.
Over a year ago- I entered the BB King poem promo. Didn't win- but my name was one of the 1,000 first online enteries, so they mailed me the new cd. Got it today.