'I had this feeling that if I don't eat this junk food I'm gonna die': Brisbane woman's ravenous hunger caused by common condition – 9Honey

By Jo Abi| 4 months ago
Ashlea Davidson was just 23 when she went through the painful breakup of a "very stressful, not good" relationship while living overseas in Norway.
"I came home and basically had a mental breakdown," Davidson, now 28, tells 9Honey.
"I think my nervous system was completely shot," she continues.
She became ill, but instead of recovering fully, Ashlea says her health problems continued until she was eventually hospitalised.
Ashlea had no idea she had developed a chronic condition that would impact the rest of her life.
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"I was studying at TAFE and was really busy and I was getting really really thirsty," the Brisbane woman recalls.
"I was drinking up to five litres of water a day. And I'd never been a McDonald's person but I was eating it up to three times a day.
"I had this feeling that if I don't eat this junk food I'm gonna die. It was so weird. And I'd be drinking chocolate milk like water and going to the bathroom a lot. I was getting a lot of cramping in my legs at night, it would wake me up."
Then the headaches began. She tried pain relievers and taking magnesium.
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"It's so obvious, looking back, it's textbook. But at the time I didn't know," she says.
"Then I got a common cold which really knocked me down. Then the cough would not go away.
"They did a blood test and called me on Saturday telling me I needed to go to hospital right now, my blood sugar was 30."
A normal blood sugar reading is between four and six.
It was then that Davidson was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
"It's a common misconception that most people with Type 1 Diabetes are diagnosed as children," she explains.
"Fifty per cent of sufferers are actually diagnosed as adults."
She believes her blood sugar increased gradually so she became used to feeling unwell, until she reached a point where her pancreas almost "gave out".
Following her diagnosis, Davidson entered what she now calls a "honeymoon period".
"I still had some pancreatic function and some ability to produce insulin, but not now," she explains. "After about three months it stopped working and I began to realise how much time and effort I'd have to start putting into managing my health."
When Davidson was first diagnosed she has the help of hospital staff and health professionals such as an endocrinologist who helped her learn how to manage her condition.
"I also joined diabetes groups on Facebook," she says. "I was scared to exercise for a long time because I'd had some quite severe hypo-glycemic attacks while exercising. But when I joined some of the Type 1 groups I learned how to manage it from other people who have Type 1 Diabetes.
"I can exercise but I just need to be prepared," she explains. "It just depends on the type of exercise and it's different for everyone."
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Even sex counts as exercise as well and as Davidson entered into a new relationship she learned how to manage her diabetes before and during sex as well.
"I always test my blood sugar beforehand which can be a total mood killer," she explains. "Hang on baby I have to squirt some blood out of my finger! And it is a bigger mood killer if I have to stop halfway through and go scoff some food."
She also has trouble recognising when she is full.
"And I've gained a lot of weight because I sometimes feel like I have to eat or die and I don't feel full," she explains.
She has been able to access a Continuous Glucose Monitoring device (CGM) which most diabetics now use to monitor their insulin levels via the FreeStyle LibreLink phone app.
"I was fortunate that I could afford one with the government subsidy which was brought out on July 1," she explains. "Now everyone with Type 1 Diabetes regardless of age can afford a CGM."
She says it has been a "game changer" for her and allowed her to focus on areas of her life other than her health.
It even monitors her blood sugar level while she is asleep which she appreciates as she is a "very deep sleeper".
Renza Scibilia, a spokesperson for Diabetes Australia, says the government subsidy for CGM technology has been important for the diabetes community.
"CGM technology provides more information and takes away a lot of the guesswork. It removes the need for painful finger-prick checks," she says. "It really does make a difference for people with diabetes.
"And we know that, as well as providing better clinical outcomes, it certainly can also reduce that mental burden."
The information in this article is general in nature. Please always consult a medical practitioner to obtain advice in relation to your specific medical condition.
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