The Hospital part 2 - Friends & Trouble

Part 2 of 5 The slow passage of time on the pediatric ward

This is the second of a five-part series about what it’s like to be in the hospital at sixteen years old diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. We haven’t even had our fun meeting with the doctor yet.

There is always light at the end of the tunnel …

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Friends & Trouble

Time passes slowly in the hospital, so I am euphoric whenever a friend visits.

A young woman passes by the doorway to my room, pushing a cart. Startled, I suddenly I feel self-conscious in my one-size-fits-all hospital pajamas, and I pull up the bed covers to hide them.

Nobody told me there would be anyone close to my age around here. Sure, nurses and lab technicians and patients are around, but not my peers. Not someone I might actually be able to talk to. Nobody tells me anything around here …