She thought losing a lot of weight as a diabetic was a good thing. She was very wrong.

Jeanette Hernandez was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 5. Her mom administered her insulin until Jeanette took control when she was about 14.

That’s when the problems began.

“I was growing up. I started high school and I learned how to do everything myself,” says Jeanette, who lives in Hialeah. “I had always had insulin issues and, as I got older, some days my insulin level was really good, but sometimes it was high.

“It didn’t happen on purpose. I guess I wasn’t as responsible as I should have been.”

Without the proper insulin doses, Jeanette started losing weight — lots of it. She lost 70 pounds and was down to 100 pounds.

“Everybody in school was saying, ‘Oh, you look so great.’ So I thought, ‘I’m just going to enjoy it the way it is.’ They always tell you losing weight is good,” she said. “I’ve always been a bit of a chubby girl and had some extra pounds. As I was going into my teen years, I kinda went into a diabetes burnout.”

Her family began to notice.

“My family members said I was too skinny,” she said. “A lot of us thought my losing weight was a coincidence, or just because. I did realize what was happening and I didn’t do anything about it.’’

What she and her family didn’t realize is that Jeannette was on a dangerous course. While Jeanette’s case stemmed from neglect and lack of knowledge, about one-third of female type 1 diabetics between the ages of 15 and 30 deliberately underdose their insulin in an eating disorder called diabulimia, according to the diabulimiahelpline.org.

The condition can lead to serious complications as insulin is a hormone your body needs for fueling its cells. Low dosages of insulin can result in vision problems, neuropathy, kidney and heart disease and in extreme cases, coma and death.

Jeanette was lucky.

“My doctors told me I am fortunate,’’ said Jeanette, now 19 and a sophomore in college. “Most times other complications happen, but I didn’t experience anything, fortunately. It took a couple of months but now I know I gained healthy weight.”

Today, Jeanette wears her insulin devices proudly.

“I think I finally figured out it was something I had to do,’’ she says. “I had to make sure I had enough insulin. It’s been two years and my diabetes has been the best it’s ever been.”

She started turning her life around when she got help from the pediatric endocrinologists at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, who put her on the Dexcom G6 CGM System with insulin pump in 2017.

“When my medical team and I really looked at my insulin, we finally got me on the pump and the Dexcom that I wear on my arm,” she said. “I know now I was irresponsible with my insulin. I could have done more to have control. It was totally on my end and I do take the blame for it.”

She did a lot of research and is in a group chat with other patients with diabetes all over the world.

“This has really helped me see how different people deal with different situations. It’s been a real eye-opener,” she said. “Not everyone has the same experience and we talk with each other. It’s been very helpful.”

She said diabetes is often talked about in a negative way. She is trying to change that by speaking up.

“Now I always have my pump out where people can see it, and when I wear T-shirts and tank tops people can see my devices. If they ask what it is, I always explain,” she said. “It’s part of who I am.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:00 AM.