Am I the only one who got type 1 diabetic at the age of 19?

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I was 36 at diagnosis.
No one in my family history ... my Mum remembered an aunt with diabetes but when I asked who this aunt was, turns out she was a relative through marriage. So no blood relative for the last 4 generation with any form of diabetes.
I have always been pretty active with a relatively healthy appetite for healthy food so do not believe it has anything to do with my chosen lifestyle.
I was run down beforehand so it could have been virus related. And, of course, when you are run down physically and mentally, your body is more susceptible to illness. So whilst I don't see a direct link between depression and diabetes, I am not surprised to read there is an indirect link due to the body being less able to fight off the virus (or other nasty beasties) which attacked my pancreas.
I had the usual symptoms on diagnosis - tired, going to the toilet a lot, weight loss, ...
I think my BG was in the low 20s but that was a few weeks after I started experiencing the symptoms due to Christmas and a GP who diagnosed UTI who told me to take antibiotics and come back if the symptoms still persisted two weeks later.
 

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
43 at diagnosis in August this year. No one fully understands what causes the immune system to start attacking the beta cells, but I know they suspect it might be a reaction to a virus.

No one should blame themselves for a type 1 diagnosis at any age.
I'll second that fact. I'm pretty sure my diabetes followed a common cold, which I rarely get. I was 32. But I'd had them before of course, everybody gets them. Why my immune system chose that time to attack my islet cells is a question that medical science has yet to answer. Just like viral cardiomyopathy which I frequently treat. The virus is totally gone by the time the heart muscle poops out, that's been proven by biopsies. Acute and convalescent antibody titers have pretty much identified the specific viral exposure antigens, and they are very common viruses. And using drugs to suppress the immune system during the acute phase of the disease has been proven to do nothing to restore heart muscle function. I'm sure the same would be true for Type 1 diabetes. I just happens unfortunately. It can happen at virtually any age although it tends to occur in younger persons. I'm not buying "stress" (whatever that is) as a contributing factor either.
 

kev-w

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,901
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was diagnosed T1 at 17 & a half as far as it goes.
 

Jibran_Khan

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I'll second that fact. I'm pretty sure my diabetes followed a common cold, which I rarely get. I was 32. But I'd had them before of course, everybody gets them. Why my immune system chose that time to attack my islet cells is a question that medical science has yet to answer. Just like viral cardiomyopathy which I frequently treat. The virus is totally gone by the time the heart muscle poops out, that's been proven by biopsies. Acute and convalescent antibody titers have pretty much identified the specific viral exposure antigens, and they are very common viruses. And using drugs to suppress the immune system during the acute phase of the disease has been proven to do nothing to restore heart muscle function. I'm sure the same would be true for Type 1 diabetes. I just happens unfortunately. It can happen at virtually any age although it tends to occur in younger persons. I'm not buying "stress" (whatever that is) as a contributing factor either.
My doctor said in homeopathi it is said that stress on mind can cause hormonal disbalanace which causes many disease.
 

eventhorizon

Well-Known Member
Messages
456
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
It's most likey you had the t1 diabetes causing antibodies for years prior to diagnoses. I was dx'd at 20, now 38. My brother (36) is taking part in Trialnet. I trial looking and causes and possible prevention of diabetes. He gets checked every 6 months for the antibodies which he's had for at least 4 years and counting. No clinical signs of t1 yet but they say he will develop it one day. Maybe next month, maybe in 20 years time.
 

Jibran_Khan

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 1
If I rewind back in time,no one in my father's village or any ancestor of mine had diabetes.
Now a days many people are diagnosed with it everyday.
There got to be some thing that triggers diabetes.
 

eventhorizon

Well-Known Member
Messages
456
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Yes. I think there could well be a trigger. But I think the trigger could be years before being dx'd. The cold or illness just before getting clinical symptoms is the straw that breaks the camels back as the last insulin producing cells are dying. Just my thoughts.
 

glavesr

Well-Known Member
Messages
75
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I got diagnosed when I had just turned 17 and my doctor said it was tonsillitis that activated my diabetes and he said it was common for a virus to active the type 1
The diabetic gene can skip generations before myself and my
Maternal aunt the last confirmed of type 1 was about 1930 And Ye it is a virus that shuts down the insulin most of the time but unfortunately for type 1 your born with it and it is a waiting game to no if and when it will happen
 
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Jibran_Khan

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Is it possible that if I have type 1 my siblings would also have type1.
Is that happend to any of you?your sibling got type 1 too?
 

leking

Well-Known Member
Messages
153
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
My advice is don't go looking for "why". Forget it. You can't change it so it doesn't matter. Don't try to blame someone, or something, or anything. Seriously, just look ahead.

Concentrate on living the best life you can. And trust me you CAN LIVE A GREAT LIFE.
 

leking

Well-Known Member
Messages
153
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Is it possible that if I have type 1 my siblings would also have type1.
Is that happend to any of you?your sibling got type 1 too?

Anything is possible. You got it without anyone else in your family having it before (same as me btw).
 

Davie_sett

Well-Known Member
Messages
78
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I was 8 when I was diagnosed and nearly died was in intensive care for a few days and in hospital for over a week
 

SueJB

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,316
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
cold weather
I have seen lot of type one diabetic people on internet but all of them got diagnosed at very young.
Am I the only one who got type 1 at age of 19.
Because I didn't see anyone else getting type 1 at late teenage years.
Hi there,
My response to being diagnosed with type 1 at 64 was the same. Am I the only one? I don't think diabetes respects your age so you and me will just have to get on with it and enjoy life
 

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi there,
My response to being diagnosed with type 1 at 64 was the same. Am I the only one? I don't think diabetes respects your age so you and me will just have to get on with it and enjoy life
Look at the bright side: you don't have as long to screw it up as most people around here. I was 32 and I was sort of glad I'd had all those years to eat ice cream bars and Butterfingers before I had to suddenly quit.
 

Steve14

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was 36 at diagnosis.
No one in my family history ... my Mum remembered an aunt with diabetes but when I asked who this aunt was, turns out she was a relative through marriage. So no blood relative for the last 4 generation with any form of diabetes.
I have always been pretty active with a relatively healthy appetite for healthy food so do not believe it has anything to do with my chosen lifestyle...

Wow, that is crazy. This reminded me of a rat study where the animal was affected by PTSD, and its offsprings had high susceptibility to PTSD lasting up to 4 generations. Epigenetics...

I wish there was a breakthrough already, so we knew what, why, when, where. Like you, I do not have a family history of T1D, but unfortunately my grandaunt is T2, and my great grandmother was T2 as well. No type 1-s known of. I was 26 at diagnosis.
 

ElkBond

Well-Known Member
Messages
358
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I agree with @leking don't fret too much on why, the fact that people who spend every day researching diabetes can't even say for sure is a clue that we will be guessing for the foreseeable future. We all have our suspicions, I believe like @TheBigNewt mine was a pretty horrendous cold in October, which led to a quick decline by Feb (losing weight since November) when I was diagnosed. But in the end... does it matter? I have it now so my worry should be on my own goals.

I was diagnosed as T1 when I was 24 in 2016, no one in my family that we know of.
 

danielrob91

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I have seen lot of type one diabetic people on internet but all of them got diagnosed at very young.
Am I the only one who got type 1 at age of 19.
Because I didn't see anyone else getting type 1 at late teenage years.
I found out I had it at 25 mate.
Turned my life upside down
 

Vhm1

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I was diagnosed at 45. Not LADA, either. Type 1. My grandmother early 40s in 1960. (Back then it was just "insulin dependent diabetes" not a type or even juvenile). I've met plenty of people who are diagnosed later in life. 40s. One lady in her 50s. It happens.
 

Vhm1

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Wow, that is crazy. This reminded me of a rat study where the animal was affected by PTSD, and its offsprings had high susceptibility to PTSD lasting up to 4 generations. Epigenetics...

I wish there was a breakthrough already, so we knew what, why, when, where. Like you, I do not have a family history of T1D, but unfortunately my grandaunt is T2, and my great grandmother was T2 as well. No type 1-s known of. I was 26 at diagnosis.

The only other (meaning other than me) person in my family with type 1 was my grandmother diagnosed 40-41 years of age. Back then it was 'insulin dependent' when she wound up in the hospital, probably in DKA, like many diagnosed type 1. But plenty of other ailments caused by autoimmune disorders in the same (maternal) side of my family. MS. Rheumatoid (juvenile) arthritis. Lupus. Guilen Barre. Autoimmune liver disease. You name it, we have it. Dig deep. You may see autoimmune caused diseases of all varieties, even if no other type 1 diabetes.