Recently diagnosed Type 1 at 63

[JAT1]

Hello Everyone, I was diagnosed 2 months ago with Type 1 and I am 63 years old ! (I feel very young though, probably younger than my kids.) I was wondering if anyone out there has been diagnosed Type 1 around this age.At first my general doctor said I was Type 2 because of my age, but when I went to the endocrinologist, she said I am definately type 1 and the general was shocked. I quit all meds and am on insulin. I lost alot of weight before going on insulin and gained a tiny bit back. I am making a huge effort to gain some more pounds as I am very skinny. I eat about 4000 calories/day. I do manage to keep my blood glucose in range most of the time, but that's because I avoid starch which was making me spike something awful.

 

[EllieM]

I was wondering if anyone out there has been diagnosed Type 1 around this age.

Well, I think the PM was diagnosed at 56...
Sounds like you're doing a great job on the diabetic control, hopefully the weight gain will happen if you persevere.

 

[JAT1]

Well, I think the PM was diagnosed at 56...
Sounds like you're doing a great job on the diabetic control, hopefully the weight gain will happen if you persevere.

Thank you !

 

[Dixon1995]

Generally we lose weight with the absence of insulin in the body leading upto type 1 diabetes, depending on how long onset is, once we start using Insulin again we start gaining weight, in most case, either way, good luck on your journey. Any questions ask as many as you need.

 

[Diakat]

I think @KK123 was a few years younger...

 

[Prem51]

Welcome to the forum @JAT1. I'm Type 2 so I don't know much about Type 1 but there are a lot of T1s on the forum. Ask any questions you want to and you will get a lot of helpful advice.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Yes, I was age 60 when hit. Do eat plenty of fats and proteins whilst controlling the carbs. The body is quite good at getting the weight right once on insulin.

 

[KK123]

Hi there JAT1, yes, as DiaKat says, I was diagnosed 15 months ago aged 55. I too presented with all the type 1 symptoms but at the start half the Drs I saw were leaning towards type 2 (because of age) and the other half were saying type 1 (because of the 'look' of me I guess and high ketones and high glucose readings). After a C Peptide test (low), an antibody test (positive for GAD), they have said type 1. I don't know why but my own Doctor (who is diabetic himself) always has a sceptical look on his face. I think this is because I am still only on 4 units of Lantus a day and maybe 1 unit of novarapid with the odd meal if it is a carb heavy one. I think this is because of the honeymoon period.

I seemed to be a 'problem' to begin with, 3 years before diagnosis I had been labelled 'pre diabetic'. I am told pre diabetes does not become type 1 and when I asked whether I could have been 'pre type 1/lada' then, they said no. It is all so very confusing. At this point, 15 months on I eat fairly low carb (on average around 60 per day but sometimes more), I take my very low levels of insulin and I consider myself to be as fit as a fiddle.

Have you had the C peptide and antibody tests done? I ask because you are only 2 months in to it and it took my lot at least 3 months before they did any specific tests. I was puzzled about the C peptide one because I was already on insulin so surely my body would not have had to produce much insulin of its own hence the low C peptide result. Sorry if I am confusing you but please ask any questions you want, in the meantime, and in the words of Bette Davies, fasten your seatbelt...…….x

 

[SueJB]

Hello Everyone, I was diagnosed 2 months ago with Type 1 and I am 63 years old ! (I feel very young though, probably younger than my kids.) I was wondering if anyone out there has been diagnosed Type 1 around this age.At first my general doctor said I was Type 2 because of my age, but when I went to the endocrinologist, she said I am definately type 1 and the general was shocked. I quit all meds and am on insulin. I lost alot of weight before going on insulin and gained a tiny bit back. I am making a huge effort to gain some more pounds as I am very skinny. I eat about 4000 calories/day. I do manage to keep my blood glucose in range most of the time, but that's because I avoid starch which was making me spike something awful.

Hey welcome @JAT1 I know exactly how you feel, I was diagnosed T1 2 weeks before my 63rd. Shocked!! you could have spooned me off the floor. I'd been losing weight for 2 years, trying to a bit but not manic, I'd lost 17k before T1 but I was overweight. I put on 10k and don't want to add anymore. I've never been a big fan of bread/pasta and the other culprits but so loved fruit so my diet has only changed with almost no fruit now.

A year on, I'm on tiny doses of basal insulin 4mmol morning and the same in the evening and very rarely have to bolus except when I eat out.

It didn't make sense to start off with, all the language and concepts but you do get your head round it........ well mostly and I'm sure you'll be OK too
If I can help let me know and there are so many brilliant people here who give really good advice. I don't know what I'd have done without their support

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @JAT1 welxome to the forum - lots of good advice offered already so can’t add much except please ask if you need support and best wishes

 

[Alexandra100]

A year on, I'm on tiny doses of basal insulin 4mmol morning and the same in the evening and very rarely have to bolus except when I eat out.

Hello SueJB, I am very interested to read this as I think I am pre-LADA / T1.5. I would like to persuade my GP to prescribe the lowest possible basal insulin, since however much I cut carbs I can't get my numbers down as far as I'd like. I did wonder whether injecting basal insulin would lead to a risk of hypos, especially when I exercise. Have you experienced this?

 

[Alexandra100]

I just checked the NICE guidelines on insulin and found this: "Hypoglycaemia is an inevitable adverse effect of insulin therapy". Can this be right?

 

[Daibell]

I just checked the NICE guidelines on insulin and found this: "Hypoglycaemia is an inevitable adverse effect of insulin therapy". Can this be right?

No not really. Depends on how well it's managed.

 

[SueJB]

Hello SueJB, I am very interested to read this as I think I am pre-LADA / T1.5. I would like to persuade my GP to prescribe the lowest possible basal insulin, since however much I cut carbs I can't get my numbers down as far as I'd like. I did wonder whether injecting basal insulin would lead to a risk of hypos, especially when I exercise. Have you experienced this?

Hello @Alexandra100 I've got doubts about my label but that really doesn't matter. They decided to treat me "aggressively" and so was prescribed insulin. The initial dose was 5mmol morning and another 5 evening. I decided, not my diabetic nurse/practitioners to lower after about 6 months so now on 4.

I have only gone below 3.9 on about 10 occasions in the whole year I've been diabetic and I only had what I presume is a hypo when I felt wobbly once. My BG very very rarely gets above 9. I eat well, mainly low carb but have an occasional venture into a little noodle or a bit of bread with pate. Going to Lyon on Wed, gastronmical capital of France so might have to do a little bit of bolus.

Suppose it depends on when you were diagnosed and what your little pancreas is pumping out

Hope this helps, if not ask some more

 

[SueJB]

I just checked the NICE guidelines on insulin and found this: "Hypoglycaemia is an inevitable adverse effect of insulin therapy". Can this be right?

Hi, too much insulin can, as far as I know, make your BG go low.... ie a possible hypo so I agree with @Diabell it depends on management. The thing is, I found the idea of having to inject insulin scary, worried about too much and complications of that and also of too ..........little but I never made a quick change and waited to see what food did. Clearly if BG was rocketing, I did the biz and hoped I was doing the right thing. I'm only just beginning to get a grip of it but do know for sure that low carb eating makes life so much easier.

 

[Alexandra100]

No not really. Depends on how well it's managed.

Thanks! So another example of the doom-mongering that tells everyone that diabetes is bound to get worse with time.

 

[Alexandra100]

Hello @Alexandra100 I've got doubts about my label but that really doesn't matter. They decided to treat me "aggressively" and so was prescribed insulin. The initial dose was 5mmol morning and another 5 evening. I decided, not my diabetic nurse/practitioners to lower after about 6 months so now on 4.

I have only gone below 3.9 on about 10 occasions in the whole year I've been diabetic and I only had what I presume is a hypo when I felt wobbly once. My BG very very rarely gets above 9. I eat well, mainly low carb but have an occasional venture into a little noodle or a bit of bread with pate. Going to Lyon on Wed, gastronmical capital of France so might have to do a little bit of bolus.

Suppose it depends on when you were diagnosed and what your little pancreas is pumping out

Hope this helps, if not ask some more

Thanks for the reassurance. Have fun in Lyon!

 

[SueJB]

Thanks for the reassurance. Have fun in Lyon!

You have to believe in yourself and your intelligence and what your meter tells you. It's a bit like a guessing game at the start, looking at what your BG is and how many, if any carbs you're going to eat and deciding if you need to bolus. The thing is, no one can tell you exactly what to do because all bodies are different. That was really hard for me to take initially because I don't tolerate ambiguity at all and diabetes is just that. There are so many vagaries and it felt to me as though I had nothing solid to hold on to. It DOES get easier slowly so don't give up.
Hope you're pricking lots and recording everything including a food diary.
Let me know if you need any more info.
Young at heart!!

 

[Alexandra100]

I was diagnosed T1 2 weeks before my 63rd

Do you know what your numbers were at diagnosis?

 

[SueJB]

Do you know what your numbers were at diagnosis?

My Hb1Ac was 118,
BG 14.7
ketones 5.1
I was sent to hospital and put on saline and had to go back the next day for more

Next day
fasting BG 13.3
ketones 2.4.... think they also gave me some novorapid.
I spent the whole day in hospital and left in the late evening with insulin and with a BG of 19 but ketones at 0.7 so that's what they were worried about
One month later my Hb1Ac was an amazing 66