Hi, I have called myself Irene Banting to honour Banting who discovered insulin and the little research dog whose name was Irene. I remember being diagnosed , aged 11, in 1963. I was in hospital for 6 weeks. The nurses on the ward I was in at Ipswich Hospital clubbed together and bought me an insulin injector gun. Makes you feel old when your sister finds one exactly the same in an antique shop! I had a little container of steel needles wrapped in velvet, and each needle had a fine wire through it to keep the hole from getting blocked. Over the years I have progressed from once daily insulin to twice, and then four, then a pump in 1999 and more recently continuous glucose monitoring. I got my first glucose meter when I emigrated to Perth, WA in 1980. It had its own tiny suitcase which I still have. You had to put a huge drop of blood on the strip, time it, then wash the Blood off with a little bottle of water, then blot it with a tissue and then put it in the machine. It wasn't very accurate as it actually just measured depth of colour. It was called a reflectance meter. I went through many years with terrible control and an eating disorder, so I feel very fortunate to still be relatively well. There is recent research pointing to, I think,4 or 5 separate type one genotypes, one of which appear to have less microvascular complications and less frequent severe hypo's. This research was done in Perth and I was a participant. I suspect I might be in that genotype, as after 55 years I have no retinopathy, and have never had a hypo where I needed help from another person. I feel symptoms at a BGL of about 4- 4.2. I really think it must be so hard for people with hypo- unawareness. The worst things for me are the frustration of aiming for good BGL's, the fear of complications, and severely painful feet and legs for the last 20 years. This has led to me having to give up many of my pastimes like walking and dancing. Still I would rather have T1 than T2 any day.