How old were you when you first diagnosed with type 1?? And how long do you have it??

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RHNtype1

Well-Known Member
Messages
60
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Days when my blood sugars do not work for me, HOWEVER these are now rare days as I have a pump after 33+ years of diabetes.
Really easy to remember these thing for me still. I am 44, diagnosed on Bonfire night when I was 11.I still remember the cold macaroni cheese for tea in the hospital when my mum took ages trying to give me an injection, syringes were pretty big and nasty in those days, poor Mum
She never managed, I had been doing my own for a couple of days by then so the nurses let her off.LOL. ;)

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oldgreymare

oldgreymare

Well-Known Member
Messages
537
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Commuting, overcrowded spaces, especially after the arrival of covid-19...
Diagnosed age 51, 6 years ago. Following a virus I had been losing weight for a few months, excessive thirst and peeing, run down, etc. Not in DKA at diagnosis, but my endo advised straight to insulin, he was hoping for some beta cell recovery... But Type 1 confirmed a month later by c-peptide (almost zero) and GAD antibodies (+++) tests. Big surprise as I had a stressful job and was pretty much a classic metabolic syndrome profile before, so expecting Type 2 diagnosis!
 
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neels

Well-Known Member
Messages
111
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I was diagnosed at the age of 2. That was about 37 years ago now.
 
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juanita

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
cafes with NO healthy options - just cakes cakes cakes
I was diagnosed in February 1948, soon after I had measles. I was living in Southern Ireland and if our elderly (at least 80) doctor had not gone on holiday and got a young locum whom my Mum called out I would probably have died. She had been told that I had a wasting disease. Fortunately I was sent to Bon Secours Hospital in Cork and spent 6 - yes thats right - 6 weeks there getting fairly stabilised. I remember running away once in my nightie - I was allowed to go down the ward stairs to the outside to pick up the rattles that the younger children used to throw over the balcony. I never saw my mum all the time I was there as it was thought that it would upset my control. She told me after that she used to visit me and watch me play from behind a screen. Quite often diabetic children were put in homes but fortnately for me my mother was a determined English lady. I was 5 and a half and grew used to taking a note from my mum when I visited friends which told their mum no sugar and only 2 slices of bread with no jam!!!!! There were no sugar free confectionery then but I was given a lot of greens, cheese and salad stuff plus seasonal fruit. I learned to fend for myself and was only taken back to hospital once when I was 9 cos I had a hypo in class when a new teacher would not let me have a spoonful of flucose in class - ha - woke up in the boys' ward but soon sent home again. no H&S in those days - we diabetics learned the hard way but I managed to excel in academic subjects, and learn to swim at the local stony beach - without fussing adults - I knew when I was going funny and would never eat my pocket sweet unless I felt funny - Mum had drummed it into me that I would die and go blind if I ate sweets at the wrong time! I am still here at nearly 72 - absolutely amazed at all the gadgets and food analysis now available.

new diabetics - be thankful that life is so much easier and so many products have carb values printed on them. - use it and watch your blood sugars - I was once told that my diabetes was fairlyu mild and I could manage without the blood tests - and that was only about 25 years ago. I married despite medical advice, and went on to haave two healthy children despite dire prognosis from medics. fortunately for me it had been determined that a pre term cesearian would often help the infant and this proved to be the case in my case. my girls are now in their 40s fit and healthy and they and their children do not have diabetes - however they were raised in a sweet free or limited environment so hopefuly they will continue with their healthy lifestyles.
 
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SamJB

SamJB

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,857
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
juanita said:
I was diagnosed in February 1948, soon after I had measles. I was living in Southern Ireland and if our elderly (at least 80) doctor had not gone on holiday and got a young locum whom my Mum called out I would probably have died. She had been told that I had a wasting disease. Fortunately I was sent to Bon Secours Hospital in Cork and spent 6 - yes thats right - 6 weeks there getting fairly stabilised. I remember running away once in my nightie - I was allowed to go down the ward stairs to the outside to pick up the rattles that the younger children used to throw over the balcony. I never saw my mum all the time I was there as it was thought that it would upset my control. She told me after that she used to visit me and watch me play from behind a screen. Quite often diabetic children were put in homes but fortnately for me my mother was a determined English lady. I was 5 and a half and grew used to taking a note from my mum when I visited friends which told their mum no sugar and only 2 slices of bread with no jam!!!!! There were no sugar free confectionery then but I was given a lot of greens, cheese and salad stuff plus seasonal fruit. I learned to fend for myself and was only taken back to hospital once when I was 9 cos I had a hypo in class when a new teacher would not let me have a spoonful of flucose in class - ha - woke up in the boys' ward but soon sent home again. no H&S in those days - we diabetics learned the hard way but I managed to excel in academic subjects, and learn to swim at the local stony beach - without fussing adults - I knew when I was going funny and would never eat my pocket sweet unless I felt funny - Mum had drummed it into me that I would die and go blind if I ate sweets at the wrong time! I am still here at nearly 72 - absolutely amazed at all the gadgets and food analysis now available.

new diabetics - be thankful that life is so much easier and so many products have carb values printed on them. - use it and watch your blood sugars - I was once told that my diabetes was fairlyu mild and I could manage without the blood tests - and that was only about 25 years ago. I married despite medical advice, and went on to haave two healthy children despite dire prognosis from medics. fortunately for me it had been determined that a pre term cesearian would often help the infant and this proved to be the case in my case. my girls are now in their 40s fit and healthy and they and their children do not have diabetes - however they were raised in a sweet free or limited environment so hopefuly they will continue with their healthy lifestyles.
Click to expand...
What an incredible story! Sixty six years as a type 1 is absolutely remarkable! What's your secret? How have you managed to control it down the years?
 
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IdeaGuy

IdeaGuy

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Age 51, 3 years ago. My GP diagnosed diabetes when I was 40 and assumed it was type 2. When all oral medications and injectable peptides failed, he sent me to an endocrinologist, who did the right tests and said I was type 1.
 
Flowerpot

Flowerpot

Well-Known Member
Messages
424
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Diagnosed 36 years ago aged 12.

Wish I could rewind and cancel my rebellious years, they seriously weren't worth it. Looking back I can't believe I didn't use to care. Doing everything I possibly can to keep on track these days.
 
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Richmavdog

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I have only just joined the forum but have enjoyed reading many of the comments and find a great deal of useful info.
I have had type 1 since I was 13 years old and I have just had my 67th birthday, I recon that's 54 years.
Those days it was huge needles, metal syringes that had to be kept in surgical spirit, and the only sugar level testing was with urine in a small test tube and dropping a tablet in to watch for the change in colour. If I remember blue was OK but green through to orange was increasing percentage of sugar.
I am in good health with all my own legs and eyes.


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juanita

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
cafes with NO healthy options - just cakes cakes cakes
Tyronnster said:
So true lottie

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Click to expand...
I think I maintained a fairly reasonable control throughout by being scared by my mum - told I would go blind or lose my legs if I did eat anything sweet unless hype!!!! also we worked to the red line and black line diet sheets then - so many lines red (i.e. portions of carb foods) and so many lines black (i.e. protein). The emphasis then was to eat protein if hungry - there were no sugarfree foods then or drinnks. even when I had my first child my husband used to bring me lumps of lovely hard cheese (not so good for me now) and nicely washed lettuce into the hospital while I waited for my cesearian op. got really told off by nurse once as hadnt spotted lettuce container had leaked and bedding was sooooooooo wet. those were the days!!! while I was kept in bed to keep blood pressure down, my carb intake was very limited indeed but once I had had baby and allowed up first day home I went hypo busy with baby things!!! got carted to hospital but once I woke up in A&E I was told that my carb intake should have been increased and my insulin dose reduced when I was released - no one had thought to tell the diabetic consultant I was going home and so the shock to hubby!!! no probs once I knew - looking after the children meant a lot of running round and housework so maintained what the consultant termed a paedeatric insulin dose for many years. Returned to work when youngest went to primary school and worked right up to retirement. Have also driven for many years now - but have always been eceptionally frightened of losing my licence so probably do more blood tests than I need just in case. in my 70s now but it has worked - you need to work on type 1 diabetes to let it know you are in charge and not it. I am still on the old fashioned animal insulins as I proved allergic to the new so called human insulin. i lost hypo awareness when tried on it - and was so glad to be allowed back after two separate clinics, 10 years apart, had tried to get me off the animal insulin. I am so grateful to Wockhardt - I retain hypo awareness and just dont know how people could cope without the symptoms. it must be a nightmare.
 
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