Type 1 life

[marktype1]

Just wanted to know peoples opinions on this. I was diagnosed at the age of 8 and I am now 27 which means ive had type 1 for 19 years.

Obviously because I dont remember not being Diabetic, its nothing out of the ordinary to me injecting, taking blood tests and watching what I eat. Although at times it can be awful (when you get that random occassional night time hypo that makes you feel week for hours afterwards etc), I cant help but have strange thoughts about how weird it would be if I WASNT Diabetic and whether I would miss it if say for example, I was to have the option of curing it tomorrow.

Obviously I would take the cure but i cant help but think that being diabetic encourages me to be more active and healthy.

You probably all think i am absolutely nuts but hopefully a good discussion will arise

 

[Nicola M]

I was diagnosed at 1 years old and am 18 now so have had diabetes for 17 years and so it's just a way of life for me now doing everything. I'm glad in a sense I got it at the age I did rather than later as it meant I was already accustomed to not being able to have certain things and having things in moderation. I think being diabetic helps me to be healthier as I can't just go out and get cans of full sugar pop and drink it all day long like some people (to me the stuff tastes foul lol) and food control I believe is much better as I'm diabetic. I do sometimes think about what it'd be like if I wasn't diabetic, I would always take a cure if it became available.

 

[RuthW]

No, i dont think you're nuts. I've had it for 48 years since I was 5, so a cure would mean a fairly major change of identity.

 

[Anaelena]

I would probably have a constant nagging feeling that I am forgetting something

 

[Diamattic]

I was diagnosed like 16 months ago.. So i have spent my entire life being NON diabetic. All through school, university, starting a career etc, not diabetic at all. Now I am T1D. So I am the opposite of you lol

I can say with some degree of certainty that it is better to NOT be diabetic lol But it is not the worst thing that could have happened. It is a lot to think about, and i can certainly see that certain types of people might have a lot more trouble handling it then other types.

Like anything you get used to it, and it gets built into your routine.

 

[Rob2006Scott]

I agree with @Diamattic. I've only been T1 for a few months and it is one heck of a change. Much more to think about than before, as you all know. I do think I'm a lot more health conscious now, which isn't a bad thing. I don't think I was too bad before but now I think before I act.

The things I don't have now are the things I probably shouldn't have had before. So it's a strange situation to now be in. Yes I'd go for a cure but life goes on.

 

[Interaud]

It's comforting to know that adapting to life with diabetes can happen, thank you so much for sharing your views. Having been diabetic (Type 1) now for just one year (diagnosed at 49 yrs old) there really is some light at the end of the tunnel when it most definitely didn't seem like it this time last year.

I too agree though that it is definitely better NOT to be diabetic, but at the same time my eating habits have improved so much, I'm even cooking from scratch, but the downside is not being able to indulge in pastries and bakery food whenever I feel like it. Small price to pay though - I prefer to feel more content and able to adapt with my everyday life.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Well.....I'm about as good of a comparison as it gets.

I'm also 27, also a type 1, and my name also happens to be Mark. The key difference is that I was diagnosed a little less than 2 months ago.

I suppose things may change over time, but I don't "miss" the days before I had to carry around insulin and before I had a sensor taped to my stomach at all times. Sure, I wish I wasn't a diabetic, but that's not possible (at least not until a cure exists).

In the past, there were times I struggled to find motivation to eat healthy or go to the gym. Now, that motivation is constant as my life depends on it. In that regard, my diagnosis was a good thing.

 

[azure]

I'm the odd one out so far, it seems : D I think having diabetes has helped me understand the difficulties other people with long term conditions have, but I don't think it's had any effect on my eating habits or exercise. I'm far from perfect, but I've always paid attention to what I've eaten and tried to keep active. That hasnt changed because of the diabetes.

And as far as a cure goes, I wouldn't hesitate! Nor would I miss being diabetic. It's a pain in the neck (and other places!).

 

[philchap1]

I've had diabetes for 48 years diagnosed aged 7, can't remember life without it but it did make me want to be as good as everyone else and prove the people who were ignorant of our condition wrong, I would love to be cured but I think I would still live a disciplined lifestyle.

 

[Gaz-M]

I was 2 years old when diagnosed, 43 years for me now and in my years i rebelled ALOT and now feeling the results of this. I,m unsure I would take a cure as it would be like cutting off my arm or leg (which can happen haha) but not to have it now would be wierd. I maybe going on a pump soon and the thought of not having to do MDI is overwhelming in a scary way, my earliest memory's is being bent over a chair so one of my parents could do the injection in my thigh with a huge needle. To think this would be cut down to almost an 1/8th is good but still a worry (if that makes any sense at all)

 

[CarbsRok]

I was 4 1/2 when diagnosed 50 years ago, so obviously know no different. If a cure came along I would wonder what the side effects of the cure! would be, so on the whole think I would be very afraid of the cure when or if it ever came. In all honesty as I have had to be so disciplined in what I eat and when I eat, that habit would be very hard to break.

 

[azure]

@CarbsRok I'm taking it for granted that any cure would be free of side effects, easy and painless

 

[shelley_1983_]

With me I was diagnosed at 26

Just wanted to know peoples opinions on this. I was diagnosed at the age of 8 and I am now 27 which means ive had type 1 for 19 years.

Obviously because I dont remember not being Diabetic, its nothing out of the ordinary to me injecting, taking blood tests and watching what I eat. Although at times it can be awful (when you get that random occassional night time hypo that makes you feel week for hours afterwards etc), I cant help but have strange thoughts about how weird it would be if I WASNT Diabetic and whether I would miss it if say for example, I was to have the option of curing it tomorrow.

Obviously I would take the cure but i cant help but think that being diabetic encourages me to be more active and healthy.

You probably all think i am absolutely nuts but hopefully a good discussion will arise

 

[noblehead]

It would be strange not having to test bg levels and administer insulin but it would be a good strange

Find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn't embrace a cure if one became available.

 

[BeccyB]

I think if my T1 was 'cured' I would probably go crazy and eat loads of chocolate and cake just because I could - I'd be obese and having loads of other medical problems in no time!!

 

[Emilyprice]

I would be free of a life time of worry and anxiety and would skip around with joy!!

 

[azure]

I think if my T1 was 'cured' I would probably go crazy and eat loads of chocolate and cake just because I could - I'd be obese and having loads of other medical problems in no time!!

I think that : D But I reckon the novelty would wear off in two or three weeks so I wouldn't get too fat : D

In actual fact, I think I'd probably be too nervous about somehow 'breaking' the cure. I'd still test my blood sugar for weeks too as I wouldn't quite be able to believe it to start with.

 

[becky.ford93]

I'm in a similar situation to some people who've already commented in having had 21 years diabetes free before my diagnosis 7 months ago (to the day actually...maybe I should bake a cake? ) and I'd take a cure in a heartbeat. But if there's one positive thing it's probably made me eat a little better, or at least think twice before I eat. Sadly though it's also made me incredibly nervous about the future, the idea that having children is going to be a real marathon and that complications may shorten my life no matter how hard I try to keep controlled....it's a daunting thought. But I try to take each day as it comes.

 

[RuthW]

I'm in a similar situation to some people who've already commented in having had 21 years diabetes free before my diagnosis 7 months ago (to the day actually...maybe I should bake a cake? ) and I'd take a cure in a heartbeat. But if there's one positive thing it's probably made me eat a little better, or at least think twice before I eat. Sadly though it's also made me incredibly nervous about the future, the idea that having children is going to be a real marathon and that complications may shorten my life no matter how hard I try to keep controlled....it's a daunting thought. But I try to take each day as it comes.

Yes, I think I might eat something like a big gateau, then go for a run, not worrying about hypos or hypers. In fact, what am I saying? It would be a big thrill to go for a run first, without eating anything, and THEN eat the great big cake! You know, I think I could get behind this cure thing.