Has anyone here been a diabetic for more than 40 years?

Great to catch up with you again Ladybirdy. You've got me smiling again with your mention of drinking from the tap for minutes at a time. Just before I was put on insulin I remember well spending all of the playtime break at school drinking out of the tap in the boys toilet. Just coudn't get enough of it. Not sure if you noticed, but I remember any water I drank, at school, home or anywhere had a horrible taste but I still gulped it down. I have no idea why it seemed to have a flavour of it's own! I also remember buying a bottle of TipTop (maybe got that name wrong) concentrated orange juice, hiding it in my schoolbag and mixing in the water to drink in a wee bottle on the way home. The sugar content must have been huge.

I did all that for so long while waiting for the 'official' diagnosis. My mother had already picked up on the weight loss, drinking a lot and I'd been hauled to the doctors and bloods were taken.In those days it took a good bit of time before the results came through. I kept on with the secret 'orange-juice' drinking until I was admitted to hospital!

Bill

RuthW said:

Yes, @Ladybirdy, I used to walk to school and home afterwards with my sisters, and we were "partners in crime". The whole family was "on rations" when it came to sweets because of my diabetes (way to make the siblings love you), but whenever we had a few pennies we used to go to the sweet shop together, and stock up on all kinds of horrendously sugary treats. When we went "officially" to the sweet shop with my mum, twice a week, we were each allowed a 2 ounce "ration" of whatever we chose. Except me, of course. I got peanuts. Every time. I never complained or whined (because it was all just a role play for me, I knew I'd be hitting the sweet shop again sooner or later with the band of sisters!). The funny thing, looking back, is wondering how the sweet shop owner kept a straight face in front of my mum. And of course, I lost count of how many times I was carried off to hospital in an ambulance when I was a kid. And my parents never, but never admitted that my diabetes was not well-controlled. Or that I was Queen of Liars.

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Really made me chuckle . So, so very like my own childhood experiences lol.

rochari said:

Great to catch up with you again Ladybirdy. You've got me smiling again with your mention of drinking from the tap for minutes at a time. Just before I was put on insulin I remember well spending all of the playtime break at school drinking out of the tap in the boys toilet. Just coudn't get enough of it. Not sure if you noticed, but I remember any water I drank, at school, home or anywhere had a horrible taste but I still gulped it down. I have no idea why it seemed to have a flavour of it's own! I also remember buying a bottle of TipTop (maybe got that name wrong) concentrated orange juice, hiding it in my schoolbag and mixing in the water to drink in a wee bottle on the way home. The sugar content must have been huge.

I did all that for so long while waiting for the 'official' diagnosis. My mother had already picked up on the weight loss, drinking a lot and I'd been hauled to the doctors and bloods were taken.In those days it took a good bit of time before the results came through. I kept on with the secret 'orange-juice' drinking until I was admitted to hospital!

Bill

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"Secret orange juice drinking" lol lol lol.

It's really shocking how some of us led a secret double life isn't it. Like i said before, it's amazing g how we didn't seriously damage ourselves. With the lack of technology and info back then nobody could have know how seriously high our blood sugars were. Not sure it would have stopped me though at that age!

JonTheBlue said:

I was diagnosed in Sept 1954 so have been Type 1 for 59 years 9 months no complications to speak of. I feel very fortunate to have lived so long with diabetes with no complications and the only advice I can give is to learn to live with it, do not fight it and monitor your BG.

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In a word. Legend!

I agree - total legend!
And that was in June 2014. Hope you’re proudly displaying a medal JonTheBlue!
It’s 48 years today since I was diagnosed, aged 20: Christmas Eve 1969. I remember boiling those glass and steel syringes, and the huge steel needles (the secret was to inject with the longer side of the triangular point up or they hurt like hell), and using the wee testing chemistry kit in a public loo was always a special kind of adventure.
How much of whatever to eat was totally unclear unless carbs were limited to bread, potatoes and ice cream. It’s amazing that so many of us have survived
The arrival of bs test kits we could carry with us, insulins that allowed flexible meal times and glycogen friends and family could administer at home were a life changer. Anyone else remember being given a very painful armful of intravenous glucose?
I feel extremely lucky to now have a (self funded) libre, to have survived long enough to enjoy retirement and so far, apart from the way my bs have been playing silly-buggers for the last two months, to have no complications. Don’t know how I’ve got away with it this long considering the way any monitoring of bs was non-existent apart from a yearly lab test and judging carb intake was so hit and miss in the early days.
Enjoy life everyone; get out and walk, swim, ride, run, garden or whatever makes you cheerful; do things that make you smile and laugh - make the most of being alive.

Type 1 56 years since ate of 7

Type 1 - 54 years. Now 76 and on pump 2 1/2 years. Times have certainly changed since I was first diagnosed.

Type 1 for 47 years, diagnosed June 1970 aged 4.

I’m still alive, still living, still grateful to Banting & Best and still using animal insulin!

Happy Christmas everyone xxx

Just seen this thread.

I've been T1 for 40 years diagnosed aged 3 around December 1978

Do you think I should start a similiar thread for type2s? Not sure. What do you guys think?

ickihun said:

Do you think I should start a similiar thread for type2s? Not sure. What do you guys think?

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Give it a go - see what happens....

T1D for 45 years. Diagnosed at 6 years old on April 1st 1972. Have never been a very well controlled diabetic. "I" always knew better than the doctors!! Needless to say tghe doctores were correct. Lost my left eye 13 years ago. Would have thought that would have kicked my **** and got me to be a "good" diabetic.... Not the case..... I was diagnosed stage 4 CKD 2 years ago. Absolutely scared the life out of me thinking I would need dialysis which means more injections (I hate injections!!!( after doing over 58K of the bloody things)). Needless to say I am now a pretty good diabetic, only taken me 43 years to realize this lol. Recently been put on the Libre and hopefully in January will be going onto the Omnipod pump.... ALWAYS looking up now and looking after myself (90%) of the time. BUT still get the odd occasion of "WHY ME???"

55 years and everything still works. I thank DAFNE for a changing my method of coping with the disease some years back.

BOHDE said:

I became a diabetic at age 12 now it is starting to take it's toll. I can no longer work because of neuropathy. What is a person to do?

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Become a MP it appears to be extremely well paid, perks, pension, etc and do absolutely sweet f.a. Only a thought

44 years from glass and metal syringes with insulin lumps, to a medtronic 640 pump but have self funded libre but can no longer afford it, so looking forward to fight to get it, I am registered blind, neuropathy, toe amputated, foot ulcers, retinopathy, frozen shoulders, and hands ( my excuse for not buying a drink ) although it has dawned on me why do so many members photos make them look like dogs ? In my case a tricolour border collie with mood issues, hehe happy new year

Cant remember if ive added to this thread before,so i may be repeating myself!
42 years for me,diagnosed in 1976 at age 6 and i still feel like a novice.

33 years. Got it when I was 32. Glucose meters were new but I got one right away. Did MDI, using ultralente and regular from the get go then Lantus and Humulin etc. Pretty lucky I could maintain an A1C of about 6-6.5 the whole time. No complications. Hats off to those who had to deal with it before I had the advantages of a glucometer and modern insulins.

Type 1 for 47 years diagnosed when I was 21.
Have endured everything that life has thrown at me but so happy to have let nothing stand in my way!
I now have the libre and loving the FREEDOM of it.
Roll on 2018!

Coming up to 43 yrs now, I was diagnosed at 16, i'me on Lantus and Novo Rapid Insulin and so far have not had any problems! Last HbA1c was 5.9,

Hi Ive been a type 1 for 38 years. Had cancer and 9 stints in plus 6 hour vascular and endovascular
Surgery before Christmas last year. Didn't work- Outta breath and legs seize after 50 yards.
Am ready to give up trying to survive
I hope all the positive stuff continues here
But it's not all smiles hugs and kisses