How did you find out you had diabetes?

I had all the classic symptoms, Excessive Thirst, Excessive Urination, Weight loss, Craving for carbs (especially full fat coke!), lethargy. Would fall asleep every evening on the bus back from work. After a couple of weeks I worked out what it was and went to my GP and told him I was T1, could he please confirm. His reaction was you're 30 you must be T2, so he did a finger prick (mid 20's mmol/l) and took some bloods then wrote me a prescription for twice daily insulin and sent me away to get it and start injecting. No training on dosage, how or where to inject - thankfully the pharmacist was T1 and was able to help me.

Next day GP called and said C-peptide confirmed T1 (resisted the urge to say told you so) and arranged for appointment that day with DSN (who was dismayed at the GP for how he dealt with me) and urgent appt with Consultant at the Hospital.

Never saw that GP again !

As I have a family history of T1 and T2 diabetes, I was tested every 6 months from my early 30s onwards. One day in my late 30s a routine test found I was prediabetic. I didn't think much of it and thought I would be fine for years before I'd need to do anything about it (wrong, I know). Then less than one year later another routine test showed T2 diabetes. Age 38 (I think). I was annoyed that it had happened so young, but decided to get on and make the changes needed to get it under control.

I also got these classic symptoms such as weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination etc. Then I go to see my doctor.

I had all the symptoms - really thirsty, headaches, constantly tired, I'd lost around 2 stone quite rapidly. I put it down to the contraceptive implant id had put in about 6 months prior so I booked an appointment to have it removed. Even with my mum being a type one diabetic and knowing all the symptoms I never thought it would happen to me! My mum had been taken into hospital as a DKA patient and the following day I was admitted and also had the start of DKA which is when I found out I had diabetes. Apparently I was very lucky! the nurses and doctors couldn't believe we were both in with the same thing. I'm still struggling to get my head around it all a year later which is why I've joined this forum to hopefully learn from experiences and gain better management

with a family history my doctor gave me the strips to test my urine felt ill one morning there it was blood test confirmed it.

I had the typical thirst thing going on for years and my GP at the time just said "do you pee?", stupid really, I know better now, I should have insisted that he at least considered the possibility of diabetes, especially with my dad being type II, my uncle type II, my aunt type I.
It was a good ten years later that I was applying for a life insurance and my urine was tested, diagnosed after the usual bloods although not prescribed anything for 3 months, didn't receive any advice or anything, only a telling off by the endocrinologist at ?.?. hospital.
I think my particular experience might indicate that all this stuff about people now being diagnosed with type II isn't just about more people having diabetes but more people being diagnosed. Previously you probably went to the grave never knowing. Just an opinion.

Went in for a glucose tolerance test, my obgyn was expecting insulin resistance or full t2, wasn't expecting to get told T1

I was exactly the same as you...I didn't realize but I just thought something was wrong with my health...but it was during my exams(getting into college for graduation)...so I thought it was stress and tension about exams..but as time went on situation worsened...I had to go to washroom for every 1 hr 30 min or so(polyurea)...and drank 8-9 bottles of water(polydipsia)..
So I had my blood test done and my BG was 33.8 and I was rushed to hospital and then I was said I had DKA..I had tears and they never stopped for an hour as I couldn't take it..and I was given treatment for it...
Thanks to my doc and nurses...I am still alive

I was lucky, sort of.
My sister was diagnosed with pregestational diabetes and given a monitor to test her BS.
Decided to play around with the new toy she had brought home and found my readings to be a bit high, mid-low 20's, tested it a few times over the following weeks. No symptoms that I was aware of, trip to GP and diagnosed T2 with HbA1C of 118, oops.

I was told I had diabetes, it was only through blood tests I had done at the Gps a year last April. I didn't have diabetes 9 months previously, because I a load of blood tests done for an operation. I did not present any symptoms at all for T2.

I didn't have any of the typical symptoms.
I was having abnormal heart rhythm so I went the Dr and he ran some tests it turned out I had diabetes and the heart problem was due to an autonomic neuropathy which indicated that I must have had diabetes for about 10 years before diagnosis, I also had an eye examination and it showed that I had retinopathy too which required laser treatment.
A few years later I had to retire from work as an I T Specialist due to me loss of eyesight, I have been retired for 12 years now and everything has just got worse - I hate this disease
Look after yourself folks before you get any damage.

I caught diabetes (t1) through a virus. The symptoms were feeling extremely tired nearly all the time, excessive thirst (literally did not stop drinking any sort of fluids), that lead to excessive urination and weight loss.