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?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.
Juanita, what a moving story that is. An incredible journey. You are an inspiration to us all!I was diagnosed in February 1948
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.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?