Hi
@karen205 I was diagnosed when I was 51 with an HbA1c of 129.4, (you win!!), after a back ache which I though was menopause related. It's such a shock eh! I wasn't sent to hospital, just given a massive list of prescriptions, including insulin and a leaflet about driving from the diabetes nurse at my surgery - it was great
. This forum is the best place.
It's completely overwhelming, but it does get better.
I am 18 months in to LADA and got my HbA1c back into non-diabetic range within 3 months by low carb, metformin and exercise (speed walking for c.30mins/day) - I have my routine established and it works 95% of the time for now without much overthinking. I know I will decline to insulin at some point, but no-one knows when that will be. You will get into a routine with whatever treatment is needed by you, and it will become your new normal even tough that might still be hard to believe.
I definitely think it is harder to be diagnosed T1 at our age, you have lived so long without diabetes, and don't start off with all that parental support/innocence of those diagnosed in childhood, but there are plenty of us about who can completely empathise.
Hopefully you will get all the info you need from your medical team and/or this site, I'd still be waiting to be seen for my first appointment if I hadn't been proactive - I hope your hospitalisation has bumped you up the list - you have to grab those positives where you can