Type 1 Sharing type 1 diagnosis experience

Hi all I thought I’d share my type 1 story to help those who may possibly be going through the experience.

Roughly 5 years ago my sister who was around 4 years old was diagnosed with type 1, as part of research through trial net me, my brother, mum and dad all got tested for the antibodies through trial net. It was found out I had 4 out of the 5 antibodies and I was told I was almost guaranteed to get type 1 however the time until diagnosis was unknown, alas around 5 years later I was diagnosed at the age of 23.

I have been on insulin for just over a month and wanted to share that although it’s scary at times and you can overthink it all and get in a tiz about it, that the reality really isn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I’ve had around 2 years of feeling so run down and and tired due to my failing pancreas that I can’t begin to describe how much more alive I feel this last month or so. So all in all my advice to anyone who may be the same as I was.... don’t dwell on the negatives focus on the positives my life hasn’t changed or been turned upside down like I thought it would be in fact it’s quite the opposite! I have lost my hgv licence (which I fully intend to get back) but that is just about the only thing thats changed! You can achieve whatever you want and type 1 is no barrier it’s merely an inconvenience. Achieve your dreams and focus on the positives! Thanks for reading!

Juicyj said:

Hello @FarmerSam1996 Great post and thanks for sharing your story.

I was a bit older than you when I got my diagnosis I was aged 38, it was a huge shock for me as been healthy all my life, but after a while I got used to the routine and gradually over time I've got educated, done a DAFNE course and am now pumping insulin. I echo what your say about don't let type 1 crush your dreams and don't build barriers, I've taken up running over 4 years ago and use my type 1 to keep pushing my fitness levels, today I did my first 10 mile run and aside from a borderline hypo for 3-4 miles I finished it, now hoping to push on for a half marathon.

Stay positive Sam, and keep posting, nice to hear from you

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@Juicyj I think I may have needed a jelly baby or two to do that that’s a great achievement! Thank you for your kind words!

@ert keep pushing on I know exactly what you mean but try not to let it get you down and take each day as it comes! There will be bad days but there will certainly be good ones as well!