Diabetes Community

Hi Dr.D thank you for the acknowledgment

I was diagnosed back in 1989. I was 12 at the time and don't remember much except that I had been quite sick from quite some time.

First I had strep throat numerous times. Then in February of '89 we thought I had strep again, but after a few weeks of the bad sore throat and not getting any better (and other symptoms I'm sure that I just don't remember lol) I was diagnosed with Mono.

Fast forward a bit and I was still unwell and losing weight (I had lost probably 30 lbs) my mom trekked me back the the doctor again. I remember the doctor looking at me thinking about what to do then, she went out and get my urine sample that I gave before my appointment.

Well the glucose in my urine must have been through the roof. She gave a detailed explanation about what diabetes was, complete with drawings of lock and key etc. Funny think was I had recently read a book called "Don't Call me Sugar Baby" about a 12 year old girl diagnosed with diabetes, so I kind of knew what I was in for.

I remember my mom letting me finish my bag of m&m's in the car on the way home to pack my bags for the hospital, where I stayed for 2 weeks, learning how to test my blood sugar (no meters then, we used chemstrips) and injecting insulin into oranges,

And here I am nearly 21 years later, some minor damage but otherwise still kicking

FYI to the other type 1'ers I did create a Type 1 exchange
http://exchanges.webmd.com/type-1-diabetes/forum/index

Thanks Dr. D for acknowledging the T1s. I was diagnosed on June 9, 1964 at the age of 12. I've noticed quite a few people that have been diagnosed around that age. What's up with that, do you know?

I remember the boiling urine sugar test, the glass sryinges and big needles that were used over and over again. I made it through the teenage years and 20's, 30's, and 40's without any bad complications. Now I have some neuropathy and in 1997 had triple by-pass surgery. Other than that I am fine. I consider myself very fortunate to not have terrible complications after the way I didn't take good care of myself earlier on..

Now I am on the insulin pump since 2006 and love it. Control is so much easier. Although I still do have some wide sugar swings for no known reason. I also use the Dexcom 7 when I can afford to buy the sensors, since my insurance does not pay for them. I just lost my job when the store I was working at closed on Thursday. So now I am not buying the sensors. I am very hypounaware at times, so I do really miss it.

I was diagnosed with Type I at a late age (46). It was my son's 16th birthday and we were having a crawfish boil. After we finished eating, I had a thirst that I couldn't satisfy. At first, I figured it was the crawfish that made me so thirsty but, when I couldn't stop drinking water it was at that point I figured I must have diabetes. So, I made a doctor appointment with my PCP and she ordered blood work. Well, it came back that I had diabetes and I also had a hyperactive thyroid. My PCP sent me to an Endo for my thyroid but, she treated me for the diabetes. She diagnose me as a Type II because of my age and put me on oral meds. Well, those meds didn't work and I was loosing weight very fast.I was soooooo sick I couldn't do anything. My PCP told me that she didn't know that much about diabetes. I started doing some research because I couldn't believe that I was type II. I was very active and thin my whole life. I read the lab report and it said my glucose was 1000 and I had large ketones. To me that pointed towards being a Type I. Well, when I was at my next Endo appointment I asked him if he would test to see if I had the antibodies for Type I and he did. I remember him walking into the room with a sad face and said, well you are definately a Type I and you will be on insulin for the rest of your life. After I started on insulin I started feeling so much better. I 'm currently using an Insulin Pump with a Continuous Glucose Monitor.

Liz, the mean age of onset for type 1 diabetes (actually there are 2) is 13 and 40.

weird huh?

dgarner11, is there a link we can click on for your Type I Exchange without having to type it in??? I'm lazy! smile

ha ha I guess I didnt "link" it in my post eh?

http://exchanges.webmd.com/type-1-diabetes/forum/index

How do you put in the smiley faces? I read somewhere you had to type it in. I did that and it didn't work. Another thing, when I click on the box to put it on the watchlist to alert me by email to new posts, it's not working for me, am I doing something wrong?

Thank you, I'll check it out in a little bit!

dgarner, I didn't know that. Very interesting. Hope you don't mind me chiming in here. I used to be over at the "old" Type 2 board, but read the Type 1 board, too. I do that because I take insulin with four injections daily. Lantus as a basal at 40U and Humalog at meals depending on what my blood sugar reading is before I eat. There aren't a lot of Type 2's taking insulin, so I try to gather as much information as I can that may be helpful to me also. I realize the two are completely different diseases. Had some experiences with lows that caught me by surprise because of the suddeness and the bad feeling that accompanied them.

I was just surprised to read about the median age of 40 also.

That is very weird. Have you ever seen it explained why that is?

nope..I just remember going to a support group meeting and the guest speaker (A local researcher) told us that.

he said this is why its so hard to pinpoint an environmental cause, patients have already had 12-40 years of exposure to various environmental factors

I was first diagnosed abt 4 months ago when someone was telling me how they felt and that they were diagnosed with type 2. That made me go to the local hospital and find out, well my sugar was at 360, I was devestated to find out that i had diabetes. I kind of new it was coming but not a youg age. My grandmother had it and also my father and younger brother. I am still trying to get it under controll, it is getting better i must say after my doctor added another medication with my Metforman it has gotten a little lower, it is around 130 to 180 now. But brfoe it was in the 190's to over 200. My main thing is the eating, i have trouble staying away from sweets. Can you give me some tips on how to achive that and how to lose weight i also have a problem with that.

No diabetes here. My A1C and fasting BG are stubbornly in the normal levels unless I am on prednisone.

My mother has insulin dependent diabetes. Diagnosed over 20 years ago..almost 30 with Type 2. She didn't take good care of it-for a number of reasons:

1. Doctor didn't provide appropriate information
2. Information she did receive required drastic changes hard to implement with the family and income she had then
3. She was busy taking care of other people
4. Strong tendency to be an emotional eater
5. Depression after we left home, after my sister had some serious issues with an abusive spouse and came back home, and after my father died

She has been on the pump for about four years and her blood sugar has been under 6 since she moved here last year.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 1999 while pregnant with my daughter (I was 37). At that time, I took insulin for it, and got it under control. I was never told by my doctor to get checked for diabetes after the delivery...

In 2004 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroidism and Type II diabetes. My fasting glucose at the time of diagnosis was in the 500-550 range ~ WOWSER I was losing weight like crazy but feeling like my head would blow off ~ very irritable, emotional, downright mean at times as my body was going haywire.

I took just about every diabetic med (sometimes more than one) during the next several years, but never did get my A1C below 8.8. Started insulin and that helped some, but still had a lot of highs and lows. I was surprised to find that the medications I was taking while a Type II diabetic specifically stated they could cause harm to the pancreas ~ um, don't I need that to make insulin ~ so I stopped taking that particular medication.

I was diagnosed as Type I in 2007, and I'm still not in control. I've switched doctors (endo) and also going to a doctor of chinese medicine that prescribes herbal treatments and accupuncture to help treat my diabetes and other health problems. Hoping to have a lot lower A1c on my next visit, which is in April. Last A1C was 9.1... Since 2007, we've changed to an organic diet and I've increased my exercise to 5 days a week. I don't take any pharmaceutical medications, only holistic or homeopathic, other than insulin and synthroid and T3.

I started the pump in 2009 and CGM about 6 months ago, but I'm hating all the 'equipment' I have to strap on and carry everywhere. I've stopped using the CGM as my previous doc didn't even bother to review the results after my initial 3 months of use ~ he was more concerned with my cholesterol, which is 256. Ticked me off so I stopped with the bothersome CGM (Dexcom 7) and fired that doctor.

Overall, I hate this disease ~ can't go anywhere, or do anything without checking my BS and insulin levels and carrying emergency glucose and my kit, and, and, and... obviously, I'm not a happy diabetic. I would love to get my A1c down to normal levels ~ I won't take pharmeceuticals as I have liver issues and that is non-negotiable. I want a doctor that will work WITH me to treat this disease, not one who thinks he can DICTATE what my treatment plan is. I am intelligent enough to do research, and have done quite a bit of it. I have found that a glucose-intolerance aggravates my BS, so no more gluten for me. Exercise helps alot, so I do it, and I enjoy it. I mostly miss my sweets, though I do have them in very small servings now and then.

Argh