A-1-jeez!

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1

I’ve been asking my mom for the last year if she had any of my A1c values from when I was under their insurance… I can’t believe what she found.

I was diagnosed DKA in July of 1990. These are the numbers she had for my first ELEVEN years as a diabetic, followed by my more recent history. How am I still alive and complication free???

08.20.90 - 12.9
11.05.90 - 11.4
02.04.91 - 12.3
08.05.91 - 13.7
11.04.91 - 13.6
05.04.92 - 11.2
02.03.92 - 13.9
08.03.92 - 13.6
11.09.92 - 15.4 (WTF? - age 13)
02.08.93 - 13.4
05.10.93 - 12.8
08.09.93 - 12.2
11.01.93 - 13.4
(don’t know what happened to 1994, but I found where on my 15th birthday, my pre-dinner bg was 506)
03.22.95 - 8.9 (switched from exchanges to carb counting some time during this era, 95ish)
06.27.95 - 9.5
10.03.95 - 9.1
01.31.96 - 10.5
05.07.96 - 9.7
08.12.96 - 9.7
(umm…ages 17-20? are we just forgetting h.s. and college? don’t know about these…)
(some time in early 1998, switched to Humalog)
06.10.2000 - start pumping on a MM 508, no more NPH!

02.11.2001 - 9.0
07.22.2001 - 10.1

I pick up my own insurance and start documenting from then on, a few pump upgrades happen, etc…

03.22.2004 - 8.6
12.23.2005 - 8.3 (some time in this year, switched to Apidra)
07.28.2006 - 7.3
11.03.2006 - 8.0
05.25.2007 - 7.6
11.15.2007 - 7.0
02.29.2007 - 7.1 (joined Weight Watchers in April)
06.01.2008 - 6.9 (joined TuD!!!, got a Cozmo a month later)
10.27.2008 - 6.1 (started on a CGMS a month after this one)
02.10.2009 - 6.1
05.21.2009 - 6.1
07.10.2009 - 5.8
09.29.2009 - 5.6

Here’s to 19 years of S L O W progress, my friends!

2

wow! amazing to look back eh? Keep Pressin’ on…ur def’ on the right track now…great job!

3

WOW that is so interesting, I wish I could find some of my stuff… that would be interesting. See how my 17 years of being D treated me over the years…

4

Woa, Mel!! You certainly have come a long way and are a testimony of how taking ownership of your diabetes makes an impact on your numbers!

I am SO proud of you.

5

You have gone a long way, Mel. Thank you for sharing your numbers and being such a great role model to follow, showing us all how thing can get better and under control.

6

The teen years are so fun!!! LOL…My A1c was 17.5 when I was 15!!! LOL…Amazed I survived those years!!! But I kinda paid the price in that I have had 9 eye surgeries for retinopathy!!

7

You’ve definetly come a long way! I need to ask for my numbers, you have me curious now! :slight_smile:

here’s to a great A1C on the 21st!

8

Hi Melissa ;

wow that’s fascinating! I had similar results in my past 26 years of diabetes!
I agree; taking ownership of your T1D has a very positive impact of BSs.
Keep it up!
Wow you encouraged me to continue with my daily diary!

9

Those A1c levels are pretty high.Thank God that you are complication free.The pump is a wonderful tool to help diabetics control their blood sugars.

10

OMG! We coulda been twins with thos a1c’s! I remember my highest at 13.-something… I got the biggest lecture on the way home from the doctors office that day. Glad you’re doing so much better now.

11

Hi Melissa,

My kudos to you for keeping such detailed record over what must have been a ver hectic period of your life.

I wish I was that disciplined.

Cheers,

Henry

12

wow! thats crazy! i cant believe how much lower they are!
lol as for the high ones…i dont feel so bad for hitting 9.sumthin now
thanks for sharing!
b

13

You have come a long way! Way to go! Go Melissa

14

Mellisa,allow me please to copy and print this great work to show it to my children and their parents.Inspiring and great.

15

That is pretty much exactly what my numbers looked like since I was diagnosed at age 10 in 1992 - and I had no idea what some of those really high ones meant! I am so lucky to now be under good control and complication free at 16 years with diabetes. Good for you girl!

16

Alexis, that’s exactly how I feel. No one EVER explained to me or my parents that what we were doing wasn’t working or that the numbers were dangerous. They would say, "we’d like to see that A1c come down, but until my current endo, I swear I didn’t know it was something I had control over. They might as well have asked me to grow taller. It angers me how little both I and my doctors were truly understanding one another. I resent no one changing my insulins or treatment those first ten years or so. I was the model of discipline and never saw results, which is why I think I became less compliant in college.

17

Sohair, feel free to use my stories and numbers any time if it helps your patients. :slight_smile:

18

Oh wow - Melissa. That’s wonderful to detail! :slight_smile: Amazing history. And very telling, too. I remember switching from exchanges to carb counting right around the same time - because that’s when my 2nd was born, and I thought I had it all down pat, and boom, they change it on me! :slight_smile:

19

Your record keeping will inspire many, I’m sure. I hate logging, though I do take regular BGs and A1cs. Please keep inspiring- people like you are integral to elevating the Spirits of all of us effected by D. Thanks for teaching us to fight on with positive attive attitudes. Warm wishes to you and your family, Virg in Portland, oR

20

Wonderful Job Melissa! While I was diagnosed with T1 in my early 20’s, I’ve still felt the “adolescent” rebellion against diabetes. What an inspirational log showing that gaining more knowledge about D/owning your treatment is a huge barrier for many of us- but it can be overcome! Bravo!!