Hello Everyone!
I woke this morning, checked my emails to find comments from you guys already! Thanks so much, I feel welcomed already !!
So, as you may have guessed my name is Liz. I'm 19yo and studying at university and am from the UK. My diabetes story is very much an odd one, and i've not found anyone like me -- sounds "special" but it really isn't!!!
I was diagnosed at 16 with T1 diabetes, however no ketones (still never had!) and also wasn't sent into hospital, i've never tested positive for antibodies either. And not a T2 for certain as tests have been done for IR and were negative as well as being young and fit and healthy without a strong family history!
I was put on a basal/bolus regime, 10 units basal and 4/5 with meals. That continued for around 6 months however during this time I was eating to accomadate for the insulin and not covering what I ate with insulin as it should be! This made me gain quite a bit of weight as you can imagine especially considering how I was at diagnosis (though mainly water weight). So I started eating less pretty much enough to fuel me on so to speak. This lead to a reduction in my insulin needs quite dramatically, I was taken off of background insulin and eventually also off of meal time insulin. Wow, quite extreme really, I didn't know much about diabetes obviously and didn't know this wasn't normal! We were told I was in a honeymoon period end of.
Now, three and a half years later... i'm still off of any insulin or medication and manage my diabetes my diet and exercise/more like general activity. Up until last year I still thought I was on a honeymoon period, I got a new GP and he was completely flummexed when I told him "yeah i'm diabetic but i don't take anything for it".
So I guess i'm one of those type 1.5s, not really LADA but slow-onset T1, apparently really slow onset. I've never found anybody my age who is the same as me! From everything I have read the youngest I have found are people diagnosed at 19 - 24 and above. But I was typically really still in the age range of definate T1. My levels fluctuate a lot, they are very hard to regulate, and I still experience hypos despite no medication down to 57 and then rise up to ~216. I have quite a threshold interestingly, too many carbs can send me to 450 but never above!
Anyhow, thats pretty much me and my diabetes in short form! As you can imagine there have been so many ups and downs throughout this so far. I still don't actually have a positive diagnosis i'm just presumed T1.5 diabetic. And they've never checked to make sure I am actually human :P!!!!