So I started my unit secretary class this week. This class has 7 people in it (including me) , and it's all women. I never expected what I found: Someone else who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year (She was diagnosed in April and I was diagnosed in June so not even too far off?) How common could this even be? 1 in 100000000000000? Like type 1 isn't even the common type and I've actually never known another type 1 offline (I know a lot online obviously lol) ...yet I find another one in a class with 7 people in it???? We also have someone who is hypoglycemic on a regular basis but not diabetic (sounds like reactive hypoglycemia) . It's kinda crazy to me but at the same time great because I don't feel all that alone even though I kinda don't fit in with everyone else (I read the book and it seems no one else does? ) and my teacher has been wonderful about it and hasn't made me feel uncomfortable about it yet.
I agree, that is a big coincidence. I don't know what the odds are but T1Ds are not rare. I worked for a large company and knew several people with T1D. Once someone knows you have it they tend to tell you about others they know that have it.
Several years ago I was at a conference on visual impairments for special education teachers. I was sitting at a table with one other person who was around my age and who I had connected with (as we were both pretty young compared to everyone else there). I pulled out my pump to bolus for lunch, and she went, "Is that an insulin pump?" I was surprised she knew what it was and asked how she knew. She pulled out her pump. I was diagnosed when I was 9, she was diagnosed when she was 11, I think ... We spent pretty much the rest of the conference exchanging diabetes information and stories. I thought it was the weirdest coincidence.
I actually found out this person did because we were having a break and I overheard her talking about diabetes with the teacher and I waited until I could join in without interrupting and I was like oh I have diabetes and she was like "So do I!" then she talked about LADA, which I still think is just type 1 but regardless I like the open discussion about it because knowing that type 1 happens in adults is kind of crucial and something important to me for other people to find out. If I didn't find out then I woulda found out the next class period when she tested her blood sugar in the dark during a power point lol. I still don't think I could test in the dark and I have a meter with a backlight so that's a bit of a talent to me.
That would be cool! Especially when you were kids and that is a prime to find someone to fit in with. Also considering someone else with an insulin pump, I honestly don't see them unless I go to the endocrinologist (then basically everyone in the office besides a few people have an insulin pump) and I kinda watch out for them because I'm kinda nosy about that lol.
Yeah that's kinda how I feel, though I don't think this lady is as open to talk to me as I am to her , not sure if she's reserved or what but I've tried to make conversation with her about random things to get to know her (and other people) and she doesn't really reply :( . Makes me sad, but the fact she's another diabetic diagnosed around the same time makes me feel less lonely even if she doesn't talk to me. Sure as heck will make it easier when clinicals roll around.
Oh, sorry — we weren't kids, this happened a few years ago, so we were both adults. :) But we had both been diagnosed as kids, so talked a lot about our experiences growing up.
