Thanks Peter -well said!
Hi Robyn,
I was diagnosed at the age of 28 when I was pregnant with my son. I had gestational diabetes and then it came back full force 1 year later after a brief honeymoon. I am now 46, so I have been living with the disease for 17 years. I was also originally misdiagnosed as a type 2. I am the only one in my family with diabetes and it has been difficult since theyāre not very supportive. Most of the time I just feel diferent. My mother even referred to me as a science experiment because I wear a pump. I do feel a lot better since getting my pump 5 years ago and have a lot more energy than I did with MDI. Some days are good and other days not so good. Exercise is a big factor in how I feel, so I try to go to the gym or walk about 5 days a week.
I try to stay positive and take each day as it comes.
Good luck to you,
Leslie
I was misdiagnosed as Type 2 due to my age of 58. I am actually LADA/1.5 which is considered Type 1 because the ADA doesnāt recognize LADA yet. Itās believed that about 15% of Type 2ās are in fact LADA. I too am a vegetarian. The sugar wasnāt a problem for me as I hadnāt eaten sugar in 13 years due to an eating disorder. But as a vegetarian I ate way too many carbs (pasta). Iāve had to make adjustments to my diet which being a vegetarian and a bit of a foodie means more cooking and being creative. Since Iām mostly retired I have the time to do that and consider it a challenge and fun. I donāt know if itās harder to be diagnosed when youāre older (changing well entrenched habits) than when you are a kid. I canāt even imagine how I would have survived my tumultuous adolescence if Iād been a diabeticā¦I probably wouldnāt have. I feel like I have the coping skills to take this life change in stride at this point in my life.
Hi Robin:
I was diagnosed Type 1 six weeks ago, two and a years after an initial Type 2 diagnosis. (The Type 1 antigen probably showed up not long after the initial diagnosis, because no matter how much protein I had for breakfast I could feel myself crashing by 10:30.) Although I was relieved to finally have an explanation for the dehydration and exhaustion, it was devastating to realize the scope of daily maintenance and the economic impact of this disease and I lost composure more than once while laboring to calculate carbs and insulin. About the only thing that wasnāt difficult is that I never had much of a sweet toothābut I do like cheesecake, and giving up a full slice at one sitting was hard. With one or two exceptions, family and friends have been very supportive. My staunchest advocate has been my partner; the strength of her support carried me beyond the shock and depression of the first several weeks.
I want to speak a bit to your comment about Patti and Maureenās having been diagnosed after a flu bug. Clearly, flu does not cause diabetes but a compromised immune system will permit opportunistic infections; therefore, it would make sense that Patti and Maureen were already diabetic and their respective bouts with flu were merely indicators of a larger problem. For me, becoming Type 1 was likely inevitable. I contracted salmonella as a baby and I believe it forever compromised my immune system; I had shingles in my late 20s and have battled alopecia all my life (both are autoimmune diseases). So becoming a Type 1 was simply a logical inevitability.
I was speaking with a former co worker who was diagnosed a year ago, upset that I could never again make a move without sticking myself. She said that her despair by resolved when she thought of the person in the wheelchair who, if only they could carry a [insulin] pen and blood glucose meter, would probably be very grateful. I may be inconvenienced three times a day at each mealābut my functioning wasnāt irretrievably compromised.
Now, I want to focus on more meaningful endeavors, like railing against GMO (genetically modified organism) foods and, in particular, high fructose corn syrup, which has been proven (among other things) to diminish insulin absorption.
-vicki
I found out at age 33, the same age that Mary Taylor Moore was when she became diabetic. Reading her book helped. I havenāt done group because I thought it would be all Type 2s and if I hear any more advice about losing weight I will scream: lost 20 lbs just before diagnosis and am trying to gain 5 back. 
No, my relationship was gone before Dx. Itās not been to bad. I have fair control, my last a1c was 6.8 and thatās on MDI. They still arenāt sure about me. For Thanksgiving something went weird with no novolog, I went low about three times. Go guess I had to eat more than I wanted.LOL I do like treating lows with pie and cake.
Continuous Glucose Monitor - while not a substitute for pricking your finger - provides far more information about what your sugars are doing over the course of the day. In the past, I would test during the normal times: when I wake up, before going to bed, and before eating. Then Iād also test whenever I felt my sugars were off (typcially when I was really high or really low). My BG readings (finger pricks) that I downloaded for my doctor were all over the place. I argued that of course there would be a lot of highs and lows as I mostly test when I know my sugars are off to know how to respond. The CGM gives me a reading EVERY MINUTE. It can be configured to alarm when it predicts that my sugars will be out of a range Iāve set, and (in theory) allows me to respond MUCH faster to hyper and hypo events. My ultimate goal is to significantly reduce the standard deviation of my averages: lower my highs and raise my lows. So far it seems to be working. I have the Abbott Freestyle Navigator (http://www.freestylenavigator.com/en_US/application/html/freestyle-navigator.htm), but there are others out there. Best of luck to you!
Ahh - thanks. Iāve already learned a lot from joining this forum three days ago. Thanks for the info. Sounds interesting - Iām not sure we have those in Canada, but Iām going to look into it.
Wow. And in the beginning I used to think that it was us (the diabetics) who were going through a hard time. Itās definitely a change for the family too. Itās too bad that yours isnāt being as helpful as they could. Have you tried to explain the benefits of pumping to your mom? Thanks Leslie!
I was diagnosed at the age of 28, 13 years ago. Devestating would be my answer to my first feelings, along with me thinking Iād never have children.
I went through 2 years of talk therapy, actually, to get through all the feelings. My counselor equated what I was experiencing to the stages of grief, and I think she was right. Iām mostly at the acceptance part now, although I still get angry about it from time to time.
In the 13 years since my diagnosis, Iāve had 3 healthy and beautiful children, Lily is 11, Caroline is 8 and Samuel is 5. So far, knock wood, they are all free of diabetes. My thought (and hope) is my late diagnosis means its not a genetic thing. Weāll eventually find out if this is true.
I do experience bouts of depression. One thing I found out is chronic high blood sugars mimic many depressive feelings, so I do my best to keep my blood sugars well managed. I do not always succeed, but I try. Some days I just look towards the following day as its pretty much a loss with management. And I manage, not control. I have no control of my diabetes. But it does not control me.
My advice, for what it is worth, is figure out where diabetes fits in your life. First, you are still Robyn. Diabetes comes some place way down the line in your life. Donāt try to be perfect. There is no such thing. You do the best you can. Everyone has off days, donāt sweat it. Donāt let a doctor call you ānon compliantā. Until they walk a mile in your shoes, they have utterly no clue what it means to live with this disease. Sometimes it has a mind of its own. Donāt forget to put yourself first. Diabetes is like having a child sometimes. There are days its ok with not having all the attention and other days, its demanding.
I will admit, diabetes is one of the best things to happen to me. I no longer feel obligated to do everything. I can say no, and be proud of it. Iāve learned to take care of myself better and put myself first. No one else will take care of me and my diabetes, I need to do it for me. But Iām never afraid to ask for help.
Find yourself a good support group too. A support group can be a lifesaver. I have a type 1 women only group in STL I love. Its comforting to be among my own kind.
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I was diagnosed at the age of 45. Classified as a type 2 cause I am old and did not present in the ER with DKA, Iām still struggle to get a proper diagnosis and find effective treatment. Initially, I thought it might be a transient thing that might go away, or that it might not be too bad. But in the first year, it became clear this was not so. I had to make dramatic lifestyle changes, and nobody understood what I was going through, even those closest to me. I knew few diabetics, and many of those were poor models. I found poor support in the medical system and over time had to decide that only I could save myself. When you are young, you look at yourself as immortal, but with my diabetes, I suddenly faced my mortality by having to make many decisions every day that reaffirmed that. Looking back, a part of me died when I was diagnosed. I am not the same person. Like Caraās counselor, I went through a similar grieving process. It was a bit like that described by Elisabeth KĆ¼bler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying where she described the stages of grief as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.
I think if you are young, being diagnosed as a diabetic can be something that you donāt take as closely to heart. When you are older, it can hit you harder as you recognize your own mortality and frailty of existance. I am not the same person I was before I became diabetic, and it is not just my pancreas.
I was diagnosed at 21 in DKA at the emergency room (yes, I put off going to the doctor for months!).
It was the summer before my last year of college and I had already applied for an exciting opportunity to study abroad (in Hungary). In a way, my diagnosis came at a āgoodā time (if there is such a thing). As I was striving to become an independent young adult and this was exactly the test for me. I showed myself and my parents that I was prepared to handle the challenges that life through at me. I had support from friends and others, but the diabetes was mine (and definitely not my parents). I was determined not to give up the chance to study abroad. So one year after my diabetes diagnosis, I arrived in a foreign country with lots of insulin, test strips, and syringes and figured things out where I didnāt know anyone and didnāt have an endo. My control wasnāt great, but it was OKā¦ and 6 years later Iām still here and married to a Hungarian So thatās my story!
I think that I still have the hardest time with controlling my diet. Iām not sure if that is a struggle because I was diagnosed as an adult OR if itās just me and I would have struggled with it no matter what age I was diagnosed.
I scorned dieting all through my teeange years and 20s (before I had diabetes). Mostly, I was lucky not to have to diet to stay healthyāI ate what I wanted within reason and exercised a little. I always thought strict dieters were trying too hard, that fad diets were the stupidest, and that everyone should relax and refrain from dieting on occaisions like parties or eating out. Now Iām on a non-dairy (for allergies) low-carb (for diabetes) diet for the next 60 years. I canāt think beyond the next few months or I freak out. I still havenāt figured out how to handle the low-carb thing at parties without seeming like a kill-joy; partly because Iām still bummed that I canāt indulge my sweet-tooth and have to stay sober enough to give myself a shot despite the insulin making alcohol 3x as potent as normal (and I was a light-weight before). I am hugely grateful though, that I donāt have to give up chocolate like I thought I would when I was first diagnosed.
I was precisely 42 1/2 when diagnosed , 27 years ago and the terms type 1, type 2 were hardly used in my part of the world ā¦".one had diabetes " ā¦I decided to take it on as a serious disease, stay focussed and learn as much as I can " and today I can say : NO complications .I did realize, that my BGās were not coming down with meds and asked Doc to put me on insulinā¦2 months later I started to use insulin .Learning from here on in !!
And I did not have to go through eatng , drinking freely the sugar life ā¦I always was focussed on eating healthy meals ( I was a Director od Food Service in a Hospital for over 15 years ) I realize I am only answering part of your question ā¦off to doggie walk in the snow ā¦
I was diagnosed at 53, DKA in the ER, near death with 809 BG. Had many sugar-ful years. Shock & more shock, like the others here, to be diagnosed past the usual age. No history of diabetes (either type) in my family. Iāve always been healthy, strong with tons of energy. Other than a bout of pneumonia, I never got sick. Ate well by avoiding processed foods, organic when possible, lots of vegetables (was a vegetarian for decades) & my weight has been the same since high school.
For weeks prior to diagnosis, I felt sluggish & intensely hungry. One day, my vision changed & the unquenchable thirst began. I ignored all symptoms (stupid!) & just thought I was coming down with something. After two days of vomiting, my husband put me in the car & drove to the ER over my protests that I just had the flu. At least, thatās what I thought I was saying. He said I was incoherent & barely conscious & had to be carried into the ER. Woke up in ICU with no clue how I got there. I also had pneumonia.
Honestly, I donāt know if Iāve gotten over the shock. Some days it still feels surreal. Some days I feel angry that my body has betrayed me. Most days, though, Iām grateful to be alive because I believed I was dying in the hospital.
Depressionāyes. I think itās unavoidable. I donāt mourn the food part, but the lack of freedom gets me down. The degree of self-absorption that goes with this diease also weighs on me.
As bsc said well, having diabetes later in life is an additional constant reminder of mortality. I wasnāt one of those people who freaked at turning 40 or 50. Now, I think about complications, what I can no longer do, or do the way I used to. My general outlook has become less positive. Iāve become mindful when before I was spontaneous.
My husband & friends have been supportive. Iām fortunate. Their reactions pretty much mirrored mineāshock, disbelief, sadness, worry. My sister doesnāt understand the emotional toll or the physical roller coaster. Sheās one of those who thinks itās just taking insulin. Iāve learned not to talk to her about diabetes because it only hurts when she brushes me off. My mother insists that stress brought diabetes on, which makes it my fault. I had to tell her never to say this again or I wouldnāt speak to her about the topic. Sheās encouraging, supportive & has been learning all she can. Most difficult on my husband, who worries constantly. I think itās harder on him than me. This makes me very sad.
I was wrongly diagnosed at 45 as a type 2. I had no symptoms nor risk factors other than heredity. We treated it with oral meds and diet and exercise. Several years later while training for a marathon I started having athletes foot and jock itch. I assumed it was from the high level of exercise and treated it with over-the-counted meds. When it didnāt go away i saw the doctor. She ask how my sugars were doing. I hadnāt tested regularly cause I had been in such good control and i was eating right and exercising. Wrong! Fungusā love high blood sugar. My A1C came back around 12. We did all the other tests and Iām now LADA, on the Animas Pump and Dexcom CGMS. It was an eye opener. I delved into the technolgy available to deal wiht it rather than take the āpoor meā attitude. I didnāt let depression over my condition ever get a foothold. My last A1C was under 6 and Iām happy as a clam. Granted, itās a lot of work, but hopefully worth it in the long run.
Iām a LADA. I was diagnosed as Type II at age 46 (ābecause youāre so oldā) and then āupgradedā to Type I a year or so later by my endo. I had the three āpāsā for a few months before diagnosis and a bg over 500 when diagnosed, but not DKA.
Not knowing that much about diabetes, I wasnāt scared and didnāt freak out. The only diabetic I had known well beforehand was my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Tevis, who was open about his diabetes and always appeared to me to be a strong, healthy and vibrant man. I put my head down and went to work.
I quit smoking, starting cutting out highly refined foods, eating more vegetables and fruits, and began exercising. Since then Iāve run two marathons, three half-marathons and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Iām in better physical condition than I was before diagnosis.
In addition, finding this place and the rest of the on-line diabetes community and actively participating has helped me avoid loneliness and depression, I think. I still get ticked off and throw my meter across the room once in awhile, but what the hell.
Welcome to the club,
Terry
My diagnosis was three months after I turned 30. Luckily I found out from a visit to my doctor, and did not end up in the hospital. It was at the time when the Atkins craze was huge and all of the people at my work were on Atkins (but not me!) They started to tell me I was losing weight. I couldnāt see it (just donāt notice stuff like that) and I thought it was just because they were so weight concious. These comments kept happening for a few months. Then one day I stood up and brushed something off my pants, and my ring fell offāthat had been on my finger for years! Thatās when I thought, hmmmmā¦ So I called the dr and went in that day. I had eaten a salad for lunch and my BG at 3pm that day was 18! (325)
When I was a teenager I had been diagnosed with Hypoglycemia, and I experienced lows about an hour after eating. I saw dieticians, who recommended that I always have protein with every meal, and snack as needed if I thought I was getting low. So, my eating habits didnāt need to change much with the Diabetes diagnosis. Interesting that my pancreas has always been a bit āchallenged!ā
I do feel super lucky with the late diagnosis. As an adult, I can take care of it myself and be in charge of my own health. Partying while being a teenager would have difficult, and I am glad that I didnāt have to think about it then.
Too funny, Nadine, I lost my gold band right before diagnosis, it just fell off and I never found it. Thatās a real sign you have lost a lot of weight! And people were really nagging me about my weight loss, especially at workā¦