I just wanted to hear from us old-timers from the diabetes world. I’ve been Type 1 since 1959 at age 4. For me all is going unbelievably well - despite 45+ years of not taking care of myself. Until I stated pumping I never even checked my BG.
Any other old-timers out there want to put in their 2 cents worth?
If there is another discussion out there like this just let me know. I am new to tudiabetes.org, as far as taking part.
Hi Ron,
Welcome to TuDiabetes.
52 years and 2 months. Just a tad longer than you based on your profile. Still going strong.
Hey Danny, nope never had a problem switching other than getting used to being more careful and testing all the time. I always said (since I’m in IT and always on a coputer) that I would never test my BG as long as I had to stick my fingers. The soreness was unbearable to me, not to mention the occasionally blood marked keyboard.
Then when I started looking into pumping found the alternate site method, which took way too long in coming I said OK that works for me.
I am going to close this discussion, or should I delete it, and refer everyone to http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/ivehaddiabetesforover20yrs ? You old timers on the site please give me the advice as to how I should proceed on it.
Glad to hear it and keep up the good work, genetics or luck as the case may be!
Hi Ron, I am pleased to hear you are doing well. I was diagnosed in 1945, when I was 6. So that’s 65 years of type 1 for me. I have been very lucky like you. I have no complications. There is a man named William Rounds who was diagnosed in 1923. That was the year insulin was first sold. It is thought that William has lived longer with diabetes than any other person. Google his name and you can read his story. He has been type 1 for 22 years longer than me. A total of 87 years.
In 5 more years you will be eligible for the Joslin 50 year medal. The Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston gives medals for 50 and 75 years of living with type 1 diabetes. With your experience, you have a lot to share. I hope you will join the conversations and share your experiences.
Here is the link to the book I wrote about the first 64 years of my diabetes.
This is a link about the Joslin Medalist Program.
http://www.joslin.org/research/joslin_50_year_medalist_study.html
Hi:
How wonderful to hear from someone else just like me. I have done 56 years with D and am also doing “fine”. I too abused myself, never checked BG…well you couldn’t always check it…I have been on the pump for about 5 years and check my BG’s now. I have had two healthy children, who I am sure are healthy due to “luck” or good genes, nothing to do with me “taking care of myself”. I was raised to believe that D was a huge big secret and you always had to hide it. My mother’s favorite saying was “now, dear, don’t make a fuss”…when I was feeling low. I remember being in high school and always having to load up on “sweets - carbs” before a school activity like playing hockey or something strenuous. Do you remember the testing the urine, dropping the tablet (Clinitest) into the test tube, of urine and water ??? how nuts was that ?? the sugar is leaving your body at that point, of course there is sugar in your urine, but it has done the damage already being filtered out by the kidneys !! I remember stealing food as a child.
Are you suprised that we are still around ?? Gosh the horrors we went through !!! I was dx in 1954/55 at age 3-4 years.
I was also living in Nairobi, Kenya (colonial East Africa)
Sheila
There’s a group that you can join for Seniors with Diabetes 
http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/seniorswithdiabetes
Not quite as long as you, but I was diagnosed Jan, 1984 so I am coming up on my 27 year anniversary. Although I have complications, I am a fighter and still going strong.
I had a period of not the best management. I did end up with some retinopathy. Right about the time I got the retinopathy I got better about my treatment. I had some additional eye issues when I brought myself into control but then I settled down and I haven’t had any further complication in the last 15 or so years.
I’ve been at it for 33 years (diagnosed in 1977). For all my bad behavior, I seemed to have gotten out pretty easy. Now I’m born again, CGM’ed up, got a pump, and livin’ large at an A1C of 5.5.
I will have to look into it, I’ve been on insulin for 51 years this last March.
Sure I remember the Clinitest quite well and then the yellow test tape (my favorite). And then boiling and sharpening the needles on a gray whetstone of some sort and then boiling both the syringes and needles.
I wasn’t allowed to eat candy as a kid, but the doc told my parents a sugar cube was fine. So I cared two, sugar cubes wrapped in wax paper until I was probably 13 or so. That was when I decided to just stay “hi” so I didn’t have to worry about it.
Of course, some things never die, I still eat a pop-tart for breakfast every day, enough is enough! B-}
Yes, I am very surprised I am still around and so is my mom (97 years old on 10/2/10). They told her and my dad that I probably wouldn’t live past the age of 6 since I had “it” so bad.
I don’t think there will ever be a cure, but patches, like the pumps from time-to-time, but I wish they would figure out why some of us are in fantastic shape and others aren’t so fortunate. That is something they medical community may be able to fix.
You betcha!
Hey Welfare Queen, from your name you may be like me. Bad insurance, lots of expenses. That is the 2nd reason I signed up for the Artificial Pancreas reasearch study at UVA several months ago. I had never been part of a study (since I was 5-6 and they were trying to figure out why I was healthier than others). I figured I wanted to do it first to give back some of me that may help others.
Then I found out that the grant paid for my supplies for 3 months, how great is that?! All except insulin was covered.
I will begin Phase 2 in November, once they approve the dates with me, my wife and my other boss.
Phase 2 is mainly that they will artificially run my BGs up and down and see if the algorithms will be able to keep up…while taking blood samples every 30 - 60 minutes for 24 hours. But no supplies this time other than food!
Thanks I will check it out, but I don’t want to admit I’m a senior yet (yeah, an old snob). In my head I’m around 28. I have a site question for you or any of the old site pros here.
Is it possible to get the board to post them newest to oldest. I’m also a lazy 28 minded year old.
Great news all around, after the eye issues seemed to dissipate! I’m born again too, CGM’d for the 3 moths of research study I was in (I just didn’t care for it that much), on the Omnipod and living large with not as good of an A1C of 6.1% last time. I just got back from the blood test to check it since I started on the pod. I think it will be better but I’ll know in a week or so.
I’m working from home today which gives me the chance to post some and get more work done (no phone calls bothering me).
Stay well!
No where as long as you but I took Type 1 in 73 Does that make me an oldtimer?
That’s long enough in my book. How are you doing?
I have had type one for 41 going on 42 years now. I remember the testape and the old “exchange” system; I remember when home glucometers were the size of a " c" world-book encylopedia;, costing between $700 and $1000;and the insurance companies would not pay for them, as they were considered non-essential ( pre NCCCT study.l.Idid not really test my sugars with regulariity until the early nineties, and then that was only once or twice a day. I went on MDI around 1998-1999 or so, never really liked so many shots.They irritated my skin and I started getting the luimpy bumpies and scar tissue buildup… but was afraid of the pump. Not the pump itself, but the fact the the pump was acknowledging to me and to the rest of the oworld that I have a condition that requires a lot of care. I was active in many pursuits,and never really thought of my diabetes as a “big deal”. I got on the pump in 2003 and you could not tear it away from me now. Welcome to Tudiabetes, Ron
God Bless,
Brunetta
Thanks for the welcome Brunetta. I started pumping about 6 years ago and I told the doc she would have to pry it from my cold dead hands to get it away from me. Much better than shots and much better control for me at least.
Like you the big D has never been a big deal to me. As someone once said, “Everybody has something.”