Hello, I am 18 years old and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 2 months ago. I am just wondering… are there any others on here who were recently diagnosed so late in their teenage years? I feel like a lot of other teenage diabetics have had it longer or have grown up with it. This difference makes it a bit harder for me to relate to them since I am so new to diabetes as a teenager. So, are there any teenage diabetics who were diagnosed as teenagers? How did you cope/are coping? It would truly mean a lot to connect with anyone in a similar situation as myself.
I'm not recently diagnosed, it's been 53 years now! But I was diagnosed just before my 18th birthday, I spent my birthday in hospital! It is a shock, I didn't even know what diabetes was. But you are old enough to cope with things yourself. I just never let diabetes stop me from doing things. I gradually realized that as long as I followed the diabetes rules I could live the life I wanted. So good luck.
You're right, it definitely is a shock! I am trying to cope but it certainly is difficult… especially because I will be heading to college for the first time in the fall. It's exciting but terrifying with the new addition of diabetes. Thank you so much, Annabella, for wishing me luck and for the kind words!
Check on DiabeticDanica on YouTube.
I was dx'ed @ 16 although that was 1984 so I'm not a teenager any more, despite my attempts to act like one!!
The college I teach at actually has a Diabetes Club! So I'm sure you're bound to find fellow type 1s among students as well as among professors. This disease gives us all a bond. Good luck to you. This forum is such a great place to go for advice and empathy, but if there's anything I can do to help college-wise, please let me know, okay?
While I was diagnosed at 22, and not a teenager, I relate to not being able to relate to people who have had diabetes since childhood. It's just very different when someone's had it since they were practically a baby and I've only had it for a year and I had 22 years of life without it and my childhood didn't involve needles and carb counting, only my adulthood. They might know the struggle of fitting in as a child with a chronic illness and struggling with school, and I don't have that experience really.
I am 29 years old - I was diagnosed at 26. I cope by finding the best methods to treat my condition and applying them and posting/searching these forums. I exercise daily and have my special low-carb, high-protein diet. I have only ever met 2 other T1s in person (my cousin and my fiancee's cousin).
For myself, I am not sure it matters to relate to other people as a diabetic - just relate to them as people. Just because you have this fancy new illness doesn't mean you are suddenly very different or should treat others differently. That's like being Jewish and then expecting to relate to other Jewish people by talking about Judaism, dreidels and Hannukah. Its not going to work. You probably won't be able to relate very well if you expect to relate based on diabetes alone. You probably would be able to relate better if you share a love for horror movies or pop music. For example, the only "relatable" experience I have had was my cousin got super low and I could hear it in her voice and forced her to check her BG and eat something. Besides being comfortable checking our BG around each other we dont talk about it and the fact we both have it doesnt make that much of a difference in terms of how we interact.
That being said, these teenage diabetics could be a helpful resource to you for questions if they manage their condition well. However they may not be a good resource and you may need to search the forums instead. For example, my cousin who has been a diabetic for 14 years has a very high A1C and I have had to coach her a bit since I have had more success at controlling things, even though I have been a diabetic for only 2 years. Lots of people on this site talk about the best diets, supplements, exercise routines to deal with the physical condition. They also talk about the emotional experience like relating BG targets with self-esteem, feeling tired about constantly controlling your condition or the depression that can come with having a chronic illness. Feel free to post when you have questions or just need to vent about your feelings - you will always find somebody willing to talk about it with you.