I was 9 and I also have no idea what my blood sugar was or even whether I was in DKA (if I wasn’t I was very close as I do remember ketones being measured/mentioned a lot). I don’t think I was ever told what my blood sugar was, and my parents don’t have a clue after 20 years. I would really like to find out, though, as everyone else seems to know! Not sure the hospital would still have it on file after so long.
Here is an update on my diabetes. I had the Veterans run a c-pep test and it came back normal!!! I am a diabetic with no label!! LOL
Well, since Type 1 is defined as having autoimmune antibodies, EVERYONE else is thrown into the garbage-can diagnosis of Type 2. Never you mind that those who are called Type 2 vary widely in presentation and body type and symptoms and treatment requirements.
So it would be interesting to see whether you have antibodies or not. Then you would know what your label is, but it makes no difference at all in what you do about it – you simply need to treat your diabetes in the way that controls it.
I think mine was 178 mg/dl when in ER last year July, and after I told him I haven’t eaten in hours, the ER doctor said I had diabetes. I told him it had to be a false positive, I couldn’t possibly have diabetes. He had to laugh at my stubborn reaction. And it was interesting to watch the nurse yank out so fast my IV bag that had glucose and switch to saline only. Two days later another doctor confirmed I definitely had it. The number that convinced her was I was at 138 mg/dl for overnight fasting. In those early days, I never went any lower than that all day. I remember feeling clueless as to how I was going to handle this brand new disease. I was one of those people who thought you had to eat sugar free everything, but milk and bread was OK. Sure seems a lot longer ago than just nine months ago.
It was 1979 and I tested 500 at the doctors office. I was overweight and age 27 so they assumed T 2 and prescribed diabanese and an ADA Diet. Eat right exercise and take your pills you will be OK. That was ST Patty’s day weekend. About 7 months later after moving and finding a new doctor, the pills were no longer working - Appeared to be the Honeymoon was over and I was sent to the hospital and put on a 2 a day regimine of NPH and R. That was a tough time as I spent my 27th birthday in the hospital (I lost my oldest sister 6 years earlier to T1 complications at the tender age of 27) I still remember my first injection, a wonderful nurse educator helped me thru the little details we all take for granted. She even told me of the cure that was 5 or 10 years away ! Oops we missed that one. Still no BG meters but I managed.for several years. Then I heard about the DCCT Study (1990) and volunteered to participate. What a life changer. I went inwith an A1c of 11 (I knew not what that meant at the time) and 1 year later I was at 6.9 (I now know what that means) I got my first meter and started learning to manage my diabetes.
I am so touched by your video. I am the wife of a man with type 1 diabetes the and Mother of a 3 year old with type 1 diabetes. I just want you to know that your vulnerability brought tears to me. Thank you for sharing your story.
Or maybe just Type Weird. Which is a term I made up many years ago for those who don’t fit squarely in either box. The low-normal C-peptide means that you’re NOT a classic Type 2, because they typically have high C-peptides, because in the beginning, their pancreases work extra hard to put out enough insulin to compensate for their insulin resistance.
But some day, the ADA and AACE will acknowledge that Type 2 is not a uniform disease, but a garbage can diagnosis for anyone who doesn’t fit in the auto-immune definition of Type 1.
Be really careful that if you ever go in the hospital that they don’t assume you’re a classic Type 2 and therefore withhold insulin. It can be catastrophic!
Best of luck getting pregnant! 
There a re a lot of gestational that move to type 1 - My wife among them (she claims she caught it from me!) But frequent misdiagnosis of type 2 afrter gestational. I think there is a group on here that discusses more of the gestational Diabetes and for me was some eye opening stories. So either way keep an eye on it and wish you well. After losing one (undiagnosed in 1st pregnancy)we adopted and never thought we would be lucky enough to carry baby to term - then we had 2 healthy babies without event! Need to figure out what causes this! three is enuf!! Good Luck!
I was 14 and really really really skinny. I’m 5’8" and I was 110 lbs.
No one in my family knew what diabetes was, really, because no one in my family had it. Type 2 or otherwise. So, I was actually probably sick for a while before any alarms really went off to go to hospital.
At diagnosis, my BG was 1200. My A1c was 17.1% I didn’t feel really sick or anything. I could count my ribs because they were sticking out so much. I had heartburn a lot, but I thought it was associated with becoming a teenager and growth spurts.
I was admitted into the children’s hospital as an out patient. They made me practice sticking an orange with a syringe full of water. Then both my parents got to inject my arms with insulin. After only 3 days, I took over injecting myself. It was just easier that way. I remember my hands shaking while I was injecting because I was so scared. I remember telling my mom it was going to be okay while she watched me for the first week after diagnosis. But as soon as she left the room, I’d burst into tears. I remember the bruising all over my stomach from the needles because I was so skinny.
It was a bad time in my memories, but the things I did to myself over the 5 years after diagnosis, while I was in denial, are much worse memories.
Unfortunately, as you know Natalie, it makes a difference in what insurance will cover. Still working on getting an appropriate dx sigh
Yeah, I know. And I’m sorry you’re having a rough time. I know I have been VERY lucky in having cooperative endos, and have gotten what I need without much trouble. It really bothers me when people who are trying their best to manage their diabetes in order not to get those expensive complications are denied by short-sighted insurance rules.
Still waiting for BC/BS to approve my dex. My dx is in question of course, if I were a clear T1 it would not be an issue. Called on Monday, they said I’d know by today. Called today, they said they’d make sure it progressed through the system… call Tuesday. Dexcom was nice enough to send me one with only my copay, but I did tell them that if ins. refused I would pay. Down the rabbit hole again!
Thanks for the video, Rachel. It made me cry. I was 10 myself when I was diagnosed. What a change it would do to my life I had no idea of untill much later. It quite simply sucks. Constantly. I do not wish it upon anybody, and certainly not upon kids. Today I have 3 kids myself and I hope none of them will ever get it. Insulin is certainly not a cure.
I was 1900 and in a coma for 5 days. I had no idea where I was when I woke up.
I was diagnosed in 1980. I was around 1450. I actually flatlined, but the Dr I went to at Joslin brought me back. I had actually been at Childrens Hospital for a week previous, and they did not even check my blood sugar. I had lost 30% of my body weight and looked like a skeleton. Scary to think how close that was.
I can identify with that last sentence. When I was a teenager, after about 10 years of T1, I really stopped taking blood sugars and got burnt out. Very bad memories. I am lucky to not be in worse shape than I am.
That must be the highest I have ever heard Wow.
I was 10 and it was 1984. I had initially gotten sick with the flu and never really quite got over it. I dont remember exactly what my BG was but I remember it was definately over 800, maybe close to 1000 by diagnosis. I remember we lived in a very small town, and my parents took me about an hour away to a bigger town with a slightly better hospital, the doctor at first didnt think I was diabetic, but ran the tests anyway just to humor my mom. We headed back towards home and stopped to see my grandparents who were about half way between where we lived and the hospital. The doctor called and told my parents get me back to the hospital IMMEDIATELY. Was in for about a week.