I know I CAN’T brag about this, because I’ve “only” had diabetes since 2002, but I am curious about the old timers.
I know there’s a quite a few hanging out in the Diabetes Veterans group formed by Bernard, but how about doing a show of hands: those of you who consider yourself longtimers, post here and state the date of your diagnosis.
Don’t know the exact month or day, but the year was 1966 and I was 8, so 41 years for me and it was around this time of year as Halloween sucked that year. 
I’m a mere adolescent in the world of T1’s, with only 31 years, 4 months, and 14 days under my belt. I think Gladys C. Lester Dull holds the current record:
After All These Years: 83 Years of Living Well With Diabetes: Gladys C. Lester Dull
I have had T1 diabetes for 45 years. I doubt that is the longest of those at TuDiabetes… I got it in the fall, when I was in the sixth grade. That makes it in the fall of 1962. I have moved and changed doctors so many times so I have no documentation, just the vivid memories of my hospital room at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, my class room when I returned to school, the season, the gym hall and the red nylon bag trimmed with leather that I carried around with life-savers for hypos. I am doing just FINE - no bad complications. I am a very lucky person!
I know I’m a youngester to this compared to outher. I got diagnosed August 10th 1973. So that would make it 35 years I think! Maybe 34 though. Not that great in math! HA!!!
36 years. It was August 1972, right before my freshman year of high school.
Thay’s a good one Leslieann I gotta remember that one! I always refered to `73 as the dark ages but I like your answer better!
And your A1c rocks! Congrats!
When I asked my Mom many eons ago she said I was dxd. December 1961
when I was 3. So it will be 46 yrs. in Dec. for me.
I remember not being a Diabetic but I don’t remember having the symptoms
or being dxd. I do remember my 1st shot. : P
I’m still a Junior however compared to all the yrs. Olaf has had it.
Diagnosed in December, 1944. Hence 64 years.
I’m most definitely a youngster here. I was diagnosed on February 29 (it was a leap year) in 1972. I remember because I spent my 4th birthday in the hospital… no cake for me. So, let’s see, carry the 12, 36 years for me.
-Bill
I was diagnosed on sept. 15, 1945 with Type 1. I was 6 at the time. I have been diabetic for 62 years.
Congratulations Olaf, you have me beat by 2 years. I am happy that you are alive and well.
I’m late to this discussion; I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on July 24, 1976 at age 7. That is 31 (going on 32 years) ago. Does that make me “middle-aged” or a “youngster”? … LOL! At the time, the U.S. had just finished celebrating its bi-centennial, so the 4th of July celebrations were bigger than usual. Just to give you some perspective, that was before blood glucose meters and testing existed, so I used Clintest urine testing (a real joy). But it was also before the synthetic insulin (which is pure crap, IMHO) emerged. Since being switched to synthetic insulin, I have never experienced hypoglycemia “symptoms” and my control is, quite frankly, far LESS stable on this stuff (analogs, rDNA “human” insulin) than it was on highly-purified pork insulin. BTW, the purity level of porcine insulin in 1976 was 99%; today the purity level of rDNA insulin is only 97%.
Scott,
Being age 7 in 1976 makes you a youngster. Heck, I’m old enough to be your mom and then some.
Didn’t you mean that before being switched to synthetic insulin you’d never experienced hypos?
I sure with there was some way we could get the animal insulins back!
What I meant is that after switching to synthetic insulin, I no longer get any warning symptoms for hypos, and whatever shred of glycemic stability I previously had has gone out the window, but thanks for asking for clarification! I am hoping that Bioton, S.A. will offer animal insulins as a niche product. Also, Laboratorios Beta has expressed interest in entering the Canadian market, and practical impact would be that it is almost as good as selling it here directly (and the cost would actually be affordable).
I go way back to 2007.
It’s good to see that this disease is manageable and that so many of you are living healthy lives so many years after your diagnosis.
May 10 1989
18.5 Years for me
I’m doing well…I let my control slip the last few years but am getting back into the swing of things !