Samantha Walsh
Samantha Walsh has lived with type 1 diabetes for over five years since 2017. After her T1D diagnosis, she was eager to give back to the diabetes community. She is the Community and Partner Manager for T1D Exchange and helps to manage the Online Community and recruit for the T1D Exchange Registry. Prior to T1D Exchange, Samantha fundraised at Joslin Diabetes Center. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelors degree in sociology and early childhood education.
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DX’d at Disney World, Itis not always the happiest place on earth.
#DisneyGaveMeDiabetes
#DIsneyOwesMeAVaacation
I was diagnosed at age 32 after several months of being thirsty and peeing all the time. It was a sudden weight drop that brought me to call my doctor for a physical. When the office said they were scheduling physicals in six months, I told them about the weight loss. They gave me an appointment for the next day and the rest is history, much to my shock. No diabetes in my family as far back through the generations as we could go. My doc was as surprised as I was. But it was an easy diagnosis for him. When I went to the lab for the glucose tolerance test, when they saw my blood glucose, they told me that test would make me sicker and the doctor had enough for his diagnosis. That was 42 years ago! How did that happen?
At 7, 2 months after my mom died. My brother was diagnosed at 21 a couple of months after he had emergency gall bladder surgery.
I was dx’ed at age 18 months, my eldest son at age 8 months and my eldest granddaughter at age 18 months. We have monogenic T1D
Age 3 1/2 in 1960. I was diagnosed with German measles soon after from what I remember my mom saying
Of course diagnosed with type 2 due to age. As an RN I knew was not type2. No metabolic syndrome. No weight problem. Took two years for correct diagnosis of LADA. Had already started insulin but my Endo was still clueless. Switched Endo’s due to insurance and she knew right away based on C-peptide. Was sort of a relief. At least for a little while. Then the fun began with pumps MDI and back and forth. Went back to MDI for three years. Now waiting for tandem x-2. Hope it is all they say it is.
I have been on the x2 for a decade and love it, but (and as an RN, you already know this, I’m sure!) the best technology in the world is rendered useless by bad user behavior.
I was 11 when diagnosed, almost 12. My brother was 7 months old and his daughter was 23 months old when diagnosed.
My dad, a DO, diagnosed me when I was 18, on his birthday (six days ago plus 39 years). I had been thirsty and peeing for a month. Finally, he got me a blood test, it was ~450 two hours after lunch.
I am “celebrating” my 38 year anniversary of my diagnosis today. I was 18 and came home from school to find my mother and her friends all crying while celebrating her birthday. I asked what was wrong and she told me I had T1D. Good times.
I was 13, on a camping trip with parents.
I was 8. There’s a history of auto-immune disease on both sides of my family. My maternal grandfather had T1D and my paternal grandfather had lupus.
Diagnosed in Dec 1951 at age 6.
I am now 78.
I was diagnosed T1d at 19 years old.
52 years ago now.
My older sister at 7 or 11 not sure.
I imagine there are some of us here who already know this, but for the others who who were diagnosed 50 years ago or more, did you know there’s a Facebook group for us? It’s called (not surprisingly) “Type 1 Diabetics for 50years+”
i didn’t know that!
i was diagnosed at 53yo
My son was diagnosed at 18 months of age over ten years ago.
@Joan Benedetto – Shout out and respect to you and all supportive T1D parents! Managing the BG of a toddler must be extra challenging. Good job!
Diagnosed at 42 as type 2. I knew I was before diagnosed, all the classic symptoms plus the weight loss. My primary however diagnosed T2. A year later I told him I needed insulin because his pills were doing nothing and I was going to an Endo. He told me HE could prescribe insulin. I said then why didn’t you and left, never going back to him. That was 2000. Got my pump in 2009. My health is better for being a diabetic. My eating habits were terrible and I’m pretty sure I had IBS. After cleaning up my diet, I am much happier not having IBS. That’s a life wrecker. Afraid to go anywhere. Now I only avoid salt water. 😂
Came on just as I turned 28. Unlike a lot of adult onset T1s, it was pretty sudden. Started noticing weird symptoms in mid-late October, dx’d in mid-December. Had no trouble about the dx. Doc told my wife she probably would not have been able to wake me up the next morning. This was 1983, so still called “juvenile type” on my record, but the Doc knew his stuff, even told me about the upcoming change of terminology to the “Type” thing because you could get the auto-immune kind at any age. Still flips me out how many people, including medicos, haven’t absorbed that point. “You’re too old, must be Type 2!”
I was 8 years old when I was officially diagnosed on 12/26/1962.
Merry day-after Christmas! ⛄
Sadly my diagnoses at age 55 was a total shock and even my dr was surprised. My body surely went into some kind of shock or state of stress as months prior I had lost quite a bit of weight and was experiencing tremendous thirst. At first my family dr. Diagnosed me with T2D and prescribed 500mg of Metformin before leaving on an already scheduales cruise. Needless to say I did return home with symptoms of ketoacidosis and rushed to emergency where I ultimately was diagnosed as a T1D and met my now amazing endocrinologist. I’m doing extremely well have adapted late in life to my diagnosis and am under control with a daily dose now of 12-14 units of ADMELOG and 21 units of TRESIBA. I eat very healthy as I did before being diagnosed and exercise at least 3-5 days weekly. We are all given a challenge in life so this is now my new reality yet I have always been and continue to be a good patient and follow the advise of my medical team and believe in living a healthy lifestyle always as I’m a grandmother of 2 beautiful little girls and want to always be in good health and keep a positive attitude in life 🌈
I was initially diagnosed at 14 when I was recovering from jaundice, Hep A, but went on to insulin at 15
This has been asked at least once, maybe twice, before. I was eight days shy of my 24th birthday
I was 21 years and two years out or the US Navy in 1968.
Make that 23 years old.
5 and it was traumatic.