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    • 1 hour, 21 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      Between your regular T1D care visits, what questions tend to come up that you wish you could ask a diabetes expert? Share your thoughts in the comments.
      I want a thumbs down icon!
    • 1 hour, 21 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      Between your regular T1D care visits, what questions tend to come up that you wish you could ask a diabetes expert? Share your thoughts in the comments.
      I seldom have any questions other than RX refill request which I submit through the patient portal. If I do have treatment questions, I typically do my own research, and if not satisfied with what I find out, I submit a question in the portal.
    • 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      Between your regular T1D care visits, what questions tend to come up that you wish you could ask a diabetes expert? Share your thoughts in the comments.
      When I come up with a question between visits, I usually just do some research.
    • 3 hours, 34 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      I keep my opened insulin in the refrigerator too. When traveling I use a FRIO evaporative pouch.
    • 3 hours, 35 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Sorry. Of course I store unopened in frig. Opened in my room as I use it up in 30 days
    • 3 hours, 36 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      No, I keep it in the oven! ;) Same answer as the last time they asked this ridiculous question!
    • 4 hours, 18 minutes ago
      Becky Hertz likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Unopened yes, and now even opened just in case. I am getting a new health [lan (thank goodness a much better one - with better doctors and hospitals in network!) so it's worth it. But I can't get any appt - even for a PCP until September. I've been occasionally buying out of pocket insulin, pump and CGM supplies (in my mind, hoarding is a character asset for T1D people). I need to have my enough stuff to see me through, Of course, I am hoping there''s an appt cancellation.
    • 5 hours, 41 minutes ago
      Bruce Schnitzler likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Unopened yes, and now even opened just in case. I am getting a new health [lan (thank goodness a much better one - with better doctors and hospitals in network!) so it's worth it. But I can't get any appt - even for a PCP until September. I've been occasionally buying out of pocket insulin, pump and CGM supplies (in my mind, hoarding is a character asset for T1D people). I need to have my enough stuff to see me through, Of course, I am hoping there''s an appt cancellation.
    • 7 hours, 38 minutes ago
      alex likes your comment at
      Here’s What You Need to Know About the Dexcom G7
      This article explains the Dexcom G7 features in a clear and easy way, especially for people new to continuous glucose monitoring. Very informative and helpful. Sportzfy TV Download
    • 23 hours, 1 minute ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Have you ever been told you couldn’t physically do something because you live with diabetes?
      Long time ago - told there were certain occupations I would not be allowed to do because if T1D. Pilot, air traffic controller, military, etc.
    • 23 hours, 3 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I have been told many times "YOU CAN'T EAT THAT!" ONLY to frustrate them and eat it anyway and then bolus accordingly.
    • 23 hours, 4 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I think it is a common experience for most people with T1D. People do not understand anything about it. I do not take it personally. I try to educate when appropriate.
    • 23 hours, 5 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      Lol hell when haven't they. Lol
    • 23 hours, 13 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 1 hour ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was only 2 when Diagnosed 70 years ago. My small town doctor admitted he didn't know much about T1D, and fortune for my parents and I he called what is now Joslin Clinic, and they told him how much insulin to give me. He taught my parents, who then traveled over 350 miles to Boston, to learn about how to manage T1D. My doctor learned more about T1D, and was able to help 2 other young men, that were later DX with T1D in our small town. I went to Joslin until I turned 18 and returned to become a Joslin Medalist and participated in the research study, 20 years ago. Still go there for some care.
    • 1 day, 1 hour ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was 7 when things changed in my home. My older brother was hospitalized for 2 weeks. When he came home, we no longer ate the way we had before. This was 1956. Dessert alternated between sugarless pudding or sugarless Jello. I learned that bread and potatoes had carbohydrates and that turned to sugar. There was a jar in the bathroom. It seemed my brother was testing his urine every time he went in there. There was a burner and pot on the stove designated for boiling syringes. I watched my brother give himself shots and I remember how hard it was to find someone to manage his care if my parents had to travel. Diabetic Forecast magazine came in the mail each month and there were meetings of the local diabetes association that my mother attended religiously. My brother got a kidney and pancreas transplant at age 60 and before he died lived for 5 years as a non-diabetic. A few years later I was diagnosed. Sorry he was not able to make use of today’s technology. I often wonder what he and my late parents would think about me, at age 66, being the only one in the family with type 1.
    • 1 day, 1 hour ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      kilupx likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      My brother was type 1 since an early age. I was only diagnosed in my late 40s
    • 1 day, 7 hours ago
      Phyllis Biederman likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 1 day, 7 hours ago
      Bill Williams likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was diagnosed in 1976 at the age of 18 while in college. One weekend, I was drinking a lot of water and peeing frequently. I remembered having read a Reader's Digest article on diabetes, and I told my friends I thought I might have it. Two days later, the diagnosis was confirmed.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I knew I couldn’t or shouldn’t have my two fav things in the world: Pepsi cola and chocolate. I was 42, and suspected very strongly that I had it, and ate a large piece of chocolate cake before my doctor’s appointment (sounds more like I was 12). Fast forward 25 years later: I never had a real cola again, but do occasionally have chocolate. I’m way healthier than I was back then in terms of diet. I no longer have irritable bowel, and I’m lucky to be able to afford what I need to combat the ill effects of this chronic disease. I’m blessed, and grateful for insulin.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      It was 35 years ago for me. I had no experience with T1d. I was starting to show symptoms and my sister-in-law quickly researched T1d and told me what she found. I went to my GP a week or two later. My BG was over 600. He sent me to the hospital right away. Blood test confirmed it.
    • 1 day, 8 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I only knew a little . That is why I give grace to others who do not know anything or have misconceptions.
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    What was your A1c at the time of your T1D diagnosis?

    Home > LC Polls > What was your A1c at the time of your T1D diagnosis?
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    Have you experienced any life transitions during which it has been particularly difficult to manage T1D? Select all that apply to you.

    Sarah Howard

    Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.

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    47 Comments

    1. Melinda Lipe

      Really? I don’t remember getting an A1C until many years after diagnosis.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. LizB

      I don’t know any of my numbers from my time in the hospital, probably because they meant nothing to me at the time.

      3
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Lenora Ventura

      Never heard what my A1C was but my blood sugar was 856. I can only imagine what it was…..

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. Teri Morris

      They said it was around 700, which would be over 33 mmol/l….I was slipping into a coma on the way to hospital. Very painful trip!

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. ELYSSE HELLER

      A1c measurements were not around when I got diagnosed, but my BG was either 1200 or 1300.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. Robert Wilson

      My Blood Sugar was 688 in the USA. My A1c wasn’t done till 3 months later.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. Eva

      I don’t remember the exact number. I what I do remember is that my BG was starting to creep up as a result of pancreatic insufficiency. But my physician thought to hold off on the insulin as long as possible cause he didn’t want me to experience severe hypoglycemia.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. Robin Melen

      I was in DKA when I went to the hospital – sick as a dog! That was when I was diagnosed.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. Dennis Dacey

      Seventeen years after my diagnosis I participated in the project developing the glycated hemoglobin analysis which is called HgA1c / HbA1c. My blood sugar was estimated as “just over 1700” and I was heavily into acidosis poisoning.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. JuJuB

        I was just shy of 4 years old, and my mother was told my bG was over 1600. I always say, “with the testing methods available at the time”, which was in 1970. I don’t know what those methods were, or if the same blood sample would measure differently today, but I have always found that number difficult to fathom.

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    10. Grey Gray

      Amazing how much Diabetes management has changed. When 1st diagnosed I was peeing on glucose/ketone strips. Now your asking me about a test I find antiquated and less than usefull…. Time in range is my standard now.

      2
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. AimmcG

      I don’t know what my A1C was but the doctor was shocked that I could even walk because my sugar was @800

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. KCR

        Same here!

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. Philip Bunsick

      Interesting that the questions is really not what is done clinically. As most are saying no A1c, just a quick finger test showing 1500+. The diagnosis was not too difficult after that.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Amanda Barras

        Mine was a urine test in office that was positive for ketones and off to the hospital I went to be admitted for a week. I’m sure they ran more specific labs there, but I was barely 4 years old so I don’t remember specifics.

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Patricia Kilwein

      I just remember a couple of lows (30). Pretty scary. Dr ordered a blood that had to be sent to COLORADO. Took 2 weeks for results, they came back with positive markers for T1D.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Patricia Kilwein

        Blood test.

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. Jneticdiabetic

        Hi Patricia. I also had a history of low blood sugars before my T1D diagnosis (about 6 years pre-diagnosis in my case). Have wondered if that was an early sign of beta cell dysfunction.

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. Amanda Barras

      I do not know.
      I had just barely turned 4 years old at dx.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. Joan Benedetto

      10.4 with BG of 454. He was 18 mos old.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. Jim Andrews

      The A1C test didn’t exist when I was diagnosed 56 years ago.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. Jeanne McMillan-Olson

      There was no A1c in 1955 when I was 9 yrs old. Myblood sugar was in the 400s. I was getting very drowsy when finally admitted to the Virginia Mason hospital. My current endo was involved in the research for the A1c. He now uses time in range. It is Medicare that requires an A1c every 3 months!

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Jen Farley

      I do not know. I do know he did a test that came back with an over 600 for a reading of that moment. Close to a finger poke test now, but too way longer. I remember I had just gotten paid for a babysitting job and had bought candy I could never eat and was promised a cheeseburger and milkshake for going to the doctor. I was 13 yo and weighed 70lbs and glad now that nightmare ended before my death. So, test used, unknown, results, priceless!

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. BARRY HUNSINGER

      I don’t know the mmo/ml, I do know it was 550 gasting at 8 in the morning.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. Randy Reed

      I was 20years into diabetes when A1C came uot

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    21. gary rind

      mine was 12.4. three months later, got it down to 7.0 so no pump for me!

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    22. Virginia Barndollar

      1965 No A1c’s

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    23. Kevin McCue

      In 1992 at time of diagnosis I only remember the sugar numbers not the long term hba1c and don’t believe it was measured

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    24. Trina Blake

      I don’t know, I was found in a DKA coma (not that I knew that at the time) by a nosy (thankfully, this time) neighbor who had a key to my house. She thought it best to call my day job to let them know I wasn’t coming in to work that day. Thank goodness my day job was with a large city Fire Dept. The dispatched EMS from HQ. Those guys saved my life.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Trina Blake

        AS a humorous side note, I had been feeling awful that weekend, decided to wear pj’s and go to bed. Thank goodness – the first responders were my co-workers. And in spite of the fact that in that job they see all sorts of people in all sorts of undress – these were my colleagues!!!!

        4
        3 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. AnitaS

        My cousin who was a type-1 (besides me), had EMS at her home often and because she would sweat when having a severe low, she would usually undress herself before becoming unconscious. One day when she was out and about, a paramedic greeted her and said “Joan, it is nice to see you with your clothes on!” 🙂

        1
        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    25. Janis Senungetuk

      The test didn’t exist when I was diagnosed in 1955.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    26. Steve Rumble

      I do not believe A1C measurements were available when I was diagnosed in 1970

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    27. Marty

      I only remember that my diabetic friend who diagnosed me with his own BG meter was shocked and felt he needed to get me to the clinic ASAP. I didn’t really pay attention to any lab results, which didn’t mean anything to me at the time. I continued to believe it was all a big mistake and I’d get over it soon on my own. I firmly embraced denial until they put me in a room to learn how to do insulin injections about a week later.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    28. T1D4LongTime

      LOL! 1966 had no A1C, current sugars were thought to be known with testing urine. So inaccurate!

      2
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    29. KarenM6

      A1c was still about 5 years away from becoming a tool.
      I don’t know my BS# either. I was 5 and I don’t think anyone thought I needed to know. *shrugs

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    30. Chris Albright

      Too many years ago to recall……..

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    31. Pauline M Reynolds

      At time of diagnosis, my fasting BG was 229.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Pauline M Reynolds

        Oh, and I went to the doctor because I thought I was having a nervous breakdown!

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    32. Kris Sykes-David

      I said I don’t know, actually, I don’t remember! Maybe in the sevens? Or nines.? I wasn’t in DKA, had a long LADA honeymoon, and caught it early.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    33. Thomas Cline

      I went to the doctor (GP) only because of severe leg cramps that actually caused me to collapse on the street while walking with some friends. I was oblivious to the fact that I had all the standard symptoms of Type 1 diabetes except for being 56 years old — in fact I had been delighted with the effortless weight loss! First thing she did was measure my blood sugar, but she had to look up what a reading of “high” meant on the meter (= >500 mg/dl). Then and there she (mis)diagnosed me as Type II simply because of my age. A few weeks later I saw my first endocrinologist who took one look at me and said I was likely Type 1 (he ordered an antibody test that cliched the diagnosis). I don’t know why as late as 2002 a young, smart doctor would not know that adults can get Type I. I hope medical education has caught up with reality since then.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    34. Molly Jones

      I don’t remember what my A1C or BG was.
      All the comments sparked my interest in the history of HbA1c
      I saw an article on pubmed.gov stating: “Using the HbA1c as a biomarker for monitoring the levels of glucose among diabetic patients was first proposed by Koenig et al.7 in 1976.”
      Due to all the tested dogs and patients before the discovery of insulin having sweet urine, I assumed it was earlier.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    35. RegMunro

      My bg after the glucose tolerance test was about 660 so that was that. I doubt AIC had been implemented here in South Africa back in 1966

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    36. John Henninger

      I do not remember an A1C but my blood sugar was 640 with classic urination and water drinking issues. Added to it was Keto issues. The doctor told me about diabetes, and I said ok, fine and got up to go home. He stopped me and said, “I am admitting you to the hospital now” and they took me upstairs to my hospital bed. A vivid memory from many years ago.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    37. sweet charlie

      that test did not exist 70 years ago.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    38. Becky Hertz

      I was diagnosed in 1974. I don’t remember hearing about an A1c. Were they done then?

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    39. Andrea Hultman

      We didn’t check my A1c to diagnose; we checked postprandial blood glucose. Had to hold up the reagent test strip to the color code on the Chemstrips container. Anybody else remember those old days? (1980s.) BG was around 240. Pretty obvious I had T1D.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply

    What was your A1c at the time of your T1D diagnosis? Cancel reply

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