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.
That’s been long enough ago, going on 30 years, that I don’t remember! I do remember being concerned about how things would go when we stopped being in the honeymoon phase, but I had a very supportive/helpful team of doctors and family behind me and we made it through without too many issues!
A honeymoon phase is when, after being diagnosed and using insulin for a short time, the body seems to “perk up” and restarts making enough insulin that external insulin is no longer needed. It’s feels like you really aren’t diabetic, but it always returns as your body completes its attack on the islets.
It depends on how we define honeymoon. I needed long acting right away and could get by with low carb and few boluses for a few months. I considered my honeymoon over when my long acting needs leveled off, therefore my b cells were all kaput.
Have LADA. Was misdiagnosed as type 2. A few months after diagnosis BS was out of control. I researched and diagnosed myself with type 1. Second Endo a few years later gave me correct diagnosis. I had started insulin on my own.
I got T1 at age 27. Much closer to typical “juvenile onset” profile than LADA: very rapid development, zero-to-acute over 6-7 weeks, probably triggered by a virus (had a nasty one just before T1 symptoms started). Doc warned me about “honeymoon,” that I might find myself needing less insulin for a while, then a lot more. So I was alert for it, but it didn’t happen–I certainly didn’t find myself needing less, anyway. This was back in the days of R/NPH, so basal-bolus and things like figuring out I:C ratios and the like were still 20 years off. I do see evidence that I’m still producing some endogenous insulin, which I gather is not too uncommon, so that’s helped my stability over the years. One possibility is that I got started on insulin soon enough to inhibit further progress of the disease–at least I’ve read that that sometimes can happen.
It seems that I had classic symptoms for part of the summer when I was 9. Things cleared up, but a year later it hit me, and almost overnight i became a kid running to the bathroom every 2 hours, all day and all night. I remember the evening when the bathroom lifestyle began.
I did have a honeymoon phase but hard to remember. Must have been more than 6 mo . I remember rather abruptly all blood sugars were high when I checked. No blood testing then (48 yrs ago) till at least 5-6 yrs after diagnosed. I wd guess it was about more than one year. Only doing urine test till 1983
Diagnosed TYPE2, admittedly obese, ate and drank everything. After several weeks of shots, 5-6 months meds, 3 years diet alone had to fire my doc who kept saying to lose more weight: too old to be a TYPE1 or need insulin. Found med trials for TYPE 2 out of control and lab work run. So 3 1/2 year honeymoon the doc said that LADA is TYPE1 with a longer honeymoon…
I was diagnosed 40+ years ago. I’m not sure if the “honeymoon” phase was clearly identified at that time. It would have been difficult to know bc the only means to test sugar was the urine. Carb county was not the method- the exchange system was. So even if someone experienced “the honeymoon phase”, it could have been written off as any one of the many factors which affect blood sugar. The urine test was a super delayed “read” on glucose levels; it was not actionable relative to BG monitoring methods now.
In 1973 when I was diagnosed at age 9, there wasn’t any blood testing, just urine testing. I really couldn’t tell if there was a honeymoon phase or not. I remember just having 1 or 2 shots per day with a mixture of R & NPH insulins in the same syringe.
I either didn’t have one, or am still in it, after 8 years. A few years in, before a GLP1, I required about the same as at onset, 10-14U daily, depending on my cycle and the season.
On a GLP-1 for 4 years now, need 8-12U daily. I am extremely sensitive to insulin and very sensitive to carbs, the balance is tough.
I don’t remember and to boot I was full on T1D when diagnosed at the age of 13. My youth with this disease wasn’t all that bad, fortunately for me my brother had T1D 5 years before I got diagnosed so that did help me with the transitioning into the daily rituals and routines. For some reason things seemed much simpler back then due to the lack of technologies and being unaware of what was going on with my sugar levels. Now my control is excellent all thanks to the constant monitoring through CGM and pump.
I was diagnosed at age 2 1/2, so I really don’t know!
That’s been long enough ago, going on 30 years, that I don’t remember! I do remember being concerned about how things would go when we stopped being in the honeymoon phase, but I had a very supportive/helpful team of doctors and family behind me and we made it through without too many issues!
Don’t even know what phrase this means….🤔
A honeymoon phase is when, after being diagnosed and using insulin for a short time, the body seems to “perk up” and restarts making enough insulin that external insulin is no longer needed. It’s feels like you really aren’t diabetic, but it always returns as your body completes its attack on the islets.
It depends on how we define honeymoon. I needed long acting right away and could get by with low carb and few boluses for a few months. I considered my honeymoon over when my long acting needs leveled off, therefore my b cells were all kaput.
Have LADA. Was misdiagnosed as type 2. A few months after diagnosis BS was out of control. I researched and diagnosed myself with type 1. Second Endo a few years later gave me correct diagnosis. I had started insulin on my own.
I got T1 at age 27. Much closer to typical “juvenile onset” profile than LADA: very rapid development, zero-to-acute over 6-7 weeks, probably triggered by a virus (had a nasty one just before T1 symptoms started). Doc warned me about “honeymoon,” that I might find myself needing less insulin for a while, then a lot more. So I was alert for it, but it didn’t happen–I certainly didn’t find myself needing less, anyway. This was back in the days of R/NPH, so basal-bolus and things like figuring out I:C ratios and the like were still 20 years off. I do see evidence that I’m still producing some endogenous insulin, which I gather is not too uncommon, so that’s helped my stability over the years. One possibility is that I got started on insulin soon enough to inhibit further progress of the disease–at least I’ve read that that sometimes can happen.
Mine was a year almost to the day.
I did not buy my younger brother who was diagnosed had about 6 month period.
It seems that I had classic symptoms for part of the summer when I was 9. Things cleared up, but a year later it hit me, and almost overnight i became a kid running to the bathroom every 2 hours, all day and all night. I remember the evening when the bathroom lifestyle began.
I did have a honeymoon phase but hard to remember. Must have been more than 6 mo . I remember rather abruptly all blood sugars were high when I checked. No blood testing then (48 yrs ago) till at least 5-6 yrs after diagnosed. I wd guess it was about more than one year. Only doing urine test till 1983
I was diagnosed in 1951 when I was six years old. I don’t remember many details.
Diagnosed TYPE2, admittedly obese, ate and drank everything. After several weeks of shots, 5-6 months meds, 3 years diet alone had to fire my doc who kept saying to lose more weight: too old to be a TYPE1 or need insulin. Found med trials for TYPE 2 out of control and lab work run. So 3 1/2 year honeymoon the doc said that LADA is TYPE1 with a longer honeymoon…
I was diagnosed 40+ years ago. I’m not sure if the “honeymoon” phase was clearly identified at that time. It would have been difficult to know bc the only means to test sugar was the urine. Carb county was not the method- the exchange system was. So even if someone experienced “the honeymoon phase”, it could have been written off as any one of the many factors which affect blood sugar. The urine test was a super delayed “read” on glucose levels; it was not actionable relative to BG monitoring methods now.
I was diagnosed with LADA, I am still in my honeymoon phase 6 years in !!
In 1973 when I was diagnosed at age 9, there wasn’t any blood testing, just urine testing. I really couldn’t tell if there was a honeymoon phase or not. I remember just having 1 or 2 shots per day with a mixture of R & NPH insulins in the same syringe.
I was far too young to ever remember that long ago. It would be nice to know.
1977, Diagnosed T1D right away. Went into it full speed, Regular and NPH insulin. Two or three shots a day. No honeymoon period.
I either didn’t have one, or am still in it, after 8 years. A few years in, before a GLP1, I required about the same as at onset, 10-14U daily, depending on my cycle and the season.
On a GLP-1 for 4 years now, need 8-12U daily. I am extremely sensitive to insulin and very sensitive to carbs, the balance is tough.
I don’t remember and to boot I was full on T1D when diagnosed at the age of 13. My youth with this disease wasn’t all that bad, fortunately for me my brother had T1D 5 years before I got diagnosed so that did help me with the transitioning into the daily rituals and routines. For some reason things seemed much simpler back then due to the lack of technologies and being unaware of what was going on with my sugar levels. Now my control is excellent all thanks to the constant monitoring through CGM and pump.