Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community 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 Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I was diagnosed in December 1962 back in the primitive days of glass syringes, stainless steel needle tips, and urines test kits. The before meals and at bedtime urine tests and a monthly blood draw at a lab was it for monitoring BG levels. My urines were usually mucky olive green or bright orange.
Got a Medtronic CGM to use with 512 or 515 (I don’t remember the version of the pump). Life changing for sure! Switched to Dexcom G4 in 2011 and since then CGM dependent for the rest of my life – until something better comes along.
@ConnieT1D62 – I was diagnosed July 1964 and I remember the “primitive days” as well. We’ve come a long way, baby! 🙂
Yup ! To Connie and Pam, 1953 for me !! I sharpened the needles on the book match striker sand paper and used the fine wire to clean it out !! The big deal then was when we went from the tablet in the test tube to peeing on a strip and watching the color change.. Oh and insulin was $1.25 a vile and you used it all!!
Took two years for proper diagnosis then went on CGM. Been on ever since. Like Dexcom better than FSL but used both depending on insurance.
My recollection is fuzzy but sometime in the first year. I remember learning about Think Like a Pancreas on the ADA forum. I was pretty lost that first year and reading TLAP helped so much! I then asked my HCP about prescribing Dexcom. 🙂
I started on CGM (Dexcom G6) almost immediately after diagnosis as T1 by my Endo, but that was after having been mis-dx’d for 8 years as T2. I know there are a lot of folks that delay or seemingly required delay/use of MDI for up to 1 year. I encourage anyone dx’d as T1 or T2 using insulin to seek a CGM. I’m a firm believer that what gets measured gets done and having the CGM gives people the knowledge on which to act.
Getting access to CGM was a long process,fighting doctors, CDEs, insurance companies, their appeal board, and then fighting every year to retain it. Now I am over 65, I must fight every 6 months.
Started process at first endo appointment, but it took over three months to actually get approved and shipped.
DX in ’03, didn’t start CGM until Dec ’20. MDI & meter guy, wasn’t wild about having something stuck in my body 24/7. as I told my endo, didn’t like the idea of scanning my arm like it was a can of peaches at the supermarket! but Libre2 has been good, wish it was more accurate. still too many confirmation fingersticks for my liking.
I didn’t even know about CGMs until about 3 years ago. How long has it been since they have been around?
If CGMs have been around longer than 5 years, I’ll be legit MAD that none of my, multiple Drs, never told me.
15 years. Though I was part of a trial for CGM in 1975 and I thought it took way too long to come to market. Be MAD.
My granddaughter was diagnosed at age 18 months. She was on DEXCOM G6 as soon as insurance approved coverage,
I was diagnosed in 1999, and started using a CGM with Medtronics in 2005 for a week when it was the big brick. I then went off the CGM to Dexcom series 7 for from 2005 – 2008. Then from 2008 – 210 I was on Enlite from 2010 – now I have been back with Dexcom.
I mistakenly chose 5-10yrs, when it was 4.5yrs.
I was diagnosed as type 1 in Dec 2001 and started using Medtronic sensors mid 2006. After multiple attempts with upgrades, I stopped these sensors as they did not seem worthwhile due to so many errors.
I started Dexcom almost ten years later and am still using this CGM.
Prior to Dexcom G6, it seemed like they all said you still had to do finger sticks as well. I didn’t think I needed both. Then G6 came along and replaced 99% of finger sticks, so I got one. I would hate to have to do without now that I have it.