43 Comments
In what year were you (or your loved one) diagnosed with T1D?
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August 10th, 1954 at (7yrs,3mo,21days) old. I remember sitting in the Dr.’s kitchen watching the testube’s fluid turn orange then brown after being removed from the stove with a pan of boiling water. Then, being admitted in the hospital.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Myself 1954
I was diagnosed on 6th August 1954, 3 days after my 6th Birthday.
I was balanced on Bovine Insulin Zinc Suspension Lente.
There has never been an Insulin that has given me such good results since then.
Now on a pump using Fiasp.
Interesting comment about the early insulin. I recall that when I got switched to a more purified insulin in the 1970s, I found myself more brittle. I figured that something that had been removed had actually a functional and useful property of some sort.
3/8/1954
1976. I was 18 1/2.
I was 18 1/2 too. I was diagnosed on 3/6/85, my dad’s birthday. I had been complaining to my parents, a doctor and a nurse, that I was thirsty al the time. My great-grandparents had diabetes but my mom discounted that factor. My dad finally got me a blood test and my glucose was 420. He put me on oral meds right away. They worked for about six months then I needed to go on insulin. I was in France at the time and spend a week in the hospital to learn how to give myself shots. Besides remembering my dad’s birthday, I mark how long I’ve lived with this condition. I improvements in care and technology have been good.
Diagnosed a week after my older sister died: breast cancer. Went to see her still alive, my youngest brother was diagnosed maybe 3 months previously. With all the classic symptoms, his blood test kind of confirmed it.
I feel so fortunate to be diagnosed at 38, on 1998. No boiling syringes; no sharpening needles; using glucose meters (CGM now) instead of peeing on a strip to guess.
Reading the history of folks diagnosed 30-40 years ago gives me hope, thanks.
I do not recall the date I was diagnosed and neither did my mother. Since we know it was winter I just use my birthday to mark the anniversary – Feb 3 1957.
1977
May 2019. I was 67.
1980 at age 32. A complete shocker. None in my family for at least 4 generations. I had been thirsty, constantly urinating, but what brought me to the doctor was a sudden, unexplained weight loss.
Annie – same for me. I could ignore everything but getting down to 110lbs at 5’6”. They thought I was anorexic.
I was diagnosed in 1973 at age 9yrs. A long time ago, but WOW, some people diagnosed in the 1940’s! Despite being diagnosed early in the game without all of the new medications and technologies, I hope you are all living well and are healthy.
I was diagnosed in Feb 1972. I was 8 years old. This coming Feb will be my 50 year diaversary.
Only since the last 5- or 600 years have we had records and documentation enough for people to accurately know how old they were. I do know that when my T1D was diagnosed we had abacuses and slide rules. (👍 ͡눈 ͜ʖ ͡눈)👍
Spring of 2000 at age 42. Makes it easy to calculate 🙂
July 7, 1955 I was 9 years old. I was finally sent down to the Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle several days after diagnosis. No more peeing in a pan and using Clinitest. I love my Dexcom G6!
Early June in 1990, I had just started a new job February, turned 26 in April, bought my first new car (1990 Jeep) for $17 K in May and laid off from the new job before I had made my first $334 car payment. Went on four day surfing/camping trip down Baja Mexico and when I returned, I had the telltale symptoms. What a roller coaster, my girlfriend of 6 years left me because she thought I wouldn’t be able to take care of her let alone myself with diabetes. Everything happens for a reason, sure I’m in my 32nd year of T1D but I’m grateful for all of life’s experiences that have brought me to today.
October 1980, at age 22.
Jan 27 2008. Age 61. Away from home in Pennsylvania. DKA 920 blood sugars. 3 days in Hersey Medical Center. Sugars had been rising, but for some stupid reason I didn’t recognize the symptoms right away. Wife had to drive down from NH in a major snow storm to pick me up.
Friday March 7, 2003, at 4:00 I got the call from my doctor at work. At 5:00 I was fired from the job I loved. At 6:00 I understood why I was not able to get pregnant. At 7:00 I saw my husband cry. At 8:00 I was trying to explain it all to a family who didn’t understand and tried to tell me I just needed to diet and exercise.
After nearly a year of all the symptoms, at 33 years old with no family history, I was 115 lbs at 5’11’ (yep) and very very sick.
Many years later, while not perfect, I’m kicking T1Ds ass. I was able to get pregnant, I have a wonderful boy and a loyal husband who is able to deal with all my highs and lows and middle of the night dexcom screaming alarms.
Diagnosed T1D first week of September 1991 in such healthy condition the ER staff said my lab results said I should have been transported to the MORGUE instead of WALKING into the ER!
I walked into the ER after my Doctor from the Clinic called to tell them I was going there and instead of sitting in the ER waiting room, nurses recognized and greeted me by name and immediately had me lay on a gurney and was wheeled into the ER.
The Hospital tried testing my blood glucose but their lab could only record levels up to 1600 and their equipment only said “HI” meaning over 1600 so they said at minimum, I should have arrived unconscious by ambulance since “nobody WALKS into here if their blood sugar gets over 500 – 600, any higher and they’re unconscious before they get brought to the ER!”
Then they did an Arterial Blood draw from my left wrist and after testing that blood was when they said I should have been in the morgue instead of the ER. They said that all their sources said a Blood Acetone level of 2.5% was documented as “100% FATAL, recovery impossible” yet I remained fully conscious and alert with my blood acetone level test result at just barely under 3%!
From High School to just prior to diagnosis, I was a steady 165 lbs, but when diagnosed at 24, 5′ 11″ tall, my weight was down to 112 lbs.
ER Doctors said I likely had the T1D already earlier that Spring, but every of the countless times I was at the Clinic for illness that year, the Doctors were wrongly saying I only had some form of viral or bacterial infections instead of bothering to check my blood sugar and getting the problem properly diagnosed.
I arrived at the Clinic on diagnosis date at 4 PM and the Clinic closed and locked their doors at 5 PM, but I was kept at the Clinic until 7 PM having lab work done, then Mom was given the choice of either her giving me a ride there, or they’d call an Ambulance to take me from the Clinic to the ER located almost a mile away.
I got checked into the ER at 8 PM that Monday and stayed in the ICU until Friday, then got released from the Hospital after my parents attended Church the following Sunday.
When I got moved from the ICU to a regular Hospital room, the Hospital Lab people told me all they could do since my blood glucose was too high to record at diagnosis was give a “best guess” at what my blood glucose likely was when diagnosed and they said since it took almost 4 days just to get my glucose low enough to register on their equipment, all they could do was guess that my blood glucose when admitted was probably somewhere around, if not over 2100, so they again started commenting how they thought I should have been dead and being taken to my funeral around that day instead of only being moved out of the ICU into a normal Hospital room. But in that Hospital, at the time, all ICU was was a sign difference on y hospital room door so I physically remained in the same Hospital room the whole time I was in the Hospital, but according to their paperwork, I was transported from the ICU to a normal room that Friday afternoon.
Wow… just wow! Your story and experience are simply amazing!
Jesus Fu#king Christ! SEPT 1991 and doctors misdiagnosed you! Unbelievable. Thank you for sharing.
1960. My mother recognized the symptoms before I got very sick because my younger brother was already a diabetic. I actually had a very normal, happy childhood. I’ve really only had some “ trauma” a few times in nearly 62 years because of the t1 d. Pretty lucky I guess!
Nov 18, 2003! I was 17.
My blood sugar was 721 when I got to the hospital.
I was 11 years on Monday, January 5, 1982 when my Mom finally took me to the GP, who took one look at me and admitted to the hospital.
My brother was 7 months old, in November 1972, when he was finally diagnosed.
His oldest daughter was diagnosed at 23 months old in June 2003.
1962 age 11. Hey, it is interesting what an even curve this is….. wide and low bell curve. I’m guessing this is a good distribution for data with wide applications.
I was mis-diagnosed as T2 9 years ago, oral meds prescribed stopped working last summer and GAD/c-peptide tests proved T1 was correct diagnosis last fall.
1953 at age 21… Still no T1D problems.. Am using Walmarts Novolin 70/30..
December 1962. Was 8 years old and sick after having the mumps earlier that fall – lost weight, was lethargic, thirsty and peeing all the time. Went into hospital on 12/26/1962 and stayed three weeks learning how to live with “juvenile diabetes”. My parents, grandparents, and two aunts were all involved in learning the “new normal” (in those days) of boiling glass syringes and stainless steel needle tips; peeing in a cup 4 times a day to test urine with Clinitest test tubes and tablets; to measure precise food amounts following ADA dietary guidelines, and how to recognize and treat insulin reactions.
March 1961 age 11.
Not sure of exact day, but early spring of 1955. I was 8, and I suspect having 6 of us in a house with one bathroom had something to do with why my father had the idea to take my urine sample downtown that day. Before breakfast the next morning we drove downtown to the medical office, my blood was drawn, and we were sent to a restaurant, instructed to order something sugary for me. Some kind of sugary pastry was served to me just before the lab worker came running in telling me not to eat it, and I was soon at the hospital.
Jan. 7, 1968. I was 11 months old; bg at dx 1040. Now, almost 54 years later I’m healthy and happy and doing well. 🙂
I was diagnosed in September of 1972 when I was 27- almost 50 years!
My brother was diagnosed in 1969, he was 4. My oldest son was diagnosed in 1989, he was 23 months old. My youngest son was diagnosed in 1999, he was 4 and I was diagnosed in 2017, I was 56.
2002 diagnosed as T2 then had a blood test in 2012 and was positive with T1 markers.
April 1987
April 3, 2008, eight days before my 24th birthday
1955 at age 15. Quickly diagnosed thanks to my mother. She knew about my first cousin . 3 years later my sibling was diagnosed. I reject pancreas transplants and stem cell “cures” because you have to take immune-suppressive drugs. I want a real cure. This requires CRISPR technology. MRNA vaccine for COVID-19 shows effectiveness of CRISPR technology. Write your senators and representative to fund such research.
1964 at age 4. Had the German Measles a month or two before I started to lose weight and craved sugary things like maple syrup. I wonder how common each age range is for onset and whether an illness proceeded T1D?