[anmi]

Hy again.

I really like this forum, but I do not see many new threads around here...
As I told in a previous reply, the only one who can understand us is ourselves.
So let's talk about it...

I want to hear everybody's story ... how it was discovered, how did you take it, how the people treat us, friends, family, how is the diabetes treated in other countries... everything... Do you have any facilities? Did you laugh, cry, got angry, got depressed, have a normal life?... anything...

I want to read and to learn from other experiences.

[Cyborg]

First I had alot of self-pity. For a long time after that I was angry. Then for a long time, I was in denial. And now I have come to accept my diabetes as part of my life.

[camjen1]

I thought I had diabetes after I started to watch all of those symptom commercials they were airing at the time. I had every symptom. I let my ex mother in law check my blood sugar and sure enough it was unreadable. Told my mother who worked as a nurse in the hospital and she had me come in and they drew blood. After a couple hours I left with a bottle of insulin and syringes and my life had changed. The only thing I was concerned with at that point is not being able to drink Pepsi.

I was diagnosed as a teenager but by that time I was already a mother and had to grow up well before being diagnosed so I didn't react as if my life was over.

[lilituc]

I had symptoms for a couple years before 2005, but since I live with a Type 1, I was able to test my blood sugar and it always looked fine - this was before I knew I should try testing at 1 hour or 2 hours after eating, though. That and my very low tolerance for elevated blood sugar are what allowed me to catch it so early. Otherwise, if I felt fine at 200 or 250 like a lot of people seem to, it's very possible that it wouldn't have been caught until I already had complications.

I was also lucky that I already have a few serious chronic health conditions (stay with me here) because I was already used to dealing with those and having to take medication every day and manage my health. Not only that, but once I got my blood sugar back into normal range (when they let me go on insulin), the chronic fatigue I've had for years and years went away. Dealing with diabetes is not easy, and in my case requires a lot of work, but it's less difficult for me because I had the applicable skills already. For me, life got better after diagnosis. Still, there are a lot of "ifs" there if you want them to be. "If" I didn't live with a diabetic, "if" I didn't start having symptoms at 120, "if" I didn't live in such a developed country, "if" I didn't have health insurance (and I have been there), "if" my doctor didn't listen to me (been there, too), "if" I couldn't have found a good, progressive endo to replace the first one, "if" I couldn't afford my prescriptions which are $482/mo *with* insurance (also been there). I could go on. I am very lucky.

[auburngirl]

I was diagnosed 8 days before my 7th birthday-I had to go to the doctor for a physical for after-school care, and they caught it then. No one in my family has diabetes, and I didn't have any health problems before the diagnosis. I got a pump when I was 12 (after BIG problems-my number was never under 250 for over a year) and I love it! I turn 18 soon, and my latest A1C was 6.7!! I finally learned to accept myself, diabetes and all.

[GregGolden]

First of all, let me say. GO AUBURN!

OK now thats out of the way, I came home from a party that I did drink at, and I had the symptoms of Diabetes for 2 weeks after that party. I thought it was still from the drinking..you know, peeing alot, drinking alot, I thought it was all after effects from the alcohol, but I was wrong.

Went to school one day after going to my doctors office for a blood and urine test because I complained to my dad about the symptoms, I was called down to the nurse's office for a finger prick test, it was 430.

Went straight to the hospital, boom, "You have type 1 diabetes Greg"

I've just been living life to the fullest ever since I had it!

WAR EAGLE!!

[JJeenn]

My mom had noticed that I was losing weight, didn't feel well, and drinking tons and tons of fluids (I only remember the unbelievable thirst and not feeling well parts). She made a doctor's appointment and there I had to pee in a cup and they sent me for a blood test and told my mom it might be diabetes. We went home and a while later my mom got a phone call telling her to bring me down to the hospital because my blood sugar was high and (according to her) they said they were worried about me going into a coma. (I have no idea what my blood sugar actually was when I was diagnosed, but wish I knew.)

I handled it well. I was angry a lot that year but didn't really connect it to diabetes, I was angry at school, but I'm sure my parents connected it. For years after that I was fine and responsible and didn't feel sorry for myself. Then towards the end of high school and beginning of college my schedule changed, the insulin regimen no longer fit, my A1c rose, I took over control, and I still didn't give anything much thought. After a few years I suddenly got very depressed and very angry about having diabetes. For about a year I just raged at it although I also wanted to get better control and was trying, and the fact that I wasn't succeeding just made me even more angry and more depressed and I felt like no one understood. I think this is is the first time I really faced diabetes head-on. It hasn't been until this year that I've stopped being mad and/or feeling depressed about it. I still have my frustrating days but my attitude now has reverted back to the "it doesn't bother me much" category.

So that's my story. It was interesting reading the others.

[blue_eyed_devil]

Hey anmi. When I was dx I was 10 and to be honest was loving it because I was getting lot of attention. Sounds weird doesn't it? Was fine until I turned 18 and 'wanted to be normal'. At that point I stopped taking my insulin, started doing some things i shouldn't have... drugs and drinking etc, and ended up with DKA in ICU for a week or so, total hospital stay was longer. I was actaully very happy because I was very thin and thought it was great. I'll never get over waking up in ICU and not remembering about a month of my life (prior to hospital)... I really was messed up in that time.

Must admit woke me up to the fact I actually have to deal with the diabetes, and live with it. Since then i've moved on to become a nurse and plan on working with youth with long term medical conditions (what a cliche!). I'm also very passionate about mentoring younger diabetes to help them avoid what i went though.

On a pump now and loving it... though I'm not fond of the brand...

All in all diabetes has actually been a good thing I thing. Taught me to be very indipendant and love life... It's great!

[Lorna]

I wastaken to a skin specialist with lumps in my feet at age 6. At that time my mum wastold they were nothing to worry about, but could be assoicated with diabetes. Had my urine (1988) tested at that point but it was negative. Then 3 years later started drinking and loosing weight... Think my initial reaction was the why me type thing, but generally have lived my life and gort on with things.

[caryj]

I was diagnosed Type 1 at 3 years of age. Without my mom caring for me during that first decade, I wouldn't be here today. From what I have been told, I was drinking lots of liquids and urinating frequently. My mom took me to the ped. where they simply thought she was a lunatic mom (they never took a BG reading), a day later she took me back, they did the BG reading (too high to be read by a meter), later that day I was admitted to the hospital for about a week to stabalize/have my mom & dad learn this new way of life (lucky for them they had some experience as my grandfather was a type 1). Luckily, I suppose, I do not remember life without it.

It would be a weird concept for me not to test my BG or take insulin. An odd consideration nontheless.

[slowpoke115]

My girlfriends trying to become a doctor and has made a website all about her doctor stuff along with a section I wrote about diabetes, it reveals some of the truths behind diabetes and gets rid of the stigma the condition faces, it also describes how I was diagnosed. If you have a look she'll be really happy AND you get to read all about me! Just click medicine info and then find the article here, thanks for looking!

http://www.hollybray.co.uk/bigmed.htm

[Tricia452008]

I was 6 when i was diagnosed and for almost 3 weeks my mom knew something was wrong with me but she didnt know what. I dont remember what i was feeling when i was first diagnosed, but my mom was 100% angry over what was happening to me.

One of my worst diabetic reactions was back in March 2001...I was soooo sick of pricking my fingers that one night i just decided to give my poor hands a rest...just one night.......i woke up 3 days later in ICU....my sugars had dropped soo rapidly by 2am ::when my dad found me banging my head against the wall:: i was only 20 mg. When i was in the ER they need to do an EEG on me and i was fighting them soo bad ::i mean physically: i punched a doc....so they had to sedate me and that knocked me out for 3 days....when i woke up i was in ICU for 3 weeks and had an EKG and 2 more EEG 's then i finally went home.. It was beyond a mess but taught me to always test my sugars no matter what!!!

But when i was in my teen yrs i hated being a diabetic and different....everyone treated me different....I hated it.....

Now i am happy to be a diabetic and i want to be a nutritionist so that i can help other diabetics control their lives better....I feel i am a diabetic for a reason now and i am going to do something about it!!

[blue eyes]

Mine was caught early, apparently because of being on prednisolone.
I started with symptoms early August, lost a bit of weight even though my diet hadn’t changed, was more tired than usually, always thirsty and going to the toilet a lot. I saw my GP, mentioned the symptoms she did a random blood sugar which came back as 11.??mmol/l – nb I was on pred at the time. Followed up the same week and had another random blood sugar done which was fine (9/8mmol/l I think). GP sent me for a fasting blood sugar which was upper normal.

Started getting worse so went back to my old GP (felt to embarrassed to see above GP because she wanted me to follow up in 6 months). I had another fasting blood sugar + other blood tests. Fasting blood sugar was 6.6mmol/l so got sent for a GTT. Fasting was 9.7mmol/l, 1hr 14.2mmol/l, and 2hr 18.8mmol/l. The GP put me on diabex 500mg, I got taken off that b/c I was told it wouldn’t help me + the DE and endo was concerned about me being on it d/t me weight. The endo started me on diamicron b/c he was worried about me being on insulin d/t risk of hypoglycaemia.

Endo said diamicron would help me pancreas produce more insulin. Still got worse while on that. Ended up in hospital 19/10 bsl got to 22/21mmol/l but came down on their own w/o insulin, just had a lot of iv fluid, in hospital again 20th-24th with high bsl (highest 24.4mmol/l), was being treated as dka even though I was told it was lactic acidosis, started 2 units of lantus 21/10. Had more probs a couple of days later and stayed in hosp 27th – 31st , lantus increased to 3 units in the morning.

I’ve been told I have type 2 diabetes by the GP (because of my age - I'm 23), then slow onset type 1, then early stages of type one that was probably detected early d/t being on prednisolone early September, then type 1 but in the honeymoon stage by the diabetes educator.

I was shocked at first when I had the first random blood sugar. Now I’ve just being going through acceptance and denial. If I have a few good days of normal bsl I kind of go into denial about the diabetes, then if I have a few high days (above 14mmol/l) I think to myself maybe I really do have diabetes. My Mum supports me with the diet part of diabetes, like eating sensibly / not having a lot of sugars/carbs in my diet, both my parents have been sort of helping me injecting lantus (was scared to do it at first – worried about the pain and possibility of my bsl going too low on insulin). My grandparents have been concerned too.

Other thoughts, sometimes I hate that I have diabetes, I’ve always thought of myself as being ‘a healthy young adult and invisible to every health problem out there’ – which I guess isn’t really all that true if I look back since late August / early Sept + last year. There have also been times when I’ve been in denial and just want to ignore the diabetes, do silly things like drink a soft drink, have too much sugar in my coffee, honey which I know makes my bsl shoot up. But I’m getting over that now – I like feeling well!

Anyway, for the most part I’ve had really tight control on lantus (not including these last 3 days) – almost to the point that I’d say I might even have better blood sugar control than a person w/o diabetes. Of course I stop taking lantus and my bsl does go up – but I’m lucky in that it takes 2/3 days for my bsl to go above 20mmol/l!!

[sweet_suffering]

When i was diagnosed with diabetes a month ago i was really relieved and happy and i started crying. The reason was that i went to the doctor for symptoms that could indicate a cancerous tumor, and with my family history (my mom dying of brain cancer when i was young and her mom with stage 3 ovary cancer), i was terrified. I had watched how my mom died and saw the diabetes a great blessing, because if i follow the diabetic lifestyle i will greatly decrease my chances of getting cancer.

[KickStart101]

I'll say!! God Love Ya, Sweet. Just learn all you can and follow it.
If you fall out of the Diabetes regimen, soon after, get back to it.
You Can Do It.



My Sympathy for the Great loss of your Mom and Grandmother.