Hi Marella,

I was 27yrs old in 1973 when I was diagnosed with diabetes. No one ever said T1 or T2.. I had numerous hospitalizations in the beginning years because of ketoacidosis. My brother was a T1 but passed away when he was 42. My husband & oldest daughter are T2's diagnosed a few years ago. When originally diagnosed I lost 86 lbs & had gone down to 104lbs. I thought I looked like Miss America but my neighbor said he went to a funeral & the corpse looked better than I did. At that time I was on pills (diabinese) & apparently wewen't working. After my neighbors remark I immediately went to my GP. I was hospitalized & started on insulin. I was in the hospital 9 days & forced to eat & gained 9lbs. I've had many trips to the hospital ER or 911 EMT's at home because of unconsciousness I kept my weight down for years & really only started gaining alot after Katrina. I got totally disgusted with my body, the way my clothes didn't fit (the ones I had left-all I had was the clothes I packed to evacuate for Katrina. Everything I left home was lost. I just got to the point I couldn't stand myself so...here I am! I take multiple injections daily. Over the years I've had about 3 different endos & none of them ever suggested a pump.

As the other questions, I don't have any pets anymore but I am a dog person.I am a retired RN. I worked mother/baby/anything female & really miss it. The hospital I worked in was destryed in Katrina & has never opened since.

If you have any other questions, just ask,
Diane

Thought it might be nice to get to know a little something about everyone here

Diagnosis: I was diagnosed at 5yo. I don't remember much outside of practicing injections on an orange! That was in 1987.

A1C: My best A1C to date...I really don't remember. I wish I had a great one to share. I'm still working on a steady and better A1C. My high and low swings (due to preparing for vigorous exercise and dropping after vigorous exercise) keep me from having a "perfect A1C". My endo watches my numbers and counsels me endlessly on better ways...so here's to the next test!

Lowest Level: My lowest recorded sugar level was 32 or 26 (one of the two) and I'm sure that was this year. I exercise a lot and sometimes have weird lows at night.

Hospitalizations: I was not hospitalized at my diagnosis, but I have been hospitalized twice with ketoacidosis. Once in 6th grade after a really bad cold and a second time my freshman year of college with the same symptoms after a cold. i was in ICU for a week the first time and 3 days the second time. I was released early the second time on Christmas Eve. I wanted to spend it with my family. It's a horrible experience and I am trying everything I can to avoid the hospital, an insulin drip and the ICU.

T1 Pals: I do not know of any other T1 diabetics in real life. I went to school with a woman whose son is T1 and I think that's the closest. Next to that was the diabetic camp I went to in 4th grade. I'm almost 30 so that was SOOO long ago.

Why I gained control: I realized I was two times my moms size when she was my age. Honestly, that made me start evaluating my health and my weight. At the rate I was going, I would be triple or quadruple her size by the time I reached her age. She's not super fit, but she's a nice size for her age. Also, I'd like to have kids some day and if I stayed the weight I was when I started MFP, i would have been obese by the time I had a kid.

Fun Facts:
I love dogs...HATE cats. They scare me bc they are sneaky.
I don't play any sports because I am not the most coordinated individual. If I could, I would play basketball, maybe.
I don't do what I'd like to do for a living, but I'm working on changing that

I was diagnosed 33 years ago at the age of ten. I was the only one diagnosed in my family with it up until about three years ago my nephew at the age of 22 was diagnosed with type 1.
I can't remember my lowest alc but do remember my lowest blood sugar which was during my pregnancy, it was 36.
I am currently on the minimed pump. I love the pump although at times I dislike being connected to something but its better than the alternative.
I have never been hospitalized besides when I was diagnosed.
What made me decide to gain control of my weight? I am tired of "feeling" fat and unfit, so its time I make some changes.
I'm a cat person. In fact we had Sara for nine years and just recently she disappeared after I let her out in the middle of the night.
No team sports for me but I do enjoy Zumba and getting ready to try JM 30day shred.
I am the receptionist for an electrical supply company.

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1?
Age 10, 1992

What is your best A1c to date?
7.0, I just want to get in the 6's club! As a teenager, A1C were often in the 9's.

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?
18

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?
Twice -- once in high school (had mono, got dehydrated, got diagnosed with mono) and once my freshman year of college (after a flu shot, my last one EVER, felt under the weather and stopped taking my insulin -- hello? DKA).

Do you know any other diabetics in real life?
Yes, a lot! I started going to diabetes camp at age 10, participated in bike trips during high school/college, and now I volunteer for a non profit called Insulindependence (promotes active living for those with diabetes) and serve as a camp counselor at a diabetes camp for teens. So I know a lot of people with diabetes, mostly type 1! My great-grandmother had T1D and my grandparents had T2. My dad had T2.

MDI or pump?
Just went back to MDI after four years on a Medtronic Paradigm pump with CGM. Using a Dexcom now with MDI. LOVE not being attached and not dealing with absorption issues.

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight?
It's a constant struggle, but I first lost weight before getting married. In 2003 I lost 30 pounds and now I'm about 15 down from my highest weight (15 more than I weighed when I got married). The last time I remember being happy with my weight was before or after diagnosis. I remember being so proud of my flat tummy in 4th grade...then BAM -- diabetes. Since 5th grade, I've always been a size 10-12-14 (currently a 10-12).

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person?
Dog! But since we've started teaching our cat to use the toilet... I might like him a little more.

Do you play any sports?
No ball sports. I swim, bike, run, and take aerobics classes.

What do you do for a living?
I'm an immigration advisor at a university (similar to a paralegal/attorney). I advise international employees on immigration law and file paperwork with US Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of the university and its international employees.

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1?
12 days before my 13th Birthday. 4-17-96

What is your best A1c to date?
5.7 when 1st started pumping
6.5 Begining of April, no real lows(<75) or highs (>180/200) just constant numbers
6.5 and under is where I mostly am MDI and pump (My endo says I'm her fav patient.)

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?
33 as of last month. I woke up and felt find then when I saw 33 I freaked out a little bit.

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?
No *knock on wood*

Do you know any other diabetics in real life?
Mom is type 1
Gma is type 2
Uncle is tye 2

I have great diabetic friends on MFP and Facebook

MDI or pump?
pump since 2005
prior was R and NPH (old skool or poor man's pump)

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight?
My gf and I did the Diabetes walk in 2010 and looked fat.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person?
Dog for the most part but at my mom's we sort of had cats show up. The property her house is on there were 2 kittens and later 1 died. My moms then 1st bf brought a kitten from FL. Then we found 1 at her business. Then her friend gave us 1 kitten until mom got a puppy and the cat attacked it so we gave the cat back (after 2-3 years.)

Do you play any sports?
I played soccer from 3rd grade to 6th. (Moved to another state and didn't want a new team cause we were awesome.)
I played softball from 3rd grade to 8-9th. ( Our team mom made sure to get me my diet soda at the end of each game.)

What do you do for a living?
I'm going to start working for Pet Smart by the end of this month.

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1?

-22 years old 3rd year university. (not a day I care to remember too fondly I actually had to think a while to get the year right).
Partied hard after Xmas University exams and hangover did not go away so I knew something was messed up.

What is your best A1c to date?

-I am not sure but I have always been in the 6's. Mostly below 6.5.

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?

-Lowest number would be 1.1 (hope my wife doesn't read this ) Sorry Canadian 1.1 mm/L = 19.8 mg/dL

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?

-No, although did have one hypo that required paramedic intervention. Refused to go the hospital after they pumped me with glucose as I knew I was fine, was embarrassed at my first intervention and didn't want to pay for the ambulance. I now believe I screwed up my insulin that evening as it was not long after dinner (perhaps double dipped)

Do you know any other diabetics in real life?

-Yes several including my Bro who is also Type 1

MDI or pump?

-MDI-Pumps do not seem as prominent in Canada. My endo has never encouraged them much as I have had good control without complications with MDI.

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight?

-not trying to lose weight but am trying to eat healthier (lower sat fat, sodium) and exercise more.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person?

-have neither would probably prefer a dog.

Do you play any sports?

-Used to play team sports but with kids busy in different activities and work spend most of my available fitness time on solo activities.

What do you do for a living?

-Information Technology Architect- Currently help set strategic direction and conduct IT planning for large Canadian company.

Hi Everyone,

I've tried 2x's to respond to this thread but MFP/the Internet (?) keeps kicking me out at the same question (very weird)... so I'm going to try and post in a couple of different parts and see if I can get through it that way...

** PART I:

re: At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1?
- Age 10. June 30, 1988 (I'm 35 now)

re: What is your best A1c to date?
- 6.0

re: What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?
- Meter wouldn`t read that low, just said LO. I think that put me around 1.5 mmol/L or lower.
- SIDE NOTE: Handy blood sugar converter since we don`t all measure in the same units:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html

re: Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?
- Yes, multiple times between the ages of 11-17. I think 2x`s for purely Diabetes-related. The rest were due to some other illnesses/reasons that I had first... which then impacted the Diabetes and therefore decided to throw my body into pure choas (and ultimately led to hospitalizations). Once I hit adulthood my body seemed to decide it didn`t always to need to react to things in such an extreme way. Thank goodness!!

re: Do you know any other diabetics in real life?
- Yes! In my mid-20`s I joined a new local T1 group and met a number of people through that (most within 10 years of my age).
- SIDE NOTE: One friend has a blog, `Me With D`which I would like to share with this group because she covers a number of topics brought up in this thread (including, amongst many things, some of the T1 struggles and successes she`s had in giving birth... twice!): http://mewithd.wordpress.com/author/mewithd/

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? I was 6 years old, it was 1992.
What is your best A1c to date? 5.6%
What's your lowest recorded blood sugar? 19 mg/dL
Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis? yes
Do you know any other diabetics in real life? yes
MDI or pump? Pump
What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight? I realized my fiance weighs less than I do. Also, I wasn't happy with how I looked naked anymore.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? Both, but like dogs more.
Do you play any sports? Nope
What do you do for a living?

Thanks for participating!
[/quote]

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? Initially diagnosed at age 10 in 1984, went into "remission" for a year then consistent since 1985, age 11

What is your best A1c to date? 5.2 during pregnancy

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar? besides "Low", 18 (determined by EMTs)

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis? No

Do you know any other diabetics in real life? yes, the only type 1 I know well is my younger cousin

MDI or pump? Minimed paradigm since 2004

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight? I have been thinking about it for years. My weight has fluctuated over the past 20 years between125-160 usually on the higher end. I have been very fortunate to avoid any long term complications to this point after 28 years. I am getting older and pushing my luck:)

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? Dog (like cats and all other animals too, but if I have to choose)
Do you play any sports? No, trying to get back into running.
What do you do for a living? I work at a hospital in a psych ER, run a commercial cleaning business, part-time student, and mom:)

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? 10
What is your best A1c to date? 6.2
What's your lowest recorded blood sugar? 32
Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis? Yes - twice in highschool and it was on purpose to get out of going to school. I was an angry idiot back then.
Do you know any other diabetics in real life? Yep, my mom
MDI or pump? Pump!
What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight? My clothes didn't fit and I hated myself

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? CAT
Do you play any sports? Heck no... I'm awful at sports! Unless, you count shooting hoops with my husband...
What do you do for a living? I work with contracts for a large insurance coproration.

Hi everyone, this is a fun post and a good way to get to know everyone a little better.

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? 24, back in 1994 - very unusual, and I found out by a total fluke. I was getting more serious in a relationship and went to Planned Parenthood to go on the pill. They wouldn't prescribe it to me because they said they found high sugar levels in my urine test. They sent me to a doctor, and before I knew it I was being taught how to give myself insulin injections.

What is your best A1c to date?
I think it was 4.8. I was absolutely obsessive with my blood sugars when I was pregnant, and I was able to keep my A1C in "normal person" range out of the sheer fear of increasing my baby's risk of having diabetes.

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?
28, although I'm sure I've been lower than that. I had an episode once where I was hallucinating and was too out of it to realize it was because of low blood sugar. The only thing that saved me was that I got a totally random and overwhelming craving for Cheez-Its, and I remember crawling into bed to hide from the hallucinations while I ate them.

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?
No.

Do you know any other diabetics in real life?
Yes, I work with a guy who's also a good friend, and he's T2. Also, one of my kitties is diabetic and we give him an insulin shot every day.

MDI or pump?
I'm on a pump and love it! I switched when I was trying to get pregnant (again, for the same reason that I was afraid of the risk to an unborn child), and I've never looked back. I use the Medtronic Paradigm, and I got a CGM maybe a year ago. I don't use that too often because it's annoying to have so many things attached to me, but it's really helpful to put it on for a few days every once in a while.

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight?
There are several reasons, but the straw that broke me was that I was already buying jeans in larger sizes, and I had to make a choice between getting ahold of myself or buying a whole new wardrobe.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person?
I'm a cat person. We have 3 - one is 19, one is 18 and one is 3.

Do you play any sports?
I've always been a runner. I was a sprinter in high school and am learning how to run longer distances now, although I do it all on a treadmill.

What do you do for a living?
I'm an administrative assistant.

Have a great day!!

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? 11 in 1969 (43 years ago)
What is your best A1c to date? 7.2
What's your lowest recorded blood sugar? 26
Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis? no
Do you know any other diabetics in real life? Yes, several
MDI or pump? Pump.
What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight? Vanity and health. I looked at myself in the mirror in Feb and it looked like someone had taken half of an adult size plastic egg and stuck it on my abdomen. It had to go.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? Dog, but cats are ok too.
Do you play any sports? I like a lot of things. Cycling, running, racquetball, golf and tennis.
What do you do for a living? Systems Analyst/software developer

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1?
12

What is your best A1c to date?
Mine hangs around 6.5

What's your lowest recorded blood sugar?
1.2

Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis?
No, I have been in hospital, but not directly for diabetes

Do you know any other diabetics in real life?
Yes, a few

MDI or pump?
MDI, Pump scares me

What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight?
I need some surgery, and the DR told me it would be a great benefit, since I am severely obese

And a few just for fun:


Cat or dog person?
I love all animals....never owned a dog, but love them, had a cat for most of my years....now I just have a little degu

Do you play any sports?
Not consistently

What do you do for a living?
I work in retail


P.S. I am Canadian, and I know our readings are different from those in the US

At what age and what year were you diagnosed with T1? Age 10--Actually on the same evening Niel Armstrong stepped onto the moon. I was watching him from my little hospital bed on a black and white TV.
What is your best A1c to date? 6.9
What's your lowest recorded blood sugar? 23
Have you ever been hospitalized due to diabetes besides your diagnosis? Yes, in college x1 after gastroenteritis
Do you know any other diabetics in real life? Yes, hundreds
MDI or pump? Minimed pump
What made you decide to start trying to gain control of your weight? Be a good example for my patients

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? Cats--we have 4 that are spoiled strays we've rehabilitated
Do you play any sports? not really
What do you do for a living? RN

Thanks for participating!

I'm pretty knew to MFP and am glad to see other T1's on here!!

I was first diagnosed when I was 12, which was 24 years ago. My how things have changed!

Best A1c that I remember, would have been about 8 years ago, a 6.2. Currently running in 7.5, really working on getting back to the 6's.

My lowest sugar is a 32 that I know of. Unfortunately for the past 10 years I've been more prone to run high than low.

Knock on wood, I have never been hospitalized for diabetes complications. It surprises me that I haven't since I spent many years without much control. Stupid youth and in denial during college years.

My brother is a T1 but he is the only other one I know of that is my age. I do know of 1 child of a friend, she's 6.

I have been on the pump since 1998 and I love it.

I decided to gain control back over my weight when I realized that it is just not going to go away on its own and I am most likely going to need surgery to help.

And a few just for fun:
Cat or dog person? I have a cat, love him, but I am a total dog person. Wish I could have a dog where we live.
Do you play any sports? No sports. I played tennis in high school.
What do you do for a living? I am a stay at home mom to to amazing girls.