Oldies diagnosed with Type 1

General
1

Obviously most people on here and generally are diagnosed with Type 1 at a young age.  I however was 26 and 11 months old.  I am not sure if this was a good or bad thing.  Good that I didn't have diabetes when I was growing up (and many of the things I have read on here show that I would not have coped half as well as you all that developed it young - you are great).  Bad, however, as it hits you when you are super active in life, with 3001 plans in your head?

Anyway, my question is - who also has an oldie diagnosis experience?  And who on juvenation is was diagnosed oldest?

2

I was diagnosed just this past August with type 1, I am 46 years old and I was incorrectly diagnosed with type 2 in Feb 2009, after trying so many meds to help my type 2, I was sent to an endo and she diagnosed me with type 1 and put me on insulin. This is really tough because like you I had so many plans made that are difficult now, but I will just have to learn to adjust and still try to keep the plans I have made, it will all be fine, we can do this. we must do this.

3

simple answer: there is no good age to be diagnosed. 

according to data from insulinpumpers(dot)org "age at diagnosis" suggests the 6 sigma age for T1 diabetes to be 40 something in the US

I don't really fit your request - so I am sorry if this is off topic, but I was diagnosed at 13 and oh yea, it sucked for me too but at any age when faced with this thing - you toughen up or die... so we toughen up.

4

[quote user="James"]

Obviously most people on here and generally are diagnosed with Type 1 at a young age.  I however was 26 and 11 months old.  I am not sure if this was a good or bad thing.  Good that I didn't have diabetes when I was growing up (and many of the things I have read on here show that I would not have coped half as well as you all that developed it young - you are great).  Bad, however, as it hits you when you are super active in life, with 3001 plans in your head?

Anyway, my question is - who also has an oldie diagnosis experience?  And who on juvenation is was diagnosed oldest?

[/quote]

 

I was Dx'ed last year in aug. In ICU, DKA and 52 years old. Bs was 672 and a1c 13.2.

 

 

5

Wow, I didn't realize.  It must have been tough and a bolt out of the blue, more than me at 26.  You guys are so cool to have dealt with it well (as well as we all can).

 

Joe is right I suppose, there is no good age to be diagnosed, 2, 22, 42, it is a blow, but one we all have to deal with on move on from.  It is part of our lives and we find ways to cope, and ways to make it work from us.  It even made me make some positive lifestyle changes, and I am probably more healthier now generally than I would have been without it.

6

[quote user="James"]

 

Wow, I didn't realize.  It must have been tough and a bolt out of the blue, more than me at 26.  You guys are so cool to have dealt with it well (as well as we all can).

 

Joe is right I suppose, there is no good age to be diagnosed, 2, 22, 42, it is a blow, but one we all have to deal with on move on from.  It is part of our lives and we find ways to cope, and ways to make it work from us.  It even made me make some positive lifestyle changes, and I am probably more healthier now generally than I would have been without it.

[/quote]

 

Yes it's been one heck a change. I am also healthier because of D. Just an update, my meter say's my 30 day avg. is 108 and last a1c 6.8

 

7

Hey James,

California Rocks I live in SoCal.

8

I don't fit here, b/c I was little @ dx. But, re your comment about your 3001 plans -- don't worry about it too much! There are very few things you won't be able to do I'm sure. I know people on here who haven't been able to join the military b/c of D; also insurance makes it hard to be self-employed. But, I'm sure most things will still be attainable.

Have others found the dx stops their plans? I feel like I've been able to live a pretty normal life, but I nothing to compare to b/c I've always had T1...

9

Hi Sarah, I hope I didn't give the impression of diabetes stopping me doing my 3001 things, just that it felt like that when I was diagnosed.  It is my 8th year now with type 1, and I keep doing stuff.  Just come back from a 10 mile run as part of my training to do a triathlon that I am doing in about 4 weeks!!  I really think that if I didn't have diabetes I wouldn't be doing this.  Also, even though I have diabetes, I have just moved from the UK (where I had free healthcare) to the US where currently I am job hunting, and can't get insurance!!  Not letting the diabetes stop me do anything, as non if us should.

 

10

You go James! I don't think I could ever do a 10 mile run.

PS - Healthcare in the US kinda sucks (in my opinion), hopefully you can get it soon though, as I imagine supplies are super expensive with no plan? How are you getting insulin, etc. now, if you don't mind me asking?

11

Thanks Nikki.  It is getting easier, although I am still afraid I might sink in the Bay!!

I thankfully bought over lots of insulin with me form the UK, so I have enough for a while.  I am buying testing strips and needles online.  I have found a place in Canada that sell insulin online cheaper. So I have that if needed.  Hopefully then I will have a job.  My wife has a good job, but we are doubtful I'll be accepted on her plan.  Yeah it sucks, but I am hoping once i get a job and a plan, I will get a pump - which they don't give out in the UK very much.  I think with a pump my control will get better.

12

Hi James:  Actually, it's just a myth that Type 1 diabetes is a children's disease.  We adult-onset Type 1's are the majority!  It has been documented for at least 70 years that new-onset Type 1 diabetes is more commonly seen in adults, not children. In 1934 Dr. Elliot Joslin noted that the incidence of diabetes in lean individuals was relatively constant in each decade of life, but that diabetes in the obese was related to older age. A book published in 1958 (“How to Live With Diabetes” by Henry Dolger, M.D. and Bernard Seeman) that states that “[Type 1] diabetes is almost three times more frequent among young adults than among youngsters.”  Today, with antibody testing (glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADA), islet cell antibodies (ICA), and insulinoma-associated (IA-2) autoantibodies), the same statement is proven true.  A new book, “Type 1 Diabetes in Adults: Principles and Practice” (Informa Healthcare, 2008) says that adult-onset autoimmune diabetes is two to three times more common than classic childhood onset autoimmune diabetes (p. 27). 

Me?  I was diagnosed with Type 1 at age 35.  Unfortunately, despite being hospitalized in DKA and having no risk factors for Type 2, I was initially misdiagnosed as having Type 2.  Recently, I met a man at a JDRF function who was diagnosed with Type 1 around age 62.

In a recent survey by Australia’s Type 1 Diabetes Network, one third of all Australians with type 1 diabetes reported being initially misdiagnosed as having the more common type 2 diabetes. 

 

13

Hi James,

I was diagnosed in 2006 when I was 32 years old, and I'm the only one in all my family with Type 1 (actually I don't think anyone has Type 2 either!).

Anyhow, I'm from Italy and since I go back every year I always stock up on insulin and supplies. With my doctor's and pharmacist help, I'm able to stock up for 6 months, for free,  which is great. I keep on doing this even though I have insurance because the copayment is high anyway! For the past few months I have been on the Omnipod pump which is not yet available in Europe, so I still have to get the pods through my insurance here not cheap!). So I suggest you bring back as much as you can...and maybe ask family/friends there to get you test strips and ship them over.

As far as getting on your wife's insurance (or your own, when you get a job) that is not a problem with major employers: they have group policies that do not have any pre-existing condition exclusions.

Good luck with everything!

 

14

Okay, you might be my hero.  I have gotten into running in the past year and am planning to do a half-marathon (13 miles) this spring.  How on earth do you keep your blood sugar in check during a 10 mile run?  Any advice?  Also, are you using a pump?

15

What's weird though is I always felt like an oldie being diagnosed at 17!!! for many years until recently... I guess it is just because you don't meet that many T1's anyway- they are always T2's and when I was diagnosed in 1983 they were still calling it juvenile diabetes instead of T1 and T2.

Not until the last few years did I even hear about older people (like past their 20's) getting it!!  Well even doctors were misdiagnosing people at T2's because their minds were set that T1 was for "Young People"

I am 26 years into it now and definitely feel like an oldie!

 

16

Hi Kim.  I wouldn't go that far!!  Ha ha!!  That's great you are doing a half marathon, very impressed!!

In answer to your questions, firstly I don't use a pump (although I want to).  I have just moved to the US from the UK, where although I got my stuff for free (of course higher tax), I could never get a pump, as they don't give too many out, as judged to expensive.  SDo still finger pricks and pens!

In the running, I basically try to keep it simple.  Some form of complex carb before doing the training, whether swim, bike or run.  This is often oatmeal, or brown pasta etc.  I then do not inject any insulin, and whilst doing the training session, just carry a tube of glucose tablets with me, and half way through pop a couple, as I generally know I need them.  Now sometimes of course, I may not - due to the weird things exercise does to a diabetic's body (adrenalin can of course affect your ability to process insulin).  On the bike, I also have water bottle full of gatorade, which I sip throughout.

If you can eat whilst running, look for a cereal type bar that is relatively low sugar, but quite high carbs - this often works for me as well.

But, from what I have read, how everyone copes with exercise is all rather unique.  The best thing I think is just learning as you train, and as you put more miles in, you will get a better sense of what you need to do before and during the race.

Remember as well that post exercise your blood sugar readings can go sky high, but then crash later - this is the thing I struggle with the most - and I have to stop myself form chasing.

Good luck, and I'll let you know if I discover anything more as I do the tri in just a few weeks (yikes).

17

Thanks!  Well, I didn't say I could run the whole thing... although I'd like to be able to... but we'll see!  I've been trying PowerBars beforehand and those work pretty well for me, but you're right that the hard part is handling what happens afterwards.  Really high numbers, then really low later on, and I never seem to get ahead of the curve on that....  ah well, I suppose in time I'll get it figured out.  Best of luck to you with the insurance coverage situation!