Just to say hello

[iatracy]

Hey all,
Just a short intro - I'm a type 1 since 6 yrs old, in 1971. Been on the pump for 16 1/2 yrs. Hope to learn from everyone else, and contribute what I can. Yours,
Tracy

[2098R]

76 views of this post and no replies?

Hi Tracy, Type 1 here, got it for my 14th birthday in 1966, (yeah old fart) only been pumping for 12 something years. Bet you've seen changes in the pumps. Which pump are you connected to?
Take care,
Whit
SoCal

[Coravh]

Hi folks.

I was diagnosed T1 in 1966 - I was 2 1/2. My Mom diagnosed me because her father already had it. I was wetting the bed again at night and was getting hysterical if I couldn't have a glass of water before bed. She did a urine test (anyone remember the little clinitest chemistry kit?), it was orange, and took me to the ER.

I've been pumping for 4 years and I love it. I didn't really care if I liked it or not, I just wanted to get a longer life out of my new kidney. But it's great.

Cora

[2098R]

Cora, I'll be the unofficial greeter...Welcome to the ward. You have a "new" kidney?

Whit

[Coravh]

Cora, I'll be the unofficial greeter...Welcome to the ward. You have a "new" kidney?

Whit

Hi and thanks for the welcome. I was first diagnosed with protein in my urine in about 1979 (I was 16). I ended up on dialysis in 2001 and on her birthday in October 2002, my cousin gave me a kidney. I can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel.

I had my transplant in Minneapolis and they offered a steroid avoidance protocol. Avoiding prednisone is always a nice thing. They are now offering the same thing for pancreas transplants and I am now on the list. I'm not sure how weird it's going to be to not have diabetes after 40 years. The wait is about 12 to 18 months - so I probably have a bit of time to think about it.

Cora

[2098R]

Please do keep us updated on you progress. Surgery scares me and I've had 54 eye surgeries. I didn't take care of my self, when I was younger and bullet proof, and my eyesight is my challenge, and I love rebuilding and driving little fast sports cars.

Whit

[AnnieG]

Hi I'm not a diabetic but my husband has been a type 1 diabetic since he was 16 (that was 37 years ago!). His first marriage broke up about 5-6 years ago and we've only been married for two years. My hubby struggles with his diabetes and is often depressed by his highs and lows. He's had severe lows and with some very close calls... such as falling through a window during a low when he was living on his own. I came across this website only a month ago and have found so much information and help that it has turned our lives around. I read the book Using Insulin and used the smart charts. My husband's doctor hadn't given him any of this kind of information so lots of it was new to him. At first he was very skeptical... but now he's keen! However, he still leaves lots of the management up to me... cooking, working out the carbs, calculating his carb/bolus ratios etc. That's fine (for the moment) as we're in this together. I'm encouraging him to take charge more so he feels empowered over his diabetes but he's lived a life-time of denial and feeling shamed that it's taking some time for him to gain his confidence back.

So I'm it for the moment! I feel I need support!! Though I'm not diabetic I have lived through some scary moments with my husband as he just didn't have the basic understanding of why he was having such lows and highs... and of course I had even less understanding. It's taken the whole two years for him to trust me enough to talk it over with me and let me be involved. I can't ask his doctor questions... even if his doctor knew the answers (which I doubt)... so I'm hoping that this forum will be some support for me so I can support him.

What do you all think?