I bet this is an accurate theory. I went to a new adult endo (at a very highly reputable clinic) and I think I was one of their first patients with a Tandem pump. People don’t get options!
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I wonder if this is a country-by-country difference, because my own experience in Canada has been quite different (past the pee-on-a-stick-and-see-your-family-doctor-once-a-year-for-dose-changes dark ages).
I was introduced to pumps and the early Glucometer in the late 1970s, at the diabetes clinic I went to during high school (where there were patients of all ages), and started on my first pump the year I graduated. At the time it was thought pumps were the way of the future and it wouldn’t be long before all T1s abandoned injections and used pumps.
Throughout my 30s, 40s and 50s, my endos and CDEs in two different provinces have always kept me up to date with advances and changes in pumps, monitoring, diet approaches and overall treatment. Just past my 58th birthday recently (ugh!), my CDE continues to inform me about what’s in the pipeline re technology, monitoring, and changing thinking about treatment, diet, complications, etc.
Which is to say, I have never felt that what I’m told about treatment, or what’s recommended for me, is at all influenced by my age or diabetes duration. Or maybe I’ve just been lucky with the people I’ve seen or the places I’ve gone.
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Sounds as though you remained “engaged with care” throughout your life.
I kind of opted out… And even though I now have really nice control and am a confident adult, I’m still kind of opted out. I hate endo visits, I hate being poked and prodded and checked for complications. I hate the reliance of endo teams on “popular” technology ie, Medtronic and Tandem options only…
Sigh, I guess I have become a grumpy old woman too…
I was diagnosed with T1D 55 yrs ago as a little kid.
What’s the difference between then and now? For the first 20 years we had crappy beef / pork insulin (kept us alive but hardly gave a quality of life).
BG monitors weren’t released until nearly 20 years after I was first diagnosed. Instead the best we had was Clinitest (Negative or 4++++)?
A1C’s? No one had even conceived of them (again until the '80’s).
You were under “good control” when the finally developed A1C was in the 7-ish “safe” range.
Brutal times. Now with 10% of the effort, a pump and CGM, I have an A1C of 4.7.
The old times sucked and make me appreciate how easy it is today!
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I was diagnosed in 1973 (I was one year old) so lots of technology changes for me.
The insulin changes seem big to me. I remember taking one shot a day in elementary school and every time there was a delay in a meal or a class party, I would get low. I always felt bad for my teachers because I am sure they had no idea how important it was to have the party start on time until I would pass out in class (or even worse need to have an ambulance called) when there was too long of a delay.
I used the guillotine. 
I remember always imagining what would happen if I got my hand in the way of the needle as it was falling. It caused me a lot of anxiety. I still get anxious thinking about it.
When I was young (about 3 or 4), they tried to test the backpack pump on me (probably around 1975 or 1976) and my parents refused. We changed doctors and I am still not on the pump.
I remember going from urine tests to blood tests. I still remember the test kits and how happy I was when I was “blue” as I could get a snack. The chemistry test urine tests were also very exciting to me (but my older sisters hated it). .
When meters first came out, we did not like them because we used to cut the blood testing strips into thirds and you could not do that if you used a meter so it just seemed like a waste of money. It was a big deal when the meters also no longer took 2 minutes.
Even though I have only been on a CGM for 2 years, I cannot imagine life without it.
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In was diagnosed in 1945, when I was 6 years old. I had a glass syringe, and a vial of animal insulin when I started. I tested my urine in a test tube, and took one injection before breakfast.There was no other testing or injection until the next morning. I had to go by my feelings. It was that way for 50+ years until there was a fast acting insulin, and I started carb counting. That was when I finally had a way of getting some control of my life with type 1 diabetes. My A1C’s dropped from 11 to the high 5’s, but for my first 35 years there were no A1C’s. I am very fortunate to have no serious complications after 73 years of diabetes
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I think in US, insurance was driven by proven studies that complications (and cost), would be reduced by treatment X. After DCCT results and goals for lower A1Cs, the insurance plans were more likely to cover more treatment options, faster insulins, pumps,etc.
I also had doctors tell me the attack on eyes, kidneys, etc was due to same cause of pancreas beta cell destruction, not high BGs.
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gratitude is a way of life in itself, IMHO. and, i think it can carry us a very long way. i truly believe that having a grateful attitude can effect us pysiologically as well as emotionally. i am constantly reminding my husband that “the glass is always 1/2 full.”
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Hi I am a diabetes nurse educator at an endo clinic as well as have lived with diabetes for over 43 years wanting to know if you would sell your aUTOLET II for display purposes i am collecting these old relics to display.