I have been diabetic since age 1 (1973). I am on MDI and have a DexCom (just started on the G6). My control is good. My A1C is good (5.8). If I could work on something it would be to decrease my standard deviation (variability). I have always had pretty good control and have no side effects. I keep pretty active, playing soccer and swimming, so that helps a lot.
Personally, I live in Seattle. I am a special education teacher, teaching transition skills for students between the ages of 18-21. I have 3 children (10 year old twin girls and a 12 year old boy) so I am always very busy.
@Hleyton Welcome! I am at 47 years, but was diagnosed at 19 years old. Like you I have no complications or diabetes related problems and maintain a 5.8 A1c on MDI. Likewise, my SD could be better. Maybe FUD can help us both get there.
I have only had diabetes for 27 years at this point (I was diagnosed at age 9). I have also never had an A1c in the 5% range, so Iām impressed! I hope to get there one of these days.
I also teach in the special education field. Love the field and my job.
My doctors are always saying that having an A1C that is low as a result of averaging out highs and lows can still result in complications but studies donāt really show that. I think they are just worried about my lows.
Yes, sometimes I try to remember what it was like before blood tests or multiple injections a day but it is getting harder and harder to remember. I have only been on the DexCom for a year and it is hard to remember what I did before having the continuous blood glucose levels.
Years ago, my endo told me in-range overnight BGs had the most impact on in Range A1Cs. Spikes after meals (180-200) were ok if return to target within 2-3 hours. This has worked well for me.
I agree if you can return to some kind of normal range within 2 to 3 hours after spikes is good it is always worked for me also. I am 64 years old and have been type 1 for 48 years no side effects always active with lots of exercise and thatās what has worked for me.
I have also had T1D since 1973, but I was 8 when I was diagnosed. I used vials and syringes until about 4 years ago, but now I am using Dexcom and Omnipod (see, you can teach an old dog new tricks!). My management is pretty good, but I can also use some work on my standard deviation. Itās been better since I have been more aggressively āsugar surfingā.
By using the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) data, these authors reported that the sustained chronic hyperglycemia was predictive of microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes, while the within-day glucose variability was not.
And the conclusionā¦
In conclusion, glycemic variability is one of the components of glycemic disorders in patients with diabetes. In the near future, the use of CGMS will need to be increased to promote better assessment and management of glycemic variability in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Hmmm, do I now need to admit I have a glycemic disorder ?
I was not in the DCCT study, but while it was going on, I was in the sustained chronic hyperglycemia group. And have the complications common in that day. But still thriving 30 years later.
Another thing noted AFTER the DCCT, was that once T1Ds improved A1Cs quickly, it actually led to quick onset of damage, which for me was rapid progression of retinopathy. One endo told me later that a gradual, steady reduction in my A1C may have reduced the severity.
I just want to say hi and how good and encouraging it is to hear from other T1s that are doing well after over 40 years of living with diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1972 - 11 years old, so itās been 46 years for me.
@docslotnick - Thanks! And, no, they never told me that but they may have told my parents. At least there was always that feeling hanging over me - lots of question marks about what my life held. Did they tell you that?! Oh dear. Iām really grateful that no one ever told me what I ācouldnātā do. Iāve had a full life. And my birthdays are also more fun - a celebration of another year rather than just a feeling of getting older. I bet you feel the same way.
@Carol Yes, my first doctor ( a cardiologist who practiced as an internist) told me I could expect to live about 20-25 more years ( I was 19). I believe heās now dead, and I have every intention of living another 20-25 years (Iām now 66).
@docslotnick - wow! Iām sorry, because that must have been difficult. How wonderful that you have done so well.
I had another advantage, that I had forgotten. My doctor was an older man (at least he seemed old to me when I was 11) who had had type 1 since he was a year old. He lived to be 80 - and I think he was written up in Diabetes Forecast. That helped foster the idea that even with the cloud hanging over me, it was possible.
(Iām now 66).