Is it a Hemocue? I’ve considered investing in one…
Siemens vantage I believe
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What would the advantage be? Just to test more often?
Hi John. I was also diagnosed just months before retirement, and have nothing but awe for those who manage Type 1 along with families, careers, etc. It is a 24-7 job all on its own. I’m also coincidentally from New Jersey but came out to California in 1979 and no longer have ties to the east coast.
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Ok, I’m going to have to get an avatar, and figure out how to reply right under someone’s post and how to add a new post which is what I hope I’m doing now!
Thanks, Britt, and Sam, for inviting me. It seems like I’ve been gone so long from TuD that I thought nobody would remember me. But I was a daily poster for about 6 years so I’m sure there are friends still on here I know and who know me. I’d been more and more disgusted with the heavy handed management of TuD for quite awhile and when the new format came out I hated it enough to say, “Ok, enough is enough” and leave. I also tend to be compulsive and was spending way too much time online. That’s a battle I’ll always fight, so hopefully I can start a policy of being a regular poster without actually moving in~
Ok, I have no idea how I got to this website (yes, I do, Sam gave me a link) so while I can still find it I thought I’d introduce myself and share my story. I’ll be coming up on my 10th Diaversary in July. Like many of you, I was initially misdiagnosed as Type 2 due solely to age; I was 58 and months away from retirement and moving to Guatemala. I’m glad to see many of you were correctly diagnosed in the last few years; it takes so long for the knowledge we all have to catch up in the medical profession!
Because, like many with LADA, it has a slower onset (I just think of myself as Type 1 now), I did fine on oral meds for about 15 months. I didn’t even change my diet; I stated “I’m a vegetarian and I eat healthy”. The Diabetes Educator I saw at diagnosis agreed with me (!) and never even confronted the concept that as a vegetarian I ate lots of fruit, rice, pasta and potatoes! At about the 15 month point my blood sugars started going up…and up… I was living in Guatemala at the time and my doctor there just kept switching and adding meds but nothing helped. Something else was happening and I set out to figure out what. Through reading and eventually finding TuD I got it; I’m Type 1. I went to an endo in Guatemala City and presented her a list of five things I knew indicated I was Type 1 and she just checked each thing off, nodded and said, “yes, you are Type 1.” This was in a developing Country in 2009! I got on insulin and after a joint attempt by my doctor and myself to kill me with a Type 2 type dose for correction, things started falling in line.
What else? I’ve been on a pump since 2011 and am probably the only person with absolutely no desire for a CGM. (which is good, because as far as I know medicare still won’t pay for them?). In 2010 I started a wonderful Type 1 Women’s Group in the Bay Area. I did it under the auspices of JDRF (interestingly I had proposed the idea to TuD but they weren’t interested!). It is still going strong today (It meets monthly in Oakland if anyone is interested contact me and I’ll steer you to the mailing list). I left the Bay Area for a rural area in Northern California in 2011 and miss the wonderful women in that group. I try and get down to visit and have a potluck or picnic once a year.
My negative comments to the contrary, TuD helped me enormously. When I talk to “normies” about T1 they sometimes notice I say “we” or “for us”. You are my “we” (and my Women’s group). Though we all differ in particulars, we all speak the same language. Thanks to all of you who started this new group.
Zoe
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Welcome, Zoe! So nice to have you here with us.
Thanks for joining Zoe—
Everyone who is here at this point is here because they were specifically sought out by the handful of us who started this group-- so rest assured you ended up here because we specifically value your experience, perspective, and input. We have not opened the doors to the general public yet, but wanted to have a strong base of different valuable perspectives before we did so. We understand (truly) the frustration with heavy handed admin in other places where people just want to share and learn together and that’s something we are putting a lot of thought into striking the right balance with here… so I hope we get it right.
I think when you get used to it you’ll find the software platform here workable, although there will always be trade offs with any platform.
We’re really glad you joined!
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Sam knows this better than anyone here. 
Hi @zoelula2. Nice to meet you! I was a newcomer to the other site and figured them out fast enough to know it wasn’t for me. Sounds like we both found the right place😊.
Nice to meet you too, docslotnick. I look forward to your contributions!
Zoe
Yo Zoe, whassup!?
Good to see you, Mike!
Hi everyone. My name is Alexandra and I was dx’d T1D on 1/5/16 at age 54 when I was unresponsive and hospitalized in DKA (BG 722, A1c 13.8). I had been feeling beyond exhausted for weeks and weeks, lost 40# without even trying (I loved that part!) and was drinking anything I could get my hands on. To be honest (and admit my sheer stupidity), I suspected for some time but had no clue of the ramifications. I’m embarrassed to say I figured all those years (especially most recent ones, caring for aging parents, growing a business, etc and just neglecting myself) had finally taken their toll. When the endo in the hospital came to talk to me, I knew he was going to say it was T1; don’t ask how. I was placed on insulin and basically figured things out on my own until I met my endo’s ARNP. She changed my life! We commiserated on the “suckiness” of T1D at this stage of my life and just the all-consuming-ness of it (I had no time for this!) and then we agreed on short- and long-term goals and strategies to manage my T1D.
Fast forward 15 months, I am due for new labs, but last A1c was 7 (nothing like the 4.x-5.x some of you report but ok for me, for now); I have a CGM (self-paying for supplies for now) and went on a pump on 1/16/17. Barring a few dumb mistakes, I love these two techhie gadgets and feel less like a T1D hostage. I was truly blessed to find TuD and to follow you all here; your experiences and advice have had a profound effect on how I deal with this twist in my middle age. When I read about you parents of small children, I have to marvel at your grit. It’s one thing to manage this beast for myself; I can’t imagine the stress of doing this for children, especially as they grow up and fancy themselves independent!
On a personal level, I had one son, who died last year, two weeks after my dx; needless to say, my world has been rocked, but my faith helps me keep it together. I have one grandson, who is nine years old and a light in my life, and two dogs who bring me great joy. Dogs rule, cats drool! Ha 
I am a healthcare administrator by profession, running a small consulting firm with my business partner for the last 16 years, and I teach healthcare administration to undergraduates. I’ve been lazy on the exercise front lately and hope to get back on track. I’ve completed (walked) two half-marathons at Disney and earlier this month participated in a local JDRF 5K just to see how this would affect my BG. I hope to take all the advice posted to see if I can train for another 13.1 next year. I kinda need a new goal!
Thanks again for inviting me to join this new community. I was fairly new when the Sam-ban occurred, followed by the Eddie-shunning (I am dying to know the details LOL), and am glad to reconnect with you all. Oh, and I live in 
South Florida.
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Hi Alex! So glad you joined us!
That is an amazing story, thanks for sharing. You have overcome a lot in the past year. I am so sorry about your son, that is indeed sad. But is sounds like you are a fighter, and you are in the right place. I know you will continued to figure things out and be a champion.
We have an exercise category, so take a look at it and let’s talk about all the tricks that go along with managing BG while exercising. And whenever you are ready to tackle a half, I would be happy to help with a training program. 
When I first read this I was only half awake and was thinking “why would anyone want to train for a 13.1 A1C?”
Welcome and glad you’re here
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Very nice to meet you and welcome to the community!
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Welcome Alexandra. Sorry about your loss, but glad you are here among us. Not everyone here has a super low A1c, so take all of the over-achievers with a grain of salt. 
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Welcome welcome welcome! Lots of wonderful people here with a lot of D experience. Sounds like you are doing very well (awesome 7 a1c!!!)
So sorry to hear about your son.
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Welcome Alex, so glad you found your way here!
I was 55 when diagnosed T1 in Feb 2015… and had a similar “really, at this age” response. This group of folks helped me in so many ways. I look forward to your insights as well.
Lisa
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This reminded me, there are several threads for new members to look at and post on.
Here is what I remembered off the top of my head.
https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/pets/
https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/unlimited-photos/
https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/combined-years/
@britt_j , are there some others I am missing?
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