11th year Diaversary

I just realized that last month, August, was my 11 year diaversary. For those not in the know, a diaversary is the month and day that you were diagnosed with diabetes. Specifically Type 1 Diabetes (although I guess you could also have a diaversary for Type 2!). People sometimes celebrate this milestone! I always forget about mine until it's over!

Sidenote: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It's not caused by diet or lifestyle. I repeat, if you eat total crap and live on the couch, you will not get Type 1 diabetes because of these lifestyle choices. I wouldn't advocate that you live on the couch eating crap, but it won't cause T1D. Read more about Type 1 diabetes here. 

Anyway, I don't actually remember the exact date in August 2008 that I was diagnosed with diabetes. Maybe it was because on that day, I was incorrectly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I guess it was because of my age. I was 38 years old (almost 39), and who has ever heard of a 38 year old developing Type 1 diabetes! That's just for kids, right? (spoiler...it's not. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at ANY age).

Well, that Saturday sometime in August, 2008, I remember finally deciding that I needed to see a doctor about my constant need to pee. I had googled what that symptom meant, and read that along with extreme thirst, which I also had, it could be a sign of diabetes. Surely not though...it was probably just a urinary tract infection. My husband and I drove to the doctor (they opened for walk-ins on Saturdays till noon) and I waited to be seen. I had been SO tired that summer too...I napped nearly every day after I worked mornings only, four days a week. I remember saying to my husband, "It could be diabetes, but I'm sure it's not!".

The nurse that called me back to be seen was an acquaintance of mine from church. I explained my symptoms and she assured me that it was probably honeymoon cystitis. A urinary tract infection! No worries....we can clear that right up! Let's just do a little urine sample! And my gosh, I had lost some weight, hadn't I? No? Well it sure looked like it!

Five minutes later she and the attending nurse practitioner came in with grave looks on their faces. They needed to check my blood sugar, as the urine test had come back positive for glucose. A fingerstick confirmed a blood sugar of 365 (normal is around 100). They asked me what I had eaten, and when I had eaten last. My breakfast, 2 hours prior, had consisted of a single banana and one hard boiled egg. Hardly a carb-fest! (And even if I HAD loaded up on pancakes and syrup, a blood sugar that high would have never occurred in someone without diabetes.) 

Well, it's Type 2 diabetes, she (the NP) said. Let's give you a shot of insulin to lower your blood sugar for now, and here's an oral medication that you need to start taking. Come back Monday for fasting blood work. Oh, and here's the American Diabetes Association diabetes meal plan (at that time, full of processed food and junky carbs). See you soon!

That following Monday, my bloodwork showed that I was definitely diabetic and that my average blood sugar over the past 3 months was 214 (9.1). Y'all, that's 2x the normal blood sugar for a non-diabetic. Coupled with the fact that I was not overweight, I was not sedentary, and I ate pretty well compared to the standard American diet. This was a ginormous RED FLAG that the NP should have realized, but nope, her "medical opinion" was Type 2 diabetes and that was that. Yes, I do realize that Type 2s can be thin and healthy, but this is NOT the norm. Statistics, y'all.

Over the next month, I worked closely with the diabetes educators and registered dieticians at the local diabetes clinic. These amazing women were the intelligent, educated practitioners that noticed what I was eating and how my corresponding blood sugars did NOT add up to Type 2 diabetes. They encouraged me to request further testing for Type 1 diabetes. When I called the original NP to ask for this blood test, she basically blew me off and would not entertain the idea for additional testing.

Fortunately, a church member and friend of the family was a doctor in that same practice. I spoke with her about my concerns and she agreed to order the testing for Type 1 diabetes. I could tell she was skeptical as well, but she at least listened and ordered the tests!

Fast forward a couple weeks later when the test results, the autoantibody test (GAD 65) came back EXTREMELY positive for the type 1 diabetes antibodies. I was referred to an endocrinologist, who wanted to see me THAT day, and I got started on an insulin therapy immediately. This was approximately one month after my original diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, and so maybe THIS month, September, should be my diaverary month. It is the month that I was correctly diagnosed with Type 1 diagnosis and started on medication (insulin) that ultimately save my life.

Side note: Although there is no official diagnosis, I've diagnosed myself with LADA. This is a slower-developing autoimmune diabetes that occurs in adults. It's treated with the same insulin therapy as Type 1, and insurance providers don't have a code for LADA, so it's just called Type 1. Read more about LADA here. 

The moral of this story is: Type 1 Diabetes can be diagnosed at ANY age. And health care providers should not automatically assume Type 2 diabetes because of age or any other factors. I know that I am not the only adult that was originally misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, because I've heard the stories. I'm sure I'll write more on this topic later, as it is so important to know this statistic. But that's all for now!

T1D Strong after 11 years!

Also, I want to say that I am SO THANKFUL for my T1D online community. I wouldn't be the person I am today without all of you.