My 42nd birthday is tomorrow. I just realized that means I’ve had T1 diabetes for 40 years….diagnosed in 1984.
I remember my mom subscribed to the Diabetes Forecast magazine for a long time. I would read the section of milestones of people who’d had T1 for 25, 30, 40, even 50 years. Back then it seemed hard to imagine reaching some of those milestones, but here I am.
I feel pretty fortunate. I also kind of want to say “screw you” to the ignoramuses (especially health care professionals) who predicted nothing but doom and darkness.
I haven’t had my leg cut off. I haven’t gone blind. My kidneys haven’t shut down. My fingers and toes aren’t numb. I don’t have open wounds or abscesses anywhere. I AM OK!
Awesome job @Gemtwyst I can’t blame medical people for the doom and gloom because, at that time, they were treating people with diabetes for 30 years prior and the complications were more common. Don’t forget the home blood sugar testers were just available in the mid to late 80’s so if you were diagnosed in the 1950s you spent most of your life without even knowing your blood sugar.
No, never thought about it until I reached the 40 year mark. After looking at the link you shared, I see Joslin now only does medals for 50 and 75 years…guess I’ll wait until 2032!
Hitting this milestone, most any milestone, is something for which you should be proud. I remember when I was diagnosed Dr. Elliott Joslin, founder in 1898 of the Joslin Clinic dedicated to diabetes research, education, and treatment, was awarding certificates to people who had lived ten (10) years with diabetes. In those days, insulin was still rather crude and a “simple” blood sugar test took days; complications were common.
Thankfully we now have some really awesome tools and effective insulin (we don’t need to be concerned with the health of the pig or cow from which the insulin was drawn) and more healthcare professionals are slowly becoming aware of diabetes in its many forms.
The wish I have for you is to really enjoy your life, accomplish whatever you desire and in another 40 years have the Joslin Gold medal hung over your sholders.
