LIVINGLIVING
RE CLASSIFIED
Sophie Reymbaut was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on 10
August in 1990 when she was eight years old. She was put on
insulin and stayed on it for 27 years and four months. Then,
on 11 December 2017, she was un-diagnosed with Type I
diabetes. This is her story.
"
Type 2 diabetes ran in the
family, or so we thought
¬- my dad's mother had
it, then my dad himself
was diagnosed with
it too. However, neither of them were
stereotypical Type 2 diabetics and my
Dad certainly did not respond to Type
2 medication management as was
expected. Due to this he was tested to
see if he had maturity onset diabetes
of the young (MODY) - a rare form of
genetic diabetes, it turned out he had a
very rare form called ABCC8. However,
just then at the age of 34 I fell pregnant.
During the pregnancy I was also tested
for ABCC8 and it was confirmed that I
too had this type of genetic Diabetes. My
granny passed away a couple of years
ago so she was never tested but it is
assumed she also had this type. Talking
to my consultant we decided it was
best to continue as we were, on insulin,
throughout the pregnancy. I've since
had a baby girl and we did not know
for sure until she was born and tested
whether she would carry this gene also,
that she would be clear of any diagnosis
of diabetes. She was clear and is now
nearly two years old. I was using an
insulin pump and had reasonable control,
but as soon as I stopped breastfeeding
I came off the insulin. Now I am only on
tablet medication.
"Having lived with Type I diabetes - or
should I say as a Type 1 diabetic, as I did
not actually have it - I had all the risks that
other people face who have the condition.
I do have retinopathy and experienced
some significant retinal bleeds when I was
pregnant. I still have all the co-morbidities
of Type I diabetes with the higher risks
with some diabetes complications, but
my control is entirely more stable and
therefore I should be at a lower risk going
forward. I can still get some low-ish blood
sugars but I just need a little sugar boost
and I'm fine.
"I lived as a Type I diabetic on insulin
for 27 years and four months. Every
now and then I suddenly remember how
much easier my life is now. As a family
we love to go camping and I no longer
need to pack in a second suitcase full
of my diabetes supplies, nor experience
that panic of having to go through security
when travelling overseas. I have almost
forgotten my life as a Type I diabetic. I've
never been to a water park and now I
want to, a spa day even, with no pump
to worry about.
Pumped up
"Looking back I feel that the biggest
moment in my life as a Type 1 diabetic
was the move from multiple daily injections
(MDI) to an insulin pump - I really felt that
that changed my life. Oddly, moving from
Sophie Reymbaut had her
diagnosis reclassified after
living as a T1D for 27 years.
Of course we'd all like not to have Type
1 diabetes. Indicators are that 1-2%
of people with diabetes may have an
alternative cause of their diabetes.
Many diabetes centres are not yet able
to offer C-Peptide testing. Please see
the sidebars overleaf on MODY and
DiabetesGenes.org to pursue an
enquiry on your own behalf.
EDITOR'S NOTE