Acting Early Doesn’t Mean Having It All Figured Out

Diagnosed with diabetes in 2008/09, starting insulin in 2018, diagnosed with LADA (Type 1.5) in November 2025, and using my first insulin pump in April 2026 — this is my story for World Diabetes Day 2026, and what “early action” has actually looked like over 17 years of living with diabetes and Crohn’s disease.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day, and this year’s theme is Early Action on Diabetes.

So what does “early action” actually look like? Because if I’m being honest, when I was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2009, I did not suddenly have it all figured out. Not even close.

Hopefully my story will be helpful to diabetics like me, especially if your story hasn’t gone in a straight line either. Mine certainly hasn’t.

I was already living with Crohn’s disease (diagnosed in 2005), so I already knew a thing or two about managing a chronic illness every single day. What I didn’t know was how much my diabetes was going to change over the years — and how much I still had to learn.

So, what did my “early” diabetes actually look like?

For a long time, diabetes was something I managed in the background. It was there. I dealt with it. But it wasn’t yet the insulin-dependent condition it became in the fall of 2018.

Here is my timeline, because I love data, and sometimes a list says it better than a story does:

• 2005 — Crohn’s disease diagnosed
• 2009 — Diabetes diagnosed
• Fall 2018 — Insulin-dependent. I started insulin.
• December 2018 — Started using the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system
• November 2025 — Diagnosed with LADA (Type 1.5)
• April 2026 — My first insulin pump

Look at those dates for a minute. There is a 10-year gap between my diabetes diagnosis and starting insulin. And it took until November 2025 — more than 16 years after I was first diagnosed — before I had the LADA diagnosis.

For years, I wrote on this very blog as an insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetic. That is what I believed I was. The LADA diagnosis didn’t make me a “different” diabetic overnight, but it sure helped make sense of a story that never quite fit into one box.

Was starting insulin a failure?

No. And I want to be clear about this one, because I know how it can feel.

Starting insulin in the fall of 2018 was not a failure. It was information. My body was telling me something had changed, and ignoring it would not have made it untrue.

Jeff Bezos has a quote I use a lot: stress doesn’t come from hard work, it comes from not taking action over something you can have some control over. From ignoring things you shouldn’t be ignoring. That is exactly what early action means to me. Not panicking. Not trying to be perfect. Just not ignoring it. I wrote more about that accountability idea in my post on gamification for diabetes management.

What changed everything? Seeing the data.

In December 2018, I started using a FreeStyle Libre. I have written about the Libre a lot on this blog — my FreeStyle Libre questions and answers post is where most of those tips live — and for good reason: it changed how I manage my diabetes. (The system has kept evolving too — I covered the Libre 3 Plus becoming available in Canada here last year.)

There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Back when I was only doing finger pricks, even testing five times a day, I was only seeing a tiny snapshot of what my glucose was actually doing. What was going on the rest of the time? I had no idea. I was guessing.

With a CGM, I could finally see. How did my body respond to this food, or that food? Not food in general — that specific meal. That is what I call biohacking, which is really just a fancy word for paying attention, running the experiment, and learning from what you see.

With knowledge comes power — or in our case, control over our chronic illness.

And yes, sometimes what you see is not pretty. Sometimes lunch wins and it takes hours to get your numbers back on track (sushi, I’m looking at you). But I’d still rather know than not know. At least then I know better for next time.

Early action can be that small. Notice a pattern. Write it down. Ask about it at your next appointment. Don’t dismiss it because it doesn’t feel big enough yet.

Diagnosed with LADA (Type 1.5) in November 2025

Here is the part of my story that surprises people the most.

I was diagnosed with LADA in November 2025. LADA stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, and you will also hear it called Type 1.5. (Breakthrough T1D Canada has a good plain-language explainer on latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, if you want the formal definition.)

Sixteen-plus years after my first diabetes diagnosis. Seven years after I started insulin.

And then, in April 2026, I got my first insulin pump.

Did getting a pump feel like starting over? Truthfully, no. A new tool, yes. A new learning curve, absolutely. But starting over? No. It was the next step in the same process I have been using all along: look at the information in front of you, try, learn, adjust, and try again.

That is why I don’t think “early action” is only something that happens at the beginning of a diagnosis. It can’t be. My diagnosis is still changing, so my actions have to keep changing with it.

What would I tell myself back in 2009?

You don’t need a complete plan. I certainly didn’t have one.

• If something is changing, say so. Don’t ignore it and hope it goes away.
• If what used to work stops working, that is not a reason to blame yourself. That is a reason to get more information.
• Ask questions early, even if you are not sure they are the right questions yet. (Half of my Libre posts started out as questions I was bringing to my diabetes clinic.)
• Keep a record you can actually look back on. Your future self will thank you for the data.
• Find your people. Seriously. Living with a chronic illness is hard enough without thinking you are the only one going through it. Groups and communities like Beyond Type 2 Canada exist for exactly that reason.

And I am still a runner and a cyclist through all of this. Not in spite of the Crohn’s and the diabetes — just with them along for the ride. Some days go better than others. That is life with a chronic illness, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

Frequently asked questions about LADA and my story

What is LADA (Type 1.5 diabetes)?

LADA — Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults — is a slow-developing form of autoimmune diabetes diagnosed in adults. It is often called Type 1.5 because it is autoimmune like Type 1 diabetes, but it develops gradually in adulthood, so it is often first thought to be Type 2. Diabetes Canada includes LADA in its definition of Type 1 diabetes, rather than treating it as a separate condition.

How is LADA different from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?

Like Type 1, LADA is caused by the immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Like Type 2, it appears in adults and can progress slowly, and some people do not need insulin right away. The difference over time is that insulin production keeps declining, so insulin treatment usually becomes necessary — in my case, insulin came first, in 2018, and the LADA diagnosis explained why, years later.

Can your diabetes diagnosis change over time?

Mine did, and mine is not the only story like it. A first diagnosis is based on what is known at the time. As things change — and as further testing is done — the picture can become clearer. For me, that clearer picture arrived in November 2025, more than 16 years after I was first told I had diabetes. If your management stops working the way it used to, that is worth a conversation with your care team.

What is starting an insulin pump like?

For me, getting my first insulin pump in April 2026 was a learning curve, not a restart. New tool, new habits, same process: use the data in front of you, learn, and adjust. If you are considering a pump, bring your questions to your diabetes clinic — that is exactly what they are there for, and it is what I have done with every change in my management since 2018.

In summary

Early action doesn’t mean having it all figured out on day one. If it did, I would have been finished learning in 2009, and instead I got a new diagnosis in 2025 and a new insulin pump in 2026.

Early action means paying attention sooner. Asking the question sooner. Taking the next step with the information you have today, instead of waiting until you feel worse — or until you feel ready.

You are not alone in this. Take it from someone whose story is still being written, 17 years in: accountability and action will beat worry, every single time.

This post is my own lived experience with Crohn’s disease and diabetes (LADA). It is information only, and it is not medical advice. Please talk to your own healthcare team about your diabetes management.