Worried about my mother, thinking it's LADA

Hello all! I need some wisdom and encouragement. My mother was diagnosed as type 2 several years ago by her family practitioner (who, in my opinion, and many others, is a quack). She is on Metformin, but over the last year her BGs continue to rise. She had never heard of LADA, and has never been tested for it. She has no other symptoms of metabolic syndrome, however she has other auto-immune issues (hypothyroidism and a little psoriasis on the back of head). She isn’t able to see an endocrinologist this year due to her work schedule, but plans on seeing one in January. So here are my questions:

  1. What tests should she ask for to be sure she has type 2 and not type 1?
  2. Is it standard practice to do the blood tests to distinguish between type 2 and 1 in adults?
  3. Is she at a higher risk for type 1 since I’m type 1?

this post explains all the tests she needs to ask for

I don’t know the answers to #2 and 3, but I doubt that it’s standard practice, just judging from the amount of LADAs here who report their initial experience as being misdiagnosed w type2

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Wow, thank you for that! I will try to get my mama to read up. Maybe if she asks her family practitioner she can get a jump start on the testing. This is very helpful.

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@MissMargie, Please be aware that some doctors do not easily accept the validity and verity of information acquired on the internet. Especially if the information contradicts a previous diagnosis. I would look at the presentation of this information and the doctor’s reaction as a test for the doctor. If s/he reacts poorly then I would consider that as an indication to look for another medical practitioner. The patient’s health hangs in the balance and that provides all the authority needed to hire and fire a doctor.

Good luck to you and your mother. I have read @Melitta’s writing and find that she is rock solid on the facts. I would trust what she writes.

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In my experience it is not standard practice to run the tests for distinguishing between T1 and T2. Some doctors do it as a matter of course, others don’t. So as with everything else involving health care, you need to take charge and insist, sometimes.

. . . and you probably know this already, but people with one autoimmune disorder are at substantially higher risk for others. Many, many T1s have other autoimmune conditions in addition to the diabetes. RA is common, as are others. So your mom really should be tested.

To prepare for the meeting with the MD, I would also check the list of risk factors for type 2 - especially the hereditary one. Had I known about adults being Dx’d with type 1 when I was initially Dx’d with type 2 I would have listed those factors of which I had none: no family history back several generations, eapid onset of symptoms, about 20 lbs underweight and losing rapidly. I was Dx’d type 2 just cuz I was 30. There was no internet then, so no sites like this and I knew no one with any type of D. If I did, they would have challenged the incorrect Dx, and I would have had to experience a KAQ coma to get it right. Anyway, there are blood tests and if your mom has none of the type 2 risk factors, she should be able to plead a solid case for lab work.

Hi MissMargie: If you have Type 1, if your mom has other autoimmune diseases (Hashimotos, etc.), has no metabolic syndrome, and isn’t responding to Type 2 meds, it is highly likely that she has adult-onset Type 1 diabetes, IMO. Getting a correct diagnosis is very important, but even more important is getting on exogenous insulin. Good luck to you and your mom, and let us know what happens!

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