My sympathies @Kate25. I hope you find answers that will keep you happy, healthy, and well.
I had asked my pcp and then the endo she sent me too if I could be a type 1 as I had an uncle who had died from type 1 diabetes. I was told no by both and they never tested me. I switched my pcp to an internist who added fast acting insulin and when my group hired a new endo she sent me to her. The endo did the testing without even saying anything to me. I was misdiagnosed for over 8 years. It turns out an awful lot of us are misdiagnosed as type 2 first, 30% plus of us in fact. It also turns out that a lot of us are properly diagnosed when we switched doctors.
2 Likes
@Kate25, I’ve been using Ulta Labs for almost a year now. I got tired of arguing with my doctors about what labs I wanted. They’ve been especially helpful as I titrate my thyroid meds. I also consult with a naturopath to help interpret the lab results.
This does cost more than using my insurance but I’m impatient with trying to persuade ignorant gatekeepers that I need these labs.
1 Like
Cool. I didn’t know this. I thought you always had to go through doctors with labs. Nice. O.k. I will get it done then. Thanks Chris and Terry.
September 17
ChrisP:
You pay them and they order the lab. At least for me it looks like they still do the blood draw at my local Quest office. You can order any test you want on your own.
@Kate25, I’ve been using Ulta Labs for almost a year now. I got tired of arguing with my doctors about what labs I wanted. They’ve been especially helpful as I titrate my thyroid meds. I also consult with a naturopath to help interpret the lab results.
This does cost more than using my insurance but I’m impatient with trying to persuade ignorant gatekeepers that I need these labs.
I should’ve added that the rules on this do vary from state to state. I’m in Oregon and it’s allowed here. Good luck getting the labs you want.
Well, I’m going to give it a try. All they can say is no. 
My insurance would not cover it. I just went to my doctor and asked for a prescription for the test. I took it to the lab and paid out of pocket for the same price my insurance would have paid to the lab. I handed them the prescription
They took my blood and ran the test. The result were dead center mid range, which some would consider as a non indicator. But I was just looking for a benchmark Incase in the future the test rests would be low, indicating low insulin production. Then I can say that low insulin’s production means something has changed.
I am not a medical professional, but I would caution people against making and testing their own theories when it comes to this sort of thing. There are very good scientific reasons why things are done the way they are. In particular, you want to make sure you are measuring and testing the same thing every time so you can compare results over time. If you do two blood test, one when you’re fasting and one when you’re not, you cannot compare the two test results because the conditions were different for each test.
Regardless, I wouldn’t get too hung up on how much insulin your body is producing. If you have diabetes you need to treat it accordingly regardless of your own endogenous insulin production. Do you best to stay withing range, be that 80-180, or 80-140 if you want tighter control.
My question for you @ChrisP, is why do you want to show that your C-Peptide can be higher? What do you hope to learn from that? And is it worth spending your own money to learn whatever that is?
1 Like
@David48 I answered that a little further up here:
I would not pay for a c-peptide test more than once. They are fairly expensive, even with good insurance. I’ve had type 1 for 29 years and went to a new endo last year. She ordered one for me, which was $600 and ended up measuring 0. So $600 for a test that said what I already knew. (Now, with LADA that’s a different story. Do what your dr recommends. But for me I ended up being surprised by the cost of the lab fee.)
@laceyma the c-peptide I’m planning to get is $45 for me to pay out of pocket.
I think if your a type 1 long term that has had very low/0 C-Peptide there isn’t much use in re-doing that test. For me as a slower progressing LADA that still makes insulin I have reasons to personally want to track my rate of decline.
1 Like
Yeah, I was not pleased…at all. Well, that was the total. They ran c-pep, H1c, thyroid (which I’ve had done before and wasn’t anywhere close to even $100), and cholesterol. And all together it was $1000. Negotiated by our insurance to $600 of course our deductible hadn’t been met at that time.
Our GP told me later to never use the hospital lab again because they charge crazy amounts. The H1c is supposed to be free though our insurance, and the other 3 should have been no more than $150 total. The GP said the c-pep test was the kicker price-wise because they don’t do many of them.
I understand and share that desire… unfortunately this test will not effectively do that and will very likely only muddle the issue and the quest for understanding. If you don’t produce enough you’re insulin deficient… (it sounds like that’s your case). If you produce a highly excessive amount you’re insulin resistant (it sounds like that is not the case). Unfortunately, that’s as clear as it’s goint to get…
1 Like
Just following up since I got my test results now.
Quick Summary.
Diagnosed as Type 1 May 2018 based on having GAD65 and IA-2 antibodies, 13% A1C, Peptide 0.92 and losing weight quickly.
Even though I’m type 1 autoimmune the NP has me labeled Type 2 until my own insulin production gets lower. He said this way he can prescribe me Januvia/Jaridance for the time being.
August 2019 my NP along with other labs ordered a C-Peptide and the result was 0.35. During my visit he said I might be re-labled as type 1 and lose access to the Januvia and Jaridance.
I’ve had great control / A1C’s and not eager to change my regimen. Also I told him having a lower C-Peptide made sense to me. I take basal/bolus insulin also I was fasting for the test. In my opinion my body had little reason to make much insulin at the time of the test. My NP’s says C-Peptide is a measure of beta cell mass and not a measure of insulin production. (I’m certain that is incorrect, I’ve read many places C-Peptide is released in equal quantity to endogenous insulin).
To prove my case I paid for another C-Peptide this time I ate breakfast and didn’t take insulin causing my sugar to rise to 140 before my blood draw. The C-Peptide result was now 0.94. That is only 0.02 higher then 18 months ago but I take that as a positive sign that I may have slowed down significantly my beta cell lose rate.
My goal the last year was to get good control and reduce the work my remaining beta cells would have to do to try and extend my honeymoon period. Based on my first years C-Peptide and A1C results I feel I’ve done that.
I just wanted to share in case anyone else has a similar experience.
I would think he could still prescribe it. But may be issue with coverage from insurance, which doctor must deal with to get approved.
You may want to post question if other T1s are prescribed it.
Just to clarify, my NP didn’t say he would stop prescribing it. He just said if my C-Peptide is low the insurance company might consider me type 1 and change what medications they want to cover.
Type 2’s have a lot more options but when your a slower progressing type 1 some of the type 2 medications could be helpful while your still making some insulin.
Januvia slows down my sugar spikes when eating and better matches the curve of my insulin bolus. If I had to drop it I could be I’d prefer not to right now.
You are correct. The precursor to naturally produced insulin in our bodies is called proinsulin and is comprised of three amino acid or peptide chains named A, B, and C. When the C chain is cut off of proinsulin, that forms actual insulin. This means that the C peptide chain is a 1:1 correspondence to the amount of natural insulin our body produces.
I was a type 1 and my endo asked me if I wanted to be prescribed Jardiance or Januvia. I didn’t so I didn’t go forward with it. She’s a type 1 herself and was always very upfront about what insurance would cover. It might just entail more paperwork by the doctor to get it okayed, or maybe certain insurance companies won’t cover it?