Great read Travis!!! =)
Thank you! This week has been pretty tough. I appreciate being appreciated.
Does a Lazy boy or computer chair count? I use my 3 lbs hoola hoop for 20 mins a day though…
Do Tommy Burgers count as junk food? .
Travis I am an example of what Melitta is describing. I went from Dec 2006 until Jan 2010 being missed diagnoses by the medical community as type 2. I am tall and relatively thin with NO history of diabetes in my family, I initially was able to treat my BG with proper diet and exercise (like they recommend with type2) but I got to the point were I was starving myself to death and getting weaker and weaker. It wasn’t until Oct 2009 when I noticed a shift in BG that I couldn’t control anymore (keep in mind I was on a 1200 cal, low carb, diet). I went to my doctor where he finally ran the GAD65, Insulin, and CPeptide. GAD65 came back positive and so did the other antibody panels (long story on that).
LADA is becoming more and more common and doctors (especially Endo’s) are becoming more aware of the condition and how to treat. The time where LADA begins and the time exogenous insulin is required usually takes 3-6 years. In my case I made it to 3 years. When I finally did got on insulin it was apparent how sensitive my system is to insulin. 1 unit of insulin will drop my BG 100 points. When it comes requiring insulin a person shouldn’t fear the insulin regiment because the outcome will be the same and that is how great you will feel afterwards! I feel like I can breath again and have control of my life again.
Tell John best of luck and make sure that he gets properly diagnosed. If you question and or have any reservations get a second or even third recommendations until you are satisfied with the results. This is your body and your life. There is only one God to trust and he is not the doctor.
You have summed up the way I feel TOTALLY!~ I got diabetes while pregnant at 28 - and only having gained 20 lbs. I was successful keeping off the weight I turned 40, and then was diagnosed with full blown T2. I am one of those subsets of T2 who have the genetic markers with antibodies also. Even though I know I didn’t cause my diabetes, when I eat cookie or a piece of birthday cake, I am consistently reminded by people how putting that in my mouth gave me diabetes.
Too bad they didn’t realize that I gained all the weight because of the insulin resistance. For crying out loud. Thanks for this post!
Mitchell:
John doesn’t think he was mis-diagnosed. He really believes that he has type 2 diabetes, even though his weight was in-line, he was physically active, etc. The fact that he has been successfully controlling his blood sugar through diet (and continuing the physical activity) for the 6 years, with no admitted ill effects, has strengthened his confidence in his doctor’s diagnosis. As I mentioned in my column, John receives regular blood testing for his cholesterol and monitoring his A1C. He, and his doctors, are monitoring his condition.
Yeah, I believe I’m one of those people, Elizabeth… I mean, I am clearly a Type 2… and I have good control with Diet, and exercise. Good, tight control. I never usually go above 120 (even though my goal is to not exceed 140) in one hour… and I don’t take any meds, or insulin. Yet I have a whole host of autoimmune conditions: Hypothyroidism, PCOS, and now I am going for more testing to determine what new issues might be affecting my Pituitary gland… I’ve NEVER believed for a second Type 1 and Type 2 were unrelated, or even different diseases, even though they may have been put in play by entirely different factors… and we may never reach a thorough understanding of one, without wanting to understand the other.
It’s o.k. for John to be Type 2. He has it well under control by diet, which a Type 1 couldn’t possibly do.
Just because John does not question his diagnosis, does not make his diagnosis correct. My bet is that John has never been tested for antibodies and he probably has never received a c-peptide test. The only test that is readily available to reveal insulin resistance is the OGTT, with c-peptide and/or insulin draws. This test is almost never done. Any diabetic, of any type, will likely display cholesterol abnormalities when they have high blood sugar.
Most newly diagnosed type 2s or a LADAs will be able to show marked improvement (at least at first) with diet and exercise. The net effect of insulin resistance or insulin deficiency is the same, an inability of your body to properly respond to carbs. Can a LADA control their condition for 6 years like John? Sure. I believe the average time before a LADA goes on insulin is 3-6 years. It is thought that high blood sugars themselves accelerate the process (so called glucotoxicity). If you keep your blood sugar tightly controlled like John then you give yourself the best chance of keeping your beta cells functioning.
But as to John’s diagnosis. I am not so clear. Since I am not aware whether he was given any relevant tests, simply arguing that nothing bad has happened is hardly a good reason to think the diagnosis is correct.
Thanks for this discussion guys and all your great insights and comments.
I am one of those (new) apparently Type 2 (no official diagnosis yet but I need no insulin - at least right now) who are thin. I have always been thin. And even more interesting than that, I have been a vegetarian for 20 years! At some times in my life I was active and other times not so active (lately). Even though I have been a couch potato lately (esp in the winter), I still don’t gain much weight (tum fat is my prob) because honestly I don’t really eat that much but what I did of I ate too much of the wrong stuff (tons of white bread, potatoes). Bread was the love of my life (oh why did they invent that stuff!)
So, can a person be thin and get diabetes - in my case, yes. Just because one is thin doesn’t mean they are healthy (look at those those anorexic supermodels). In my case, too I found out there is a family history (didn’t know this before!). For me, I just never really gain weight. Even if you don’t overeat and get fat that doesn’t mean that the little you do eat won’t cause problems for you. This I now know. Plus tons of super fat people walking around who never get it at all - so a big booty doesn’t neccessarily give you diabetes.
Maybe I am a Type 1 or a type 1.5 (sounds like a hybrid!), I do not know yet. Maybe I am not now but will be somewhere down the road as many on here are posting about. Right now the Metformin and diet is working for me and my c-peptide (or insulin whatever you call it) is normal according to my doctor. I do want to get all the tests done I can because I think there perhaps there may be more things going on in me other than bad diet and no exercise. Many people posted about vitamin deficiencies and I know I have them too and need to start with my vitamins again. But that is me and that is my feelings about what might be going on in my body.
But I do know that fat doesn’t necessary mean you will or will not get diabetes - I am proof of that. I am new and don’t know everything but I have been doing a lot of reading and research and talking to people and I really think that doctors need to do additional testing on everyone who is diagnosed because I honestly I am thinking that it is needed. Esp. the cortisol. I am very interested in the connection between stress and diabetes because of the connection between stress hormones and the stomach fat which, I have been learning, is the worst fat to cause insulin resistance. And look at all the “beer bellies” walking around - it is no wonder many people are getting diabetes. Not saying this the the only factor of course, I think genetics are important too. But it is interesting how many of these factors are related to each other and it isn’t just one thing or being fat - it is many different things, very individual but somehow lead to a similar issue, diabetes. And as, some are pointing out - some people you can never figure out why they got it. It is really a very big puzzle like a maze with many different ways to shoot down and everyones maze is different.
I wish I could pass chemistry than I would want to be a researcher to figure these things out. I think of many studies I could do. 
I have to say I did believe it because that’s what all the instruction I was given said, but the longer you research it, the more you start to find that it’s never as cut & dried as they like to say it is.
My best friend is a pre-2, she’s 5’10" tall, weighs 141 pounds, and exercises religiously (and always has been thin and exercised). She has a history of T2 on both sides of her family and as she’s grown older, her numbers started rising gradually. She had already followed a very healthy diet, and since being told she was pre-diabetic, she’s eliminated ALL simple carbohydrates and has been able to keep her A1c below 6%. I seriously doubt that she has LADA, and I think she’s a perfect example of what Travis was trying to show with that link.
Ruth