Sooooo confused. I went to my endo with high bg for a 2-week period in 2012. My initial test showed GAD antibodies at 39.9. She diagnosed me with type 1, said it could take years to onset and to keep an eye on it. Everything else was normal.
In August, when I started going really low, I went to a new endo and the GAD antibodies were below 5.
What in the world is going on? I’m still having hypoglycemia, I go high for a bit if I eat simple carbs, but am sick with a cold and my fasting was 150 this morning. That seems like diabetes, but what happened to the antibodies?
My understanding, and it’s not a very thorough one, is that any positive result is a positive result and the level itself is not particularly meaningful… hence, there really isn’t a meaningful normal range— just positive or negative
How many people go through their entire life or what sort of other durations with which combinations of diabetes related autoantibodies without or before truly becoming diabetic is something they’re currently studying, but they really don’t seem to know at this point.
Was GAD the only positive antibody detected? Because one positive antibody is not considered diagnostic for type 1.
However, if you initially had 2 or more at diagnosis, know it’s also possible for antibody markers to wax and wane. When beta cell killing enters a new stage (for instance, perhaps if so few beta cells remain that there’s not much to attack), insulin antibodies do tend to decrease. However, typically GAD is the one that sticks around …so your case is a little puzzling in that respect.
If you’re failing glucose tolerance tests, running high A1Cs and waking up with high fasting BGs, you should just consider yourself as a diabetic. Maybe you’re a “type confusing” diabetic and whether it’s 1,2 or in between, you should just seek out treatment that keeps your BG numbers in a healthy range. That may look more like a t1 regimen, or a t2 regimen.
It makes sense to me that the antibodies could wax and wane based on the immune attack coming and going. I read an interesting research paper that proposes some people can actually have GAD antibodies, have high bg for a few weeks or months, and then have it disappear for some time. And that is exactly what is happening with me.
This all started 4 years ago with an episode of high bg that lasted for 4 weeks. I had positive GAD antibodies at that time, but no other antibodies (to insulin, etc.). My A1C was 5.5, just a bit higher than what is normal for me, 5.0. But it went away for another year, returned for a few weeks, went away, etc. This went on until August of this year, when I started experiencing hypoglycemia (without insulin treatment). And now the GAD antibodies are in normal range, under 5.
My son has type 1 so I am more at risk, and also because I have other autoimmune diseases. So having type 1 makes sense to me. Having it onset differently in me than my son also makes sense. But having hypoglycemia without insulin treatment? Doesn’t make sense.
It’s crazy and confusing but it lines up with other autoimmune diseases that I have, which come and go in relapses or flares.
So I’m treating it like my husband treats type 2: no simple carbs, frequent small meals, snack at bedtime. This is working to keep my above 65. I only go into the 40’s now if I have a beer or a simple carb.
