Hi everyone! I was just diagnosed this morning as LADA. I am overweight and was classified as type 2 since 2005. As I began to find out that my great grandfather on my mom’s side had type1 and my great grandmother on my dad’s side had LADA I began to wonder. My mom has type2(we think, but she will not get tested) for 10 years now. I would have reading in the 300-400 eating what she ate and her would top out at 190 or less. At any rate, I just decided I better get tested. I am already on insulin but my cpep test came back in at 1.42 standrad 0.80-3.92 but my GAD was greater than 30 and my fasting glucose was 118. So I am just kinda like what…wow… right now. My endo said that we will cont. the novolog, lantus, and metformin since I am still producing some insulin. does this mean that eventually I will not produce insulin at all? Need your wonderful support and I am so glad I have found this board.
Hi Stardust: Welcome to the LADA Club! Good for you that you persisted and got the antibody testing done. I just think it is good to know what type of diabetes you have. LADA is just slow-onset Type 1 diabetes, and the usual progression is that the autoimmune destruction continues. However, lots of studies and clinical trials have shown that intensive insulin therapy preserves beta cell mass in adult-onset Type 1 diabetes. So basically, if you maintain good control, you can prolong the “honeymoon” period for a very long time (many years if not indefinitely), and that reduces the incidence of complications and just makes life with diabetes easier and better. If possible, you might want to get an insulin pump to maintain better control (but if not possible, you are on a good regimen). Again, welcome, and ask away with questions!
Welcome, Stardust. I’ve watched you go through the questioning stage on the main board. I’d like to think it’s getting easier every day as doctors become more familiar with LADA and get past making snap judgements on Type, but I know it is still a struggle. I wonder how many people come to TuD with questions and proceed from there to push their doctors to do the requisite testing to determine type. I’m certainly one of those as well, misdiagnosed Type 2 in 2007, correctly rediagnosed myself in 2009. My feelings when an endo finally went through my checklist of 5 things and nodding said “you are type 1”(She had never heard of LADA) were similar to what you described on the main board. It was a tremendous confirmation of what I’d worked to hard on my own to determine. But then I went, "Wait a minute! I’m happy to be told I have Type 1 diabetes?? LOL. It is what it is and now I’m treating the right condition. You will find your experience much closer to that of Type 1’s than it was to Type 2’s, or at least I have. Sometimes I don’t even mention LADA until I say I’m Type 1 and someone says, “so you’ve had this all your life.” Nope, only since age 58. That takes explaining, even to doctors. Ask questions here or on the Type 1 forum and you will hear from many people with many years experience and wisdom. I agree with Melitta about pumps. I did fine on MDI’s for two years, but at 2 months in am totally loving my pump and looking forward to my A1C after I pass the initial adjustment time. Welcome
Again thank you both. I am having a hard time MDI. I mean anything I touch inject… It’s just nuts, but I doubt at this point I would be able to get a pump. My endo quickly pointed out that I am still making my own insulin remember 1.4 to FG 118 and to cont. the insulin and metformin regimen. SO I don’t know.