Thank you, folks. First of all, thank you for your kind, supportive remarks about the progress I’ve made in less than a month. BSC, I agree that it’s important to keep this in perspective and I’m grateful to you for your advice to be more patient! Jrtpup, it’s good to know that you’ve had little improvement in going less than 29 carbs a day. For me, the biggest problem with such a reduction is that it does feel very restrictive!
IrisSanchez, thank you for pointing me to the possibility that I may have LADA rather than T2. I agree that it’s worth looking into it, absolutely. My initial fasting glucose was 10.0 mmol/L, which is considerably higher than the normal range of 3.3-5.5. The blood tests also showed hypothyroidism, with my TSH at 6.7 mmol/L. I had hypothyroidism when I was a teenager. It recurred in my 20s and I know that my thyroid has been low to borderline since then. It’s my understanding that a high fasting glucose plus hypothyroidism are markers for LADA. I am seeing my GP on Thursday and will ask for the tests for insulin antibodies, a c-peptide and insulin level, and GAD65. For whatever it’s worth, my BMI is about 28.5, meaning that I’m not very obese. I’ve read that this, too, may be an indication of LADA rather than T2.
Melitta–I appreciate your remarks, as well, agreeing with Iris. Thank you!
I’m not afraid of insulin. I’ve been reading about that, too, and while I don’t relish dealing with the extra related hassles, I know I could manage it.
Thanks again, everyone. It’s so good to have this place to learn and discuss things with others!
Hi Ann: As I mentioned, be sure to ask for the full suite of antibody tests (GAD, ICA, IA-2) plus the c-peptide. Also, autoimmune hypothyroidism is commonly seen in people with Type 1 diabetes, especially women. One stat I saw said that 80% of women with Type 1 diabetes (autoimmune diabetes) who are over the age of 40 also have autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's Disease). Good luck, and good for you for pursuing answers!
Thank you, Melitta! I've learned a lot from your blog posts. I'm grateful for the time, thought and care you've put into them--I'm sure you help many, many people!
I've also read that T1 and LADA are very common among people of Scandinavian descent. I'm half Swedish. I've begun to wonder more about my mother's diabetes. I had little contact with her in the last years of her life, unfortunately, so I don't know much about her illness or how it progressed. I've assumed she was a T2, but I don't know for certain. I do know that I had a great uncle who had T1 from childhood. He was one of Banting's original child patients and, because he survived into his 70s, was always being studied by diabetes researchers here in Canada about the long-term effects of insulin and diet.
I also have MS. I'm fortunate to have a very benign form of it, with few major exacerbations. I've had some trouble with my balance at times, and I've lost some of the ultra-fine motor coordination in my hands of the type that most people never really need in the first place. However, I had intended, early on, to be a musician, but MS took that upper 20% of mobility and accuracy from my hands. So, I haven't been able to play a piano well for years, but I can type, knit, sew and other things easily.
What seems important to me is that I must have a general autoimmune problem of some kind. MS and hypothyroidism are autoimmune disorders. LADA is consistent with this pattern.
I'll see what the doctor has to say, and what the blood tests show. I just hope that I can have them done before I see the endocrinologist. It would save some time!
