or maybe all of those are the same? still learning the ropes!
Anyway, hello! My name is Kim 37yrs old and recently dx with diabetes, currently per endo type 1. Diabetes isn't new to me, I had GD with both of my pregnancies and now less than 2 years after the birth of my son it is back, maybe it never fully went away? I can't say for sure. While preggo I was on Glyburide and diet regimen, the Glyburide didn't help that much, which all makes sense now! It all started this time around when I was having some health stuff going on and went to see my primary care who did labs, all perfectly normal except for that pesky glucose, it was 354 fasting, yikes! My A1C was 8.2, not horrible I guess. So she immediately said "you are a type 2 diabetic" I didn't buy what she was selling ;) I mean I like her but I just don't fit that typical mold, I know there is no typical but I just felt something else was up. I am thin (too thin actually), exercise, eat decent and I have huge family history of diabetes type 1 and 2. My brother was a type 1 dx in toddlerhood (he sadly passed away from complications at age 39), my cousin was just dx with type 1 at the age of 34, another cousin with type 1 around age 10, and countless type 2ers who were dx after the age of 60. So I took it into my own hands, researched local endocrinologists who specialized in this kind of thing and made an appointment, she immediately said "you seem like a type 1" she ordered a battery of tests (still waiting on some, I see her next week) but in the interim she started me on Lantus 10u at night, a day later she called to say while she was still waiting on the antibody testing she had received my insulin levels and they were low, she said I needed more insulin so she added Humalog 2u before meals to start....so that is where I am at, I see her again next week to talk about the other results and come up with a better plan. Prior to insulin my fastings were running around 180 and 2 hr pp around 230 and that was with minimal carbs, very minimal. Since starting the insulin my fastings are more in the 100-130 range and 2hr pp were around 160-170 but I recently upped my Humalog to 3u and that has kept them under 130, that makes me happy....I know this is still a learning curve, I am still working on figuring out the carb to Humalog ratio and it will take time but for now I feel like I have a plan or at least the start of one. I must say I get worked up about this, if my number goes to 200 I start to feel freaky, part of that is likely because it makes me anxious and stressed when I know it's high. But anyway I just wanted to introduce myself, you seem like a very knowledgable bunch and I am on a quest to figure this all out and gain some control!
Now onto my questions, regarding the types, currently the endo says "you are a type 1" my insulin level was low but still some is being produced, does that mean LADA? or not really? what happens if the GAD antibodies come back negative? does that mean anything or not really? ....I guess at the end of the day the bottom line is I need insulin but I just like knowing what my body is doing! Any feedback appreciated, I look forward to chatting with you all, thanks for reading my novel, I ramble a lot :)
Ok, it is complicated, I know! LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) is Type 1; it is just a slower onset form of it that is diagnosed in adulthood. I, for instance am a classic LADA. I was diagnosed at age 58, and due to my age was misdiagnosed as Type 2. I did well on the oral meds for 15 months when my numbers began to climb and I needed insulin. Now I am getting close to 5 years since diagnosis and everything about my treatment is pretty much the same as any other Type 1. It's just how I got here that differs. "Type 1.5" is another popular (not medical) term used for LADA. I personally don't care for it at all because it makes it sound like you are halfway between type 1 and type 2; you are not, you are Type 1.
When you say "insulin level" I'm assuming you mean c-peptide? No, low c-peptide alone doesn't "prove" Type 1, but it is another indicator. You should be tested for the full panel of antibodies, not just GAD. If you are Type 1 you will be positive for one or more.
Oh, and it sounds like you are doing great! There is a lot to learn!
thanks much! it is all complicated and new yet at the same time growing up with a diabetic brother I sorta "get it" to some extent LOL...as for the "insulin level" when I went to the lab the slip said "GAD antibodies, c-peptide, glucose and insulin" when the endo called she said my glucose was 220 and my insulin level 8 and it should be higher with a glucose of that level....not exactly sure, I will know more about that next week when I see her and get a copy of my labs. I will also ask about the other antibody testing, thanks! and thanks for explaining LADA and type 1.5 better! Thanks! look forward to chatting with you all more!
kimmiejo, you've made an incredibly goo start. Figuring out your insulin:carb ratio will help a LOT. Be aware that it may be different at various times of day - I have 3 different ratios in 24 hours.
Please don't beat yourself up if you are higher than you'd like, it's good data. Unfortunately there is no way to get this 'perfect'. The glitches are opportunities to learn.
I also wonder what 'insulin level' means? Let us know when you see your endo.
I agree with you that knowing your bottom line is needing insulin but, it's not a quick fix disease and, if other issues crop up, I would have to think you'd want to know what the deal is and it sounds like you are doing it!!
Thanks everyone, it is def a learning process and I am still in the early phases, I will most def update after my next appointment and likely have a 1000 questions! thanks for the input so far and kind words!
Hi Kimmiejo: You have gotten some good advice here! I would say that the important thing is that you are seeing an endo that is taking good care of you, who has diagnosed you as Type 1, and who has put you on exogenous insulin. That is what is important. I have written a top ten tips for the newly diagnosed Type 1 that you may find useful. I think that learning all you can is really good, and several books ("Think Like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner and "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh) can really help. It is also very common for pregnancy to be "the straw that broke the camel's back" and puts you over the edge into full-blown Type 1 (I also wrote a blog about autoimmune gestational diabetes). It can all be overwhelming at first but TuDiabetes is a good place to get support and answers to your questions. Best of luck!
thanks! those links are quite helpful! and I am going to check out those books as well!!
Get those two books as soon as possible, Pumping Insulin, and Think like a Pancreas (my favorite), You will be glad you did:)
Amazon has both of them and they qualify for free shipping if you order them together:)