Hi Augustus
Sorry for your horrible situation right now. I hope you find out your true diagnosis soon.
I just wanted to add, that I agree you might not be T2, but it can happen that healthy, young and skinny people do develop a T2, without the usual symptoms of being overweight or eating unhealthy, and they develop just because they have bad genetics, it does happen.
good luck on your journey
SC
swisschocolate,
Thank you for your concern and support! It really does mean a lot that everyone on here has been so helpful and friendly on here. Correct, I could still be a thin Type 2, it is possible. It just seems that I keep seeing people who were thin and young, diagnosed as Type 2, then finding out down the road that they were actually Type 1, LADA, or Mody. I hate the "unknown", like most of us, and I really want to find out what I have, even if it is still Type 2.
I totally understand, and to clarify again, i totally support your push for more tests to determine what type of diabetes you have. it must be crucial not knowing what exactly it is.
I typed the entry above while being low, so sorry if i did not clarify enough that i really agree with all the answers above.
I am glad you found our community, it is a great place to ask, share and vent!
Hoping to hear good news soon
SC
No problem at all! I really hope to find answers, sooner than later, and I am doing all that I can to find the best treatment options out there.
Hi Augustus: Definitely do the autoantibody testing (GAD, ICA, IAA, IA-2, and ZnT8, I write about autoantibody testing in this blog). Don't just get GAD testing, because a small but significant number of people are GAD negative but positive for one of the other autoantibodies. I also wrote a blog on my top ten tips for the newly diagnosed adult with Type 1 diabetes. Most young, thin people who are diagnosed with "Type 2" diabetes are misdiagnosed, and usually have Type 1 or possibly MODY (autoantibody testing and genetic tests prove this). I am sorry to say that Type 1 is probably more likely in your case. Best of luck to you, and let us know how your appointment with the doctor goes.
Melitta,
I am going to the testing ASAP. Hopefully that can shed some light on what my true condition is. It's been over a year since I've been diagnosed, and I haven't had a need for insulin. I'm not sure how fast people need insulin when they are LADA, but I've heard things from weeks, to months, to years. I will definitely read your blog as I need all the help I can get!
Well just got a few of the tests back. My C-Peptide level was 1.2, out of the range 1.1-4.4. So it still is "normal" but a very low normal if that. The other test I got back was the glutamic acid decarboylase ab. This test had a range from 0-5 and my value was 141.9!! Wow, that is crazy high. So obviously SOMETHING is up, but still not too sure. Possibly the other tests, when they come back, will give me some more information to go off of.
Congratulations, Augustus you are LADA/type 1!
How do you feel about knowing?Haha, well my doctor said he didn't know how to interpret the results and I would have to go to my endocrinologist. My endocrinologist I'm not a huge fan of, and I'm in the process of trying to find a new one. But with the whole LADA thing, I can't say I'm super surprised. I'm doing okay on the oral medications now, but the effectiveness of them is surely to wear off. I want to get a CGM, but it's going to be a fun time with my insurance but my doctor wrote a script for it, so I'm crossing my fingers.
With a positive GAD, you are LADA which is Type 1. I was ok on oral meds for 15 months and John Walsh quotes averages from a few months to 4 to 6 years. Current research suggests getting on insulin sooner to preserve beta cells. I don't totally understand that myself as when you still have a fair amount of production it makes it harder to manage. Melitta is definitely the expert on adult onset. Once you have a Type 1 diagnosis you should have no trouble getting the CGM...just as long as you aren't on Medicare. I started Medicare last November but luckily I've never had and don't want a CGM. I'm happy with my pump.
The remaining tests will be key here as you have said. I don't have Medicare so I'm not worried about that luckily. Getting the actual diagnosis though, I fear, is going to take some time as I'm trying to find a new endocrinologist, but the wait to get into some are a few months at the least.
Remaining tests? The antibody test is the definitive test for Type.
My doctor said that only some of the tests came back. I'm pretty sure other tests were done, I'm just 100% positive what they were.
Hi Augustus: The screaming high GAD result means you have Type 1 diabetes. A single positive autoantibody = Type 1 diabetes. I am sorry to welcome you to the club but you are in.
That's what I figured. Isn't this LADA though? Or is LADA essentially the same thing as Type 1?
LADA IS Type 1, Augustus, an autoimmune form of Diabetes. It just has a slower onset, and occurs in adulthood. Hence the name, Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. Since LADA is not an official recognized diabetes my official diagnosis is Type 1 and that is what I describe myself as to the vast majority of people. Being LADA mattered a lot when I was misdiagnosed. Today, my management is the same as any other person with Type 1. Some people think it is something other than Type 1 which is why I continually state on here that LADA IS Type 1 and call myself LADA/Type 1 or just plain Type 1.
Zoe,
Thank you for the clarification, as LADA (at least to me) seems to be more Type 1 than Type 2, but with some Type 2 characteristics. At this point I guess I'm still on my honeymoon period of over a year now. Oral meds seem to be working just fine and I'm hoping I can prolong that period for as long as I can, insulin if necessary.
I do not see that T1 and slow onset T1 share much characteristics with T2. At the current point in time you have some residual beta cells left. These cells respond to typical T2 medications. Metformin moderates the output of the liver down and up-regulates the insulin receptor of cells. As a result less insulin is needed from the beta cells. Sulfonylurea-based medications promote the production of insulin in the beta cells. With the current attacks going on your body will attack the beta cells and the blood vessels supporting them. Thus I am afraid to say that not too far in the future you will be insulin deficient. You should familiarize yourself with the idea that exogenous insulin will be needed then (in 6 months, 1 year...). This thought process is important because the sooner you begin to cover your insulin deficit the better your residual mass of beta cells can be preserved. This is because exogenous insulin will relief the beta cells from much of the production stress. Thus they can focus on reproduction and spikes. If they reproduce at the same rate they are killed then some of them will survive the current attack wave of your immune system. These residual beta cells are certainly helpful. They help to some extend to moderate spikes in blood glucose for example. In my opinion you could even cluster T1 diabetics by the number of residual beta cells - and other characteristics of course. Within these clusters you will find diabetics that share some similarities in their treatment and their strategies they had to develop to cope with T1. This is why large communities like TuDiabetes are so important - here you will find people with similarities to you, that offer support and share their success factors and struggles.
I was thinking the same thing, but Holger says it so much more scientifically (and without creating strife!).
Sorry to hear this, but you need to get on insulin asap, you will fair much better that way and with diet/exercise/insulin you can preserve beta cells hopefully and avoid dka etc. Yes LADA, which isn't an official diagnosis is the same as type 1. C peptide should be tested fasting and non fasting but it looks like you are doing pretty well, you still have a lot of beta cell function left. Mine was .2 I think when I was in dka, now it's .1 although it went up a bit after I started on insulin. Some children have slower onset also so it isn't just adults.