Wondering what I have

Type 1 and LADA
21

So… an update I suppose…

I tried the metformin for about a month. I had a terrible time with the side effects. Diarrhea and stomach cramps. Too much for me to handle. Asked my doctor what my options were she suggested going to only one pill at dinner time…

Well I was frustrated as being told to keep taking something that is making you feel terrible didn’t sit well with me at all. So I stopped taking it altogether.

Fast forward in time some. My baby girl decided she was done breastfeeding July 2019 I got pregnant that same month . At just under 6 weeks I lost the baby. (my second miscarriage, I had one miscarriage before the birth of my baby girl)

After that I put a lot of things on the back burner and worked on healing mentally. After Christmas I was in a much better head space and worked on getting myself back into testing and watching my foods.

I found out that my fasting have gone up. While I still have some days in the 115 ish range I am now seeing 120’s and even some low 130’s. So I tried taking just the single pill of metformin just to see if it would help at all.

All that got me was the same side effects and having to live in the bathroom, which with a small child it not where you want to be spending your days. Saw no change in blood sugars while taking it. I stopped taking it again.

I talked with my OB as so far my husband and I have been unsuccessful in trying to get pregnant again. I mentioned my blood sugar numbers and she did say that it could be the cause of why we have been having problems. She suggested that I get some tests done related to my cycles and that she would draw an A1c test at that time as well. She asked if I would try taking a half pill of the metformin. I gave it a week with no success my poor stomach and bowels have a hatred of that drug apparently.

With all the crazy virus stuff now I’m currently waiting to get the blood tests done beginning of April and then after those I did get a referral from my pcp for an endocrinologist. She said that they may not say anything different if my A1c turns out in the normal ranges again.

I guess my questions in all this is what should I be asking the endocrinologist when I am finally able to see them? I figured having the whole history of my numbers written out might be helpful (though I totally have a fear of just being pushed aside and being told everything is normal… when it clearly is not.)

Should I ask for a retest of the antibody tests?
Any other tests I should ask for?

Question for all of you, what do they do if you cannot tolerate metformin? To my knowledge with those trying to get pregnant and are pregnant most of the pill type drugs are out and not safe.

22

I got sick from Metformin and the other drugs I tried. I have a tendency to react badly to drugs. And In my case I needed insulin. I had tried Metformin for a while but because my numbers kept going up they increased the dose and then it made me sick. From that point on I couldn’t even take small doses of it without getting sick.

My numbers just kept going up as time went on. From 105 to 115 to 125 to 135 etc. It took a total of 2 years to reach the 135 am fasting levels, but then over the next year it escalated to 200 as a morning fasting number. That’s when they started trying all the medications on me.

But you want a C-peptide which will tell you how much insulin you are still making. low or low normal is a sign of type 1, high or high normal is a sign of type 2. If you are still waking with a 130 level you are still making some amount of insulin even if you are a type 1. Eventually type 1’s stop making enough to cope well at all.

You also want an antibody test, the most common is a GAD test, because most type 1’s test positive on this one. Positive on an antibody test means you are a type 1.

But there is a possible group of tests that can be done. My doctor did all of them except the last one I think.