Hi Daisy!
I was 42 when first diagnosed asType 2 - I had no symptoms and got diagnosed after a random blood test for something else came back as high BG. They did a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the fasting BG was highish (in the high 6s) but the post-glucose test was 11 something. It was clear from that that I was not metabolising sugar properly. They told me I didn't need to test, so it's difficult to say what my BG was falling to, but I had to go to the hospital a couple of months later and they tested my BG at 4.1 about 4 hours after my last food and wouldn't bellieve I was diabetic :roll: The consultant even offered to undiagnose me - made me feel like I was wasting his time! Anyway, about 9 months later I started feeling really ill and was losing weight (which i couldn't afford to do). I had an argument with my DSN about testing and then bought meter and tested - 26 after a bowl of porridge :shock: Finally, I was put on insulin and more recently, I have tested positive for GAD antibodies. So, LADA was diagnosed. Even now, (more than two years after original diagnosis) I still produce insulin and even without jabbing, a post breakfast reading of e.g. 7.5 would be down at 4.1 by lunchtime most days. So I think it's highly likely that my BG would have been falling back to 'normal' levels or below during the year between my diagnosis and starting on insulin. My HbA1c was never accurate because my BG was so up and down with huge spikes but fairly low lows, that I guess it evened it out and ended up in the 6s. HbA1c is a much better indicator if you can keep your BG fairly constant. The high standard deviation from mean of my BG simply masked the true extent and type of my diabetes.
There are other things that can help with a Type 1/Type 2 diagnosis. Age, weight, family history and ethnic origin are all factors. Also, many Type 2s (not all) have other metabolic conditions e.g. high cholestorol, high blood pressure. In the absence of these metabolic conditions and the absence of the normal risk factors i.e. over 40, (25 if of Asian origin), diabetes in family, overweight, the doctor should suspect Type 1.5/LADA and test for that.
Good luck on Tuesday - let us know how you get on.
Smidge