Lada/gad Antibodies

[NikC]

Good morning.

After a sleepless night and lots of reading I decided to ask here as I can't find what I'm looking for. You all are very knowledgeale so I'm crossing my fingers.

Nearly 2 years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 with an hba1c of 58. I avoided medication by changing my diet to a very low carb diet. My next hba1c 3 months later was 40. That was 18 months ago. My hba1c in April was 57. I have a low carb diet (a few carbs have crept in). I was started pn metformin. A random blood glucose check last week showed 21 and I had ketones in my urine. A gad test showed positive and I was told yesterday that I have LADA.

My question is what next? The GP informed me and said they'd be in touch. I've read lots through the night and I feel something more should be happening. What should happen and should I be requesting hospital appointments etc.

Thank you!

 

[Jenny15]

I would think the first step would be to make an appointment with your GP and discuss next steps. He or she will be able to refer you to the hospital if needed. It would be helpful for you to know what your blood glucose levels are day to day, since very high levels may need urgent treatment. If nothing else, if your BGs are over 12 or 13 you probably feel very tired and will feel better when they come down.

 

[Crocodile]

There is a sub forum especially for LADAs. You may find a helpful soul there.

 

[Antje77]

LADA seems to develop at very different speeds for different people. You have been able to manage on diet for years, others need to go on insulin pretty straight away. Some start with long-acting only, some do only meal time insulin for a while, some kick off with a basal/bolus regime right away.

I would think the first step would be to make an appointment with your GP and discuss next steps.

I fully agree with @Jenny15 .
I think it might be a good idea to record your bg religiously for a couple of days (upon waking, before breakfast and every other meal, two hours after first bite of every meal and before bed), so you can take those results to your GP. It will give both of you more information to work with in deciding how to proceed.
If your GP doesn't refer you to an endo, definitely ask them if that would be wiser. I'm treated by my GP/practice nurse, and pretty much fine with that, but if my ability to keep my bg in check should deteriorate I'll ask for a referral, as both my GP and the nurse are out of their depths. As long as both GP and you feel comfortable with your treatment, that's fine, if one of you is not it's time to move on.

Good luck, and let us know what happens!

 

[thesilverpenny]

I recently had the same diagnosis after being labelled a Type 2 for almost 20 years. Depending on how much insulin your pancreas is still producing will determine the best treatment options. My doctor did a C-Peptide test and it was discovered I’m still making some insulin, but just not enough to cover my very low carb diet of less than 20 g a day, so I’ve been put on bolus long-acting insulin (Lantus) to see if that’s enough to keep my blood glucose in the normal range. I’m remaining on a low carb diet (following the recommendation from Dr. Richard Bernstein’s book “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution.”) and it’s going to be trial and error for a while until I get the proper dosage correct. Later, as my pancreas function decreases or ceases altogether, I will eventually become an insulin-dependent T1 and require both long-acting and fasting acting insulin to cover meals. I’m not finding much on the internet about LADA, other than explaining what it is. It would be helpful if I could learn more from other LADA diabetics and how they manage it, but for now, my doctor and Dr. Bernstein’s book are my guides.