Actual Type no longer clear...

marleemacd

Member
Messages
14
Hi there,

I'd like to ask if my experience is unusual or common. I was diagnosed with Type 1 while I was in hospital for something else entirely. I was really thrown to be told I was "definitely" Type 1 despite the fact I'm 40 and had no symptoms of either 1 or 2. (I'm overweight but otherwise didn't have anything else going on.) I was started on a drip and injections of insulin, but after about a month I was having about 4 hypos a day even on very little insulin. My GADS test came back negative, and my nurse told me to stop injecting insulin but continue the 500mg x 2 metformin, as I was "probably" Type 2 after all. Then I saw my consultant and my HBA1C was 9.5, my blood pressure and cholesterol both normal, and she said she couldn't yet tell me what Type I was as I was showing signs of both. She mentioned that when I was admitted I had ketoacidosis but I wasn't told that at the time and I had no symptoms and it sounds pretty horrendous, I don't see how I missed that. My care will revert to my GP once a decision is made, and I am scheduled to go back to the hospital in about 6 weeks time. I had a bit of a hard time getting my head round the initial diagnosis so I was quite shocked that an element of doubt was introduced. My GP says it must be 2 as I'm doing okay on weight loss and exercise and metformin and he wishes the hospital would hurry up and confirm this.

Is this an unusual position to be in?

Cheers

Marlee
 

hanadr

Expert
Messages
8,157
Dislikes
soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
It's probably not unusual for the medics not to know which kind of diabees a patient has. What is probably rarer, is their admitting to the patient they don't know. Ultimately it matters less than that it gets controlled. If Metformin, weightloss and diet are controlling it, then you probably are T2. That regimen wouldn't work for T1
Keep good control and you'll probably be fine.
 

haptagud

Member
Messages
23
Hi I'm in a similar boat. Went in for an unrelated complaint, got elevated fasting BG and then again on the second one. I say elevated as I was only just above the "magic" number cut-off point! After the 1st result I brought a meter and found that I was spiking after meals, sometimes up to +12 and also after exercise getting the same figures. However as you said I wasn't really getting any of the classic symptoms, just felt run down and under the weather for around 6 months.

Anyway I'm 34 and my BMI is 23 soI guess that's why Doc says I'm T1, since I don't fit the typical T2 profile. Got put on Lantus (10u a day), which has brought my fasting down to around 4.6 every morning :) and lowered my post meal spikes, though that maybe just due to me watching my diet a little closer now! But the diabetic nurse says I'm most likely T2 and feels the Lantus is over the top for my BG levels pre-diagnosis? Anyway I have endocrinologist visit tomorrow, who hopefully will maybe sort things out... :?
 

marleemacd

Member
Messages
14
Hi there,

Thanks for posting the reassurances, sorry to hear you're in the same boat Haptagud, hope it gets resolved soon. I'd just rather know what I was dealing with so I can accept it and move on.

Cheers

Marlee