Changed diagnosis?

[CarrieB]

I was diagnosed as type 2 over 20 years ago, on the basis of my age (36) rather than anything clinical. The onset had been very rapid, I was put on metformim after a week when diet failed to have any effect at all, the dose was increased at every visit, and within a few years I was put on insulin.

Now I've found online forums and discussions about type 1.5 I wonder if the diagnosis was correct, but don't know if there's any tests at this stage that would confirm which type I am?

If anyone has any experience or advice I'd be grateful.

Thanks

Carrie

 

[TorqPenderloin]

My understanding is that you may not test positive for the GAD65 antibody test if it's been that long since your diagnosis. You could do a c-peptide test, but that would only identify if your pancreas still makes some insulin. Just because your pancreas makes 0 insulin doesn't mean you're type 1.

My first thought is to ask you what your typical insulin doses look like. If you had type 2 diabetes and it was very rapidly onset, I would imagine you are/were probably taking pretty large doses of insulin. Obviously, that wouldn't tell you much, but it's a good place to start.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. As @TorqPenderloin says it may be too late to test for GAD as it possibly was for me. Unless you were noticeably overweight when diagnosed at your age you would have been almost certainly T1.5 (LADA). Add yourself to the list of many mis-diagnosed LADAs! At least you are now on insulin. I assume it's Basal/Bolus?

 

[CarrieB]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, very well controlled on Basal/Bolus which is the main thing.

 

[tpaz]

Hi. As @TorqPenderloin says it may be too late to test for GAD as it possibly was for me. Unless you were noticeably overweight when diagnosed at your age you would have been almost certainly T1.5 (LADA). Add yourself to the list of many mis-diagnosed LADAs! At least you are now on insulin. I assume it's Basal/Bolus?

I've always been curious about this. What's considered noticeably overweight? What's the threshold that makes a doctor assume if someone is likely T1 or T2? Is it overweight or obese according to a BMI scale?

 

[Kristin251]

For me it was sudden sever weight loss in a matter of a few weeks. Went from 125 to 96 in about 2 months. I don't think where you start matters as much as how fast it goes for no reason. Sudden weight loss is a huge indicator of LADA. The more I are the more I lost. I was told I was starving in the land of plenty and it didn't matter what or how much I ate but without insulin I was starving my body.

 

[cz_dave]

I've always been curious about this. What's considered noticeably overweight? What's the threshold that makes a doctor assume if someone is likely T1 or T2? Is it overweight or obese according to a BMI scale?

At my first visit at the endocrinologist's, he told me "You don't look like a type 2", and he was in fact right after the GAD test came back positive and I was diagnosed as type 1. I should note I was overweight on the BMI scale (25.8) back then.

 

[Kristin251]

I was told I couldn't be diabetic because they're all obese.
What's wrong with these docs?