Does anyone know what their C-peptide reading was?

[Lesleywo]

Just wondering if any LADA's know what their C-peptide level was at diagnosis? My understanding is that if it's low it's LADA, if it's high it's type 2. Question is, does low and high mean outside the range or does it mean lower or higher end?

 

[Daibell]

My c-peptide reading done privately was 1.19 with a stated range of 1.1 to 4.4. I diagnosed myself as LADA rather than the T2 I had been labelled. Yes, in general low implies LADA and high implies T2.

 

[Lesleywo]

My c-peptide reading done privately was 1.19 with a stated range of 1.1 to 4.4. I diagnosed myself as LADA rather than the T2 I had been labelled. Yes, in general low implies LADA and high implies T2.

Hi Daibell

I am GAD positive (found out 3 years ago). I reminded my Endo recently of this and he retested and did C-peptide. GAD positive at 88 (range less than 10) and C-Peptide is 589 (range is 280-1250). My HbAlc sits at 5.8% and has done for the last 3 years despite a low carb diet, although it's possible it was higher in the 2 years when it wasn't tested.

My Endo is always quite vague when I ask him 'am I LADA'. or 'will I get diabetes'. Just kind of shrugs it off and says 'you're not diabetic'. I just would like an answer - I have been struggling lately (actually for a while now) with my diet. I follow a lowish carb diet when I'm being 'good' but I've been having junk food binges quite often and I need a kick up the backside to get myself back on track. The fear that motivated me initially seems to have faded, despite working in aged care and seeing diabetics with amputations who have sweetener in their tea that they drink with their piece of cake.

 

[Daibell]

Hi Daibell

I am GAD positive (found out 3 years ago). I reminded my Endo recently of this and he retested and did C-peptide. GAD positive at 88 (range less than 10) and C-Peptide is 589 (range is 280-1250). My HbAlc sits at 5.8% and has done for the last 3 years despite a low carb diet, although it's possible it was higher in the 2 years when it wasn't tested.

My Endo is always quite vague when I ask him 'am I LADA'. or 'will I get diabetes'. Just kind of shrugs it off and says 'you're not diabetic'. I just would like an answer - I have been struggling lately (actually for a while now) with my diet. I follow a lowish carb diet when I'm being 'good' but I've been having junk food binges quite often and I need a kick up the backside to get myself back on track. The fear that motivated me initially seems to have faded, despite working in aged care and seeing diabetics with amputations who have sweetener in their tea that they drink with their piece of cake.

Hi. Sounds like you may be a very early LADA? It seems to progress at widely varying rates presumably due to the rate of death of the islet cells. My HBa1C around the time I had my c-peptide was going up on it's way to 8.3% when I went onto insulin despite low-carbing. I had been in the 6% range for 5 or more years and within a year it went from 6.8'ish to 8.3%. Keep testing!

 

[Lesleywo]

Thanks Daibell ..... that is what I think too, given I have a history of autoimmune diseases and possibly type 1 in my family. My Mum had Type 2 (diet controlled) but was only diagnosed about 18 months before she died so I guess there's a possibility she could have been undiagnosed LADA. It's only because I'm already under an endo for my other autoimmune diseases that I was tested for all this stuff in the first place.

I am seeing a new Endo at end of May so will see what he has to say. My current one is a thyroid expert and seems to be more interested in that (which is well controlled) than the other stuff which is a bit of a worry.

And yes, I will keep testing!

 

[Andi01224]

Hi Daibell

I am GAD positive (found out 3 years ago). I reminded my Endo recently of this and he retested and did C-peptide. GAD positive at 88 (range less than 10) and C-Peptide is 589 (range is 280-1250). My HbAlc sits at 5.8% and has done for the last 3 years despite a low carb diet, although it's possible it was higher in the 2 years when it wasn't tested.

My Endo is always quite vague when I ask him 'am I LADA'. or 'will I get diabetes'. Just kind of shrugs it off and says 'you're not diabetic'. I just would like an answer - I have been struggling lately (actually for a while now) with my diet. I follow a lowish carb diet when I'm being 'good' but I've been having junk food binges quite often and I need a kick up the backside to get myself back on track. The fear that motivated me initially seems to have faded, despite working in aged care and seeing diabetics with amputations who have sweetener in their tea that they drink with their piece of cake.

Hiya can I ask what your other autoimmune disease is??? I have Graves Disease and was told this is probably what caused my diabetes.

 

[Lesleywo]

Hi Andi

I have Addison's Disease and Hashimoto's. I am GAD positive, don't know for how long but was tested 3 years ago. My new endo says he doesn't think there's an autoimmune attack going on at the moment as my sugars are fine. I do however follow a reduced carb diet. Think it's a watch and wait thing ... no way of telling if I will end up LADA or not so I've now given up worrying about it!

What is your history with Graves/diabetes? These autoimmune diseases tend to cluster and people generally have 2 or more ... as if one isn't enough!

 

[Andi01224]

Only the 2 for me so far thank god. But I have been told to look forward to pernicious anemia and rheumatoid arthritis!!!
I've had graves disease for 3 years and I'm currently awaiting a total thyroidectomy as my goitre is affecting my swallowing and my voice.

 

[Lesleywo]

eewww..... who told you to expect that, your endo? I haven't been told to expect anything, though when I asked the new endo 'and what about the GAD + reading he said 'oh I wasn't going to mention that!' I assumed he didn't realise I already knew about it and didn't want to scare me.

 

[Andi01224]

Yeah my Endo has been excellent but unfortunately he retires next month and I'm dreading it. Honestly it's got to the stage that if I jump I rattle with all the different med they have me on. I'm surprised I can function with all the different side effects....wait maybe I dont

 

[Lesleywo]

So how long have you had diabetes? And did it develop quickly or did you have a good honeymoon period? As well as the possibility of LADA I also have type 2 in my family, hence the insulin resistance. Nothing I can do to prevent an autoimmune attack happening but at least I have some control over the Type 2.

It's interesting that you can have the antibodies but there's not necessarily an attack going on. I found out I had Hashi's and Addisons's via symptoms first, then antibody tests. But because of already having these 2 conditions, I was tested for GAD and was positive. Interesting that all three tests have different readings. 1st one 519, 2nd one 88, last one 154. Dunno if it means anything.

 

[Ian DP]

Nothing I can do to prevent an autoimmune attack happening

In my opinion there is a possibility that you can, by keeping your BG levels in the normal range (4.6 fasting, 5.6 two hours after eating). I know most experts say there is nothing you can do. I am no expert. But over the last year I have kept my BG levels in the normal range, and I believe it has halted the autoimmune progression of my beta cell destruction. It seems to me that some of the other autoimmune conditions are also high BG level affected.

 

[Lesleywo]

[QUOTE It seems to me that some of the other autoimmune conditions are also high BG level affected.[/QUOTE]

What does this mean please Ian?

 

[Ian DP]

I haven't seen any clinical trials specific to high BG levels and autoimmune conditions, but I have seen some links associated with it when googling. A few that come to mind are coeliac, thyroid and cancer.
Tom O'Bryan, host of The Gluten Summit in 2012, says that anyone who has an autoimmune disorder likely had coeliac or non-coeliac gluten sensitivity first, and that the latter can be present for 30 years before it becomes a significant problem. This is one of the ways people get type 1 diabetes. A newly diagnosed T1 boy who went on a gluten free diet managed to stop taking insulin.
Dr Bernstein has reported that 97% of his diabetic patients also have a thyroid condition.
Cancer tumours are known to multiply much faster with high BG levels.
Try googling it. I am sure you will find more.

 

[anna29]

Diabetes consultants do see autoimmune conditions with diabetes .
Hypo - hyper thyroidism conditions .
Coeliac conditions , vitamin c/d/e deficiences .
Diabetic frozen shoulder is linked too .
(too much calcified calcium build up in the rotator cuff of shoulders)
Had mine debrided 2 years ago .
Consultant said it can come back and to work hard on my BG levels
to prevent this from reoccurring.
Even scurvy is making its way back in some places I have heard .
I thought that had died back in the navy sailor war years !
Lemons had cured it etc .

Scary for me - just battled auto immune shingles off a couple months back .
Am yet picking the few dried up scabs (I know I shouldn't like !)

Also both hypothyroid and coeliac - they tell me yep this 'is' connected .
They do indeed auto immune cluster and attack me .
One after the other ... Gradually!

 

[cz_dave]

Just wondering if any LADA's know what their C-peptide level was at diagnosis? My understanding is that if it's low it's LADA, if it's high it's type 2. Question is, does low and high mean outside the range or does it mean lower or higher end?

My C-peptide level was at 0.89 when I last did the test (March 2015) and that is supposedly perfectly in the norm. Still, my insulin production is impaired and I inject insulin. My doctor classifies me as Type1 in honeymoon but I think I actually match LADA quite well.

 

[Lesleywo]

My C-peptide level was at 0.89 when I last did the test (March 2015) and that is supposedly perfectly in the norm. Still, my insulin production is impaired and I inject insulin. My doctor classifies me as Type1 in honeymoon but I think I actually match LADA quite well.

what was the range for the cpeptide? My last one recently was .75 (range .4-1.5). HbAlc 40 (5.8). Apparently I'm not diabetic, fasting BS 4.2. Just watching and waiting .....

 

[cz_dave]

what was the range for the cpeptide? My last one recently was .75 (range .4-1.5). HbAlc 40 (5.8). Apparently I'm not diabetic, fasting BS 4.2. Just watching and waiting .....

The range was identical to the one you provide. I was diagnosed T1 by my doctor because my GAD antibodies were 60 times above the norm in my last test. Actually my HbAlc was 40 back in March and I was on 500g of Metformin daily. After switching to insulin, it improved to 38 but took way more effort with all the injections, a few hypos etc.

 

[Lesleywo]

The range was identical to the one you provide. I was diagnosed T1 by my doctor because my GAD antibodies were 60 times above the norm in my last test. Actually my HbAlc was 40 back in March and I was on 500g of Metformin daily. After switching to insulin, it improved to 38 but took way more effort with all the injections, a few hypos etc.

Wow so your c-peptide was more than mine! What was your GAD reading and what was the range? My last one was 158 (range less than 10) but three years ago was 519. Some folks on here had readings of 2000.

 

[Ian DP]

My doctor classifies me as Type1 in honeymoon but I think I actually match LADA quite well.

Sounds like you are LADA. I had a GAD test of over 2,000 18 months ago, my consultant said I was LADA. But some months back a diabetic specialist nurse read out my hospital notes to me, and there was no mention of LADA. Just T1 in honeymoon period. She too said I was LADA.... Just different terms used to define an early stage of T1.

Strangely, despite the GAD test of over 2,000, I am still not on insulin. The LCHF diet keeps my BG levels low, for now.

Unfortunately I have not had a c-peptide test..... My Dr says it would not help / make any changes to my diagnosis or treatment and thus it would be a waste of valuable NHS resource funding!!