Failed

LADA is a completely different type of diabetes than T2. With T2, you only have insulin resistance and this can be corrected with a diet or pills, but with LADA, your immunity kills the beta cells of your pancreas and you can't do anything about it. Neither with the help of diet, nor with the help of physical activity. There are no alternatives to insulin in this case at all. Unfortunately, this is a lifelong diagnosis and lifelong treatment. You're not doing anything wrong, you're not the cause of what's happening to you, it's not your fault. It's just that your immune system has decided to kill your pancreas and, unfortunately, it cannot be prevented from doing so.
But bread and rice are high-carb foods (in case the diagnosis is wrong). The type of diabetes is determined using a c-peptide test

Suagrrush39 said:

Hello,

Thanks for the advice, I am having a test now the c-peptide one and anti-GAD one But I am on insulin now and it says on diabeties website you should have the anti-GAD test done before insulin treatment is started.
So me starting the insulin will this make the results wrong?

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as far as I know, insulin will not affect the result of this analysis in any way, but I am not a doctor. Anti-GAD checks whether you have a certain type of antibodies, which should indicate that you have autoimmune aggression. But to be honest, I do not understand how to properly conduct this analysis, at the time of diagnosis, my BG was too high for someone to have a question about what type of diabetes I have

Suagrrush39 said:

Hello everyone,

So I do not know where to start so I was diagnosed with type 2 in august 22 with a hb1ac of 69.
So when I got this I turned off my desire for full fat coke and I switch to brown bread and rice, fast forward to today my diet has changed completely.
I went to the doctors last week because I can’t stop to wee feeling tired all the time hungry all the time, they sent me for blood tests.
They came back and my hb1ac is 92 now so not yesterday but the day before I went to see the nurse, she said she referring me to the diabetes specialist team, they rang me the same day and got me in for an appointment yesterday.
So I spoken to mr nurse yesterday (he is very nice) and said straight away I have LADA also known as 1.5.
Put me on insulin said I will be on it a long time, he coming today to stab me with it. I am so nervous.
But I failed because of this I have tried to do everything I can to stop my diabetes I have really tried I promise. But now I made it worse.
I hat can I do to get rid of this so I can be normal Again?

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Hello. When I had to go onto insulin for T2 I felt exactly the same. I was so angry and upset.. pretty depressed. My HCP said I hadn't failed. At the time I felt she was just being kind. But since then I've researched and researched looking for ways of getting off insulin. Slowly I'm reducing the dose due to mega lifestyle changes. And I have now accepted that I might not actually ever get off it but I feel more in control and I appreciate that she wasn't just being kind to me...she was stating the truth. We don't do things wrong but the emotional impact of any type of diabetes must never be underestimated. So please don't be too hard on yourself. Once you reach an acceptance of your health and necessary adjustments and therapy you might be able to let go of that 'I've failed' belief. I found exercise helpful...learning how to manage the treatment and most important enjoying myself. Of course there are good emotional days and bad days...it was suggested I might benefit from counselling but chose not to. I had/have amazing support from friends who honestly are 'living the dream' with me. You ll find a way that gets you through this. And I wish you every success...and good health because we are worth it.

KennyA said:

If you want to eat low-carb (which should reduce the amount of insulin your system needs)

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If the OP has LADA (a variety of Type 1), there is nothing wrong with taking insulin to replace what their body would have used if it was working correctly.
Unless they have insulin resistance, the amount of insulin should not be a problem.
Low carb diet is not necessary. A healthy diet for someone with Type 1 is the same as a healthy diet for someone without diabetes
In fact, eating a low carb diet can make insulin dosing for Type 1 much.more complex as it requires us to count protein as well as carbs and adjust insulin timing. Therefore, not something I would recommend.

Suagrrush39 said:

I was 39 when I was diagnosed not overweight but diet was terrible so my diabetes nurse is h sure what I am.

I don’t think it matters too much because my treatment will still be the same IE insulin

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It matters. You have an entirely different condition from T2 if you're a T1,5, so it matters. It matters in treatment, it matters in the help you get, and it matters when it comes to your own view of yourself. This is not anyone's fault, and there was nothing you could've done to prevent it. You didn't fail. Not for a second.

In Response said:

Unless they have insulin resistance, the amount of insulin should not be a problem.
Low carb diet is not necessary. A healthy diet for someone with Type 1 is the same as a healthy diet for someone without diabetes
In fact, eating a low carb diet can make insulin dosing for Type 1 much.more complex as it requires us to count protein as well as carbs and adjust insulin timing. Therefore, not something I would recommend.

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My friend is Type1 on insulin of course and eats low carb as much as possible but carries jelly babies if she goes cycling or lots of gardening. If she eats out or has a high carb food, cake rice etc she ups her insulin. We have many discussions whilst walking our dogs everyday and I’ve learnt a lot from her even though I’m type 2. Surely keeping the amount of insulin in your body as low as you can, whether you produce it yourself or inject it, is beneficial to your overall health, or have I got that wrong?

MissMuffett said:

Surely keeping the amount of insulin in your body as low as you can, whether you produce it yourself or inject it, is beneficial to your overall health, or have I got that wrong?

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Why?
My understanding is that excess insulin can cause weight gain but if your dose is correct, there is no problem with insulin.
Some people with Type 1 chose to eat low carb as they feel that with less insulin, they are less likely to make mistakes with their doses, resulting in hypos. Whilst this is true, it runs the risk of running high as we need to take insulin to cover protein which is more complex than carb dosing.

Unless you have insulin resistance, I have not read any evidence that it is beneficial to my health to restrict my diet in order to use less insulin.


Thank you for taking the time to understand Type 1. It is challenging when we share the same name for our condition but the treatment is different. Unfortunately, this often results in misunderstandings and inappropriate advice. I am sure it goes both ways: I try to be careful when giving any advice to someone with type 2 and believe the forum guidelines mention "cross posting" for this reason.

ianf0ster said:

Hi @In Response I'm not a Type 1 myself, but I feel that one of the greatest living experts on living with Type 1 Dr Bernstein (of Type 1 Grit fame) would disagree. Unless I'm badly mistaken, both his patients and his FaceBook group seem to be not just Low Carb, but Keto !

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Yes he does suggest a low carb diet. But he also suggests all women with diabetes go on the pill because their hormones affect their blood sugars too much. This does not suggest a balanced approach to diabetes management.
In addition, his approach was devised a number of years ago before things like CGMs and faster acting insulin became more common.

I am sure his approach is great for a man in the 1990s but that does not mean it is the best approach nowadays.
The best approach, of course, is the best approach for the person with diabetes - we are all different. I have nothing against someone following a low carb diet but, for me (with a HBA1c below the definition of type 2 and no complications after 20 years) it is an unnecessary limitation.

Hello there. I was diagnosed with type 2 to begin with but after loosing weight my condition deteriorated and did not improve.
I've been blighted with health problems and recently I've developed Osteoarthritis and have slight mobility issues.
This was raised with my GP before COVID who suggested I may be type 1.5 bit this went no further.
Worryingly, I've developed a few allergies to foods I used to love eating!
It is really depressing the little to no contact I've had with my doctor's.
Has anyone had the same questions? Worries?

Melmay1976 said:

Hello there. I was diagnosed with type 2 to begin with but after loosing weight my condition deteriorated and did not improve.
I've been blighted with health problems and recently I've developed Osteoarthritis and have slight mobility issues.
This was raised with my GP before COVID who suggested I may be type 1.5 bit this went no further.
Worryingly, I've developed a few allergies to foods I used to love eating!
It is really depressing the little to no contact I've had with my doctor's.
Has anyone had the same questions? Worries?

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Hi @Melmay1976 , you might want to start a thread with your questions?
That way you'll likely get more replies.

@Suagrrush39
Type1.5 just causes confusion in a lot of circles as to what it means. The USA has basically stopped using it as it was even confusing doctors as being something different. Here it's Type 1 or sometimes tagged Type 1/LADA. LADA is not recognize as an actual medical diagnosis so much as it's a description of the diagnosis. LADA means Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. It just means you got Type 1 later in life. 50% of us are diagnosed after the age of 30 and 35% of us are misdiagnosed as a T2 at first. Since you still make some insulin for awhile it can be misleading even for doctors. But significantly over time even with lifestyle changes you get worse as your insulin production goes down. Commonly before you get on insulin you lose weight, will be tired and drink more water. You aren't actually able to utilize that food you eat properly, and you drink more water trying to flush out the excess sugars in yur blood. I felt so much better when I started insulin!

It is an autoimmune disease that you inherit a gene/s that makes you susceptible to getting it. Most cases seem to be caused by exposure to certain viruses, covid does seem to be one of those viruses. Something in that gene we inherit gets mixed up and decides to attack the beta cells that produce insulin. In an adult the complete process usually happens over time, up to 8 years plus in some cases although the odds are you will need insulin by 3 years to cope. At some point while still making insulin you reach the tipping point of not making enough, and eventually stop altogether. Your insulin requirements will also go up over time because of that. That time period we commonly call the Honeymoon phase.

Taking insulin will not change a C-peptide test. The C-peptide measures the C-peptide in your blood that you produce when you make insulin, it has nothing to do with insulin from an outside source. Low or low normal means you are not producing insulin or enough insulin. That's the sign of being a T1. High or high normal means you are producing extra insulin because your body is trying to make up for insulin resistance and making more, it's a sign of being a T2. The GAD antibody is the common antibody found in people with type 1, but it is not the only antibody, just the most common, because of costs a lot only test for GAD. There are also a few T1's that don't have antibodies but don't make insulin and they don't know why.

You can eat what you want, you just have to learn to dose for it. You learn to count carbs and take the appropriate amount of insulin with the food you eat. I eat what I want, I just dose for it. But everyone benefits for a healthier diet, T1 or not. If I want a slice of banana bread, I have a slice, I just take the right dose of insulin to eat it. But it is a learning process that can be intense at first, but becomes old hat soon enough. So learning to carb count as soon as possible is important. Also carry a hypo treat with you everywhere and keep it by the bedside too. Too many things can influence our levels, especially during the honeymoon phase. It's best to always stayed prepared.

We have to have insulin to survive. Be happy we have it to use, We are very blessed we have it. We also have so much new tech now that can make our life a normal life with some adjustments made along the way.

@Melmay1976 It's hard to know sometimes if someof the symptoms could be something else going on. But losing weight is one of the signs of being a type 1. If you do lifestyle changes and you just get worse that can aslo be a sign of being a type 1. I would bug your doctor about testing. Make sure to tell him you have changed your diet and lost weight and you are getting worse. But bug him, too many of us find out the hardway by getting really sick and even ending up in the hospital with DKA. Are you regularly testing your BG levels? You will want a record of that. We usually do not stay at normal levels without insulin.

Hello there I'm sorry I'm new to this!
Not sure how to start a thread
Getting to speak to a doctor is a nightmare.despite years of airing concerns I'm left with the latest comment of 'well you are a complex case'
It brought me to tears and since then I just feel like what is the point?

@Melmay1976 On a PC on the home forum page, at the top right corner there should be a green tab that says post thread. Hit that pad and then you pick your category. Put a title that briefly explains your question or comment and then below write what you want to post.

If you can't, @Antje77 can probably move your initial comment and start it for you. Just tag her like I did you and her and it will get her attention and help if needed. Any of the moderators active at the time should be able to help.