Misdiagnosed

EmmaLe said:

Hi,
Wondering how many, if any, have been diagnosed with type 2 but actually had type 1. How did your diagnosis change? I was diagnosed type 2 at 15yrs old - and I’ve spent 15 years fighting with life style and diets but neither making any difference. Only now I’m on insulin it’s making a difference. Just wondering if my 2 diagnosis all those years ago was wrong

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Many people have been misdiagnosed. Are you saying you have only just gone on to insulin?, I don't think it's possible to have been a type 1 at 15 and only having gone onto insulin 15 years later. I know young people can be type 2 of course but 15 is very young for a diagnosis so who knows! x

EmmaLe said:

Hi,
Wondering how many, if any, have been diagnosed with type 2 but actually had type 1. How did your diagnosis change? I was diagnosed type 2 at 15yrs old - and I’ve spent 15 years fighting with life style and diets but neither making any difference. Only now I’m on insulin it’s making a difference. Just wondering if my 2 diagnosis all those years ago was wrong

Click to expand...

You couldn't have survived 15 years without insulin as a type 1. It's the rapid determination onto insulin which forms part of the diagnosis. Have you been tested for MODY?

EmmaLe said:

Wondering how many, if any, have been diagnosed with type 2 but actually had type 1.

Click to expand...

It's quite common for folk with LADA (adult onset T1) which is very slow developing to be misdiagnosed as T2 initially, but I've not heard of this at 15, because normally T1 at 15 is pretty fast to progress. But just because I've never heard of it, I guess it doesn't mean that someone younger can't get LADA. (I am not a doctor)

Some peoples' diabetes type doesn't fit neatly into one of the predefined boxes (I think I read somewhere that there are something like 7 or even 9 types of diabetes) so the T1/T2 division doesn't work. MODY is a genetic form that's quite rare and sometimes doesn't require insulin.

Also, many T2s eventually progress to insulin because their insulin producing cells wear out.

How has your diagnosis worked out? Have you been officially diagnosed T1 now? And most important, I'm glad that insulin is working out for you.