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Type 2 at 15?

J

jillyp12

Member
Messages
9
Hello,
My son was told yesterday that he has diabetes. Type 2.
It is not a complete shock as he has been on metformin since he was 5, however I have been left feeling a little inadequate with knowledge and what to do next. Does anyone have any thoughts please.

Jillyp12
 
Hi. Is you son overweight to any great extent? If he isn't I would certainly challenge that diagnosis as T2 is very unusual at such a young age. If he is very much overweight then it's possible he is insulin resistant and hence T2. If he is normal'ish weight I would ask the GP to do a GAD and c-peptide test to check for the anti-bodies responsible for Late Onset T1 (LADA) and to check insulin levels. If you don't have a glucose meter I would get hold of one to check his blood sugar perhaps in the morning and 2 hours after a meal on some days to monitor his blood. It's not clear why your son would be prescribed Metformin if he has only just been diagnosed with T2? Metformin is only prescribed for confirmed diabetics as far as I'm aware? This all seems very strange to me. If you son is overweight has he been asked to diet which is the highest priority for anyone with diabetes. This should be a low carb diet not the typical NHS recommended diet. Also, let us know how the GP diagnosed your son. Did he do a GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) or an HBa1C blood test
 
There is a short article on
the DUK website http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia ... _children/

I think many other resources are from the US and often more about identification than help.
You could try contacting DUK on their careline (On the site above) for advice as to what sort of help should be available to you.
 
He was born with lots of difficulties and the diagnosed at 5 with insulin resistance and has ben on metformin since then. (I have PCOS and type 2 with a MI history. His sister has PCOS and is insulin resitant) Although he is a larger than average child he is not obese and has always had a healthy diet. We are not a "large" family although all carry a few extra pounds. He is a very active teenager who plays both rugby and cricket competitively, attends the gym, as well as being involved in other school sports events and teams. He has been under a consultant for 10 years and he has now retired. The doctor we saw on thursday was standing in for the clinic and advised me that he should go straight on to insulin. I disagreed with this and asked for him to be referred to a diabetes and endchronolgy specialist which he agreed to ...in 6 months!

His results this time were fasting bloods 7.8, Hba1c 53 (i think) and insulin levels 31. His results 6 months ago were 6.3, not sure of Hba1c and insulin 19

Jil :?
 
Hi. Thanks for the update. I'm not familiar with insulin level measurements. When I had my c-peptide done it had different figures but yours may be actual insulin measures not c-peptide. Were these regarded as high or low by the GP?
 
Yes they are his actual insulin levels and I think they should be below 19? They were about 37 when he was originally diagnosed at 5 but have mostly been controlled over the years. Unfortunately they seem to have taken a huge jump up again.
 
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