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? - What's wrong???

Patch

Patch

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,981
Location
Bristol
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
How can I find out what the hell is actually wrong with me??? I'm Tyoe 2 (12 years), 31 years old.

I just want to know what is actually wrong with me. Do I:

A) Have a high resistance to insulin?
B) Not have enough insulin being created by my pancreas?
C) Have a crazy-ass liver that pumps out sugar every morning?

How do I find out? I asked a diabetic nurse this morning and got fobbed off. :x
 
Hi Patch.

You are aT2, that we know. The rest is all supposition. You would need more tests and perhaps the advice from a Specialist to answer all you ask. I am sure somebody will still tell you though ?

Ken.
 
I have the same feelings. I want to know what is wrong with me, and not just that I have Type 2. But the doctor/nurse says that the treatment is the same no matter what is the cause and so they would not carry out the tests as they are too expensive.

Is there anyway of deducing what is the actual cause using only food and a glucose meter?
 
You need to insist on the C-peptide test to determine if you are producing insulin and the anti-GAD test to show if your beta cells are being destroyed. I did and I wasn't and they were.
 
Thanks gbtyke - that is EXACTLY the type of answer I was looking for!

Much appreciated.
 
I probably shouldn't comment because I know nothing about type 2 diabetes, but surely your liver produces sugar overnight anyway to keep all of your bodily organs running and if your not in control of your diabetes then your beta cells will decline (as a type 1's does), resulting in a more difficult to control condition which would result in high bloods.
I would suggest asking for a mediciation review as if your'e on tablets maybe you need more of them, or maybe you need to begin injecting.
 
You're liver should not produce a large amount of sugar early in th emorning - they call it "Liver Dumping".

I wish I knew about beta cells - I have no idea if mine are in decline or not.

That's the problem...
 
Ah :( I thought glucose was produced during the night to ensure that bodily organs could work and cells can be restored, and as it is harder to control this overnight, healing time for a diabetic is longer. I have blatently totally misinterpreted this. I was overloaded with info when I was diagnosed.

I had a blood test to confirm the diabetes, so I guess that there is a way to test for it... or perhaps they just went on the basis that my HbA1C was 13 or something ridiculous. I'd imagine that as your bloods are getting higher you are loosing cells in the pancreas. You definately need to book an appointment with your doctor or specialist to get to the route of the problem and be insistant about it as high bloods are dangerous in the long term and it's obviously affecting you.
Good luck with everything. : )
 
C peptide will show how much insulin you are producing,
There is also a fasting insulin test, this also shows how much is being produced. Too much would definitely show type 2, too little could be either type 1 or 2.

High counts of anti GAD are often present in large amounts in type 1 at diagnosis.... but so are other anti-bodies, they are very often present in LADA .They're also present in lower amounts, in some 'type 2s' (by what definition?)and in some non diabetic relatives of people with type 1 and several other diseases. However, its not definitive either way as they are not always present .

Twelve years does seem quite a long time to remain insulin free,(for LADA) however only a few years ago people didn't distinguish between type 2 and older people who needed insulin within a few years of diagnosis. I'm sure that more and more sub types will be distinguished.

There are other types of diabetes, in particular MODY.which often develops before the age of 25
is strongly inherited . Jenny Ruhl is a MODY and there is a good account on her website .
Genetic tests for MODY are available in the UK from Exeter university but are expensive.

As to the overnight production of glucose, you're both right. In the normal body during fasting the liver releases glucose to stop a drop in blood glucose levels, as the levels rise its action is stopped by insulin.(good diagram in http://health.howstuffworks.com/diabetes1.htm
If there isn't sufficient insulin (as in type 1 or in type 2 with exhausted beta cells) then blood glucose levels may keep on rising.
In people with type 2 diabetes, who suffer from insulin resistance (and therefore dysfunctional regulation of blood glucose with insulin), the liver often has a tendency to produce sugar when not really needed.
http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/news/view.asp?id=54652


Unfortunately there are no simple answers :(
 
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