How do they know which type you are?

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Permalink Reply by Shawna Staats on October 29, 2007 at 8:40am

When I was Diagnosed with Diabetes, the DR put me on pills first and that didn't work..... So They put me on Insulin shots.... I really can't remember to much on what happen.... it was 15 yrs ago.... You see, I had Gestational Diabetes with my 2nd child... The DR said I wouldn't get Diabetes until I was 40.... but it will be Type 2...... So that why they put me on pills first.... (22 yrs old at the time)

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Permalink Reply by Dave on October 29, 2007 at 8:44am

One way they can tell is by giving you a C-peptide test which measures the amount of insulin your body produces. If it is low then most likely you will be a full type 1 even if you still produce some insulin. Another way they can tell is when I was first diagnosed they put me on Metformin and it did nothing. the reason I was type 1 and insulin resistance was not the issue like it was in type 2. It actually can be difficult to pin down the type in the beginning. After they start treating you is when it becomes more apparent.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Strumello on December 13, 2007 at 6:33pm

A low C-Peptide is indicative of type 1, but is not a definitive test. They also need to do blood tests for Islet-cell and anti-insulin autoantibodies. The reason is because some patients with type 2 also have low endogenous insulin production remaining, and may therefore have low C-Peptide, but the etiology of their disease is due to insulin resistance, not autoimmunity as type 1 is. For that reason, you must have all of those tests to determine if you are type 1, although usually if you are not overweight and relatively young, you are more likely to have type 1.

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Permalink Reply by Libby on October 29, 2007 at 9:08am

Another way to tell is if you have antibodies to insulin or your islet cells, then you have Type 1, which is an autoimmune disease. The most common is GAD but there are 3 more I think. I have one of the less common. I still have C-Peptide and low fasting BG so the antibody test was the only way to confirm a diagnosis for me.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on October 29, 2007 at 10:07am

I forgot the antibody test, good call.

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly on October 29, 2007 at 11:10am

For adults who eventually are diagnosed w/ Type 1, they almost always assume that it is incorrectly Type 2. Simply because of the age. I fought for the antibody tests to prove I was not Type 2. Once those came back, I was off the Type2 drugs on on insulin full time.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on October 29, 2007 at 12:49pm

So true, they said I was type 2 in the beginning and I am not. PCP doctors know very little about diabetes IMO. Now I have a GREAT endo. No more guess work!

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Permalink Reply by Brewster A Party On Four Wheels Since 2001!!! on October 30, 2007 at 12:48am

yeah same here I was diagnosed type 2 at the start. After more blood work two days later they said no way you're type 1 time for insulin. lmao

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Permalink Reply by Marcus Lamparty on December 13, 2007 at 7:46pm

Ya thats how they basically diagnosed my type one, they saw I had BG of 27mmol/L and said in order for it to be that high I'm probably type 1 as type 2 the BG generally creeps up gradually.

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Permalink Reply by Daena on December 14, 2007 at 7:07am

This is what bugs me. My blood sugar was 41 at diagnosis and i was in DKA, yet my endo thinks I am a T2. And the meds have been working like a dream for the past four months! i am going to persuade her (somehow) into getting me an antibody test and a c-peptide retest/

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Permalink Reply by David Lamb on December 14, 2007 at 12:11pm

Some Type 2's get hit with a very rapid onset of the symptoms. I thinkthe expanation I was given was that the pancreas keeps increasing insulin production to keep up with insulin resistance, but eventually it gives up and you crash. Sky high blood sugars, rapid weight loss due to metabolism of muscles, insatiable thirst... all the classic symptoms.

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Permalink Reply by Daena on December 14, 2007 at 5:42pm

My endo told me that i experienced something called "stress hyperglycemia", meaning the unbearable physical and mental stress I'd faced (infection + finals week) had my pancreas doing what you just described. My rationale for wanting an antibody test done is to rule out LADA, because if I have LADA, an insulin regime would be a better treatment plan than meds.

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