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Slow onset of type 1

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Monica

Monica

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Feel like I'm asking a stupid question, but....

What are the symptoms of slow onset T1? Is it like T2 where you could go years of not knowing you have Diabetes?
I'm asking because a friend has been told by her optician she has damage to her eyes possibly caused by that and that he is going to refer her to her GP to have a diabetes test. Well that was last week and she still hasn't seen her GP. I would have thought it was a bit more urgent than that. I'm tempted to tell her to make an appointment herself.
 
Yes, you should suggest she call the surgery for an appoin9tment.

I'm LADA (Latent Atoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood, or slow onset type 1, or type 1.5), originally diagnosed as T2 but my symptoms came on pretty quickly, a matter of weeks rather than the usual years I understand it normally takes for T2. It can creep up on you however and the only way to be sure is to have the appropriate blood tests done. If your friend has eye damage the chances are she's had high blood glucose for quite some time and is indeed diabetic. It's hard to say for sure though which is why she needs to see her doctor quickly, if she does have diabetes, the sooner she's treated the better.
 
I would make the appointment myself. It may be T1.5 or possibly T2, it's very difficult to differentiate unless there are other obvious T2 risk factors such as family history and/or being overweight (particularly abdominal fat).

I was probably about 18 months to two years with increasing symptoms before I was diagnosed - symptoms the same as T2, peeing/drinking lots, tiredness, infections/wounds taking time to clear or heal. I'm pretty sure if I had been diagnosed before I got a virus and DKA they would have put me down as Type 2, largely due to my age, but the fact I went downhill so quickly when I got the virus shows how you can feel fine one day and then seriously ill the next if T1.5. There is a possibility that the scarring on my retina which keeps getting me sent back to the eye hospital could have originated in that 18 months.

The main thing is to get tested as soon as possible - there's no point in waiting, and the sooner treatment, if required, can begin. 🙂
 
Thank you both.

I had a quick chat yesterday evening, but it was rushed. She says she has no symptoms like thirst, weeing more and weight loss at all and doesn't think it's urgent. I did tell her that it was urgent though and offered to test her there and then, but she didn't want to and said she thought she had to fast for it. I think I'll text her with the suggestion of making an appointment herself
 
Sounds like it :( She also told me a few things that didn't make sense. When I challenged it, she just said: "well I must have misunderstood then"

I've sent the text
 
hi monica
sounds like it could be T2 or 1.5, but not T1. I think the symptoms for type 1 come on quite quickly because essentially a part of your endocrine system has decided to "shut down".
You sound like a good friend 🙂 - the sooner your friend gets to the doc the sooner she can get it sorted....
good luck
 
Cleo said:
hi monica
sounds like it could be T2 or 1.5, but not T1.
Click to expand...

"slow onset", which is 1.5 isn't it?

I'm only repeating what she told me. I have no clue with that, as I only deal with T1. I was only thinking if she has eye damage (quite bad, not just background retinopathy) then she should get seen much quicker than she is :(

She hasn't replied yet, so I'm now on tenterhooks as to whether she's ignoring my text or she took offence
 
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She's text back, saying she's having a glucose tolerance test on Wednesday. Fingers crossed it's ok
 
Monica said:
Feel like I'm asking a stupid question, but....

What are the symptoms of slow onset T1? Is it like T2 where you could go years of not knowing you have Diabetes?
I'm asking because a friend has been told by her optician she has damage to her eyes possibly caused by that and that he is going to refer her to her GP to have a diabetes test. Well that was last week and she still hasn't seen her GP. I would have thought it was a bit more urgent than that. I'm tempted to tell her to make an appointment herself.
Click to expand...

I would have thought she needed referring a bit further up the line than her GP if she has eye damage. Eye damage is not in the GP's dept 🙄
 
Well I wonder why the optician even mentioned slow onset T1? I mean surely it's far more likely to be T2 if she doesn't notice any symptoms? - or perhaps she took offence (or the O has that misconception!) at that suggestion cos she isn't either old or fat, but there again - I wonder if she perchance had Gestational D at some time?

Or has she decided it's slow onset T1 because she isn't old and fat?

Intriguing anyway, cos the OGTT will tell the tale and anyway, what IS the optician doing about the eye damage, surely he ought to be referring her to the flipping hospital to get that treated anyway - and not leaving it to her GP !
 
When my friend told me about the D, I asked T2? She said no the optician reckons T1. I was shocked and said in that case she would have been in hospital by now, unless it was "slow onset". She then said: "Oh yes that's the one!" As you can guess I bombarded her with questions, but I couldn't talk long, as dinner was ready and Fiona came home upset.

Well this optician is going the complicated way. He/she referred her to the GP for the diabetes and the eye problem. Then the GP has to refer her to the specialist 😱 I just don't think they are reacting fast enough 😡

My friend is roughly my age and size (40s and overweight)
 
Well there's overweight and overweight Monica - and although I haven't seen you for 12 months so you may well have 'expanded' 'overweight' isn't a word that exactly springs to mind. "Blonde lady, Carol's mum - very nice person!" are what spring to my mind!

Anyway, here's a ?1 coin says she's T2 ......... LOL
 
Thank you Jenny 🙂

Yes, unfortunately I have expanded a bit (up 1 dress size). My BMI is bordering "obese" 😱 and at the moment I am a typical T2 stereotype candidate.
I'd say my friend is very similar to me, except she's an apple and I'm a pear. I don't compare those very well. Apple ladies always have such beautiful thin legs, whereas I have "thunderthighs".

Well I thought it more likely to be type 2 too, but as I said I'm only repeating what she said.
 
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The sooner she finds out the better for her ! Hope the test went well Monica
 
Hurrah

She hasn't got Diabetes and her cholesterol is low too :D

Now she's just waiting for her urgent eye appointment to come through
 
That will be a big relief for her 🙂 I hope that her eye problems are easily treated 🙂
 
Phew! :D

Bet that's a relief to you too, otherwise you'd have landed up having to deal with her diabetes instead of her from the way it sounds!
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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