Can I be tested for type 1 while being treated with Insulin

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JamietDE6

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Hoping someone can advise. I have just spoken with my diabetes nurse who when prompted took look to see if my Type 1 test that has been sent to Exeter on the 2nd of February had reported yet. She advised that they have told them it was put in the wrong test tube so could not be tested!!!!!! You can imagine my surprise, I further lost confidence when told this would only have been discovered if someone at the hospital end enquired? My main concern now is how can I be reliably tested now I am on Insulin treatment? Do I have to come off it and be under supervision? I am sick of this limbo…. And have lost faith in the team looking after me frankly.
 
JamietDE6 said:
Hoping someone can advise. I have just spoken with my diabetes nurse who when prompted took look to see if my Type 1 test that has been sent to Exeter on the 2nd of February had reported yet. She advised that they have told them it was put in the wrong test tube so could not be tested!!!!!! You can imagine my surprise, I further lost confidence when told this would only have been discovered if someone at the hospital end enquired? My main concern now is how can I be reliably tested now I am on Insulin treatment? Do I have to come off it and be under supervision? I am sick of this limbo…. And have lost faith in the team looking after me frankly.
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Is it a C peptide test, to see how much insulin of your own you are producing? (I think it may be, as it’s gone off to Exeter.). I don’t know the detail, but I’m sure they can test even if you’re on insulin. It may take a bit of fiddling around with your levels in the hours just before the test, I’m not sure what's involved, someone on here will be along soon who will know, I'm sure, or your Diabetes nurse should be able to tell you.
I think @Lucyr who is on insulin has just had one.
 
Hi I think it is a GAD antibody test, but not certain.
 
Hi there @JamietDE6 the GAD antibody test is to see if you have the antibodies which would indicate T1, so it would not be affected by you being on insulin at all. If it was a CPeptide test then it would not be affected by you being on insulin either as it tests not for insulin production but for the C-Peptide which is produced along with your insulin... there's a good explanation here https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/c-peptide I had mine done 8.5 years into being on insulin.
 
Unfortunately these tests are not standard and have to be processed differently to more routine blood tests, so if it was collected in a test tube with an anticoagulant as is used for some other samples that might ruin it. Generally these samples need to be taken at a main hospital which have the knowledge and facilities in place to handle them correctly. I don't know specifically what the GAD test needs or doesn't need, but I would be going to the nearest main hospital to have the sample taken.
You definitely don't need to stop insulin to have the test redone, but it is going to be several more weeks after retesting before you get results, which I know will be frustrating, but you have a lot to learn about managing diabetes with insulin in the meantime so try just to focus on that. It was 4 months after diagnosis that I got my GAD result confirming Type 1. and I had been on insulin for at least a month when the blood sample was taken.
 
Thank you for the replies. I have calmed down a bit after my rant. This forum will be a valuable resource going forward i am sure. Good to hear the test can be re done whilst on insulin. I am starting to understand this thing will take a lot of effort to manage. Thanks again for allaying my fears
 
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