Consultant Letter

[Zoe1992]

Hi,

I'm currently going through tests to see if my t2 diagnosis was incorrect. I have received a letter to say my diabetes antibody test was negative and my urine sample shows that I am secreting insulin.

Are these good signs? It's not very clear!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi,

I'm currently going through tests to see if my t2 diagnosis was incorrect. I have received a letter to say my diabetes antibody test was negative and my urine sample shows that I am secreting insulin.

Are these good signs? It's not very clear!!

Thanks in advance!

Some people will develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy but it is then no longer an issue afterwards. Antibody tests are used to diagnose Type 1 diabetes so it may be they are not sure whether you are Type 2 or Type 1.
This may help you explain.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. It affects women who haven't been affected by diabetes before. It means you have high blood sugar and need to take extra care of yourself and your bump. This will include eating well and keeping active.

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[rebrascora]

Those tests just tell you that you have been tested for Type 1 diabetes and the results appear to be negative. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the immune system kills off the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes is usually either fatty deposits in and around the liver and pancreas causing them not to work efficiently and communicate well to keep your BG levels balanced or insulin resistance at a cellular level where the cells have become less responsive to the insulin produce, possibly because you have reached your personal fat threshold and they can't accept any more surplus glucose to store as fat.... or a combination of both fatty liver and insulin resistance.

 

[Inka]

Hi,

I'm currently going through tests to see if my t2 diagnosis was incorrect. I have received a letter to say my diabetes antibody test was negative and my urine sample shows that I am secreting insulin.

Are these good signs? It's not very clear!!

Thanks in advance!

Welcome @Zoe1992 🙂 It sounds like they’re doing some thorough testing to see what - if anything - is going on. The antibodies test suggests you’re not Type 1 (Type 1 is an auto-immune condition), and the urine test sounds like a C Peptide test, which is done to see how much insulin you’re secreting. A Type 1 would secrete very little because their immune system has destroyed the insulin-producing cells in their pancreas, whereas a Type 2 might be making a good lot of insulin but be insulin resistant and thus not able to use it properly.

You mention receiving diabetic checks during pregnancy. Was there any sign you had impaired glucose tolerance then? Eg a higher than normal HbA1C or similar? A large baby? And do you have any risk factors for Type 2?

 

[Zoe1992]

Welcome @Zoe1992 🙂 It sounds like they’re doing some thorough testing to see what - if anything - is going on. The antibodies test suggests you’re not Type 1 (Type 1 is an auto-immune condition), and the urine test sounds like a C Peptide test, which is done to see how much insulin you’re secreting. A Type 1 would secrete very little because their immune system has destroyed the insulin-producing cells in their pancreas, whereas a Type 2 might be making a good lot of insulin but be insulin resistant and thus not able to use it properly.

You mention receiving diabetic checks during pregnancy. Was there any sign you had impaired glucose tolerance then? Eg a higher than normal HbA1C or similar? A large baby? And do you have any risk factors for Type 2?

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I had to take my blood sugars 6 times a day and they were pretty stable throughout. My HbA1C was at 36 throughout and my blood sugars were fine 90% of the time but I had a tighter range than someone that isn't diabetic at all (I had to be qt 7.8mmol or below an hour after food)

I did end up having a baby on the 97th percentile but a few midwives just said that an 8lb 8 baby is not a big baby, just big for me. If I had uncontrolled diabetes she would have been 10lb+ apparently!!

I have no risk factors, I'm 29, a healthy weight with a healthy diet. My grandad was t2 but was very overweight with a really sugary diet so there was a reason behind it so I don't think it was hereditary!

My HbA1C only came down from 49 when I left my job, literally nothing else changed (diet etc.)

 

[Inka]

Yes, the below 7.8 at one hour is the diabetic target 🙂 It sounds like a sensible precaution that you tested so regularly. Better to be over-cautious, I think. Your HbA1C was slightly higher than mine during pregnancy but I’m Type 1 so take insulin.

I’m not a doctor or a health professional, just someone with diabetes, but I think perhaps you could possibly have a slight propensity to occasional sugars at the higher end of normal in certain circumstances - eg stress, pregnancy, etc. If your HbA1Cs since your diagnosis have been normal then you’re not, by definition, diabetic. However, I’d just keep it at the back of my mind in case things go a bit off again. They may well not ever again, but to me it’s sensible just to have that awareness.

What’s good is that you’ve had the proper tests and haven’t had to wait and not know what was happening. I hope your mind is put at rest and you can largely forget about your temporary brush with diabetes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope the checks give some clarity as to what’s happening for you @Zoe1992 - must be quite unsettling!

 

[Drummer]

My two were 9lb plus a few ounces, but I never had any blood tests for diabetes - urine dip for glucose a couple of times, but even as a full blown diabetic I never saw a positive urine test.
Maybe they are just far more blasé decades ago and those weights did not set off any alarm bells.