Gad antibody test

[Whichtype]

Hi. I had covid in January, ended up with DKA and had to start taking insulin (previously type 2). How long did everyone wait for their gad test to come back?

 

[Inka]

I don’t remember but it was weeks and weeks. So long that I forgot about it. Possibly 8-14 weeks?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome

I think it was about 6 weeks for my results to come back.
Sorry to hear you had Covid. Hope you are fully recovered apart from your Diabetes being adversely affected, which is clearly not an insignificant effect in itself. Good that they are testing you to get a proper diagnosis of your current diabetes status.
Which insulin(s) have they given you and how are you managing with it?

 

[Whichtype]

Hi. I'm on a combined insulin, who h has been a bit of a struggle. I've put on weight, but apart from that I think I've gotten into the swing of it. My hb1ac was 150 in January and is now 58

 

[rebrascora]

Looks like your control is pretty good to come down from 150 to 58 in just a few months, although a fast reduction is not always ideal as it can affect the eyes and peripheral nerves and fine blood vessels. If you are putting on weight then gently reducing your carb intake and insulin doses a little should stop or reverse that, but you would need to discuss it with your nurse or GP... whoever oversees your treatment.... unless you have had a course on dose adjustment but I am guessing probably not, with you being on a mixed insulin.

Hopefully if your GAD test comes back positive, you will go onto a basal/bolus insulin regime and learn to adjust it yourself so that you can limit your food intake to lose the weight.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope your results come through and offer some clarity on your diagnosis @Whichtype - they aren’t always particularly conclusive, but can add some clues, along with cPeptide levels, where there is some uncertainty over the clinical presentation.

Hopefully whichever box you end up getting a tick in, you will move to a more flexible meal/bacground (basal:bolus) insulin regime. much more flexible and easier to tailor to your needs.

 

[Inka]

Hi. I'm on a combined insulin, who h has been a bit of a struggle. I've put on weight, but apart from that I think I've gotten into the swing of it. My hb1ac was 150 in January and is now 58

A mixed insulin is very inflexible because you can’t adjust one part of the insulin without affecting the other eg you can’t reduce your bolus/meal part to eat less carbs because you’d also be reducing your basal.

I wouldn’t worry about the weight too much for now. You’ll be able to lose that once you change to a more flexible regime.

 

[Whichtype]

Hope your results come through and offer some clarity on your diagnosis @Whichtype - they aren’t always particularly conclusive, but can add some clues, along with cPeptide levels, where there is some uncertainty over the clinical presentation.

Hopefully whichever box you end up getting a tick in, you will move to a more flexible meal/bacground (basal:bolus) insulin regime. much more flexible and easier to tailor to your needs.

Thank you. I hope so too, the combined insulin isn't that flexible at all.

 

[Ljc]

Hi. @Whichtype . No, mixed insulin is not very flexible, though it does suit some people , not me.
As your having tests to determine your type of diabetes , I assume you are under the hospitals diabetes team ? , if so you can talk to your DSN about switching to a Basal bolus regime, that’s a background insulin and a separate rapid insulin for mealtimes .

I was put on this regime when it was still believed I had T2 .

 

[Whichtype]

Hi. @Whichtype . No, mixed insulin is not very flexible, though it does suit some people , not me.
As your having tests to determine your type of diabetes , I assume you are under the hospitals diabetes team ? , if so you can talk to your DSN about switching to a Basal bolus regime, that’s a background insulin and a separate rapid insulin for mealtimes .

I was put on this regime when it was still believed I had T2 .

Hi, I haven't seen a hospital but I have spoken to my dsn 3 times on the telephone. She said they wouldn't give me the basal bolus because I'm coping well with the combination. I am controlling it well, but don't know how I'll cope now we can have days out etc.

 

[Robin]

Hi, I haven't seen a hospital but I have spoken to my dsn 3 times on the telephone. She said they wouldn't give me the basal bolus because I'm coping well with the combination. I am controlling it well, but don't know how I'll cope now we can have days out etc.

I had a similar problem with treatment, when I had been misdiagnosed as Type 2 and turned out to be Type 1. At one point, I was told I was obviously doing well on Gliclazide and a basal insulin, to which I hit the roof, and replied, that I was cutting my carbs to the bone, didn’t in any way have a normal diet or even a normal life, and was still struggling to keep BG below 10. I was immediately offered a basal bolus regime.

 

[Whichtype]

I had a similar problem with treatment, when I had been misdiagnosed as Type 2 and turned out to be Type 1. At one point, I was told I was obviously doing well on Gliclazide and a basal insulin, to which I hit the roof, and replied, that I was cutting my carbs to the bone, didn’t in any way have a normal diet or even a normal life, and was still struggling to keep BG below 10. I was immediately offered a basal bolus regime.

I'm not really doing well with cutting carbs, but if you're on holiday or even a day out you can't always find healthy things to eat.

 

[Ljc]

Hi, I haven't seen a hospital but I have spoken to my dsn 3 times on the telephone. She said they wouldn't give me the basal bolus because I'm coping well with the combination. I am controlling it well, but don't know how I'll cope now we can have days out etc.

Be firm but polite . Explain how difficult you are finding it and that the mixed insulin though it’s doing it’s job it reallllly doesn’t suit you or your lifestyle

 

[Whichtype]

Thank you, I will speak to them as soon as my results come through.

 

[Robin]

I'm not really doing well with cutting carbs, but if you're on holiday or even a day out you can't always find healthy things to eat.

I wasn’t suggesting it was necessarily desirable or achieveable to cut carbs to the bone, but as I’d been told to follow the same diet that was recommended for the general population, ie the infamous 'Eatwell Plate' I used it as a lever to prove that things weren’t working for me.

 

[John D M]

Hello, on being diagnosed, I was put on Novomix but after a year or so was allowed to move to basal & bolus.
For what it’s worth I’ve found this much more flexible for maintaining good control.
I’ve never found out why mixed is offered. Proposed to be simpler for the individual. Cheaper ?

 

[Robin]

Hello, on being diagnosed, I was put on Novomix but after a year or so was allowed to move to basal & bolus.
For what it’s worth I’ve found this much more flexible for maintaining good control.
I’ve never found out why mixed is offered. Proposed to be simpler for the individual. Cheaper ?

When I discussed with my GP that I was going to tell the hospital clinic I needed something more than basal, she said encouragingly, 'If you’ve got a regular lifestyle, you might get away with 2 injections a day, otherwise, you’ll probably need 4.' as if it would be much better not to have to do more than two a day. (I'd already read up on it and decided I needed Basal/Bolus). I think people who don’t inject (including GPs) can’t imagine that it could ever be so routine and painless to do injections that it really doesn’t matter how many you need.