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Stevie2023

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Hi, new to Diabetes UK.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes 2 years ago and it has been managed with Metformin every since. my bloods have always been ok showing 6.7 over the last 2 years but after being rushed in to hospital a few weeks ago with Ketoacidosis my bloods shot up to 27.4 and my annual bloods showed a reading of 147, up from the usual 47 measured each year, since being diagnosed.

The hospital moved me straight on to insulin 5 times a day, rehydrated me with 3 bags of saline and informed me that they thought i was showing signs of LADA, i must admit, i had 8 of the 10 main symptoms however, my blood result have come back and showed i'm not LADA or Type 1.5 as its known, but more likely Type 2 insulin dependant. It has had a major impact on my sight going from short sighted to now long sighted and the blurred vision is starting to settle as my bloods do.

I'm still awaiting answers from the hospital consultant, as to why this has happened but i am fed up of the diabetes nurses just saying you are unlucky, there doesn't seem to be a reason in your case, as i have never been over weight, i have always eaten healthily and have had no added sugar in my diet in the last 2 years.

Has this happened to anyone else?
 
Welcome @Stevie2023 I can understand why they thought you were Type 1/LADA. That’s a massive change and it must have been very scary for you. I’m sure I read that a percentage of people with LADA don’t show antibodies. Is that what they tested to determine your diabetes type?

@Lucyr is someone who is classified as Type 2 but started on insulin very early, if I remember correctly.

Is there any diabetes in your family?
 
Sorry to hear about the dramatic change in your T2 and hope you get the answers from the consultant. Did this come on suddenly and out of the blue or had you been managing your diabetes through daily finger-prick tests, as many of us do?
 
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Thank you Martin, no it came on suddenly, i became really tired, going to toilet every 50 minutes in the night and more often in the day, i was severely dehydrated, started with thrush that i couldn't get rid of and lost over 2 stone in 6 weeks. Doctors told me to go away and not to worry, referring me to Urology. It was only when a family member tested my blood sugars and they were 25.1 before eating, that i asked for an emergency appointment pointing this out. At this point i was sent direct to A&E and told by the doctor, this should not be happening and your record shows very unlikely to develop anything like this.
 
I asked about testing as I wondered whether that would have alerted you to your levels being on an upward curve before you started to experience the symptoms you described.
 
Sounds about as confusing as my diabetes has been. I was diagnosed age 21, all the tablets in the first couple of years and nothing worked, few hospital admissions with bgs 25-30. Eventually got a referral to hospital team and started MDI

It’s taken until almost 15 years later to get the appropriate tests. You must find out what tests were done and what the results are. I had c-peptide (indicates how much insulin you produce) and GAD antibodies (one of the antibodies that can be found in T1/LADA).

The reason you need to find out the results is so that you can challenge the decision if appropriate. T1 get much better access to tech than T2 do (yes it’s still difficult either type but it’s a lot more fighting for access if T2)

My results were low cpeptide, but more in the low end of intermediate range not in the very low definitely T1 range. My GAD antibodies were negative. Negative antibodies doesn’t mean “definitely t2” it just means “we can’t say that it’s definitely t1”. The results are then interpreted along with presentation etc.

If you’ve only had one of those two tests done you would need to ask for the other to be done as well.
 
Stevie2023 said:
Thank you Martin, no it came on suddenly, i became really tired, going to toilet every 50 minutes in the night and more often in the day, i was severely dehydrated, started with thrush that i couldn't get rid of and lost over 2 stone in 6 weeks. Doctors told me to go away and not to worry, referring me to Urology. It was only when a family member tested my blood sugars and they were 25.1 before eating, that i asked for an emergency appointment pointing this out. At this point i was sent direct to A&E and told by the doctor, this should not be happening and your record shows very unlikely to develop anything like this.
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Sounds like my Type 1 diagnosis. Do you know exactly what tests they did @Stevie2023 ? If not, find out and get the results (ie numbers not a vague description).
 
Inka said:
Sounds like my Type 1 diagnosis. Do you know exactly what tests they did @Stevie2023 ? If not, find out and get the results (ie numbers not a vague description).
Click to expand...
Also worth asking for the normal range to give you context of the results
 
Very sorry to read you have been unwell. I cant comment as dont know enough . Others will help . Just wanted to say Hi and hope you enjoy the forum
 
Hi @Stevie2023

Something similar happened to me. I hadn't been aware of my blood sugar as I had not been to the doctor in years and then I got symptoms, got a glucose monitor showing similar readings to yours and then a HBA1c at my GP which too was similar to yours (mine was a bit higher). I was tested for ketones as there was concern I was at risk of DKA but wasn't sent to hospital although GP did talk to the hospital consultant. I was started on Metformin with a view to getting me onto insulin. Long story short I cut out carbs and and made other changes, my blood sugar came down pretty rapidly so never went onto insulin. Eventually I ceased the metformin too.

I don't know for sure why my blood sugar got so out of control either, but I have surmised it was a combo of a carb-heavy diet and a total lack of exercise in lockdown together with stress. It doesn't sound as though as this would be applicable to you as you say are not overweight as I was, and you do not eat as unhealthily as I did.
 
Lucyr said:
Sounds about as confusing as my diabetes has been. I was diagnosed age 21, all the tablets in the first couple of years and nothing worked, few hospital admissions with bgs 25-30. Eventually got a referral to hospital team and started MDI

It’s taken until almost 15 years later to get the appropriate tests. You must find out what tests were done and what the results are. I had c-peptide (indicates how much insulin you produce) and GAD antibodies (one of the antibodies that can be found in T1/LADA).

The reason you need to find out the results is so that you can challenge the decision if appropriate. T1 get much better access to tech than T2 do (yes it’s still difficult either type but it’s a lot more fighting for access if T2)

My results were low cpeptide, but more in the low end of intermediate range not in the very low definitely T1 range. My GAD antibodies were negative. Negative antibodies doesn’t mean “definitely t2” it just means “we can’t say that it’s definitely t1”. The results are then interpreted along with presentation etc.

If you’ve only had one of those two tests done you would need to ask for the other to be done as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you, really interesting. Yes had had both tests, cpeptide test and results were low end but not very low (range 370 to 1470), mine was 432. My Gada results were negative. The hospital diabetes nurse has specified definitely Type 2 because of the results however, im waiting to see the specialist.
 
Stevie2023 said:
Thank you, really interesting. Yes had had both tests, cpeptide test and results were low end but not very low (range 370 to 1470), mine was 432. My Gada results were negative. The hospital diabetes nurse has specified definitely Type 2 because of the results however, im waiting to see the specialist.
Click to expand...
My cpeptide was 265 (stimulated with bg about 17 at time of test) and gad negative, haven’t had confirmation of my type (to be discussed at next appointment in March 2024) but have been advised almost definitely will be t2
 
Inka said:
Welcome @Stevie2023 I can understand why they thought you were Type 1/LADA. That’s a massive change and it must have been very scary for you. I’m sure I read that a percentage of people with LADA don’t show antibodies. Is that what they tested to determine your diabetes type?

@Lucyr is someone who is classified as Type 2 but started on insulin very early, if I remember correctly.

Is there any diabetes in your family?
Click to expand...
Hi, Yes i had the GADA test. My dad had Type 2 diabetes and lost his leg to it in his late 50's but was never on insulin.
 
Glad to hear your are on insulin now @Stevie2023

Hope the confusion around your classification is resolved. And as @Lucyr says, all things being equal I think a t1 / LADA diagnosis would make it easier for you to access certain education courses and technology options, so hopefully it will fall that way for you.
 
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