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Hi. Type 1½??

AmandaPanda said:
Thanks Cliff. That's reassuring to know...
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I'm aware of the debate regarding whether or not LADA / Type 1.5 is different from 'real' Type 1. I was diagnosed in my early 50s. I've always been fit and a healthy weight and there was never any question of me being Type 2. In fact it was my optician who sent me for testing for diabetes, as she found a small retinal bleed.

My diabetes seems to behave like a mixture of Type 1 and Type 2: I only need a small amount of insulin and the amount of exercise I do (I cycle) has a direct impact on my blood sugar levels, irrespective of what I eat. So, in my case, 'Type 1.5' does seem like quite a good description.
 
Inka said:
Just to be a pedant @CliffH Most Type 2s take larger doses of insulin due to insulin resistance. What you’re describing sounds normal for Type 1 🙂
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That's interesting! Well whatever type of diabetes I have I'm just grateful that it's so well-controlled, given the terrible difficulties that some people here have :(.
 
CliffH said:
I'm aware of the debate regarding whether or not LADA / Type 1.5 is different from 'real' Type 1. I was diagnosed in my early 50s. I've always been fit and a healthy weight and there was never any question of me being Type 2. In fact it was my optician who sent me for testing for diabetes, as she found a small retinal bleed.

My diabetes seems to behave like a mixture of Type 1 and Type 2: I only need a small amount of insulin and the amount of exercise I do (I cycle) has a direct impact on my blood sugar levels, irrespective of what I eat. So, in my case, 'Type 1.5' does seem like quite a good description.
Click to expand...
I have the same mixture, I think... any exercise I do (even walking) has a direct impact on BG.
I'm still losing weight, even though I'm not trying to. I'm already looking too thin and "ill" as my friends keep telling me.
 
CliffH said:
That's interesting! Well whatever type of diabetes I have I'm just grateful that it's so well-controlled, given the terrible difficulties that some people here have :(.
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Cliff, what medication are you on?
 
AmandaPanda said:
I have the same mixture, I think... any exercise I do (even walking) has a direct impact on BG.
I'm still losing weight, even though I'm not trying to. I'm already looking too thin and "ill" as my friends keep telling me.
Click to expand...

That’s worrying. Unexpected weight loss is common in Type 1. Do you have a means to test for ketones, eg urine dipsticks?
 
AmandaPanda said:
I have the same mixture, I think... any exercise I do (even walking) has a direct impact on BG.
I'm still losing weight, even though I'm not trying to. I'm already looking too thin and "ill" as my friends keep telling me.
Click to expand...
Yes, with hindsight I was diabetic for about a year before it was diagnosed: always thirsty (and therefore weeing a lot) and ravenously hungry all the time, even though I was losing weight. My lighter weight meant that I was faster up hills when cycling but I ran out of energy quickly. I'm so grateful to my optician for spotting that there was something wrong, or I could have become seriously ill.
 
Inka said:
That’s worrying. Unexpected weight loss is common in Type 1. Do you have a means to test for ketones, eg urine dipsticks?
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Yes thanks. I have a BG monitor that also has Blood Ketone strips and a sensor (Glucofix tech GK). My diabetic nurse actually gave me one free - thank you NHS - when I told her how high my BG had gone.
 
CliffH said:
Mostly just NovoRapid. I'm prescribed Lantus too (as a basal insulin) but rarely take it nowadays, as usually I can keep myself in range just with 'shots' of NovoRapid before meals.
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Had to Google NovoRapid Can you tell I'm new to this??
That sounds like you've got a good balance Cliff
 
Hope you get some clarity around your diabetes type soon @AmandaPanda

And do get that unintentional weight loss checked out too, especially if it continues while your BG levels are coming back into range. :care:

Welcome to the forum!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Hope you get some clarity around your diabetes type soon @AmandaPanda

And do get that unintentional weight loss checked out too, especially if it continues while your BG levels are coming back into range. :care:

Welcome to the forum!
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Thank you. Don't worry, I've got just about every department in the hospital looking after me for various reasons :0)))
 
AmandaPanda said:
Thank you. Don't worry, I've got just about every department in the hospital looking after me for various reasons :0)))
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It’s nice to be popular!
 
AmandaPanda said:
Yes thanks. I have a BG monitor that also has Blood Ketone strips and a sensor (Glucofix tech GK). My diabetic nurse actually gave me one free - thank you NHS - when I told her how high my BG had gone.
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Hi Amanda
Hope you are well
If you dont mind me being noisy 🙂 can i ask how can you check your ketenos and what does that mean. DN also gave me same monitor i learned how to check my blood sugar level but didnt find out how to check ketone!
Thabk you
 
Seniz said:
Hi Amanda
Hope you are well
If you dont mind me being noisy 🙂 can i ask how can you check your ketenos and what does that mean. DN also gave me same monitor i learned how to check my blood sugar level but didnt find out how to check ketone!
Thabk you
Click to expand...
Hi Seniz
I got test strips for checking my blood ketones on prescription as Gliclazide was making me swing between hyper and hypo. They look very similar to the glucose test strips but they are obviously not the same thing.
I was told to test if my BG goes over 15. If you get too many ketones in your blood it can be very dangerous. I don't think it's something you need to check for unless your BG is continuously hyper.
 
Seniz said:
Hi Amanda
Hope you are well
If you dont mind me being noisy 🙂 can i ask how can you check your ketenos and what does that mean. DN also gave me same monitor i learned how to check my blood sugar level but didnt find out how to check ketone!
Thabk you
Click to expand...
Depending on what type of diabetes you have and what medication you’re on you might not need to check ketones
 
They are definitely different strips - and as it is - are FAR more expensive than blood glucose strips. They don't last as long as BG strips and are neither packaged nor supplied in such great quantities. So I get a tub of 50 strips for glucose - as opposed to a box of only 10 ketone strips, each strip individually sealed in foil to ensure their complete sterility until the moment you need to test for ketones. Other ketone meters and strips might be different from mine - I don't know, I've only had the one I still have, since no-one ever suggested I might need one cos my BG never got much beyond 10-ish for more than an hour or two - until I broke a bone.

Every single one of us is different and I don't think most people are like me and wait until they are aged over 60 before they break a bone and suddenly find they have lasting ketones for the first time in their life! 🙂 Took a few weeks to revert to my normal, rather than a few hours.
 
Seniz said:
Hi Amanda
Hope you are well
If you dont mind me being noisy 🙂 can i ask how can you check your ketenos and what does that mean. DN also gave me same monitor i learned how to check my blood sugar level but didnt find out how to check ketone!
Thabk you
Click to expand...

Most BG meters that also offer blood ketone checks just need special different strips. As @trophywench says, these are often individually packed in foil rather than supplied in a tub. I think they are about £2.50 per strip 😱

You might find there was a sample one in the box your meter came in?

The much cheaper (though less accurate) alternative is urine ketone strips, which you can buy from a chemists for about £5 for a pot of 50.
 
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