welcome @PegE, you have a fascinating story!
Thanks , Chris. Itās funny, growing up in Alaska, I think get the same spooky feeling when I am flying in the lower 48 and things are all built up for as far as you can see. But being out in isolated places with diabetes issues was no fun. I have a lot more safeguards and back up plans going on these days and not so many adventures.
Funny.
We live in a forest, around quite a few cornfields. This year, the cornfield at the head of the road got developed. The moment that happened, my wife and I thought it was time to move
The antibody is to the insulin molecule, and I am pretty sure (based on CGM traces) that both injectables and Afrezza can be affected by antibodies. However, I find that Afrezza is affected much less frequently, and, when it is affected, it is still reasonably fast acting. I guess the body is more likely to produce a rush of antibodies if there is a physical trauma (needle insertion) which does not occur with Afrezza.
Yes, I actually use a modified version of xDrip+ now to collect readings from my Dexcom G5 and send them to my watch app. And Iām planning to build an OpenAPS soon!
Hello! I was diagnosed last year in April when some routine antibody testing came back positive for GAD65 antibodies. Having several autoimmune diseases already, it shouldnāt have been a surprise, but the only type 1 in my family I know of was my great grandmother, so diabetes wasnāt even remotely on my radar. My doc diagnosed me pre-diabetic based on my only borderline high A1c and fasting glucose and told me to stick to a low carb diet. Fast forward a few months and I got pregnant, then started feeling off after eating and started checking my blood sugar. When I relayed my numbers to my doc (fastings in the low 100s and post prandial spikes to 150-180s), she told me there was nothing she could do while I was pregnant. So I found a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who would prescribe insulin and was on Levemir and Novolog for the remainder of the pregnancy. Now 3 weeks postpartum and not taking insulin, though I think I need it for some things; I just donāt know how to dose for it with changes after pregnancy. Iāve tried seeing a new endo, but he just said I was pre-diabetic type 2 (despite positive antibodies!) and told me to stick to a lower carb diet. I AM restricting carbs in my diet, and it doesnāt always help. So Iām on the hunt for yet another doctor who might actually understand and take me seriously.
Welcome @PegE! I loved your story as well!
Wow, welcome, I hope you find a physician that takes you seriously soon. That is really unfortunate.
Glad you joined.
Hi, @PegE! So glad you found this forum! And I was shocked when I started reading your ages at diagnosis. I assumed by your picture that those were your sweet boys. You look so young!
Sounds like you have a beautiful perspective paired with your host of diseases.
So glad to have you aboard!
So glad to have you on the team! Iām sorry to hear about your diagnosis (and to read that it isnāt your only one!)
Hope you can find some help and encouragement here.
Hi! I have several autoimmune diseases too. I hope you find a helpful MD. When I was on levemir and humalog, I found the RapidCalc insulin calculator app (only works on IOS but initially I just had it on an old iphone someone had given me while I used a different phone for a phone) helpful for tracking what my blood sugars were doing and making little adjustments so the amounts I was taking worked a little better. It has graphs that show whatās going on. Its always a really nice thing to be able to eat food. Let us know how it goes.
Hi everyone! I finally made my way over here, and it looks great. Cardamom isnāt my real name (just a spice I love), but I tend to try to keep things online somewhat anonymous for professional reasons. Iām in my 30s, have had T1 since I was 10, and Iām a clinical psychologist (not specializing in diabetesātoo close to home, ha) living in the Rhode Island. My diabetes was pretty out of control for a number of years (thanks grad school), but a retinopathy diagnosis got me to get my act together, and thanks to getting a CGM, going lower carb, and adding some metformin to the mix, Iāve gone from A1cs in the 8-9s to 6.5. Advice from TuD was really helpful in all of that, and Iām looking forward to being part of the community here as well.
@cardamom Welcome! Weāre all looking forward to your expertise.
Did you start on metformin because of insulin resistance, i.e. taking increasing amounts of insulin to gain control? As a T1 what did you notice to be the biggest benefit of metformin?
Glad you found us, @cardamom, and welcome!
welcome @cardamom, glad to have you over here!
Welcome, @cardamom ! Glad you made it here!
My endo (who is awesome) suggested it after noting that my control wasnāt great and I had a little extra weight on my stomach, which was new-ish for me (Iām typically more curvy-shaped, somewhere between hourglass and pear). He suggested that was a sign of insulin resistance, even though my TDD wasnāt that high. I tried it, and it was greatāI was able to lower my insulin needs and for the first time in a long time, I lost weight with reasonable effort (before Iād do all the right things to no avail). I was running about 15 lbs over my typical weight, and I went back there very easily once I was on the metformin. I take the ER (started 500mg, now at 2000mg) and never had any digestive problems. Currently I take 16u of Tresiba and then my I:C ratio is about 1:10 (slightly variable). Before I was on at least 10 more units of basal (Lantus though), and while I was using a 1:10 ratio as well, I wasnāt getting very good results.
My best guess is that I donāt have much of a genetic underpinning for insulin resistance (see curvy figure and I also have no family history of T2), but that years of subpar control of my diabetes led to it for me.
Overall, Iām really pleased with the metformin, and all the moreso given the plethora of positive findings lately for other effects of metformin. I suspect it will be prescribed more and more to T1s.
Cardamom, it is SO GREAT to see you here!!!
That is really wonderful!
That is amazing to see the difference!
@cardamom, Welcome to the best D-community everyone wishes they didnāt have to be a member of!!!
Haha, indeed!
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!
Sounds like a pretty on the ball doc. Iāve been lucky to have a couple of endos who were not hesitant to have me take metformin, and later an SGLT-2 inhibitor (both off label for T1). Itās always nice to hear about a doc who really understands our disease.