[cwixsms]

My 9yo dd has been diagnosed with epilepsy since about age 7 1/2. As school was starting this past August during bloodwork to monitor seizure meds and her frequent tiredness the dr noticed her thyroid was low. She started thyroid meds and by Christmas had lost 12 lb. I didn't think alot of it since my husband lost weight when he first started thyroid meds. New Year's Eve we found out she had Celiac Disease and started a gluten-free diet. By mid-Jan she was still losing weight and had to have a nasogastric feeding tube put in. By accident while checking bloodwork in hospital they noticed blood sugar was 117. I had pediatrician check her when we went in next week for weight check and it was 167 (just eaten chips/coke) so they said we'd just watch it. Following week we went in early in the day, couple of hours after finishing a tube feed, and blood sugar was 340!! They did A1C which was 7.5 and also a Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase test which was 41. Endocrinologist said A1C showed her blood sugars had been higher than normal for last couple of months, but never explained the other test? I know from the lab report normal is <1.5.....so what does a 41 mean???
Thanks

 

[Shanny]

Welcome to our support forum, cwixsms . . . you have a lot on your plate here. I'm sorry for all these things you must deal with.

I don't have a lot of experience with this, but I think the test you've mentioned is termed GAD, and is one of the diagnostics used to determine type 1 diabetes. There are different types of antibodies to be found in type 1 patients, and that's the part I don't know much about, but the Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD) Antibodies tests are a strong determining factor for type 1 or 1.5 (latent autoimmune in adults). Type 2 patients don't have these antibodies. There are others here who will be better able to answer your question, but I wanted to give you something to go on in case we have a slow holiday weekend here.

take care & hugs to your little girl from this old granny,

 

[foxl]

Participants were supportive of routine GADA testing, would prefer not to start insulin immediately following a diagnosis of LADA and needed to discuss treatment options with health professionals who were knowledgeable on LADA.

Pattyq, that is a fragment of a quote if I am not mistaken ... where from?

I am on low-dose insulin to prevent losing beta cells, because I am GAD-positive. As far as I know, that recommendation is prettyuniversal.