Blood Test Results - Anti bodies and c-peptide

Hi,

My son ANAY (9 yrs old) is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes around two months ago. He takes insulin shot three times a day. We have just received his blood test results and want a second opinion from the experts here.

Antibody GAD - Negative
Antibody Anti Thyroid (both types) - Negative
Antibody Transglutaminase - Negative (No Celiac disease)
C-peptide - 0.86 ng/ml (fasting) and 3.51 ng/ml(After meal) Normal range described as between 0.9 ng/ml to 4.0 ng/ml.

We have a very good doctor and he feels that since fasting c-peptide is below normal, It means that Anay is not type 2 but is type 1 diabetic and we should continue with regular insulin shots treatment. Anay's blood sugar levels are almost normal although he goes more into hype than hyper.

Followings are my questions

(1)What could be the reasons of almost normal c-peptide levels.
(2)If the reason is that he is in his honeymoon period then should we get c-peptide done one more time after few months. I feel that he is not in his honeymoon period.
(3)If his body is producing enough insulin then what should be done to help his body continue to do the same.

Thanks in advance,

Regards

[Forum-VOL-CB]

Well, we're not really the experts, just volunteers who do not have medical degrees. So I can't comment on the reasons for normal c-peptide levels-- that's beyond me. But I can comment a little on the honeymoon period and helping the body continue to produce insulin. My 17-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 three years ago, and she had an exceptional honeymoon period, longer than they'd seen at Children's Hospital. Part of it was probably luck, and part of it was because she did an amazing job of adapting and taking care of herself. Her doctor said that because she was so careful with her control, it put less stress on her pancreas, and her body continued to make insulin for much longer than is typical for newly diagnosed type 1s. This made the first couple of years pretty easy for her, relatively speaking.

That came to an end, of course-- with type 1, no matter what you do, the pancreas will eventually stop producing insulin. But if you can help your son keep as good of control as possible, that should help his honeymoon period last longer, which will make his life easier.

Maybe someone else out there has comments on the c-peptide question?