C peptide test, should I?

[davef]

Need a little advice, I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow morning to have a review after my blood tests earlier this week. My A1c is down from 11.6% at DX and 9% seven weeks ago to 6.8% :) , my 14 day BG average is now 99. I'm managing to keep my fasting BG below 110 and keeping my 2 hour postprandial below 120 (okay sometimes I try some thing new at it's higher ;) ).

I have never had a C peptide, and I'm wondering if I should, is there any benefit for me at the moment?

[moorejames]

Don't know that it would tell you much, but if it doesn't cost extra, it can't hurt.

Sounds like you're well on your way to becoming a well controlled Type2, and the C-peptide is mostly used to diagnose Type 1 (or 1.5) so I doubt your doctor would bother to run it since you seem to be responding well to Type 2 treatments.

[TomB]

For years, I've used Lab Tests Online: Welcome! (http://www.labtestsonline.org) to get info on blood tests. C-Peptid is defined here:
C-peptide: The Test (http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/c_peptide/test.html)

Sounds like it's one of those moving targets where you need to have it a few times before getting an idea of what the results mean. I've never had it tested but next time I see my doc I'll ask her to slip it in. Might be a good idea to start tracking insulin production.

[kgm0612]

I was originally dx'd over the phone by my PCP as a type 2 at the age of 40, from routine blood work taken before my yearly physical. The day of my physical, my PCP walked in the door, looked at me and said "I dx'd you a type 2 but I think I'm mistaken". I then made an appointment with my younger brother's endo and he ordered the c-peptide (& GAD antibody) because my PCP hadn't. A month later, it was confirmed that I was indeed a type 1 with my pancrease producing a little insulin. A year later, another c-peptide was done, and my pancrease was producing less than the year before.

I just had an endo appmt on Monday. My numbers have been running high for over 6 months so I requested another c-peptide, which the endo agreed to do. As I mentioned in that post, I've been under a tremendous amount of stress lately and truly believe that my pancreas is shot to h*ll.

Bottom line, it won't hurt to ask for one at your next visit.

Karen

[Funnygrl]

I think the fact that you saw such a dramatic improvement in bgs on metformin suggests you're a pretty classic type 2, and therefore c-peptide measurements won't tell you much.