Question from Blacksburg, Virginia, USA:

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 13 years old and took insulin injections for seven years. My blood sugar levels were never normal and I had many medical complications. At age 20, I pleaded with the doctor and my parents to put me in the hospital for tests because I knew something was not right; I knew that people with diabetes who took care of themselves lead healthy lives, but this was not the case for me. I was put in the hospital and underwent many tests, including a glucose tolerance test and insulin reduction exercises; when the tests came back it revealed that I did not have the disease at all. I had been misdiagnosed!

The doctor that diagnosed me in the beginning only checked my blood sugar via a urine test and a finger prick test and immediately started me on a huge amount of insulin. As I said, I was 13 years old and had just recovered from pneumonia, bronchitis, and mononucleosis all in less than four months. My body was in chaos because of the illnesses and puberty. I am totally color-blind, which I surmise is because the cones on my retina were damaged because of the excess insulin I was taking. I am also not at the stature of many of the males in my family, and again, I believe this is from the extra insulin during my pubescent years.

Since that time in my life, I have had great care and concern for diabetics and the research and treatment options for those affected with the disease. I am a Diabetes Advocate with the ADA and contribute to any cause that is to improve diabetes care, treatment, and research. I am a Ph.D. candidate and am focusing on diabetes for a particular research paper; I would like to know how many cases of misdiagnosis of diabetes have been reported and what has been done.