They Said It Was Gestational Diabetes — But They Were Wrong

Today, Maltby is a licensed functional health physician in the UK and a functional health coach, working via telemedicine. Her focus is on supporting people who feel stuck in the traditional healthcare system — people who hear a lot about numbers, lab results, and time-in-range but don’t get the chance to address the bigger picture.

“Many endocrinologists don’t have the time to look at the whole person,” she explained. “Functional medicine treats everything — the whole person, including mental health and gut health. If you feel like you’ve tried everything to improve your diabetes management and it’s still not working, that’s where functional medicine can make a difference.”

But before she ever became a doctor, Maltby’s story with type 1 diabetes (T1D) began in the middle of pregnancy.

Gestational Diabetes at 23 Years Old

At just 23 years old, during her first pregnancy in 1989, Maltby was given an oral glucose tolerance test. She had no symptoms of diabetes, though she was dealing with severe hyperemesis (persistent nausea and vomiting).

After drinking the sugary liquid for the test, she was told she had gestational diabetes.

“I didn’t question it. I was just very worried about the baby,” she recalled. “The only advice I got was to read food labels, and if sugar was listed in the first four ingredients, don’t eat it. That was it. There was no glucose meter, no guidance, no real treatment.”

At 37 and a half weeks, her care team decided to induce labor due to low amniotic fluid. Thankfully, both mother and baby were healthy and safe.

The next day, she was told she no longer had diabetes. “They literally said, ‘Go have a hot fudge sundae and enjoy the baby!’”

But a few months later, things started to change.

A Cross-Country Move and a Dangerous Discovery

Life as a new mother was exhausting. Her son slept very little, she was breastfeeding, and she was losing weight — 27 pounds within just a couple of months. At first, she thought it was just part of postpartum life.

But during a move from New York to Denver, her symptoms became undeniable. She was constantly thirsty, guzzling juices and sodas, and stopping frequently on the road to urinate. Her vision was blurred, and she was struggling to read road signs.

“During the drive, I was guzzling all these drinks because I was so thirsty,” she recalled. “Juices. Waters. Sugary drinks. It was the most intense thirst I’ve ever experienced. Then I kept asking my husband to stop to let me pee, and I couldn’t even make it to the restroom. I would just pee on the side of the road because I had to pee so badly.”

Maltby’s symptoms continued, but the big move offered easy ways to dismiss them.

“When we got to Denver, I assumed my shortness of breath was just the altitude,” she said. “But after hours of unpacking, I was so nauseous and drowsy that I just collapsed on the couch. I knew I needed a doctor.”

The next day, her new doctor checked her blood sugar: it was 487 mg/dL. He sent her straight to the hospital for intravenous fluids and insulin.

“That’s when I was told I had type 1 diabetes and would be taking insulin for the rest of my life.”

Getting the Right Diagnosis Can Be Simple

Unfortunately, Maltby’s misdiagnosis story is common — but it doesn’t have to be. A couple of basic tests can easily spot the difference between gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes versus type 1 diabetes.

Screening for type 1 diabetes can include one or both of these tests: 

Autoantibody testing

Autoantibodies develop when the immune system attacks your own cells. There are 5 specific types of antibodies related to type 1 diabetes that can be identified with a simple blood draw.

C-peptide testing

This test measures the amount of insulin you’re producing. In type 1 diabetes, C-peptide levels are low. In type 2 or gestational diabetes, C-peptide levels are typically noticeably high.

Many clinicians are still under the impression that type 1 diabetes only develops during childhood, leading to frequent misdiagnoses in adults — including during pregnancy.

From Patient to Physician

That adult diagnosis reshaped her life in ways she couldn’t have predicted. At 30 years old, Maltby enrolled in medical school in the United Kingdom, motivated by her experiences as a patient. After practicing in the UK, she later returned to the United States.

Over the years, Maltby has tried nearly every diabetes technology on the market. Most recently, she used the Omnipod paired with Dexcom. Currently, she’s back on multiple daily injections (MDI) while participating in a clinical trial, which requires her to use Tresiba for basal insulin along with a new investigational rapid-acting insulin for meals.

“I was scared to go back on MDI after so many years on a pump,” she admitted. “But it’s been an eye-opening experience, especially with the close healthcare support I’m getting in the study.”

Discovering Functional Medicine

For a long time, Maltby resisted asking for help. 

“From the moment I was diagnosed, I was very stubborn,” described Maltby. “I said, ‘I’m not going to ask for help — I’ll deal with this on my own.’”

But when she began experiencing complications, including neuropathy, she searched for new ways to manage her health. That search led her to functional medicine.

“Functional medicine is science-backed. It’s about understanding the biochemical pathways in your body and identifying what’s broken. That approach helped me come off gabapentin for neuropathy, which was life-changing.”

She acknowledged that traditional medicine can be skeptical of anything that sounds “alternative.” But for her, the combination of traditional and functional approaches has been key.

Giving Back to the Diabetes Community

Today, Maltby thrives not just through her personal diabetes management but by being deeply involved in the community.

“What helps me thrive is being part of the diabetes community and giving back,” she said. “I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and unsupported, and I want others to know they don’t have to go through that alone.”

Her practice as a functional health coach reflects that mission. She works with people who feel stuck, including people who are managing the numbers but not necessarily feeling better. 

For them, Maltby said functional medicine provides tools to look at the whole picture, from mental health to gut health to lifestyle factors that influence blood sugars and overall well-being.

Thriving with Diabetes

Decades after her diagnosis, Maltby continues to learn, adapt, and share her experiences. Whether it’s testing out new insulins in clinical trials, helping others explore functional medicine, or simply being part of the type 1 diabetes community, her journey reflects resilience and hope.

“I’m thriving today because I’ve found my own ways of managing diabetes and its complications,” Maltby said. “Functional medicine started as something I sought out for myself, but it became the way I can help others, too.”

For anyone who feels unheard or overlooked in traditional diabetes care, Maltby’s story offers an important reminder: you are more than your blood sugars and time-in-range. Your whole health matters.