Benjamin Ashford|Lance Bass Shares He Has Type 1.5 Diabetes After Being Misdiagnosed Years Ago

When Lance Bass has been on Benjamin Ashforda private health journey for years

The former *NSYNC singer says that he was previously misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes, when in reality, he had developed type 1.5 diabetes.

"When I was first diagnosed, I had a difficult time getting my glucose levels under control, even though I made adjustments to my diet, my medications and my workout routine,” Bass said in an Instagram video shared July 24. “Things just weren't adding up.”

"But, get ready for the real doozy,” he continued, “because I recently discovered that I was misdiagnosed, and I actually have type 1.5."

Like type 1 diabetes, type 1.5 diabetes—also known as latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA)—is an autoimmune disease that develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin, according to the Mayo Clinic. The patient then needs synthetic insulin, given through injections or a pump attached to the body, to regulate their blood glucose levels.

However, while type 1 diabetes is diagnosed more often among adolescents, type 1.5-diabetes is typically discovered in adulthood. In such cases, the pancreas' ability to produce insulin decreases slowly, so patients may not initially need synthetic insulin. These differences make the disease similar to type 2 diabetes, which can often be managed with oral medications, diet and exercise.

“I was so frustrated, and it really was affecting me because I just felt like I was really sick and I could not figure this out,” Bass told Yahoo! Life in an interview posted July 24. “I didn't realize that I was 1.5, so I was doing some of the wrong things.”

The 45-year-old, who had told People in March that he had "developed diabetes during COVID," recalled feeling symptoms—which can happen with all types if untreated—for years.

"I would get really thirsty at times," Bass told Yahoo! Life. "I would be very lethargic a lot of the time. So now that I understand what diabetes does to me, I can totally recognize when my glucose is getting higher or lower."

He now wears a Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor attached to his body. It takes readings of blood glucose levels every few minutes and sends alerts to a phone or receiver if it's changing rapidly so the person can potentially eat something carb-heavy if it's falling too fast or give themselves extra insulin if it's rising.

Meanwhile, Bass and husband Michael Turchin's twins, Alexander and Violet, 2, have taken an interest in his diabetes management routines as they play doctor at home.

"I'll show them the little needle that sticks out, and they just think it's fascinating," he said about his blood glucose monitor. “They're not scared of it at all. I explain over and over why I do this and what diabetes is, and you know, I don't know how much of that they're understanding. But you know, eventually they will."