Lance Bass and his journey with diabetes

Lance Bass said he was surprised when he was told he has diabetes.

Lance Bass talks about his journey with diabetes and his use of continuous glucose monitors during the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas.

In fact, he said his doctors were surprised as well.

But a few months ago, Bass said he received another surprise. The singer and actor, who gained worldwide fame with NSYNC, said he learned he didn’t have type 2 diabetes.

Instead, he discovered he had latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, which is sometimes referred to as type 1.5 diabetes. He first shared the news of the “plot twist” in a post on Instagram.

About 2%-12% of patients with adult-onset diabetes have latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Bass talked about his journey with diabetes during an appearance at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas last week. Bass spoke during a panel discussion on continuous glucose monitors with Jake Leach, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Dexcom. Bass uses the glucose monitor from Dexcom and is a paid partner of the company.

Describing his medical journey with a few dashes of humor, Bass said he was surprised to learn that he went from being “pre-diabetic” to “heavily diabetic.”

He talks about his reliance on a continuous glucose monitor from Dexcom to track his glucose and get a sense of what he can eat and what he can’t.

“It has made life so much easier for me,” Bass said during the panel discussion. “I’m a very forgetful person. I forgot my insulin on the way here today.”

“You download the app, you’re able to see just constantly what your levels are,” he said.

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At times, Bass said he wouldn’t understand why he was tired or very thirsty. But he said using the continuous glucose monitor gives him a snapshot of his body.

“I’d wake up some mornings and my legs don’t work,” Bass said, adding, “Now I know why.”

Bass said he wishes that he would have had a continuous glucose monitor earlier, and thinks the devices are highly beneficial for patients in helping them live better.

“I think this is such a game changer,” Bass said.

“It gives you peace of mind of knowing what your body is doing now,” Bass said. “It takes a lot of the guess work out of everything.”

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Bass said his diagnosis has changed his life, but in some positive respects, as he explained. He’s extremely conscious of his diet, and using the monitor lets him know when he can give himself a little treat and when he can’t. He’s also very focused on fitness and exercise.

The father of twins, a son and daughter who just celebrated their third birthdays, Bass said he doesn’t hide his diabetes from the children. He said the kids see him exercising, giving himself insulin, and putting on his continuous glucose monitor.

“I see the silver lining in my diagnosis,” Bass said. “I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been because of it.”

He also said he likes showing his continuous glucose monitor to kids with diabetes, as he sees value in normalizing the use of the devices.

Toward the end of the conversation, Bass was asked perhaps the most pressing question to many of his fans: the possibility of an NSYNC reunion tour.

With his diabetes, Bass said he’d have to be conscious of his health and the demands of performing on stage for hours. Due to changes in his diet, his customary pre-show meal of a peanut butter and banana sandwich is no longer an option, he said.

But he did offer his fans a glimmer of hope.

“In a perfect world, we might be doing something,” he said. “Stay tuned.”

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