Are any of us "diabetic" or "not diabetic" in the same way that we may be male or female or tall or short or something else (generally considered) unalterable? Is it not simply a matter of being in a diabetic state or not, similar to being fat or thin? Something alterable, but which individuals may have a pre-disposition towards, or not. Clearly if one has been "in a diabetic state", or has been fat, there is a high risk of going there again and careful monitoring and lifestyle choices are to be strongly advised.
James was very clearly "in a diabetic state" last summer, with an HbA1c of 75. Immediate low carbing, increased exercise and the resultant weight loss led to subsequent HbA1c's of 38, 35 and a week or two ago, 34. His consultant said, "I do not consider you to be diabetic". He backed this up with a heart attack risk calculation, which came up with a less than 10% risk, a substantial drop from the answer a few months back. Please don't imagine that we celebrated with a plate of jam donuts! James clearly has a strong disposition towards diabetes (and obesity), which will be with him for life, so the low carb diet, which we both follow, stays. It's also wonderful to be married to someone who is slim!
It is, of course, all words, as even people in a non-diabetic state walk under buses, have heart attacks and become ill for a variety of reasons. The actual words probably only matter for insurance purposes, or for certain employment situations. So, be glad if you can achieve a non-diabetic state, but remember, where any of us have been before, we can so easily go again.
Sally.
ps. the remarks above are about T2.
