No more insulin?

[Vonnelene]

I only just saw the story of Daniel Darkes. I am a 52 year old male and like Daniel, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in February 2011!
2 and a half years ago, I started seeing a personal trainer and when I'm not training with him, I go to the gym doing cardio and or weight training. I have done 2 Tough Mudders, one in September 2015 in the UK and another one in LA in March this year. Obviously I had to train even harder for this.
I have completely stopped my Lantus in January this year, as the more I trained, the lower my blood sugar.
Over the last 3 weeks, I have doubled the number of workouts/ classes I do in the gym.
I saw my consultant again last Tuesday and we are now waiting for my c-peptide test results.
I have not been injecting ANY insulin, since last Tuesday and I am eating whatever I feel like! My morning blood sugars have been between 4.3 and 6.5.
I feel great and full of energy!
Maybe I have the same gene as Daniel Darkes?!

 

[azure]

Hi @Vonnelene

What are your blood sugars like 2 hours after your meals?

 

[Vonnelene]

Hi @Vonnelene

What are your blood sugars like 2 hours after your meals?

Hi @azure

Around 6.0!
On Sunday, I went all out and went to pizza hut. I've been avoiding pizza for a long time, as I used to inject 4 units of novorapid per slice of pizza. I had potato salad, 2 slices of garlic bread, a whole pizza (8 slices!), a waffle with ice cream and a glass of red wine. About 2 hours after the meal, my BS was 10.2. I purposely ignored this, had a bowel of fresh fruit salad and went to bed. Monday morning my BS was 5.7! No insulin. I am training/ exercising as if there's no tomorrow, though!

 

[Deleted Account]

Very interesting. However, I am not clear what your conclusion is. Is it that you were not type 1? Is that exercise can reverse diabetes? Is it ...?
You are clearly very fit? How many hours a week do you spend exercising? Would you say this is achievable for most people?

<Sorry for all the questions.>

 

[azure]

Interesting @Vonnelene Im glad your consultant is doing further tests to investigate. Perhaps it's a very slow-onset Type 1. Some people here were able to control their diabetes without insulin for a while.

Or perhaps you were misdiagnosed and are Type 2? It will be fascinating to find out

 

[Vonnelene]

Interesting @Vonnelene Im glad your consultant is doing further tests to investigate. Perhaps it's a very slow-onset Type 1. Some people here were able to control their diabetes without insulin for a while.

Or perhaps you were misdiagnosed and are Type 2? It will be fascinating to find out

The consultant initially thought I was misdiagnosed, but looked back at when I was diagnosed (February 2011) and said all the signs and symptoms were that of Type 1.
My BS was over 45 when I was rushed into hospital and I had ketones in my urine. I also only had the symptoms for about 10 days before I went into hospital: Sudden weight loss, dry mouth, very thirsty, loss of vision, tiredness, etc. Very interesting indeed.....

 

[Vonnelene]

I have been using insulin for 6 years now. It is only when I took my training to the next level, that I noticed I needed less and less insulin!

 

[ontario_ogirl]

Look forward to hearing more....

 

[Peerless67]

The consultant initially thought I was misdiagnosed, but looked back at when I was diagnosed (February 2011) and said all the signs and symptoms were that of Type 1.
My BS was over 45 when I was rushed into hospital and I had ketones in my urine. I also only had the symptoms for about 10 days before I went into hospital: Sudden weight loss, dry mouth, very thirsty, loss of vision, tiredness, etc. Very interesting indeed.....

Great result Vonnelene
These are identical symptoms to those I had when my daughter took me to the hospital. My blood was measured at 960 which I think is around 56. Weight loss, Thirst, vision, up all night needing to pee.
Its a long boring story but I was put on T2 meds in an attempt to get my BS under control. The long and short of it is that it has remained uncontrolled.Last 3 long range tests 180, 120, 102 In the past few months my DN has been talking about injecting. I am not keen so started a version of the Newcastle diet and on the 1st of August stopped taking all my medication (9 tablets a day)
As you know there are more T2 diabetics injecting than T1s

What was your weight like when diagnosed compared to now ?

 

[jamesfitz]

I would stick with the insulin.

Could still be in the honeymoon period. It will make control much easier in the long run.

 

[catapillar]

So you've not been confirmed antibody positive with GAD testing?

Realistically, results up in double figures post pradially does suggest ceasing insulin may be hasty. Do keep a close eye on post prandial levels.

 

[Dodo]

As you know there are more T2 diabetics injecting than T1s

Could this be because there are about 10 times as many T2s as there are T1s. As I'm sure you know all T1s have to inject.

 

[Peerless67]

Could this be because there are about 10 times as many T2s as there are T1s. As I'm sure you know all T1s have to inject.

Absolutely, my point being you do not have to be a type 1 to be prescribed insulin injections. I had exactly those symptoms given above but have never received a diagnosis of T1. And I wonder if the OP might have been T2 and has reversed it by weight loss, as in the Newcastle diet, replacing the diet with lots of exercise.

 

[CathP]

Fascinating Vonnelene, whatever the cause of the improvement, be it t1 or t2, enjoy the freedom of no injections for as long as it lasts. Hopefully a very long time!

 

[Vonnelene]

Very interesting. However, I am not clear what your conclusion is. Is it that you were not type 1? Is that exercise can reverse diabetes? Is it ...?
You are clearly very fit? How many hours a week do you spend exercising? Would you say this is achievable for most people?

<Sorry for all the questions.>

Hi @helensaramay
To be honest, I don't know.
All I know is that I needed insulin for more than 6 years and the harder I exercised the less insulin I needed, until I stopped it completely, on the 1st of August. I have never been over weight and all the signs when I was first diagnosed point to Type 1.
At the moment I train/ exercise between 7 and 8 hours per week, which is probably not achievable for most people, but then again, I have only been doing that for the last 3 years, starting with 1 hour per week and gradually doing more and more.
I do think it would be good if more research could be done, as Type 1 diabetes is supposed to be permanent.
Google Daniel Darkes. It's only after reading this that I've decided to share my story......

 

[Vonnelene]

Absolutely, my point being you do not have to be a type 1 to be prescribed insulin injections. I had exactly those symptoms given above but have never received a diagnosis of T1. And I wonder if the OP might have been T2 and has reversed it by weight loss, as in the Newcastle diet, replacing the diet with lots of exercise.

I have never been over weight, though!
I weigh 82kg and probably weighed about 83kg when I was diagnosed.

 

[Vonnelene]

I would stick with the insulin.

Could still be in the honeymoon period. It will make control much easier in the long run.

After 6 years?

 

[Vonnelene]

Great result Vonnelene
These are identical symptoms to those I had when my daughter took me to the hospital. My blood was measured at 960 which I think is around 56. Weight loss, Thirst, vision, up all night needing to pee.
Its a long boring story but I was put on T2 meds in an attempt to get my BS under control. The long and short of it is that it has remained uncontrolled.Last 3 long range tests 180, 120, 102 In the past few months my DN has been talking about injecting. I am not keen so started a version of the Newcastle diet and on the 1st of August stopped taking all my medication (9 tablets a day)
As you know there are more T2 diabetics injecting than T1s

What was your weight like when diagnosed compared to now ?

More or less the same. I weigh 82kg now and probably weighed 83kg when I was diagnosed

 

[Vonnelene]

So you've not been confirmed antibody positive with GAD testing?

Realistically, results up in double figures post pradially does suggest ceasing insulin may be hasty. Do keep a close eye on post prandial levels.

Not sure what tests they did at the time of diagnoses

 

[jamesfitz]

After 6 years?

I was diagnosed 25 months ago and my insulin requirements havent changed. Consultant said he knows of a case of a honeymoon pasting 8 years.