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Type 2 GP said you loose beta cells 5-10% every year once diagnosed

N

nsh2111

Well-Known Member
Messages
321
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I went to my GP today to review the BS readings for last one month( since I started capturing)

He was impressed and said I am keeping good control. Not sure why as my graph was between 5- 7.5 range with some highs owing to bad food choices.

I asked him If can continue with diet etc for lifelong and he said its impossible, You loose 5-10% of beta cells every year and you will need to get medication/insulin at some point. He also said that you may still have 50-60% BETA cells as we caught you at very early stage .

Not to doubt my Dr but is it really true that you loose this much every year despite good control/low carb diet? AT the rate he mentioned, I will have no choice but to use insulin in 5- 10 years from now :(
 
I don't know about the 5-10 year bit. My 87 yo Mum is not on insulin after being a T2 for at least 40 years. Thanks for the genes by the way Mum.
 
I suspect that @nsh2111 's GP needs to do a bit of reading around the subject, especially the more up to date thinking. If what he says is correct, all T2's would be on insulin within 10 years, having lost at least half, if not all, their beta cells, and it just doesn't happen like that. You just need to listen to all the success stories, low carb and no meds for year after year.
I would steer well clear of your GP,
Sally
 
nsh2111 said:
I went to my GP today to review the BS readings for last one month( since I started capturing)

He was impressed and said I am keeping good control. Not sure why as my graph was between 5- 7.5 range with some highs owing to bad food choices.

I asked him If can continue with diet etc for lifelong and he said its impossible, You loose 5-10% of beta cells every year and you will need to get medication/insulin at some point. He also said that you may still have 50-60% BETA cells as we caught you at very early stage .

Not to doubt my Dr but is it really true that you loose this much every year despite good control/low carb diet? AT the rate he mentioned, I will have no choice but to use insulin in 5- 10 years from now :(
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Maybe you should; or, try to verify what he says from a different source. Soon after diagnosis, I met a man would had just been on pills for twenty years before going on insulin, so the doctor's timescale is a bit suspect.
 
Blimey, he is a cheerful soul, isn't he? I don't know how he can make that claim as there are people out there with good control and have been ok for years. Everybody is different surely.
 
derry60 said:
Blimey, he is a cheerful soul, isn't he? I don't know how he can make that claim as there are people out there with good control and have been ok for years. Everybody is different surely.
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Yes he doesn't come across too cheerful. I now recall even when I first was dignosed and I had no idea what it means, I asked him what do I do to fix this. ( 2 years before). He said you cant do anything and at some point you will have complications

Trouble is he is the best of the lot having experienced other doctors at the surgery. I am thankful to this forum for information.
 
nsh2111 said:
Yes he doesn't come across too cheerful. I now recall even when I first was dignosed and I had no idea what it means, I asked him what do I do to fix this. ( 2 years before). He said you cant do anything and at some point you will have complications

Trouble is he is the best of the lot having experienced other doctors at the surgery. I am thankful to this forum for information.
Click to expand...
That comment about the complications, if it was not so serious I would have to laugh...He reminds me of the sort of person who is a miserable negative soul, who see's no brightness for anybody who has Diabetes. My husband mother had heart problems from the age of 50, she also had Type 2 diabetes. She lived until she was 87, She also managed to control her diabetes for years and did until the day that she died. I wonder what your doctor would say about that?. Perhaps suggest to him that he should tell his patients to go on a LCHF diet so that his Patients don't suffer the complications that his Crystal ball suggests ; )
 
nsh2111 said:
Yes he doesn't come across too cheerful. I now recall even when I first was dignosed and I had no idea what it means, I asked him what do I do to fix this. ( 2 years before). He said you cant do anything and at some point you will have complications

Trouble is he is the best of the lot having experienced other doctors at the surgery. I am thankful to this forum for information.
Click to expand...
Interesting bedside manner he has.
 
nsh2111 said:
I went to my GP today to review the BS readings for last one month( since I started capturing)

He was impressed and said I am keeping good control. Not sure why as my graph was between 5- 7.5 range with some highs owing to bad food choices.

I asked him If can continue with diet etc for lifelong and he said its impossible, You loose 5-10% of beta cells every year and you will need to get medication/insulin at some point. He also said that you may still have 50-60% BETA cells as we caught you at very early stage .

Not to doubt my Dr but is it really true that you loose this much every year despite good control/low carb diet? AT the rate he mentioned, I will have no choice but to use insulin in 5- 10 years from now :(
Click to expand...
Next time you go back as him for some references to the scientific papers that show this.
 
nsh2111 said:
I went to my GP today to review the BS readings for last one month( since I started capturing)

He was impressed and said I am keeping good control. Not sure why as my graph was between 5- 7.5 range with some highs owing to bad food choices.

I asked him If can continue with diet etc for lifelong and he said its impossible, You loose 5-10% of beta cells every year and you will need to get medication/insulin at some point. He also said that you may still have 50-60% BETA cells as we caught you at very early stage .

Not to doubt my Dr but is it really true that you loose this much every year despite good control/low carb diet? AT the rate he mentioned, I will have no choice but to use insulin in 5- 10 years from now :(
Click to expand...

Hello, thanks for sharing this knowledge. If I had been informed this, with no disrespect to the doctor and/or person, but without doubt, I would be seeking a 2nd opinion about that, as I do not think it is so black and white?

Hope this assists.
 
bulkbiker said:
Next time you go back as him for some references to the scientific papers that show this.
Click to expand...
Yes I plan to ask him. I mentioned LCHF and he was indifferent to it.

Only positive is that I asked him to do insulin antibodies test ( after some feedback on this forum that I could be Type 1.5/LADA ). He said you are Type 2 but for your sake I will get the test done.

I will report back after that test as to what comes out.
 
Doctors and DNs are trained to beleive that T2 is a chronic, progressive disease. Unless they have an especial interest in Diabetes and keep up with the latest research they tend to carry on thinking in this way.
 
The thing that worries me most about doctors like the OP's, is not so much the outdated, misleading and wrong advice they are giving about T2 diabetes (it doesn't take much googling to work T2 out for yourself and then ignore them), but the feeling that any other advice or instructions a doctor might give me on any aspect of health may be equally wrong. Nowadays any medic has to earn my respect.
Sally
 
Guzzler said:
Doctors and DNs are trained to beleive that T2 is a chronic, progressive disease. Unless they have an especial interest in Diabetes and keep up with the latest research they tend to carry on thinking in this way.
Click to expand...
And for many it is progressive . If I didn’t change i would be much sicker.
We on this forum are very fortunate to be able to have everyone here as a invaluable resource.
We may not always agree but at least it gives us place to start researching.
 
Hotpepper20000 said:
And for many it is progressive . If I didn’t change i would be much sicker.
We on this forum are very fortunate to be able to have everyone here as a invaluable resource.
We may not always agree but at least it gives us place to start researching.
Click to expand...
I've found it invaluable.
 
Hotpepper20000 said:
And for many it is progressive . If I didn’t change i would be much sicker.
We on this forum are very fortunate to be able to have everyone here as a invaluable resource.
We may not always agree but at least it gives us place to start researching.
Click to expand...

Educate the educator.
 
I believe it's widely accepted that GP's tend to loose 10 - 20% of their brain cells a year once newly qualified so I guess that makes them worse of than us.
 
sally and james said:
The thing that worries me most about doctors like the OP's, is not so much the outdated, misleading and wrong advice they are giving about T2 diabetes (it doesn't take much googling to work T2 out for yourself and then ignore them), but the feeling that any other advice or instructions a doctor might give me on any aspect of health may be equally wrong. Nowadays any medic has to earn my respect.
Sally
Click to expand...
And let me take a rough guess that very few do?
 
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