Here's my line of thinking..... if you have diabetes solely because of poor diet and being overweight (eg. you have no other precursors to the disease such as other medical conditions, genetics, etc) then you probably can get very good control and keep it that way. Although fasting BGL's is one thing, but what does the BGL's do post prandial? Do they spike at all? All these things would need to be factored in before you can truly say you're in remission if you want to call it that or reversal if you want to call it that. But my words would be you have "good control" for various reasons... eg. you're still eating a good diet, you're still exercising, you've maintained weight loss, etc..... whatever works for you.
There is no cure for diabetes though so I would think if you've been diagnosed then you are still at risk even if you do get good control. You're at risk of high BGLs if you get stressed out, you get sick, you gain weight, you develop insulin resistance, etc. There are so many variables. You're probably still at risk of complications as good control doesn't guarantee no complications ( I think of a family member of mine when I say that... she's dealing with leg ulcers because of diabetes but she has had excellent BGL's... just got a scratch and it got infected, etc).
So to me to say you're in remission or you've reversed diabetes is saying you are no longer at risk of high or low BGL's and you are no longer at risk of complications.
In my view, there are very, very few who become diabetic as a result of simple weight and diet, otherwise it's hard to explain those who don't. Surely, those who do trip over the line do so because they have "something" those that don't don't? (OK, I think I even lost me in that lot!).
However, the main reason I wanted to respond is your, again, in my personal view, your erroneous understanding of the medical definition of the word "Remission". I quote from various online dictionary, including the good old Oxford:, "
"..
..a temporary diminution of the severity of disease or pain.
"ten patients remained
in remission"
synonyms:
respite,
abeyance; "
Clearly each of us will apply our own nuance to these emotive words and some will be adopted more enthusiastically than others, but I think those who achieve serial, maintained non-diabetic HbA1cs can comfortably claim to be in remission.
It is my absolute belief that, at diagnosis, patients diagnosed with Diabetes should be given hope. I don't mean unrealistic hopes or promises of cures, but I do mean hope for a decent and fullfilled life where, if necessary, diabetes can be managed alongside the enjoyment of a rich (not necessarily fiscally) life. The messaging so often delivered to newly diagnosed T2 patients that diabetes is a progressive disease and insulin is inevitable. Frankly, on hearing that myself, my response was, "Not on my f'ing planet, thanks!!", and I set myself about finding a way to throttle it by the throat until it submitted.
Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to have their body recover as mine did and has, but to give no hope, before the newly diagnosed person has even decided where they want to be on the throttling scale, is downright criminal, and could be seen to be contributing to some of the very low mood feelings folks express when they arrive here.
Again, in my view, communication, at diagnosis, is critical to the outcomes for so many T2s. Being told not to ask any questions as he (the Doc) had a lot to get through, at my diagnostic appointment was frankly a disgrace. I still think it's no small miracle he survived. A long planned, long trip, three weeks post-diagnosis meant I was left to my own devices to work out my way forward. I thank my lucky starts for that.
Sorry for the soapbox monologue, but we really do need to be helping people find realistic hope and expectations.
so I am now doing the 800 calorie thing and my FBS is 5.2. So do I think my diabetes was reversed, NO . Do I think it can go in remission or indeed controlled YES.
