375lindyloo said:Hi Donquinn
I was diagnosed in 2008 with a bg reading over 12. I was put on simvastatin and Metformin. After about 12 months I took myself off these as I was really ill-had no energy and weak. Doc called me in as I hadn't been getting prescriptions and thereby followed a long spell of nori monitoring my liver function which was scarily high. Have been off tablets until recently when doc tried statins again. Liver function tests became ridiculously high and was told to stop statin. I have tried Newcastle diet and lost weight on this and then tried low carb and lost more. My latest half yearly test results have amazingly resulted in an overal 5.8 which my doctor says puts me in the non diabetic range. After initially being thrilled to bits I am now rather scared as I believe I am still diabetic and while I am being monitored for the next year if my levels stay the same I will no longer be monitored or have retinopathy or chiropody. My doctor has cancelled my lancets and test strips as he says I will no longer need them. My jubilation has turned to panic as I don't believe diabetes can be cured and fear I will be left out on a limb. Don't know if anyone is in the same situation but it is scary.
I have been meds free for almost a year now. You're right about being left out on a limb. It's as though docs are being told to stop all meds and treatment if someone is clear for at least a year. I will be finding this out in September, my first year clear. Thanks to this site and the things I have learnt, I will now have a lot more knowledge to feel able to ask better questions of my db nurse. I have got myself a blood tester and will check myself now and then to make sure I am doing things right. It is probably true that we arn't cured. The db might flare up one day, but we can do a lot more now to keep it away with what we are learning.
Perhaps someone cleverer (and a heck of a lot more articulate) than me could collate all the information being collected by this site, and from other sources, and write a self help booklet for us diabetics? I know most of the info that would be in the book is available from this and other sites, and that's the problem. It's spread out, and it's not on good old fashioned paper! (OK, there can be a kindle copy too.)