In 2015 I had dailies of 33+ and my HbA1c was 99, so GP made a referral to a specialist for insulin training. I pleaded for one last chance to correct my ways, and we agreed that I could SMGBG for a month to see if I could reduce to something sensible. I managed to get back down to 15 peaking at 24 so that was enough to cancel the insulin and continue SMBG to see where I could get it, My GP said I would struggle to get my HbA1x below 70, but I managed 53 2 months later.
Then I discovered LCHF, which I started Dec 2015 along with a supplement cslled Bitter Melon. Suddenly I was getting hypo's and so I cut my Gliclazide dose in half. I have just posted my results since that Xmas on the success stories thread, and remember that the XMAS 2015 was when I followed tradition rather than best practice, and let it all hang out, so I spiked quite badly then. But it came down very quickly when I restarted my diet. My last HbA1c came in at 42, and my GP wants me to get it higher, so I have just further reduced my Gliclazide dose to 1 tab a day. I am currently running with a daily average around 7.5 but its reducing as I stop dumping liver stored excess glucose.
Edit to add: my GP did not consider a bgl of 33+ as needing hospital treatment, and I felt ok and healthy at that level. Even when his meter went HI and blew the whistles at us.