It's been a long struggle but I think I have reversed T2 after 12 years

[PCS1949]

As a school teacher all my life, I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in 2005 at the age of 55. At 6'1" I was 14 stone which was slightly over weight but I have been that weight pretty consistently all my life. I followed the NHS dietary recommendations but my HBa1C got worse, and I was put on Metformin, 2 tabs a day. I continued with recommended diet but HBa1C continued to rise so I was increased to 4 Metformin a day which slowed the decline but but I remained on the slippery slope with a gradual deterioration over the the years. I'd suffered frozen shoulders, both sides at the same time, began to have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and in 2012 had two heart attacks, although I had never had high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Emergency angoplasty ensued and a stent stent was fitted. I've been living since then with considerably reduced capacity and various problems such as muscle pain and severe reflux. Not sure if this has been due the the heart damage or the medications I was put on. I was told I had the beginnings of retinopathy in 2013. Having been originally informed by my doctor (who has since retired) that this is the norm for Type 2 diabetics and that the disease will inevitably progress and lead to more and more complications, I was resigned to this until a couple of years ago when I read something about the how the science behind the dietary recommendations, by the British and American governments, for everybody and diabetics in particular had never been properly proven and blaming the food and drug companies for perpetuating the myths. I dismissed this at first as another conspiracy theory. But it sowed a seed and I started read a bit more and when Michael Mosley lent some respectability to the emerging theories, I did some more research and about a year ago I discovered DCUK and embarked on their low carb programme. Over 2016 I gradually decreased my carbohydrate intake and was encouraged when my HBa1C dropped to 53. In March with it having dropped to 48 and I fully accepted a LCHF life style which I have have had no difficulty in following and have stuck to from then on. In the summer I was told that there was no longer any sign of the retinopathy, then just before Christmas I had the blood and urine tests for my annual diabetic review which was carried out today by the practice nurse. I was thrilled to discover that my HBa1C was down to 43 (diabetes reversed effectively) and a healthy 12½ stone (perfect BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure and kidney function were also perfect). She was fascinated by what had caused the turn around. I explained about Diabetes.co.uk and she wrote it down, She was very receptive to the whole idea and said it made a lot of sense to her. I have the follow up telephone consultation with my doctor on Monday when I am hoping at least to ditch the Metformin. I expect losing the statins, lisinopril and the asprin will be a step too far but I am ever hopeful!

 

[Indy51]

Wow, your story is so inspiring. I think you are probably exactly the kind of candidate for completing Prof Noakes' survey to collect information about people using LCHF to reverse Type 2!

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/noakes-foundation-lchf-study.109797/

 

[Brunneria]

Well done!

You must be feeling so much better in so many ways

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

I was thrilled to discover that my HBa1C was down to 43 (diabetes reversed effectively)

Excellent results, well done and stopping the Metformin will be a good result. Statins will always be a contentious issue and my personal opinion is that nobody can say, not even your doctor whether you should or should not take it. If you're not getting any side effects and the three most recognised are muscle pain, poor sleep and brain fog, then no worries. As for what your cholesterol level should be, and we do need cholesterol, I'm not sure. The pharmaceutical companies seem to dictate that. In 1997 I was OK with 7, then it was 6, then 5, then 4 and now I'm told below 4 is good. Is it?

It is not my intention to be negative but when you say "diabetes reversed effectively", that can only be true if you can go back to eating the same amount of carbs as you did before embarking on the LCHF diet. I think it's an important distinction because although your HbA1c and other BG readings may all be in the "normal" ranges, that is a result of your LCHF diet, not because the condition has gone, it could low insulin production, insulin resistance or worse still, both.

Good luck with ditching the Metformin.

 

[JohnEGreen]

Well done it proves it's never too late.

 

[VinnyJames]

Firstly congratulations on your fantastic results that really is a step in the right direction in terms of reversing your diabetes.

You mention that your cholesterol is perfect yet you are currently on a statin.
Funnily enough I was offered a stain at My review last week as my cholesterol was 5.1 however because my triglycerides reading is so positive my relative risk is very low so I declined to take the statin but as somebody else alluded to the jury seems to be very much out on that particular debate.

I made a post a couple of days ago about my hba1c of 33 causing the GP to state I had non-diabetes.

Good luck with getting off the metformin. It's really not needed if you have the right diet - and you have.

 

[Tabbyjoolz]

@PCS1949 - absolutely brilliant and amazing! Your story is so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

 

[Inchindown]

Is there an official definition for the reversal of type 2 diabetes?

 

[AndBreathe]

As a school teacher all my life, I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in 2005 at the age of 55. At 6'1' I was 14 stone which was slightly over weight but I have been that weight pretty consistently all my life. I followed the NHS dietary recommendations but my HBa1C got worse, and I was put on Metformin, 2 tabs a day. I continued with recommended diet but HBa1C continued to rise so I was increased to 4 Metformin a day which slowed the decline but but I remained on the slippery slope with a gradual deterioration over the the years. I'd suffered frozen shoulders, both sides at the same time, began to have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and in 2012 had two heart attacks, although I had never had high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Emergency angoplasty ensued and a stent stent was fitted. I've been living since then with considerably reduced capacity and various problems such as muscle pain and severe reflux. Not sure if this has been due the the heart damage or the medications I was put on. I was told I had the beginnings of retinopathy in 2013. Having been originally informed by my doctor (who has since retired) that this is the norm for Type 2 diabetics and that the disease will inevitably progress and lead to more and more complications, I was resigned to this until a couple of years ago when I read something about the how the science behind the dietary recommendations, by the British and American governments, for everybody and diabetics in particular had never been properly proven and blaming the food and drug companies for perpetuating the myths. I dismissed this at first as another conspiracy theory. But it sowed a seed and I started read a bit more and when Michael Mosley lent some respectability to the emerging theories, I did some more research and about a year ago I discovered DCUK and embarked on their low carb programme. Over 2016 I gradually decreased my carbohydrate intake and was encouraged when my HBa1C dropped to 53. In March with it having dropped to 48 and I fully accepted a LCHF life style which I have have had no difficulty in following and have stuck to from then on. In the summer I was told that there was no longer any sign of the retinopathy, then just before Christmas I had the blood and urine tests for my annual diabetic review which was carried out today by the practice nurse. I was thrilled to discover that my HBa1C was down to 43 (diabetes reversed effectively) and a healthy 12½ stone (perfect BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure and kidney function were also perfect). She was fascinated by what had caused the turn around. I explained about Diabetes.co.uk and she wrote it down, She was very receptive to the whole idea and said it made a lot of sense to her. I have the follow up telephone consultation with my doctor on Monday when I am hoping at least to ditch the Metformin. I expect losing the statins, lisinopril and the asprin will be a step too far but I am ever hopeful!

Very, very well done on that turnaround, PCS1949. You should be delighted.

I'm just tagging @Administrator here, quite naturrally, as he loves to read the success stories.

 

[zand]

Wow! Well done!

 

[britishpub]

Brilliant, well done.

It's such a pity that we have to ignore the official "advice" and plow our own furrow, it takes courage and determination.

 

[Administrator]

Wow! Well done!

+1 to that - fantastic news!!!!

 

[Thyroiddiabetic]

Just been watching Dr Bernsteins vids on YouTube you can indeed reverse the damage.
Brilliantly informative my hba1c of 5.4 is not normal after all must try to get it to 4.6 I do eat sugar still through just not as much. Have also lost 30 kg which is vital for good control.

 

[PCS1949]

Thank you everybody all for your encouragement. "You have effectively reversed your diabetes" were the nurse's words not mine. I am under no illusions about what that means. Reversal is surely that you have, over a sustained period reversed the direction in which you were heading and consistently brought your readings into the acceptable target range after going the wrong way for so many years. I can never see myself going back to a high carb low fat diet so would hope this is permanent. But as I understand it there is no cure for diabetes and I have been told that once nerve damage has occurred it will not restore itself, so will watch Dr Benseins videos with interest. Unless its just that I have got used to my feet tingling, the numbness does not seem so severe as it was a year ago. I don't think I would have the courage to ditch the statins as I'm told that they are keeping me safe from further heart attacks whereas the Lisinopril I take works to repair heart muscle damage. I'd dearly like to lose the other drugs but I not at all sure that the acid reflux is caused by the aspirin but could more likely be due to neuropathy so I am likely to be stuck with Lansoprazole and Ranitadine as well. But I thank my blessings

 

[Bluetit1802]

I understand that the general consensus is 18 months to 2 years plus of non-diabetic levels without medication (diabetes meds that is) can be classed as remission. My nurse keeps asking me to come off the diabetic register as I have had HbA1cs under 46 since June 2014 and have never had any meds. I would be transferred to an At Risk register but would move from 6 monthly blood tests to 12 monthly ones and I am reluctant to do this (mainly for the cholesterol, liver, kidney, FBC aspects)

 

[Mbaker]

Well done @PCS1949, you deserve the results your work has put in. Don't let up. The jury is out on statins, many Doctors would not take them when asked; I declined them and LCHF enabled a drop from 5.6 to 3.99 with good HDL (some have to tweak LCHF to get improvements here). Interesting info @Bluetit1802 about the register and bi-yearly testing, I was told I have to pay for lancets and testing strips after dropping Metformin so understand your position.

 

[AtkinsMo]

Thank you everybody all for your encouragement. "You have effectively reversed your diabetes" were the nurse's words not mine. I am under no illusions about what that means. Reversal is surely that you have, over a sustained period reversed the direction in which you were heading and consistently brought your readings into the acceptable target range after going the wrong way for so many years. I can never see myself going back to a high carb low fat diet so would hope this is permanent. But as I understand it there is no cure for diabetes and I have been told that once nerve damage has occurred it will not restore itself, so will watch Dr Benseins videos with interest. Unless its just that I have got used to my feet tingling, the numbness does not seem so severe as it was a year ago. I don't think I would have the courage to ditch the statins as I'm told that they are keeping me safe from further heart attacks whereas the Lisinopril I take works to repair heart muscle damage. I'd dearly like to lose the other drugs but I not at all sure that the acid reflux is caused by the aspirin but could more likely be due to neuropathy so I am likely to be stuck with Lansoprazole and Ranitadine as well. But I thank my blessings

Absolutely brilliantly well done! Reversal of early T2 is becoming commonplace (for those who discover the solution and are prepared to modify diet / lifestyle) but after 12 years, wow! Just wow!

Now that you have learned that not all conspiracy theorists are wrong (there is something very wrong with our health systems around the world) I have some advice for you on the reading front.

First of all, Cholesterol. The best read, in the field is Malcolm Kendrick. His book, The Great Cholesterol Con, is a good read and will convince you entirely that in terms of Secondary prevention there is a small benefit, but it is small. The research always reports benefits in terms of relative risks, so if 2 people in 100 would have had a heart attack and this reduces to 1 person in 100 that is reported as a 50% reduction in risk. We, the patients, imagine that to be a huge reduction and worth the side effects. But if 100 people are treated and 20 report troublesome side effects, some of which are serious, 19 of those people are suffering side effects for no personal advantage. And the long term problems associated with statins are largely unknown, there seems to be some link with increased incidence of Alzheimer's and cancer. Going for a brisk walk, for 30 minutes a day, would be more beneficial to your heart health than any known drug. As for the Lansoprazole, my advice would be to try a few days without it and see what happens. The worst that could happen is you get your heartburn back (unpleasant but not life threatening). The best that could happen is that you have spontaneously cured your GERD by following a low carb diet. It does happen, but you don't notice because the medication is suppressing the symptoms anyway. Or, as you say, maybe it's the aspirin. Having been on Omeprazole for years, I was 'cured' in weeks. Thankfully I had read that LCHF reverses GERD and tried a few days without the Omeprazole - unbelievably the symptoms had completely disappeared, and never came back!

As, to all intents and purposes, you are no longer diabetic, your risk for other conditions, related to diabetes, will be reduced, your doctor may be supportive of you at least reducing your drugs. There have never been and there never will be any trials on cocktails of medications, nobody knows how any combination of drugs works in the human body. I am still on anti-coagulants, I will have to take them for ever, but I am happy to be free of the cocktail of medications I was once on and feel better for it.
And a final conspiracy theorist, Ben Goldacre, 'Bad Pharma' is a rather depressing read - but he totally convinced me that Pharmaceutical companies have no souls and the training and 'Continuous Professional Development' of our doctors (compulsory and almost 100% funded by drug companies) is a major contributor to the problem.

 

[CherryAA]

Congratulations, that is great news.

I also had tingling of the feet for a long time and that has gone away now.

The one thing I would be on the look out for , is to how you move to weight maintenance instead of weight loss. I effectively did a trial run of that over xmas. i,e I was no longer on a calorie deficient diet though I stuck with low carbs.
I am pretty certain, in terms of what I am seeing with my freestyle monitor that I can control blood sugars when dieting, I have a long way to go to understand how to when not dieting- over xmas my average daily blood sugar rose 6.8, 7.7, 7.9, 8.7 - that was manly a result of protein intake and a daily food intake at the maintenance not loss level. I will be dieting for some considerable time - so it not an urgent issue for me

 

[Thyroiddiabetic]

Thank you everybody all for your encouragement. "You have effectively reversed your diabetes" were the nurse's words not mine. I am under no illusions about what that means. Reversal is surely that you have, over a sustained period reversed the direction in which you were heading and consistently brought your readings into the acceptable target range after going the wrong way for so many years. I can never see myself going back to a high carb low fat diet so would hope this is permanent. But as I understand it there is no cure for diabetes and I have been told that once nerve damage has occurred it will not restore itself, so will watch Dr Benseins videos with interest. Unless its just that I have got used to my feet tingling, the numbness does not seem so severe as it was a year ago. I don't think I would have the courage to ditch the statins as I'm told that they are keeping me safe from further heart attacks whereas the Lisinopril I take works to repair heart muscle damage. I'd dearly like to lose the other drugs but I not at all sure that the acid reflux is caused by the aspirin but could more likely be due to neuropathy so I am likely to be stuck with Lansoprazole and Ranitadine as well. But I thank my blessings

Dr Bernsteins videos are great have learnt so much I didn't know before.
To recover beta cell function and restore nerve function your blood sugars have to be 100 % normal. Can't remember which video on you tube but he explains it in detail

 

[AtkinsMo]

I LOVE Richard Bernstein, he deserves a Nobel Prize. The rest of the 'Low Carb Doctors' are just following in his footsteps. Catch him while you can, in his 80s, he can't keep practicing for ever!

http://www.diabetes-book.com/