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If you get diabetes back (out of remission)

S

Spine Wars 2023

Well-Known Member
Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi,

The gp surgery have called me earlier than expected for next month to have a blood test.

My question is if you come out of remission as type 2 do you get listed as diagnosed with diabetes from this point or back from the time you were actually originally diagnosed? I had a district nurse imply her other half often dipped in and out of remission due to weight loss then gain but I didn’t enquire what happens if you need the medication back.

I got into remission earlier this year after a number of years taking metformin and then paying privately for the GLP1’s which aided weight loss to the point I’ve now done 3 months without any medication and put a stone and a half of the three lost and not much exercise done in lead up to Xmas so I’m quite interested or will have more of a mystery if the score remains as it had been.

Could they make you go on a soup and shakes diet rather than metformin?

I wasn’t given any info on remission and don’t have any diabetic friends as far as I know. I did want to go back on the GLP1’s after review but actually this Christmas I’ve seen pictures of people I know who lost great amounts of weight on injections this year who also seem to be in same position of putting weight back on and I watched a programme recently that a gp’s time is now taken up largely by these private chemists asking questions of them under duty of care so it seems a double edged sword people can’t get an appointment when sick because surveys are being filled in. I’m in an area where these injections aren’t given on nhs very easily and do I want to get into this position again.
 
My personal feeling is once diagnosed diabetic you stay a ‘diabetic’ whatever your HbA1c is. I was diagnosed 8 and a half years ago. Within 4 months of diagnosis with low carb diet and Metformin I got my HbA1c down to non diabetic levels where they have stayed ever since. I have stayed eating low carb and have always taken a small dose of medication, currently half maximum dose of Rybelsus. I have never considered myself in ‘remission’ or non diabetic just well controlled, but hey it’s all semantics I guess, the best thing for our health is to be consistent and stay as close as we can to non diabetic levels for most of the time, whether that be with diet alone or using medication as well.

Edit for typo
 
Last edited:
Rachox said:
My personal feeling is once diagnosed diabetic you stay a ‘diabetic’ whatever your HbA1c is. I was diagnosed 8 and a half years ago. Within 4 months of diagnosis with low carb diet and Metformin I got my HbA1c down to non diabetic levels where they have stayed ever since. I have stayed eating low carb and have always taken a small dose of medication, currently half maximum dose of Rybelsus. I have never considered myself in ‘remission’ or non diabetic just well controlled, but hey it’s all semantics I guess, the best thing for our health is to be consistent and stay as close as we can to non diabetic levels for most of the time, whether that be with diet alone or using medication as well.

Edit for typo
Click to expand...

Once a tadpole turns into a frog, it can never go back no matter what it does. However it can choose to be any kind diabetic frog it wants.
 
I agree with @Rachox . I have only had one HbA1C in the diabetic range. I have seen a few GPs in that time for a few reasons(my first GP was very very anti keto and although all my blood tests were better I always left in tears). I have been officially diagnosed as in remission. However, this year has been very challenging for a number of reasons and I have been low carb but not always keto so I expect that my HbA1C will have increased. Probably not to the diabetic range but more. I am now back on very strict keto. I personally do not like keto, however, it is sustainable and will hopefully keep me in remission for another decade or two should I live that long.
 
Spine Wars 2023 said:
Hi,

The gp surgery have called me earlier than expected for next month to have a blood test.

My question is if you come out of remission as type 2 do you get listed as diagnosed with diabetes from this point or back from the time you were actually originally diagnosed? I had a district nurse imply her other half often dipped in and out of remission due to weight loss then gain but I didn’t enquire what happens if you need the medication back.

I got into remission earlier this year after a number of years taking metformin and then paying privately for the GLP1’s which aided weight loss to the point I’ve now done 3 months without any medication and put a stone and a half of the three lost and not much exercise done in lead up to Xmas so I’m quite interested or will have more of a mystery if the score remains as it had been.

Could they make you go on a soup and shakes diet rather than metformin?

I wasn’t given any info on remission and don’t have any diabetic friends as far as I know. I did want to go back on the GLP1’s after review but actually this Christmas I’ve seen pictures of people I know who lost great amounts of weight on injections this year who also seem to be in same position of putting weight back on and I watched a programme recently that a gp’s time is now taken up largely by these private chemists asking questions of them under duty of care so it seems a double edged sword people can’t get an appointment when sick because surveys are being filled in. I’m in an area where these injections aren’t given on nhs very easily and do I want to get into this position again.
Click to expand...
Hi. Most definitions of "remission" - there are many more than one - usually state things like no medication, a time period, and a HbA1c score. My practice used (may still use) a definition of one calendar year with no HbA1c readings above 41 and no glucose-lowering medication in that time. Some of the laxer remission definitions now simply say "two readings under 48 mmol/mol three months apart".

However the problem doesn't go away - you're officially never not diabetic, so although the highest HbA1c I've had since January 2020 is 40, and have "been in remission" since April 2021, I am still diagnosed and defined and on a list as "Type 2 diabetic". Partly this is because of the belief in parts of the medical profession that t2 diabetes (or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, to use the terminology from 20 years ago) is inevitably progressive and while there might be pauses along the way overall we're all headed down the same slippery slope. I strongly disagree with this.

I do think there are symptoms/things that happen that are not due to high blood glucose, but may be some sort of endocrine problem - I still have "diabetic" symptoms including eg xerostomia, night sweats that are clearly not caused by high glucose, but no-one seems to be at all interested: probably because there's no money to be made from medication patents.

My advice would be to forget about definitions of "remission" for now and concentrate on the things that will most improve your health and well-being.
 
I was diagnosed in 2006 as diabetic. Exercise and diet put into remission then 2025 hba1c 129 so it came back, (now Hba1c of 45)
My DN said you always have been diabetic, it just lurks in the background
 
Even though I’m managing to keep my blood sugars in the normal range I will always be diabetic. It matters not whether one stays in the normal range for 1 year or 10 years . The very thing that caused the diabetes in the first place is still there. My personal view is if you can retain normal blood sugars without medication, eating a diet of any combination of fats , proteins and carbohydrates , just like any non diabetic can, without your HbA1c results going out of range then maybe one can say I’m no longer a diabetic.
 
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