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Type 2 An early update. I think it's good but not sure how good!

  • Thread starter Thread starter koukla
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koukla said:
Hi. I thought it might be the case that I mustn't be complacent. My BMI is now 25.7 and my glucose levels seem to have been a lot lower just this last week. This morning fasting 5.5 and no other results above 6.5. I test as advised by a senior consultant endocrinologist who's looking after me for my thyroid so I test every day fasting then before lunch one day, before dinner the next day and before bed the next.

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It looks like your endocrinologist is only interested in whether your levels are returning to normal several hours after a meal ie. fasting, before meals, bedtime. That's fine, but to get the most out of testing you need also to test your meals to see how high your levels are going after eating. Try testing before, 1hour after and 2 hours after to see what is happening there. For me personally, all my fasting, befores and bedtimes are normal non-diabetic readings. This evening my before evening meal was 4.4. However, many of my post meal readings are not as good and are definitely diabetic levels. It is these I am working on.
 
Bluetit1802 I understand what you mean. What should I expect 1 hour and 2 hours after a meal? I also find it strange that my fasting results first thing in the morning are most often the highest. I suppose this is the dawn phenomenon which my GP denies even happens!

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The NHS guideline targets are:
Non diabetics before meals 4 to 5.9. 2hours after under 7.8
Type 2's before meals 4 to 7. 2hrs after under 8.5

Most people believe the NHS 2 hour target is too generous. Most people on here aim for the 7.8 magic number. Many are under this. Non diabetics tend to reach their peak at about 1 hour then drop back by 2 hours, although the timings depend on the food combinations eaten. A high fat meal will take longer to return to base. A heavy protein meal may take even longer.

Your GP needs to surf the internet about dawn phenomenon! It happens!
 
I've also just checked my diary and it appears my best results were during May and not this month. I am definitely still diabetic! I won't give up though, not when I've come this far. I'm thinking 39 sounds good as an average but not if you're still having spikes, especially if they're for no apparent reason.

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Hi Koukla
Great improvement, well done.

As far as considering if you are now diabetic or not based on your HbA1C, personally I prefer to think of it as a well controlled diabetic rather than a cured or former diabetic/
 
Koulka,
It sounds to me like you have done really really well. HbA1c well into non-diabetic territory, which doesn't mean you are no longer diabetic, but a very well controlled one. And I am very jealous of your cholesterol levels!
If I were you I would start thinking about what sort of diet you are going to adopt long term to maintain your fantastic weight loss, as I don't think 700 calls a day can be that good for you over a long period.
keep up the good work!
Sue
 
Thank you Scimana. Hard work but worth it.

As for your second paragraph and bearing in mind all the help I've received this evening, I'm sure you're correct.

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Koukla

your figures are amazing, hope I can get there soon.

To answer your question, there is no room for complacency in this game. If your body got you to type 2 in the first place it can do so again.

What I do believe however is that once you get to a good place you can take your foot of the gas.

But once again, well done you.

jim
 
Thank you Sue. My cholesterol was 8.9 I think it's a genes thing. I'm now on Atorvastatin 40mg and they don't cause me any problems at all. I've thought about the diet aspect and I find it so easy and I'm really not hungry do it's going to be a case of deciding and testing different foods out when I've got to my target. There's a limit to what you can eat which is very low in carbs. Goodness knows what I'll eat but I will have to tackle it at some point.

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koukla said:
Hi. I thought it might be the case that I mustn't be complacent. My BMI is now 25.7 and my glucose levels seem to have been a lot lower just this last week. This morning fasting 5.5 and no other results above 6.5. I test as advised by a senior consultant endocrinologist who's looking after me for my thyroid so I test every day fasting then before lunch one day, before dinner the next day and before bed the next.

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Sorry, I meant to add the following URL, but I was called away and hit send prematurely: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm

But, to also add, a 700 calorie a day diet really isn't a lifetime choice. In fact, you are barely above the Newcastle Diet calorie level, which is supposed to mimic gastric band type surgery. Depending on the rate of your weight loss, it's becoming time to plan how you will work towards stabilising your weight for the very long time. It took me quite some time to achieve a steady state, by slowly increasing the calories consumed. For a while the weight loss just kept going, more slowly. But, for me, the prospect of going into yo-yo mode was very unpalatable. Just for context, I initially increased my protein a little, then added some slated nuts at lunchtime. By some nuts, I mean a shot glass size portion, so not many really.

Do a glucose tolerance test? I can tell you, that's absolutely not for me. I sort of fancy knowing what the result would be, but the prep and the actual test I can live without, thanks. To me, it matters not whether I am categorised as diabetic or not. For those things where it really matters, like life cover, the condition would still have to be declared, and a third party's assessment applied to it. As the view on cure/remission/suspension are not yet formally crystallised, there is likely to be a continuing conflicting view on labelling it anyway.

I now consider I have wrangled my diabetes into a place where I feel I have the balance of power - for now. Today, I control it, more than it controls me. At seven months from diagnosis, it would be bonkers to declare me cured, whoever was making the statement. For me, any strength of statement would have to be backed up by sustained results.

Please don't let this message deflate you. It's certainly not meant to do that. I'm just emptying my mind to someone in a similarly positive place to myself.
 
jack412 said:
drink a litre of real coke
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Jack - where did you get that from? A litre of coke is over 100gr carb, all of which is sugar. The OGTT requires 75gr, and I believe that's usually a shop bought bottle of Lucozade. The UK info is here: http://www.diabetes-info.co.uk/diagnosis-of-diabetes/oral-glucose-tolerance-test.html

Aside from anything else, I doubt I could physically drink a litre of sugar laden coke promptly.

I know a number of people on here have done home OGTTs, and I have considered it myself, but I ask myself, what material difference it would make to how I live my life, whether I passed or failed. I see no point.
 
you are taking me too literal, it would have been ok if I said drink 750ml of real coke? either way I don't think the dr would approve it for an gtt
but 50-100g is a measure for a gtt
https://www.google.com.au/#q=gtt 100g

the OP is asking if it's possible to 'cure' the diabetes, the gtt is a measure of how the body deals with BG
 
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AndBreathe thank you for all of that, plus the link, which was very interesting. As regards diet, I'm going to carry on as I have been doing for now. The Consultant told me to take a supplement whilst I'm doing it and I honestly feel better than I have in years. I eat nuts as part of my diet now. If I feel a bit peckish I'll have 4 almonds and then I'm good to go.

It matters to me too not to be labelled diabetic and maybe we won't be one day though it's very difficult to have something removed from your medical records. This is frustrating.

So, on I plod and hopefully give my pancreas and liver the rest the Consultant said they need and with luck, return to normal function. I found it all very frightening and still do. As I said earlier I had no idea my results were good so I didn't appreciate being told that someone suspected that I was already aware that they were good. That was very unhelpful when I was drowning in a sea of diabetic confusion because I'm only 3 months into diagnosis and it's a difficult condition to get a handle on. The actual help I've been given though, from yourself and others yesterday evening has helped me realise that indeed I have done well but I'm not out of the woods. That's fine. If I can achieve in 3 months, then I can achieve more in another 3 months!!

I don't think I'll take jack412 up on his suggestion because helpful though it is, I don't think I could drink the stuff :)

Thank you once again and to all who have offered me advice. I'm determined not to remain a statistic if at all possible.

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koukla said:
AndBreathe thank you for all of that, plus the link, which was very interesting. As regards diet, I'm going to carry on as I have been doing for now. The Consultant told me to take a supplement whilst I'm doing it and I honestly feel better than I have in years. I eat nuts as part of my diet now. If I feel a bit peckish I'll have 4 almonds and then I'm good to go.

It matters to me too not to be labelled diabetic and maybe we won't be one day though it's very difficult to have something removed from your medical records. This is frustrating.

So, on I plod and hopefully give my pancreas and liver the rest the Consultant said they need and with luck, return to normal function. I found it all very frightening and still do. As I said earlier I had no idea my results were good so I didn't appreciate being told that someone suspected that I was already aware that they were good. That was very unhelpful when I was drowning in a sea of diabetic confusion because I'm only 3 months into diagnosis and it's a difficult condition to get a handle on. The actual help I've been given though, from yourself and others yesterday evening has helped me realise that indeed I have done well but I'm not out of the woods. That's fine. If I can achieve in 3 months, then I can achieve more in another 3 months!!

I don't think I'll take jack412 up on his suggestion because helpful though it is, I don't think I could drink the stuff :)

Thank you once again and to all who have offered me advice. I'm determined not to remain a statistic if at all possible.

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Koukla - I would be mindful of the likely levels of improvement you can expect in your next HbA1c, in that there is only so far your body will take you, without objecting and you becoming unwell. My personal example would be an HbA1c score of 73, reducing to 37, after 4 months, then to 34, after a further 3 months. My care and control were just as strict in the second period as the first. In fact, probably more strict, in that it took me a few weeks to settle on an eating pattern I found suited me and my condition.

Wherever you end up, in terms of classification of your diabetes, I am positive a diagnosis, justified by an independent lab, using approved protocols, will never be removed from your records - just as a diagnosis for other reversible/curable conditions would not be. You won the badge, you get to keep it forever; even if you can hide it in a drawer, out of sight.
 
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73? I'm really sorry AndBreathe but I don't understand those figures. Truly I'm not thick but Diabetes is so new to me. I'll just wait to see if you can clarify this for me and then I'll continue to the next part of your message. Thank you :)

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koukla said:
73? I'm really sorry AndBreathe but I don't understand those figures. Truly I'm not thick but Diabetes is so new to me. I'll just wait to see if you can clarify this for me and then I'll continue to the next part of your message. Thank you :)

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Apologies, koukla. The 73 was my initial HbA1C score. I have edited my earlier post.

I hope that helps.
 
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