Ask A Silly Question ??

[ShyGirl]

Can I ask a silly question? When you come off meds are your insides still Diabetic? Where is Diabetes? Is it in your pancreas? If it was removed and replaced with a normal pancreas would you be Diabetes free?
If medication free but you get a cold/illness then surely your levels will go up for the duration no matter what you eat?

 

[jopar]

It would depend on the factors behind your diabetes in the main, if you've been on setriods thenonce these stopped and everything returned to normal, or you've had diabetes during pregnacy and everything returned to normal aftet, then you wouldn't be a diabetic but you would always have the posaibility of turning into a diaebtic at a later stage...

If you been diganosed a T2, and factors such as weight played a part in the need to use medication, and a change of lifestyle was needed, but once you've lost weight and made the necessary changes to your lifestyle and you've managed to cut put our your medication, then you are still a diabetic..

It doesn't go away, but you are mananging to control by diet/lifestyle at any point of time you could need medication to support as you said this might be at times when the body is under stress with infection etc...

It's just well controlled at that point of time

 

[Ardbeg]

I was always told there is no such thing as a silly question; there are just silly answers.

This may well be one of them.

My understanding is that, once diagnosed, you will remain a diabetic for the rest of your life; a bit like being an alcoholic I guess.

Sensible diet and everything in moderation should keep you within the prescribed limits and therefore keep you relatively healthier and therefore (hopefully) living longer with a good quality of life

 

[phoenix]

Not silly questions, complicated answers, sorry!
Type 1 is caused by damage to the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas so they produce no or very little insulin. If a type 1 has a pancreas transplant (and some have had), they can become diabetes free but have to take anti-rejection drugs. There is also the possibility that the new pancreas will be 'attacked' and the new beta cells stop working.

Type 2 is normally characterised by insulin resistance.
One of the uses of insulin is to cause the cells in the body, particularly the muscle and fat cells, to use and remove glucose from the blood. Insulin is like a key, it unlocks the cells to allow glucose to be used. When a person is insulin resistant the cells need more insulin to unlock them, The pancreas therefore produces more insulin and blood glucose levels remain normal.
Eventually, the pancreas cannot supply enough insulin, the cells are not fully unlocked and blood glucose levels rise. As the cells can't utilise the glucose they still 'think' that they need more, so to add to the problems, the liver may supply more Blood glucose levels rise higher ;this accounts for fasting blood glucose rises. There is plenty of glucose in the blood but the cells can't use it . The pancreas meanwhile is working flat out producing more and more insulin.
In the longterm If the high demand for insulin continues, the pancreas may reduce or even stop producing insulin and the person may have to take insulin to supplement or even eventually to provide almost all their insulin needs.

A pancreas transplant is unlikey to help type 2 as the problem is not (initially) with the pancreas but with the cells.

If a person with type 2 is diagnosed early enough in the process and manages to reduce their insulin resistance by losing weight and or increasing exercise (fat is one of the factors in IR, exercise can also decrease resistance) their pancreas may be able to make enough insulin by itself without medication.
Similarly, if their diet makes less demand on insulin their pancreas may be able to provide sufficient insulin for their needs. If they continue this lifestyle they may not need to take medication BUT they still have the tendency (whatever caused it in the first place) to be insulin resistant so will still be diabetic.

if someone taking no medication becomes ill it is possible that they will not produce sufficent insulin to cope with the increased needs (both from the illness and often also because the diet and exercise regime can't be kept up) They may need to go back on medication.

 

[kateincornwall]

Thank you for these informative replies even though I wasnt the OP ! I was only diagnosed last November , Type 2 and put on trial until Feb to see how I could manage the BG without meds . I`ve done quite well by low carbing and adding more exercise although at 62 this isnt always as vigorous as I`d like ! A diabetic friend who takes insulin told me that because I was managing my BG without meds , I was no longer a diabetic .

 

[Ardbeg]

I think it's a lifestyle thing Kate.

What I mean by that is, if you are keeping your BG and cholesterol at medically acceptable levels by only moderating your diet, alcohol intake and increasing (or starting) exercise then the fact that you do not require meds is a very positive thing. However, if your weight yo yo's back to obesity (as in my case) you will need to take action accordingly - either stricter diet, alcohol and exercise regimes again or submit to take meds.

Like I said above, much the same as alcoholism, I believe that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

I'll be interested to here what the mods have to say on that of course.

 

[clearviews]

My doctor puts my contol of my T2 diabetes this way. Since last May/June 2009 I have no symptoms of diabetes. I know that I will always be diabetic and know that I can bring on the return of my symptoms of diabetes simply by eating food that is outside of my diet.
So, I have no symptoms of diabetes.

 

[Synonym]

Kateincornwall - your friend is quite wrong as a glucose tolerance test would show.

 

[kateincornwall]

I did try to tell her this as I had the GT test done three years ago which showed a high level but just a fraction under full diabetes . Due to poor advice re diet , the pre diabetes has turned into the diabetes I now have but by following better advice , I keep it under controll for now . My nurse did say that a diabetic is a diabetic for life, its just about controlling it whether this be by diet alone or the help of meds . To be honest, my friend seems to have the daft notion that unless you inject insulin , you arent a " real " diabetic !!

 

[Ardbeg]

To be honest, my friend seems to have the daft notion that unless you inject insulin , you arent a " real " diabetic !!

Isn't that a bit like saying you're not a real junkie unless you are injecting heroin?

Yes Kate, I think your friend is daft too.

 

[cugila]

I think it's a lifestyle thing Kate.

What I mean by that is, if you are keeping your BG and cholesterol at medically acceptable levels by only moderating your diet, alcohol intake and increasing (or starting) exercise then the fact that you do not require meds is a very positive thing. However, if your weight yo yo's back to obesity (as in my case) you will need to take action accordingly - either stricter diet, alcohol and exercise regimes again or submit to take meds.

Like I said above, much the same as alcoholism, I believe that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

I'll be interested to here what the mods have to say on that of course.

I totally agree Ardbeg, very succinct. I couldn't have put it any better myself.....

 

[sugarless sue]

I think it's a lifestyle thing Kate.

What I mean by that is, if you are keeping your BG and cholesterol at medically acceptable levels by only moderating your diet, alcohol intake and increasing (or starting) exercise then the fact that you do not require meds is a very positive thing. However, if your weight yo yo's back to obesity (as in my case) you will need to take action accordingly - either stricter diet, alcohol and exercise regimes again or submit to take meds.

Like I said above, much the same as alcoholism, I believe that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

I'll be interested to here what the mods have to say on that of course.

Totally agree, diabetes is for life. You can however be a very well controlled diabetic with low numbers etc but never 'cured'.

 

[hanadr]

You are only really free of diabetes if you can eat a high carb meal and your blood glucose drops to the pre meal level in a short time, probably about an hour, certainly 2.
If you need medication, or the Bg doesn't drop on its own FAST, you are diabetic. there are a few people who have been cured, by Pancreas o r Islet cell transplants. There are also reports of bariatric surgery curing T2.
However there are also a few folks, who control their diabetes by very strict diet, without medication and consistently have "normal " Bg. Among them my friend David Mendosa.
David would not say he was cured, but he is symptom free.
Hana

 

[noblehead]

Think with been hear before with this question a little while back.

I agree with what the others have stated, once diagnosed with diabetes, there is no going back, you will always be seen in the eyes of the medical profession as a diabetic. Those people that start on meds and then adjust their diet/lifestyle to the extent that they no longer take meds, are still diabetic. Likewise, if you have a pancreas transplant and no longer need to inject insulin, you are still diabetic, as the anti-rejection drugs you take are working to suppress your body from rejecting the pancreas, should they fail your new pancreas will fail and you are back to square one.

Its not a silly question as such, because you here claims all the time in newspapers and on tv/Internet that people are stating such claims, mostly from over the pond, but wishful thinking perhaps on their part.

Nigel

 

[Ardbeg]

I think it's a lifestyle thing Kate.

What I mean by that is, if you are keeping your BG and cholesterol at medically acceptable levels by only moderating your diet, alcohol intake and increasing (or starting) exercise then the fact that you do not require meds is a very positive thing. However, if your weight yo yo's back to obesity (as in my case) you will need to take action accordingly - either stricter diet, alcohol and exercise regimes again or submit to take meds.

Like I said above, much the same as alcoholism, I believe that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

I'll be interested to here what the mods have to say on that of course.

I totally agree Ardbeg, very succinct. I couldn't have put it any better myself.....

Totally agree, diabetes is for life. You can however be a very well controlled diabetic with low numbers etc but never 'cured'.

The "newbie" student is learning fast from his masters. 8)