Have you reversed diabetic complications?

[benedict]

Have any of you had success in reversing the complications of diabetes?

This might be reduction of nerve pain, improvement in retinopathy, improvement in your kidney function or another reduction in the signs of complications?

Let us know how your complications improved and what you think may have helped your complications to get better.

Many thanks
Benedict

 

[noblehead]

I don't like the term 'reversed'......however having had proliferative retinopathy my eyes they have now been stable for the last 7 years. Better bg management together with keeping bp and cholesterol levels low will undoubtedly have helped together with eating a healthy diet, I never like to be complacent as diabetes can come back and bite you when you least expect it, so always always attend my retinopathy check-ups.

 

[Patch]

Good question. My aim has always been to STOP it happening.

I'd be interested if anyone has actually repaired damage once it has happened. I really do hope it's not a one way street...

 

[Indy51]

I find the foot neuropathy is receding very slowly. When I was diagnosed, about half of both feet felt numb - putting them in warm water was comfortable to the rest of my skin but felt like boiling water on my feet, walking was like walking on two lumps of wood and my feet would feel really uncomfortable and disturb my sleep. Now I just have a slight tingling at the very tips of my toes. It can be very uncomfortable, if not painful at times, as the feeling comes back, especially at night when I'm trying to sleep. I still occasionally get the 'dead foot' sensation, especially if I wear trainers that are laced too tight while I'm walking. The improvement has taken around 9 months since I started lowering my BG levels.

 

[judyann1]

When diagnosed i was having trouble lifting my arms to undress!! I also had incredible pain in my thumb trying to stretch and move it in a morning. I didnt realise these pains had disappeared until i read about someone suffering the same, and it made me realise, oh I havent felt those pains for a long time now. Definitely improved with low carb.

 

[WhitbyJet]

stopped retinopathy in its tracks

improved kidney function from stage 3-4 back up to stage 2

neuroapathy in feet and fingers almost gone

no more gastroparesis

 

[IanD]

It took aboult 7 1/2 years with the DUK/NHS high carb diet to become debilitated. I was playing tennis several times a week, until neuropathy (intense muscle pain, particularly leg) set in, over a short period, which meant that exercise was impossible. Gym classes were also near impossible & I sat out sometimes. Getting out of bed was painful, & I was limping around. Stairs were a struggle. For some time before that chronic tiredness meant I was always looking for the next m-way service area, often for a sleep. Add to that the beginning of retinopathy.

Contributors to this forum convinced me to try a low carb diet. My first change of diet was to reduce carbs & increase proteins & veg. In 3 months low carb I was free from pain & restored to health. Even playing tennis again.

That change of diet restored my active life. It took aboult 7 1/2 years with the DUK/NHS high carb diet to become debilitated, & 3 months low carb to be restored to health.

4 1/2 years on I am still well, active & free from complications. I do still get tired, but it's not a great problem, as it was.

 

[phoenix]

My first cholesterol results were horrendous. My plasma instead of being clear when left to stand was described as opalescent.
I now realise that a lot of that was to do with the breakdown of fats within in my body prior to diagnosis, but it had been going on for few years. I had LADA and I had had 2 periods of weight loss due to diabetes.
My doctor insisted that I had heart and arterial scans. My heart was fine but the cardiologist pointed out that the little lumps on my eyelids and the one on my calf were caused by cholesterol deposits. The doctor that scanned my arteries was not so happy as there were places of places where plaque deposits had narrowed two of my major arteries.
I went onto high dose statins and within three months my cholesterol figures were normal . My statins were reduced.

I have kept good glucose control, increased exercise (considerably), and followed the dietary advice I was given: ie oily fish at least twice a week , lean meat but served with olive oil dressed salad or veg.I include some nuts/avocados, lots of fruit and veg (at least half a plate veg). Starches of the less refined variety. I eat real butter and cheese but in small amounts etc ) .

Eventually I was able to come off statins entirely. The little lumps (xanthomas) had gone which was lovely because I hated them . There appears to be less plaque in the arteries. I still have cholesterol tests done every 6 months. If they start to rise and they have done, then i realise that I need to take a bit more care about my diet again (and increase the exercise if I've been less active; my HDL really reflects if I've been less active)

My doctor still insists I see specialists since French law means she has to sign each year to say I'm fit enough to join in running races (or even to belong to a walking group!).She doesn't have many patients of my age who run long distances so she won't sign without the checks.
I saw the cardiologist again a couple of weeks ago, all the tests (24 hour BP, stress test and echo scan) were fine.
Since the most common diabetic complication is cardio vascular disease I think that I have been able to reverse it , certainly staved off the problems for a good few years.

 

[IanD]

That's good news Phoenix - you remind me that I always had warty lumps on my eyelids. They've disappeared & I had forgotten about them. 20 years ago, when a screening project started, my chol was 6.4 & no prediabetes. Dr said chol was nothing to worry about - I wasn't a heart risk. 12 years ago, at diagnosis, my chol was 7.6.

I can't take chol medication, but I do use the special margarines - as well as butter. My chol is around 5.5 now.

I wonder if that means the warty lumps were caused by chol - no-one has suggested it before.

About 6-7 years ago (long before low carb) my kidney function was reduced - eGFR in the 60s. It's still in the 60s.

 

[Patch]

I wonder if that means the warty lumps were caused by chol - no-one has suggested it before.

There is LOADS of info on this on t'interweb, Ian. Studies were done on a farmer who had these warty lumps on his eyelids and elbows. When they cut the lumpos open PURE (thick yellow) CHOLESTEROL leaked out!

Worth tracking down the info on the web and reading up on it...

 

[IanD]

I wonder if that means the warty lumps were caused by chol - no-one has suggested it before.

There is LOADS of info on this on t'interweb, Ian. Studies were done on a farmer who had these warty lumps on his eyelids and elbows. When they cut the lumpos open PURE (thick yellow) CHOLESTEROL leaked out!

Worth tracking down the info on the web and reading up on it...

Thanks, but it was never a problem, & isn't now.

 

[phoenix]

Ian said his (if they were the same, I think there are other causes of lumps and bumps) had also gone, his cholesterol is also much lower than it was.
xanthomas are an indication of a problem, even if the problem goes away, not everyone is as lucky as I have been (funny though I don't remember them going, just one day realised they had gone )
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-ca ... homas2.htm

 

[hanadr]

I had slight retinopathy on diagnosis Non-proliferative. Now it's even slighter.
I've kept HbA1c in the 5s for several years. I suspect that might be something to do with it.
Hana

 

[GraceK]

I thought I was stuck with asthma, chronic fatigue, gastritis and severe depression forever and to be honest I felt too embarrassed to tell my GP how severe the chronic fatigue and depression were because it was so embarrassing to have to admit I wasn't getting out of bed until 1pm every day and was still exhausted. If anything I played down my symptoms and was my own worst enemy.

Since being diagnosed and changing immediately to LCHF a few days later when I found this forum, improvements in all those symptoms mentioned above began to become apparent. It took about 2 weeks before I began to notice I was getting up and about more, pottering around for longer before I needed to rest, and then I noticed a real difference in my emotional and mental states. I became much more positive, the brain fog slowly cleared and I felt human again. It's only now that I realise really how bad my symptoms were.

Three months on from diagnosis, I can talk without gasping for breath, go out for a 15 minute walk without getting too breathless to walk and talk, I can swim for 2 hours a week, I can concentrate better. So many symptoms have improved it's hard to name them all, but I have to say that my mood and emotional state have never been this good for years.

I do feel a bit yuk today because I didn't eat enough protein yesterday and I'm feeling like I've got a hangover but I think that's my body getting used to lower blood sugars.

I wouldn't say I feel 100% but certainly I do feel much improved and much more positive about life now - thanks to the forum and the great information I've picked up from other members - :thumbup:

 

[utters0]

I was diagnosed with T1 over 33 years ago and around 12 years ago was refrred to an eye specialist due to the changes in the backs of my eyes. I was on he verge of needing laser surgery but thankfully the changes didn't worsen so I avoided that.

Since then my eyes have steadily improved to the point where earlier this year the eye specialist discharged me.

I was fairly lax with my control through my teens and early twenties but have been much more strict and so better controlled for the past 15 or so years.

 

[AchillesHeel]

I had severe retinopathy that was predicted to become proliferative within 2 months in early 2011. With better blood sugar control & a healthier lifestyle, my fluroscein angiogram scans now show a dramatic improvement. I am back in the beginning stages of retinopathy with no threat of proliferative retinopathy! My macular edema has now cleared up in the left eye. I feel that I can only continue improving from hereon. I haven't had any laser treatment, only anti-vegf injections in the right eye.

 

[izzzi]

.

I did not know I had Diabetes, A yearly blood test revealed the symptom.

A strict diet and control reduced Hb1ac numbers dramatically.


"A stitch in time saves nine" comes to mind.


Roy.

 

[Grovey]

Yes I have in eyes, feet & stomach. I met a genetic scientist from the UK during the summer & he recommended I take Bio/Lipoic Acid. Before starting on these tablets I needed 1,500 shots of laser in my eyes. On my recent checkup, after being on them 6 months, I now don't need any laser treatment & the eye specialist had no explanation for this. For a problem with one of my toes & circulation with my feet, I was on 3,000 mls of penicillin which made no improvement. Went to a pharmacy in Turkey & got a cream called Nerisona. This was wonderful & within 3 days of using it, all the infection had come out of the toe & is now completely healed.

3 years ago the Podiatrist told me my circulation in my feet was very bad. Recently she could hear a huge improvement. My blood supply was perfect. I showed her the above mentioned tablets & she will check them out on computer. These can be bought over the counter in the UK.. They are vitamins that make parts of the body work that normally don't work.

I have had a very bad stomach for approximately 3 years, sometimes so bad that I just wanted to give up. I went to doctors & specialists who thought it was trapped wind & recommended Rennies. In desperation I got my wife to search the Internet & discovered I had symptoms of Neuropathy. I was prescribed to take 300mls of Neurontin three times daily & now my stomach is perfect.

I have been a diabetic Tyoe 1 for over 40 years & if this information can help anyone, I will be very happy as these tips have given me a new lease of life.

 

[glucomita]

Yes.....I was 1st diagnosed with diabetes in 2009, not knowing that it has been with me for a long period of time. This resulted in complications like retinopathy & neuropathy. I was beginning to have blurred vision, and numbness on my legs right from the extreme toes up to the chest areas. It was a nightmare trying to sleep, cos even a touch of bed sheet on m legs used to bring a lot of pains.
I was then introduced to a drug which has really worked wonders on me, all that pain has now reversed & rolled back down to my ankle areas now. And my vision has now improved.

 

[tom58]

Yes. I have been a T1 since 1964. Like uttersO my control was not good initially and in the seventies and eighties I developed retina 'microdots', although they were never very severe. A year ago my ophthalmist said he could see no microdots ( I was tempted to ask if he should go to specsavers but thought better of it!) He confirmed the absence of microdots again last week.

With age I've become much more serious about controlling my blood sugar and my general health. I test an average of ten times daily. I have also been using an insulin pump for more than six years and my Hb1ac levels have been consistently less than 6.0% for the past twelve years. My BMI is 23 and I exercise regularly but not very strenuously.

Tom