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Drfarxan

Well-Known Member
Messages
149
Hello everyone, i can not begin to thank the users here enough for giving me and every diabetic hope. How does anyone even begin to do that,this forum probably saves a lot of diabetic's lives. Thank you and i am happy to be a part of the community,and also hope to contribute to the forum.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year in July after frequent urination and thirst symptoms. I have a family history of diabetes but that still didn't stop me from being a coca cola addict and was for the first time in my life also obese with a BMI of 33(i was always over weight though) . And to make it more of a tragic story i am actually a general practitioner. I blame my bad life style on depression and stress since i am in foreign country with hard job.

A internist doctor started me on insulin to lower my blood sugar which was around 270mg/dl with an HbA1c of 11.9% and also prescribed Janument 50/1000 mg. I was only 33 newly wed and with a baby on the way, all of a sudden it felt like my life was over.(especially since i found out that one of my favorite comedians,patrice o'neal died so young at the age of 41 and he had diabetes for 18 years since he was 24, maybe if he knew what we know today :( )

I came across this forum last year suggested by my brother another gp who has worked in the UK before.Read the stories which gave me alot of hope and also it lead me to find out more about LCHF diet. I watched alot of video's in youtube like Dr. Roy Taylor,low card down under,Dr Jason Fung, Dr Stephen Phinney, Dr Sarah Hallberg, diet doctors channel e.t.c.

I then started a Low card diet in august or sept last year. After 3 months i checked my HbA1c and it droped to 7.5, after another 3 months it droped to 5.8. I also lost 20 kg in 6 months from a BMI of 33 to 26.8( trying to get below 24). My daily blood sugar using a glucometer called optima, is around 80-104( 4.44-5.78). It makes me feel better and its really! all thanks to THIS FORUM.


I am hoping for a total reversal but i imagine its like breaking a leg,you can't really go back to the way it was before(nor do i want to go back to eating junk food or sugar i just want to avoid the complications of diabetes) . Unless of coarse someone has actually done it. These 2 youtube videos give me a lot of hope
 
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OH!! i would just like to add that i had fatty liver to before going on LCHF diet. My ALT was 75 but droped to 13 in 6 months.
 
Hi and welcome

Total reversal for T2? In my opinion, afraid not. Remission and drug free is possible, a number of us have done that with lowering carbs and in my case a lot of weight loss and that was after 10+ years T2

I am also told my starting to move towards a fatty liver also has gone away. So win win

Thing is the lower tolerance to carbs doesn't go away. If I go back to the old way my blood sugars go up and I will be back on the drugs

It's semantics, but I don't like the word reversal
 
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Hello & welcome to the forum :-) I have type 1 but I feel the same to you with regards to feeling grateful to this forum and giving me the hope I needed
 
Hello and welome,

Well done on making the needed changes and seeing them pay off. I agree with pretty much everyone above. As long as you stay LCHF you should be able to keep your blood sugars in the normal range and avoid diabetic complications. I don't believe you will ever be able too eat a 'normal' diet and have your blood sugars stay in the normal range. I used to have that hope but don't any longer. My biggest hope is that one day I can tolerate a few more carbs- maybe 30-40 grams a day? That would be great.

There are some who believe and I don't see anything wrong with trying your hardest and hoping it can work for you. I think that you can and should work towards avoiding the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes.

Welcome.
 
VashtiB said:
Hello and welome,

Well done on making the needed changes and seeing them pay off. I agree with pretty much everyone above. As long as you stay LCHF you should be able to keep your blood sugars in the normal range and avoid diabetic complications. I don't believe you will ever be able too eat a 'normal' diet and have your blood sugars stay in the normal range. I used to have that hope but don't any longer. My biggest hope is that one day I can tolerate a few more carbs- maybe 30-40 grams a day? That would be great.

There are some who believe and I don't see anything wrong with trying your hardest and hoping it can work for you. I think that you can and should work towards avoiding the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes.

Welcome.
Click to expand...
Hello vashtiB
how long have you been diabetic and when did you turn to LCHF. And what was the benefits. On top of that do you use any medication? if yes which ones?
 
I was diagnosed in June 2019. I turned to LCHF straight away (within a week of diagnosis) at my 3 month review my HbA1c was in the normal non-diabetic range. I am on metformin and no other medications.

Also with LCHF my life long asthma has disappeared.
 
Hello @Drfaxan,

Welcome to the forum.

Absolutely brilliant results with blood sugars between 80 mg/l and 104 mg/l. Congrats also on your weight loss and feeling better. Really well done.

Btw, are you still on insulin? You didn't mention.

I agree LCHF/keto has been a life saver for me too. Similar to you, for me T2 is also largely genetic (with lots of family members on both sides of the family diagnosed). Therefore I am convinced that for people with my genetic makeup a high-carb diet just doesn't work (and probably never has).

Personally, I no longer really miss high carb foods (at least the vast majority of the time) after a little more than 5 years of low carbing -- I really believe it is a matter of establishing new routines. I should also admit though that I really enjoy this way of eating.

As to reversal/cure -- there is a lot of discussion on the forum, whether reversal and returning to a higher carb lifestyle is possible. And yes throughout the years, there have been members able to eat normally again -- however tbh that seems to be rare.

Looking forward to seeing you around and welcome again to the forum.

Btw, Sarah Hallberg and Stephen Phinney also favorites of mine -- you might also enjoy Ben Bikman then.
 
ziggy_w said:
Hello @Drfaxan,

Welcome to the forum.

Absolutely brilliant results with blood sugars between 80 mg/l and 104 mg/l. Congrats also on your weight loss and feeling better. Really well done.

Btw, are you still on insulin? You didn't mention.

I agree LCHF/keto has been a life saver for me too. Similar to you, for me T2 is also largely genetic (with lots of family members on both sides of the family diagnosed). Therefore I am convinced that for people with my genetic makeup a high-carb diet just doesn't work (and probably never has).

Personally, I no longer really miss high carb foods (at least the vast majority of the time) after a little more than 5 years of low carbing -- I really believe it is a matter of establishing new routines. I should also admit though that I really enjoy this way of eating.

As to reversal/cure -- there is a lot of discussion on the forum, whether reversal and returning to a higher carb lifestyle is possible. And yes throughout the years, there have been members able to eat normally again -- however tbh that seems to be rare.

Looking forward to seeing you around and welcome again to the forum.

Btw, Sarah Hallberg and Stephen Phinney also favorites of mine -- you might also enjoy Ben Bikman then.
Click to expand...

Thank you ziggy seems to be a problem with the notification i am just now seeing your reply. Or maybe i am new here and i don't know how to use the forum well.

I stopped using insulin after the 4th or 5th day cause my blood sugar got really low. Even before i stopped my insulin the dose kept getting smaller each day. My c peptide was 2.98 ng/ml so my insulin was still there, i was just obese and inactive which caused my insulin resistant gene to kick in.
I kept using janument till mid august then i just went full LCHF diet ( it was more protein than fats cause i was new to the diet and didn't know where to get my fats)
I have lowered my HbA1c and weight by LCHF only without ANY MEDICATION. But after 6 months i started using metformin again cause its a very useful drug(there are even studies that show it helps to prevent or in treatment of cancer) and also experimented with jaudince (not because i needed it my blood sugar are normal with LCHF diet alone) but it helps keeping my body glucose free by dumping glucose in the urine and preventing glucose reabsorption in the kidneys. Just experimenting on myself really

I have watched bikman too but not as much, ill definitely watch more of him thank you for the recommendation. The more we know the more it will help us to deal with our "condition". I love sarah's enthusiasm and phinney's scientific aspect to the ketogenic diet.
 
Drfarxan said:
Thank you ziggy seems to be a problem with the notification i am just now seeing your reply. Or maybe i am new here and i don't know how to use the forum well.

I stopped using insulin after the 4th or 5th day cause my blood sugar got really low. Even before i stopped my insulin the dose kept getting smaller each day. My c peptide was 2.98 ng/ml so my insulin was still there, i was just obese and inactive which caused my insulin resistant gene to kick in.
I kept using janument till mid august then i just went full LCHF diet ( it was more protein than fats cause i was new to the diet and didn't know where to get my fats)
I have lowered my HbA1c and weight by LCHF only without ANY MEDICATION. But after 6 months i started using metformin again cause its a very useful drug(there are even studies that show it helps to prevent or in treatment of cancer) and also experimented with jaudince (not because i needed it my blood sugar are normal with LCHF diet alone) but it helps keeping my body glucose free by dumping glucose in the urine and preventing glucose reabsorption in the kidneys. Just experimenting on myself really

I have watched bikman too but not as much, ill definitely watch more of him thank you for the recommendation. The more we know the more it will help us to deal with our "condition". I love sarah's enthusiasm and phinney's scientific aspect to the ketogenic diet.
Click to expand...

Hi @Drfaxan,

This just demonstrates how determined you were to get back to normal. So, really a wonderful achievement.

My blood sugar levels were similar to yours when diagnosed with an HbA1c of 11.3%. They initally also put me on insulin for a few days while in hospital -- but the blood sugar meter hardly moved for me -- probably indicating an extraordinarily high level of insulin resistance at the time. I was sent home with a prescription of metformin, which I agree is a good medication. Came off it entirely after one year of normal blood sugar levels.

Does Jardiance do anything if your blood sugars are already low? My understanding was that it lowers the threshold for spilling glucose in the urine somewhat, however not so much that it will lead to hypos. What has your experience been?
 
ziggy_w said:
Does Jardiance do anything if your blood sugars are already low? My understanding was that it lowers the threshold for spilling glucose in the urine somewhat, however not so much that it will lead to hypos. What has your experience been?
Click to expand...
jardiance doesn’t cause hypoglycemia as far as I KNOW. I guess it depends with your blood insulin levels but i don’t think it can. Like i said i use it to dumb the extra glucose but my liver probably keeps my blood sugar leveled(guessing)
Its mostly insulin injections and drugs like sulfonylureas(insulin releasing stimulant) that cause hypoglycemia. Usually our body doesnt like to waste glucose so the extra glucose is reabsorped. I got the idea of using jardiance from dr glandt(posted her video above). But i don’t recommend anyone using a new drug without a doctor’s consent(it can lead to severe urinary track infection).I am using 10mg jardiance(not everyday only when i have alittle more carbs than usual) ,

How long have you had diabetes? When did you start LC diet after being diagnosed? Have you lost weight? What are your bg levels and your HbA1c(recently)? If you don’t mind me asking. We need to learn from each other i would love to know the progress you made too.
 
VashtiB said:
I was diagnosed in June 2019. I turned to LCHF straight away (within a week of diagnosis) at my 3 month review my HbA1c was in the normal non-diabetic range. I am on metformin and no other medications.

Also with LCHF my life long asthma has disappeared.
Click to expand...

Well i can only add to that @VashtiB

i went LCHF after 8 weeks of the diewell diet
DX aug 2018

starving and desperate, i found this forum
2018 nov, began LCHF, from 57 down to 42 by jan, took until july to get back to normal 40 mmol

and life long asthma, faded early 20's, back with a vengeance early 40's
yearly bouts of colds, etc, from 40 on, some moderate hassle a couple of flare ups, and one scary as hell, attack

At almost 60, LCHF pushed that daily wheezing into touch.
lost weight, Got the T2D under control, eat very well, rarely hungry,
so the lack of asthma was a nice added side effect.

So consumed by managing the T2D, it was only when the wife mentioned it,
i realised i hadn't needed inhalers for a few weeks,

Now it's just down to the preventer, and touch wood,
no colds
flu
or attacks since..:)

good luck with nomination
 
Drfarxan said:
Hello everyone, i can not begin to thank the users here enough for giving me and every diabetic hope. How does anyone even begin to do that,this forum probably saves a lot of diabetic's lives. Thank you and i am happy to be a part of the community,and also hope to contribute to the forum........
Click to expand...

Liking the story, well done.

yet another, coming down on the NO to reversing.

but it's just a word, so nice to believe if people want to
believe
too old in the tooth to think it will be for me,
but good luck to those who aim for it
 
Drfarxan said:
jardiance doesn’t cause hypoglycemia as far as I KNOW. I guess it depends with your blood insulin levels but i don’t think it can. Like i said i use it to dumb the extra glucose but my liver probably keeps my blood sugar leveled(guessing)
Its mostly insulin injections and drugs like sulfonylureas(insulin releasing stimulant) that cause hypoglycemia. Usually our body doesnt like to waste glucose so the extra glucose is reabsorped. I got the idea of using jardiance from dr glandt(posted her video above). But i don’t recommend anyone using a new drug without a doctor’s consent(it can lead to severe urinary track infection).I am using 10mg jardiance(not everyday only when i have alittle more carbs than usual) ,

How long have you had diabetes? When did you start LC diet after being diagnosed? Have you lost weight? What are your bg levels and your HbA1c(recently)? If you don’t mind me asking. We need to learn from each other i would love to know the progress you made too.
Click to expand...

Hi @Drfarxan,

Thanks for reply and sorry for the late response. Busy day today.

I will definitely look into the video by Dr. Glandt you posted. Sounds like an interesting idea.

As to my story -- I was diagnosed almost six years ago with an HbA1c of 100 (or 11.3%) while being hospitalized with a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. After being released, I had my first appointment with my GP, who prescribed the maximum dosis of metformin and also said that there probably wouldn't be a way to avoid insulin with an HbA1c as high as mine.

Back at home, I googled diet and diabetes and found some research, which seemed to show the lower the carbs, the better. (Unfortunately, I didn't come across this forum at the time, otherwise things would have been much easier.)

Based on my research, I started reducing carbs immediately as much as possible and am now on approximately 15g of carbs per day, but never really more than 25g. My next HbA1c three months after diagnosis was in the non-diabetic range (34 or 5.3%). Half a year after diagnosis, metformin was halved and after one year eliminated altogether. Since then my blood glucose has stayed in the non-diabetic range with the last two HbA1c coming in at 29 or 4.9%. Since September 2019, I have not had any labs (due to the COVID pandamic), but have been consistently monitoring blood glucose levels using a meter. The average is around 89 mg/dl or 4.9 mmol, so haven't really felt concerned with skipping labs.

As to weight -- I've also lost some as most people do when on a low-carb/ketogenic diet -- not sure how much though since I have never owned a scale, and therefore don't really know what level I started at. Personally, weight loss wasn't a primary concern, but it's definitely a nice side effect of being low-carb, though.
 
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