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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Winnie53" data-source="post: 1454419" data-attributes="member: 160246">35 years ago had hypoglycemia, 30 years ago had gestational diabetes, 15 years ago crossed over into pre-diabetes, 12 years ago crossed over into type 2 diabetes, 2 years ago was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with an afternoon glucose level of 282 mg/dl (15.7 mmol/l) and an A1c of 9.9%.I'm in my mid-50's now.When I was re-diagnosed 2 years ago, I thought I had a urinary tract infection. A quick check of my urine was normal. I was sent home with the name of an over-the-counter medication to sooth my irritated bladder.Lucky for me, the doctor requested a comprehensive metabolic panel the next day and I was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.I was in shock, desperate to know how bad an A1c of 9.9% was. In my online search I stumbled upon a blog post by David Mendoza who shared how he normalized his glucose levels with Richard Bernstein, M.D.'s low carbohydrate diet. I flew out of the house and bought the book, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, 4th edition. Excited that I had "the answer", angry that none of my doctors, including the endocrinologist who saw me when I still had pre-diabetes, never mentioned this option despite my reluctance to take any diabetes medication.I read enough of the book to figure out the basics. Bought a glucose meter kit, gave away all the food I could no longer eat, started the diet, then found my way here all in the same week and never looked back. The diet worked despite my severe insulin resistance, but it took about 4 weeks to level out.What's interesting is that the doctor's nurse pressured me to come back in that first week to get me started on metformin and a statin. I explained that I wanted to try the diet first and agreed to an appointment 6 weeks out.At the 6 week appointment, I was pressured again to start the medications. Armed with a couple of books on diabetes and my meter, I showed him a typical reading on my glucose meter, and to his credit, he took the time to scroll through them.He asked to see me again in 6 weeks.At my first quarterly appointment, my A1c was 5.5%, my fasting glucose was 136 mg/dl (7.6 mmol/l). I declined medication again and was scheduled for second quarterly appointment.Over the next 2 years, my glucose levels continue to improve. These days, a fasting glucose level is typically 110 mg/dl (6.1 mmol/l). Occasionally, my glucose level will drop to 85 mg/dl (4.7 mmol/l) but that's rare.I did lose weight, then gained some back. I'm still 40 pounds heavier than my lean body mass weight. Perhaps my glucose level will drop further as I shed more of that excess weight.Today, I continue to monitor my glucose levels daily. If my glucose spikes, I can walk a brisk mile and knock it back down. If my numbers start trending up, I pay more attention to what I'm eating and knock them back down.I'm a low carber for life. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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