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Looking for Remission advice

K

Kayb1

Newbie
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2
Hi there,
Hoping to get some advice about the possibility of remission.
I got diagnosed with type 2 at 97 October 2019 and have been on metaformin since then. I'm hoping I can go into remission and had a annual check last week. Have lost 4 stone and gotten my Hba1c down to 35.
Could anyone give advice on what point they'd be willing to take you off the meds to see if you could go into remission.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice.
 
Since you have a non-diabetic HbA1c I would say you are in remission - well done!
If it was me I would say I don't want to take the Metformin any more to see what affect if any it has. It is good to stay on their records as diabetic as you should get the 6 monthly tests.
 
I was on a low dose of Metformin for 5 years of remission (normal blood glucose levels) then stopped taking it a year ago. I am still in remission but have put on 1kg. I blame the lockdown!
Congratulations on your weight loss and your HbA1c!
 
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly. Covid has made getting a proper doctors appointment a bit odd but definitely going to push for one so I can start reducing my meds.
 
Hi and Welcome @Kayb1 - Well done!

My thoughts are exactly the same as Mr Pot's above.

Have a look at my signature - I control my diabetes with diet and keeping active - I have never taken any medication for it.

I would think that as long as you continue doing what you are doing it should stay more or less the same.

Good luck & I wish you well
 
Hi Kayb1,
Congratulations on your success!
As others have said, you are effectively in remission already, however:

1. Remission is not cure - so you will have to watch your eating of carbs for the rest of your long healthy life.
2. There are various alternative definitions of remission:
A). 2 non fully diabetic HbA1C readings 6 months apart while taking no diabetes medications except for Metformin.
B). Various stricter criteria such as staying in the non fully diabetic range for over 1 yr- not just 6 months; being in the normal ranges (rather than the pre-diabetic range); maintaining it with no diabetes medications at all (i.e. no metformin).

But once meeting the minimum criteria then 'remission' is whatever you feel comfortable with. This is a whole of life lifestyle thing, not a competition.
 

I completely agree with Ianfoster about cure vs remission, you will always have to watch your carbs. The way I look at like an alcoholic can not take that one drink, I diabetic cannot have that sugar glazed doughnut. I still think people who bring freshly baked doughnuts to work are evil, but that is another story. I was in remission once before, and went back to my terrible eating habits and the diabetes came back, just stay vigilant. One thing that works for me is that I still test my blood sugar 2 hours after every meal, when I first get up in the morning, and after I swim, just to be sure everything is fine.

In my case fasting blood sugars gave me a pretty good idea that I was a candidate for remission. They were ranging from 5.28 to 4.73 so my body was dealing with the sunrise effect without any medicine.

There are so many definitions it is hard to know which one to use. But you are doing the right things and way to go !

Dave
 
In terms of the medicine it does also depend on your surgery. I am a pretty good candidate for having the medicine reduced in my mind. Im fairly young, have lost significant weight and am now very fit and healthy. (totally change life style, not just the diet)

HBA1C dropped from 87 to 33 in three months and has been at 30 - 33 since.

Dr wont consider taking me off medicine as in his mind and the research he has read says that taking type 2's who have got into a good HBA1C off metformin often leads to a relapse. So they wont take me off the pills (ever). That said at some point i might take the decision myself - but to be honest i dont have any side effects from Metformin and im not especially bothered about dropping them at the moment any way.

My HBA1C is at 30 at the moment, and the metformin does very little to keep it there so i consider myself in remission even with the medication (Even if that does not fill what is considered the gold standard of remission)
 

I was originally on metformin and was taken off of it and experienced a relaspe, primarily due to returning back to poor eating habits. This just my opinion, but initially being taken off the meds controlling ones blood sugar can be difficult because you do not have the safety net and have to anything yourself. The only reason I was taken off the glipizide the second time around was that I lost a lot of weight and got my act together with my diet. I was constantly going hypo on it. I did not have any other choice but to watch the carbs and exercise because I did not have any other way to control by blood sugar. I guess going into remission was a by product of what I was doing. The second time being in remission provided me a chance to learn the things that I must do because I did not have any other alternatives.

Dave
 
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