• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Most of the battle is mental

Sco81

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
I remember the day clearly. 23rd December 2014 I was told I was a diabetic at the age of 33. My doctor told me no point trying to control it by diet as 99% of the time it don't work. Genetics along with my lifestyle was the cause so can only blame myself. I weighed 135kg. Hba1c was 88. And mentally I hit rock bottom. I felt really unwell everyday and I thought what was the point in living. 6 months later still mentally low things got worse gained 5kg hba1c went up to 92 and got sent to a specialist who put me on 2000mg metformin 160mg glitgazide and was sent on my way again. Then in December I had another specialist appointment and nothing changed so was put on victoza on top of all the other drugs and then it clicked that I can't continue like this. Make a choice sort myself out or give up and end things. Pretty drastic people say but I wasn't living life just existing. I put myself in a planned meal plan little and often so was never gingery and would binge and started walking a mile a day. Really hurt to walk in the start with shin splints etc. After a month I put it up to 3 miles a day. Then again up to 5 miles. Then I decided to change walking to going to the gym where I started slowly but plodded along. My Feb appointment came along my weight went from 135kg down to 120kg hba1c from 92 down to 40. I got a little stronger at gym and pushed harder doing up to 10 miles of cardio and weights on top. My May specialist appointment I was 110kg my hba1c is 37 and I was told I'm no longer classed as a diabetic. My meds have dropped to just victoza which is half of what I was taking just .6. And I feel amazing mentally strong and physically strong and things that were a struggle like walking are a thing of the past. I still have a long way to go. But in just 6 months I changed my life around and I'm actually living life again. I learnt what people mean by best way to learn in life is to take the hard road. Anyway sorry for such a long post just wanted to share hopefully inspire someone.
 
A great post and a story similar to mine - except for the gym - hate the gym with a passion - I do extra housework and dance in the kitchen like no ones watching instead! Well done on all your hard work
 
Thanks for posting @Sco81 this is very inspirational to read, you are so right about the mental battle, I didn't realise this until I became quite low after diagnosis, keeping a positive mental attitude is the battle won with diabetes, I found by doing stuff for charities as well as keeping fit that I felt alot better in myself mentally. Keep up the good work
 
Lovely to hear your story Sco81. It's a shining example of how powerful it is when we take control of our own health.
The culture of the medical profession is to give advice...often wrong, misplaced or drug centred.
With diabetes and other lifelong illnesses what we really need is a partnership model where their medical knowledge and drugs support us to make the changes we need to manage our condition well.
This forum is a great example of support and partnership.
Thanks again Sco81. Very inspiring.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
I think a lot of doctors don't understand diabetes. when I first went in and asked for blood tests about it they refused and said I was to young. but obviously I was feeling ill and something was wrong. but I was sent packing lol. wasn't until I moved doctors was I taken seriously.
again I didn't know much about anything was depressed over it all and was bombarded with drugs and left to get on with it.
all I needed was a plan of action.
we all different in what we need obviously but if I was offered a plan telling me that I need to do more exercise and whats good and bad to eat for diabetics it would be a way forward. being told that I will have this forever and basically had no hope isn't a way forward lol
 
What a great story. Very well done. A real success story.

I'm a bit confused, however, as to why you are no longer classed as diabetic when you are still on Victoza? Hopefully you can come off this and keep those wonderful non-diabetic levels.
 
The nurse wants to take small steps I guess. She doesn't want me going backwards again so bit by bit reducing my meds. Although she did say most people it dose t do much for them. I'm scared of feeling like I did back last year so I'm happy taking it slow if that makes sense.
 
Oh yes, taking it slowly makes perfect sense. Better to take some meds than revert to how you were.
 
Exercise is the key to almost every ailment, I'm convinced. Being physically fit and strong seems to aid the mind as much (if not more) as the body.

Well done, you're proof to other T2D's out there that it can be held off with a little effort on your part. Not only did you take responsibility for your weight etc but you then made a conscious decision to fix it!

Well done to you.

Grant
 
Thanks everyone I really hope it can inspire others to do the same. It's never to late to better yourself. Even if it's just forcing yourself to go for a walk each day.
 
I was diagnosed T2 Oct15 2x Metformin a day & changed lifestyle / diet ( low carbs & quit sugar ) HbA1c was 90 ....Jan16 HbA1c 36 lost 3.5 stone

well done for not giving up on yourself Sco81
 
Great story @Sco81 . I do hope your Doc is pleased with you and your family understand just how well you've done. It's pretty special.
 
@GrantGam1337 - I have to say it's very bullish of you to make such a bold statement as you do, stating, "....that it can be held off with a little effort on your part." Sco81, myself and a fair few others have put in a lot of work to manage our diabetes and wrangle it into a great place. Unfortunately, not everyone can do that, for a number of reasons. Everyone can make the effort to achieve the bast they can with their diabetes, but not everyone can hold it in check, never mind improve it.

T2 is a portfolio disease, by which I mean it's a label applied to scenarios where the individual's blood numbers are raised, in a sustained manner. It's not all lifestyle related by a long chalk. I'm thinking of things like genetics, beta cell degradation, general pancreatic fatigue, taking steroids, taking other drugs or many other co-morbidity conditions which impact blood sugars significantly.

There are people on this site who have put themselves through purgatory, trying to reverse their condition, only to find it's not going to work for them. I feel for them, and they remind me just how lucky I was myself.

Sadly, there is a massive amount of misinformation and misguided opinions around the place about diabetes, for both types 1 and 2.
 
No offence was intended with that post.

@Sco81 said he "only had himself to blame" and as such made a conscious effort to rectify the source of the problem.

I understand that the source of the problem for many unfortunate others is not down to the individual's wrongdoing.

In the case of @Sco81 however, proactive and corrective actions on his part has changed his life for the better.

I'm sure I could have worded the initial post better and apologies for it sounding negative to some who have no control over their situation.

Cheers,
Grant
 

Thanks for clarifying Grant. There's so much mis-information out there and it's even more tragic, and frustrating when it appears "one of our own" doesn't get it. Nice post.
 
@Sco81 diagnosis can seem a bit mental, but I find it helps to look the "nay-sayers" in the the eye and say "Be mental if you want, but I prefer to be cerebral, and beat this!"
Good luck in surviving!
 
I completely agree. Mental and emotional challenge to change is what I find the hardest. Incorporating exercise into daily routine has been hugely successful. I took redundancy from teaching and set up as a self employed gardener this year. It keeps fit if poorer but what a difference this has made. I am also successfully maintaining a daily carb intake of 100g a day.
I've lost 13kg since January and this week my HbA1C test was 47 down from 93 just 6 months ago.

Result!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…