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No longer have Type 2 diabetes - Official!

Given that (for we T2s) the albatross called 'Diabetes' hung around our necks is nothing more than a line drawn on a graph, no wonder so much confusion and uncertainty exists around the subject.

If you were afflicted by high blood pressure and you went on a diet and course of exercise and your blood pressure returned to normal, you would be said to no longer have a blood pressure problem. So what if it is controlled by diet and exercise; that's fine.

The same analogy can be extended to T2. If the medics are so keen to define you as diabetic based on a hba1c value then there is no reason whatsoever why you cannot be 'undefined' on the understanding that it can (probably) only be sustained through the changes that brought about the reduction in hba1c.

It's high time that 'we' started to lobby for the 'Diabetic' label to be removed from T2s when hba1cs drop into the 'normal' range.

EllisB - well done and ignore the 'Jonahs' who seem to wallow in their diabetes!
 
Yesterday I had the same verdict Ellis HbA1c down to 32 from 81 in July 2013. It might not be a cure, merely a postponement, but it certainly put a spring in my step! The diabetic nurse said it was only the third time she had witnessed it in her (long) career.
 
Congrats to OP

Wish my Doctor would say your T1 Free....Id book a holiday and celebrate

Alas, Im stuck with it for life or until the Aliens land with a cure for it at a car boot sale or something(sigh!)
 
bettyday said:
But would it work for someone like me who has never been over weight
Click to expand...

Thommothebear was asking how does one tell if low BG levels are due to good control or due to an improved insulin response in the absence of an OGTT. The answer is to measure your BG levels after eating a mars bar. the BG levels become elevated whether you are overweight or not. The measure is the rate at which those elevated levels come back down.
 
I can cofirm that it is possible, I have lost two stone since September and, having been a type 2 on insulin, have now been told that I am no longer diabetic. Tarpon
 
This talk of using a Mars bar instead of a proper OGTT is just plain wrong IMHO because the dose is far too low. A standard Mars Bar (51g) is 30.4g of sugars and the results could be compromised by the other ingredients. An OGTT is 75g of Glucose dissolved in water (a pound of Glucose from Boots is just £1.89)

The first result of "glucose tolerance test" on google is the Wikipedia link that shows the values you should have for the 2 hour test.
 
Thanks for all the positive experiences in this thread. My HbA1c was 52 when diagnosed in 2012, 42 in April 2013 (on Metformin and Levothyroxine) and 36 in October 2013. My weight dropped from 185 lbs at diagnosis to 150 (almost 20% decrease) due to diet and exercise. Diet was more "mediterranean" and more portion control! Still on meds for blood pressure (ramipril), cholesterol (pravastatin) and low thyroid (levothyroxine). In my case the thyroid helps you be less sedentary which helps in the weight loss. Unsure how much weight loss is muscle and how much is fat though. I suspect about half of each.... Still considered diabetic though I expect the blood pressure and thyroid put me at more risk of cardiovascular, hence they don't want to relax the medication much, yet. My blood glucose without metformin appears to be better than it was with metformin but also with more weight. Next HbA1c should tell me for certain though.
 
Having been diagnosed at the end of November I was most surprised to be told by my doctor that diabetes can be cured and that I could reverse the decision if I lost enough weight and changed my lifestyle. I was very shocked to hear this as although I have heard plenty of others talk about research into this I have never heard a medical professional say it. She did add that the people who take swift action after being diagnosed are the ones with the best chance of reversing the disease.

What I do not like is the governments insistence that all those newly diagnosed should go on medication straight away. My dad was diagnosed in 1995 but was not put on medication until he had a heart scare in 2001 (straight after my mum passed away). I believe that Metformin is a highly dangerous drug and is handed out like aspirin, his BG was well maintained until this point. However I had a prescription for Metformin and a statin with 4 hours of diagnosis and the nurses at my practice say I am only pre-diabetic anyway.

On a related topic the BBC undertook an experiment using 2 Dr's who are twins and therefore genetically identical. One twin went on a high fat low carb diet for a month and the other a high sugar low fat diet for the same length of time. At the beginning they took all the usual tests and their blood sugar was normal, however, at the end of the 30 days the one on the high sugar had normal blood sugar but the other was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and this was only after one month. Very interesting result as the low carb diet seems to be the one that makes most sense as simple carbs convert into sugar very quickly in the body, but the Dr in charge said that eating too much sugar is not a direct cause of diabetes. Well why do NICE pump out this propaganda that diabetes is caused by being lazy and eating too much sugar. The way that diabetics are treated in this country in the media is terrible - we are seen as time and money wasters. Sometimes I feel that the whole system needs a massive overhall and they need to look at how other countries deal with this issue (not USA) and change the policies. After all they expect us to change our way of lives and refuse to treat us as individuals.

Today I went for my first eye screening and although I am obese the girl doing the test and the receptionist were both bigger than me! In fact the receptionist spent the whole time I was waiting discussing with her co-worker why she disagreed with her GP about why she was so big. She kept saying "I don't eat much you know" Well as someone once said to me "those sorts of statements make GP's fall off their chairs with laughter".

If the NHS want us all to be fitter then maybe they ought to start with a campaign for their own staff.

We will all just have to wait and watch.

To all those who have managed to reverse or change your situation CONGRATULATIONS!

I hope to achieve the same.
 

I completely agree. If you are insulin resistant to whatever degree and let's assume that your pancreas is producing insulin, how on Earth can pumping in more insulin going to work? Surely, adding insulin can only work if you are producing insufficient insulin. If you are producing sufficient insulin and you are put on gliclazide or equivalent to produce even more insulin then surely that is scandalous and a crass solution which IMO is patently wrong. Diabetic analysis really needs to identify exactly what is wrong. For example, as Yorksman pointed out if you knew your Beta cell count that would be a massive step but just knowing how much insulin you are making should be fundamental starting point in your treatment regime.
On another tack, whether you are cured or not is an interesting topic and a very interesting anology with blood pressure. It's almost certain that we have predisposition to some ailments.I do think that we can beat diabetes. For how long for is another question. It's the same with any other ailment, blood pressure, cancer etc. To sum up, well done to those of you who have knocked back their diabetes, keep on top of it.
 
I seriously need some help I'm a type 2 diabetic that up too now with my metformin my sugar levels have been controlled I now have levels at 18 which scares me but the bizarre thing is I've lost 2 stone should this not help my levels.....


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Congratulations. Very well done. Pay no attention to the naysayers. There is always someone trying to pick holes regardless of how incredible a job you do or the result you achieve. You have a new lease of life and are better educated about your body now, so enjoy your health and new life.
Just in case you want a measuring device: I was medically cleared four years ago and my recent OGTT was Fasting blood 5.2 and two hour blood 5.5
Good Luck.
Brendan.
 

......
Exercise turns fat into muscle, muscles burn more calories than fat, so I guess you have less fat and more muscle, well done
 
I was given clear results in my blood test today which were taken a couple of weeks ago. I have to go and see the diabetic nurse on Wednesday.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
whatever peoples opinions are ........you have achieved what you set out to do ..control your blood sugars
,im very happy for you ,I would call myself non diabetic if I was you too ,once again ,well done .
 
Since my last posting in this thread I have had further blood tests and have been told the following:

BG is now classed as pre-diabetic - but they still want me to stay on the Metformin
Liver and kidney function are perfectly normal
Cholesterol level is 5 - they want it under 4 even though I am pre-diabetic
Almost non-functioning thyroid gland so now on tablets for that

The thyroid is the most interesting part for me as I have been saying for nearly 2 years that there is something wrong. I don't over eat or have lots of unhealthy food, as a vegetarian for over 30 years I eat tons of veg and protein. Walk for over an hour every day - yet I am still obese. My doctor has at last admitted that this might be the reason!!!! Why is it that although we are all different the medical profession insists on treating us all the same!!!!

I have also had for the past 18 months pins and needle feelings in my legs and feet, neck problems, no feeling at all in part of my left hand and suspected carpel tunnel in my right hand, dry eye, pressure headaches, migraines and very dry skin all of which I now know are low thyroid issues. I could have had this sorted and on the road to recovery instead of sitting here at this time of night pouring this all out on the forum. All for the want of a blood test. Also I might never have been diagnosed with diabetes in the first place.

I don't want to swear on this forum but as I type this I am crying because of the hard work that I have put in over the years and the s++t I have got back from doctors, consultants and dieticians. I truly believed that the Hippocratic oath was 'First do no harm', but that obviously does not include making us feel like nothing and treating our thoughts and feelings as insignificant.

I have still not taken the Statin prescribed by my GP and as I now know that the side effects of the medication and the symptoms of an under active thyroid are the same I am not going to. Also the thyroid issue can effect your cholesterol so until I have my next blood test in 6 weeks I am not going to take them, if the thyroid medication has reduced the cholesterol then I can go back to my GP and say I told you so.

I think I have reached the end of my tether with all of this - I have decided that I am not going to see my GP unless I have to and to only deal with the nurses at my practice. Hopefully this medication will help me with weight loss and I can kick start my new life.

I'm sorry to rant on this site as you all have your own issues to deal with and some are life threatening - but I have got to let this out before I go mad.
 
What used to be called 'bed side manner' is generally lacking thesedays Forty Six. It's a terrible state of affairs but sadly, we all see it.

But, on the positive side of things, 3 of your first 4 points are all positive. I don't know about the thyroid thing but getting down to pre diabetic level is good and I can understand them wanting to keep you on metformin because of that. Cholesterol at 5 is a bit high and again, I can see why they want to get it down. Having good liver and kidney function results too is very good.

There are very sadly some people on this forum who are in a right old mess so I wouldn't let an obtuse or grumpy old GP get to me when much of what you say about your results is actually quite good.
 
I only just found this thread and I agree that it's really difficult to know what or who to believe. I was diagnosed last August as T2, I have lost 32% of my body weight, down from just over 13st to just under 9st, and have just had my second Hba1 in 6 months, both of which have me in the absolutely normal range not the pre-diabetic or diabetic range and all other tests are completely normal too. My doctor says that he's not allowed to say I'm 'cured' but that it appears I have reversed my diagnosis and that I am the first time he has ever seen such a reduction in numbers in such a short space of time. I am however maintaining a very low carb diet so the big question that someone already mentioned here is what would my BG and HBa1 be if I was not low carbing? I'm not willing to take the risk of finding out and like many others on here I'm just happy to have got my numbers down, lost the weight and feel healthier and happier than I have for years. Well done to anyone who achieves that!
 

The research done by Taylor's team say an average of 15% weight loss is required to halt the decline so your 32% is highly likely enough. You also increased your chances by dieting so soon after diagnosis. The big unknown is how much of your beta cell mass is permanently damaged and how much was metabolically inhibited but started working after the islets were unblocked but, if your FPG and HBA1c are within normal range, there is no reason to suppose that it should get worse as long as you don't return to bad old ways. You can probably relax some aspects of your diet and eat quite normally if you avoid the obvious sweet stuff and some of the white carbs. My GP was the same, 'how have you done that?' As Roy Taylor states though, it requires, 'well motivated individuals'.

One of the main reasons for not going onto medication is that it gives you plenty of incentive to take things seriously. I think that too many people think the meds will sort everything out for them and that they don't need to do anything.
 
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