Share Your Progress!

[Trixie321]

That's wonderful news! Be very proud of what you have achieved.

Thank you

 

[Trixie321]

That's wonderful news! Be very proud of what you have achieved.

Thank you

 

[Trixie321]

That's wonderful news! Be very proud of what you have achieved.

thank you

 

[Trixie321]

Oh I am really sorry I did not realize I have to wait 3 months to be in remission i guess I got over excited! I will let you know in January after my blood test if I am still doing well and it is official.

 

[catinahat]

Oh I am really sorry I did not realize I have to wait 3 months to be in remission i guess I got over excited! I will let you know in January after my blood test if I am still doing well and it is official.

Well done on your results Trixie321
I don't think there is any official recognition of remission, at least no one has given me that title after more than a decade of results below 40 with no meds.
as far as we're concerned you are perfectly entitled to claim remission, why wait 3 months.

 

[Trixie321]

Well done on your results Trixie321
I don't think there is any official recognition of remission, at least no one has given me that title after more than a decade of results below 40 with no meds.
as far as we're concerned you are perfectly entitled to claim remission, why wait 3 months.

Thank you

 

[derekhansen]

I was diagnosed Type 2 with a HbA1c of 49 on the 9th September. I have been following a Low Carb. (65G average per day) regime without medication for the last 12 weeks. I had my 3 month review on Monday, following blood tests the previous week.
My HbA1c is now 37 and I have lost 16kg. My liver and kidney function is fine although my cholesterol level is up slightly. As you can imagine I am very pleased mainly because I dont have to take any medication. I am also encouraged because the Low Carb diet hasn't been too much of a struggle. Of course there have been temptations and frustrations but I have been able to eat plenty of food I enjoy and I havnt really felt hungry. At the moment I really feel I can stick with this diet this for the rest of my life (I am 61)

 

[Outlier]

That's impressive progress and will encourage so many others! Well done for your efforts - may you go from strength to strength.

 

[Damien Dufty]

I started a LCHF diet eight weeks ago. I have lost 2 stone and my blood glucose readings for the last three weeks have registered between 9 and 3.5, average of 6 over the three weeks. I stopped Lantus and Novorapid as my glucose readings were on the low side. I have today stopped Metformin to gauge the effect on my readings. They have been 6.1, 6.0, 6.1 and 5.8 so very stable. My last A1C was 47 five weeks ago so I imagine it will have fallen in the “normal range”.

Why aren’t all type 1 diabetics told that a LCHF diet can halt diabetes?

I have been trying to diet while taking insulin and Metformin. I’m 69 years old with MS and was diagnosed diabetic twelve years ago. I wish I’d been told earlier. In fact when I went over to insulin I was told I must ensure that I have carbs every meal to prevent hypos.

Congratulations @Aremjay. Well Done.

 

[Clase]

Congratulations @Aremjay. Well Done.

Well done. That's a real achievement.
I think there are quite a few of us who wished we'd known about low carb years ago rather than being given the 'diabetic diet'.

 

[Rushkami]

HbA1c in October was 109, January it was 68, this week its 45!

I'm so happy right now! But feeling guilty for having a bad food weekend...back on it tomorrow to keep it going down. I feel so much better with limited carbs and sugar aswell which is the main thing for me. Yay me! Or Metformin...not sure which has had the bigger impact. But still Yay!

 

[BarbaraG]

OK, I’m signing in here to share my progress towards better control…. hopefully remission, but the odds seem stacked against that.

I’ve had T2D for 26 years. Secondary to having binge eating disorder/obesity for most of my life - not an easy combination. In 2012/13 I lost over 7 stone and normalised my HbA1C without medication - having previously been on 2. I should say I was still technically obese at the lowest point. Sadly - familiar story - I lost control and regained weight.

Anyhow - a new start January just gone. I’ve eased my way into LCHF and now added intermittent fasting. Down 18lb and counting. BG coming down nicely. Over the past few days I have read a fair bit of the Roy Taylor twin cycle stuff, and it just makes so much sense.

So, I know the odds are stacked against me in terms of full remission. But an end to progression would be good.

Currently on metformin and Trulicity. HbA1C in January was 71 - although I think that was in part due to the statin they started me on last year, because there had been no other significant changes which would explain the increase from the previous year (56).

Recent (past week) average BG is 7.4, and estimated A1C based on that alone is 45. Based on the past 2.5 months I’ve been using Libre sensors, estimated A1C is 54. That included a month when I couldn’t get Trulicity thanks to national shortages.

Due another A1C in a month or so (because they prescribed me another med, and I declined it). I’ll update when that happens. Happy to answer questions.

 

[Eric8080]

I was diagnosed with T2 in 2016. I lost a little weight on diagnosis (from 17st to 15st) which helped but I couldn’t get lower.

I had maxed out on 1g of Metformin and was on an escalating dose of dapagliflozin (which initially helped a little with weight loss).

My GP practice doesn’t have Mounjaro on their formulary and so a year ago I started to purchase online.

My latest HbA1c is 38 (down from 69 on other medication). I’m at 12st (BMI 25). Off all other diabetes related medication (including ramipril for increasing hypertension). I increased my dose and have been at 12.5mg now for 5 months - that works well and everything has stabilised.

I’ve also decreased my statin dose (often with T2 we’re pushed to have very low cholesterol levels - that can be a risk, especially as other health improvements kick in. Equally low dose statins have a whole range of general health benefits - anti inflammatory etc so I would want to stop completely)

For me the side effects from metformin were worse than for Mounjaro. I used a CGM for a while as I wanted to make sure my blood sugar levels were ok as I increased the Mounjaro and decreased the metformin & dapagliflozin. My GP practice knew my plan but had little or no experience so I was relatively ‘on my own’ - I’ve since spoke to them and the local pharmacy about providing some simple coaching for folks in a similar position.

I exercise more (mainly walking), I take food-state multivitamin supplements and have made a conscious effort to eat a better diet & drink less alcohol - all easier on this drug. My previously diagnosed Fatty liver (NASH) has resolved - confirmed on MRI in December - a useful & related side benefit I think.

If I have one gripe it’s that I (we here in the UK) can access all other T2 treatments that are less effective for ‘free’ on the NHS but struggle to access the ones that seem to work most effectively. Hopefully that will change and overall I’m please with my new lease of life & improved health.


(mod edit to comply with forum ethos)

 

[Grant_Vicat]

I’ve also decreased my statin dose (often with T2 we’re pushed to have very low cholesterol levels - that can be a risk, especially as other health improvements kick in. Equally low dose statins have a whole range of general health benefits - anti inflammatory etc so I would want to stop completely)

It makes a change to read balanced views regarding statins. Do you have a link to these views so that other members can access the information for themselves?

 

[Eric8080]

It makes a change to read balanced views regarding statins. Do you have a link to these views so that other members can access the information for themselves?

No problem. Some of the prescribing practice is geographical ie.different countries vary in their recommendations:

• NICE (UK) recommends statins for people with a 10-year CVD risk ≥10%, and more aggressive LDL targets in people with existing CVD or diabetes.
• American guidelines (ACC/AHA) focus less on LDL targets and more on overall risk stratification and shared decision-making.

Although my LDL was always normal I was prescribed a high dose statin - interestingly my inflammatory markers (CRP) ran high when I stopped taking statins altogether so I went back on the lower dose. On discussion with my GP the low-grade inflammatory issue was most likely my greater risk for CVD etc.

The JUPITER trial supported the low dose ant/ anti-inflammatory effects of statin therapy generally.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.868299?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Here’s a separate link regarding comparative benefits and side effects.

Prevention and management of statin adverse effects: A practical approach for pharmacists - PMC

Statin-associated adverse effects, primarily muscle-related symptoms, occur in up to approximately one-third of patients in clinical practice. Recently, a Canadian Consensus Working Group outlined 6 key principles to assess and manage patients with ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

For me the key was talking through the relative risks and benefits with my GP - I’m waiting for my next CRP check on the low dose treatment so will post when I get it.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Thank you for the links @Eric8080 , they are particularly interesting to me. Twenty-sixyears ago I was put on Pravastatin and put up with muscle ache for years. I was put on Simvastatin in 2011. All was well at first. On the morning of Good Friday I finished playing for a church service and felt really itchy. I discovered that I had 3 types of rash, including giant urticaria all over the body. I was eventually seen by a dermatologist at the local hospital who wanted to know all my circumstances leading up to the coverage. I told him that I had been gardening under the hot sun the previous afternoon. "Ah, that is the catalyst. You are allergic and I am therefore instructing your GP to take you off statins." I have not taken one since and my cholesterol readings have remained excellent. I realise that they certainly have their benefits.

 

[Eric8080]

Thank you for the links @Eric8080 , they are particularly interesting to me. Twenty-sixyears ago I was put on Pravastatin and put up with muscle ache for years. I was put on Simvastatin in 2011. All was well at first. On the morning of Good Friday I finished playing for a church service and felt really itchy. I discovered that I had 3 types of rash, including giant urticaria all over the body. I was eventually seen by a dermatologist at the local hospital who wanted to know all my circumstances leading up to the coverage. I told him that I had been gardening under the hot sun the previous afternoon. "Ah, that is the catalyst. You are allergic and I am therefore instructing your GP to take you off statins." I have not taken one since and my cholesterol readings have remained excellent. I realise that they certainly have their benefits.

Interesting stuff. I’ve generally pushed to have most things de prescribed as my health / diabetes improved. If I don’t seem my CRP return to normal (the trend has been slightly elevated for a year) I’ll most likely scrap the low dose statin too! Will keep you posted