T2 hoping to cope without meds ?

Catherine007 said:

Hi guys
I just saw this forum, I am a diabetic 2 and have been taking Sitagliptin for 4 months, my levels were up and down and had constipation regularly and pains in my hands etc. couldn't take it anymore and Dr prescribed me another med and when I read the side effects couldn't believe it! I am exercising regularly and decided not to take any tablets. My level was 7.1 today(2.day without the med)it did go down to 6 once or twice with the med but it never ever goes to 5 anyway! So bearing up at the moment hope to put the diabetes into remission am I too hopeful?

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I don't think there is such a thing as too hopeful, provided it's not false hope... It's not like a temporary diet'll fix things permanently, for instance. But what is an option, if you want to go med free, is a low carb diet/lifestyle. There's a bunch of them out there, keto, carnivore, LCHF, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, etc etc, and many more if you google it.... But in the end it just comes down to you knowing what foods do what to your blood sugars. I mean, I'd not make my husband happy on a Scandinavian diet, as he deeply detests fish. (On his plate, anyway). For me it'd be bliss, I adore salmon and have it often. So... Find out what suits your taste, and your blood sugars, and go with that. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html should help some with that, as would dietdoctor.com , but yeah... Kick the high carb foods to the curb, and dare to hope. Kenny did it, I've done it, many here have done it with us, before us and will after us... It can be done, if it's something you feel good doing. It's a long haul thing, not a few weeks, but if it works, it works quite wonderfully.

One more thing, you said your level was 7.1 today, but honestly... That doesn't really tell us anything. Blood sugars fluctuate throughout the day. In the morning, dawn phenomenon may cause a rise on blood sugars before you've even eaten (the liver dumps glucose to help you start the day), and after a meal you may spike, or not, stay high too long, or not... So if you want to test effectively, test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. You're looking for a rise of no more and preferably less than 2.0 mmol. If you manage that, the meal is "safe" and worth repeating, if it's higher and you spike, it needs some rethinking and tweaking. Say, eggs with bacon won't cause so much as a blip, but cereal for breakfast could spike you hard and fast. That's the kind of information you want. If you manage to keep within that 2.0mmol/l or under aim, your over all blood sugar levels should eventually come down as well.

Maybe a bit too much information, but what it comes down to: Hope is more than allowed, it is encouraged. Take your time to see what works for you. You have options.

Good luck,
Jo

I truly believe that adopting a low carb way of eating is keeping my bs low, and therefore no need for meds.
And I initially lost 3 stone, now settled about 1 stone higher. It was keeping the bs low that was my driver, the weight loss a welcome side effect

Catherine007 said:

Hi guys
I just saw this forum, I am a diabetic 2 and have been taking Sitagliptin for 4 months, my levels were up and down and had constipation regularly and pains in my hands etc. couldn't take it anymore and Dr prescribed me another med and when I read the side effects couldn't believe it! I am exercising regularly and decided not to take any tablets. My level was 7.1 today(2.day without the med)it did go down to 6 once or twice with the med but it never ever goes to 5 anyway! So bearing up at the moment hope to put the diabetes into remission am I too hopeful?

Click to expand...

I too dumped the meds after 2 years of bowel issues. I had an understanding doctor at the time who continued to provide testing strips and 3 monthly HBA1c. (I used to take my spreadsheets to show her which she said allowed her to continue to prescribe them). The meds had helped me lose some weight so my levels were better than when diagnosed and after I ditched the meds I followed a lchf diet which turned into OMAD most days plus the occasional 48 hr fasts. I lost a bit more weight. The last few annual tests (6) classify me as pre-diabetic. However, the last one was a slightly higher reading and I recognised that I had become complacent and had allowed carb creep to occur. Still low carb but not full keto so 3 months ago decided to go all out keto, more fasts and some calorie reduction and usually one meal a day. Purchased some test strips (as my nice doctor had left) and monitor several times a day. Levels vary but taking my average (from the last 2 months) my fasting reading comes to 5.5. I find I get better fasting levels if I eat earlier in the evening but don't always stick to that and I also like to have a glass of wine in the evening. Just completed my first extended fast - 92 hours. Easier than I thought but I did have some home made bone broth instead of evening meal. Blood sugar levels bottomed out - marvellous down in the 4s after day 2 and last day 3s. Felt sharp and energised and also lost 3 lbs in weight. I too am aiming to go into full remission and am currently optimistic. My BMI is in the "normal" range but the killer is the waist measurement. Been re-reading a lot of the books that I first read when starting this journey and and one of them stated that this is more important as a measure of fat in the organs and should be less than half height. Being only 4ft 11.5 inches - this is tough but will keep it up. So my message to you is don't give up hope - there are methods that work for some and you may be one of them. Check out Time Restricted Eating, lchf, OMAD, fasting etc. and there is bound to be one that fits you.

I went keto as soon as I got home from the hospital, and after a very brief time on metformin, continued with diet only. 3 years now in non-diabetic readings, most days keto (it suits me well) some days very slightly higher carb, have lost a spectacular amount of weight and happy to continue this way for ever. I consider my diabetes "well controlled" rather than "cured" or "in remission"; it's all words but words are important to some of us. If I went back to eating a "normal" healthy diet with carbs in, my blood glucose readings would soar again, so to me, that isn't "cured". I do OMAD or time-restricted eating, depending on if/when I feel hungry.

I despise the "waist measurement" theory as individual conformation decides whereabouts on our bodies we carry weight, and we can't choose from where we lose it or in what order.