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Finally got around to joining....

E

eastangle61

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
In remission from Type 2
Have been lurking for a while, have benefited hugely from all the experiences & advice, so thought it was time to actually join in.

The thread on locarb bread options at supermarkets (or rather, the discontinuation of them) was the trigger :D

Was diagnosed about 2 years ago - most probably as a result of being on steroids for a rare-ish autoimmune condition 9 years ago. Appaz the protocol for steroid use is an initial HbA1C test before starting, then according to NICE, test every 3 months. Well the initial test happened and the GP scheduled the next one for .... 7 years later! Hmmm...

In much better news, the specialist diabetes nurse was fab. First options she gave were meds, then the "soup & shakes" diet (massive weight gain from the steroids) then the diet & lifestyle approach from Prof Taylor. Back into remission level with 5 months, yay!

Been up & down since then, but always under 48 mmol/mol.

Only confusing thing is that I've seen the 48 mol/mol level mentioned loads of places, but the specialist nurse says 43 is "borderline". Down to interpretation i suppose! The 6 monthly tests vary between 39 & 44 which feels like "good enough" for me with every else going on.

Use a CGM which really helps me understand response to foods on steroid & non-steroid days - it varies hugely! Be great if the price of those could come down...

Interested in any other experiences from those on 'roids as its another level of complication to deal with!
 
eastangle61 said:
Only confusing thing is that I've seen the 48 mol/mol level mentioned loads of places, but the specialist nurse says 43 is "borderline". Down to interpretation i suppose! The 6 monthly tests vary between 39 & 44 which feels like "good enough" for me with every else going on.
Click to expand...

43 is in the zone generally know as pre-diabetes, or 'at risk', which is where the nurse is coming from, and would be an appropriate thing to say to someone who's come up into the zone from previously normal readings. The confusion arises because the current definition of remission is 3 months or more below 48 without taking any diabetes medication, but that only applies to those who have brought their BG into the zone from diabetes level. They are, therefore, both 'at risk' and 'in remission', which appears contradictory.

When I was going for remission the definition was two HbA1c results in normal range, 6 months apart, without taking any diabetes medication. I don't know why Diabetes UK, the American Diabetes Association, and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes got together and changed it.

Well done on your diabetes management and welcome to the forum.
 
Hi and welcome! Glad you decided to stop lurking and join in properly! Sounds like you've already come such a long way with managing things, especially with the added challenges of steroids - not easy at all. Huge congrats on getting to remission levels so quickly, that’s a massive achievement!
It’s great to hear your diabetes nurse was supportive and gave you a range of options. And yes, the HbA1c cut-offs can definitely feel a bit murky - 48 is generally the diagnosis point, but some professionals use 42–47 as a warning zone, so your nurse might just be being extra cautious. You’re clearly keeping a really good handle on it, especially considering everything else going on.
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
 
Martin.A said:
43 is in the zone generally know as pre-diabetes, or 'at risk', which is where the nurse is coming from, and would be an appropriate thing to say to someone who's come up into the zone from previously normal readings. The confusion arises because the current definition of remission is 3 months or more below 48 without taking any diabetes medication, but that only applies to those who have brought their BG into the zone from diabetes level. They are, therefore, both 'at risk' and 'in remission', which appears contradictory.

When I was going for remission the definition was two HbA1c results in normal range, 6 months apart, without taking any diabetes medication. I don't know why Diabetes UK, the American Diabetes Association, and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes got together and changed it.

Well done on your diabetes management and welcome to the forum.
Click to expand...
Ah that makes things so much clearer, thankyou @Martin.A
 
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