Getting off meds

[Grogg1]

Talking to my Brother In Law today who has been type 2 for about 10 years (he's almost 70) and on insulin tablets now, has had eye problems etc. I was saying I missed my tablet last night (metformin) and my waking BS was 5.3 which is normal for me. He berated me saying I must keep up with my meds, they are important etc.

I said I aimed to reduce/give up meds if I can get my diet right. He said impossible. I think not.

He continues to eat bread, potatoes, rice etc. each day and watches portion size and fat not carbs. I do opposite.

Am I being unrealistic?

 

[grovesy]

It is not easy . You have to find a way to maintain eating most of time and can stick with long term.
I personally could not maintain the way I ate at initial diagnosis, though I did have 4 years without medication. I personally cut back on portion size and reduced my carbohydrate intake not low, and have maintained it for 3 years and reducing my medications from 3 to only 2 for the last 6 months.

 

[HOBIE]

T2 are very different to T1s. Your pancreas may work at 80% & his 40% who knows. Or other way around, good luck 🙂

 

[Grogg1]

T2 are very different to T1s. Your pancreas may work at 80% & his 40% who knows. Or other way around, good luck 🙂

We are both T2. How can you know what your pancreas work at? Is there a test that is routinely done?

 

[HOBIE]

I think the low carb option is the best way to go. High carbs is a test for anyone 🙂

 

[grovesy]

We are both T2. How can you know what your pancreas work at? Is there a test that is routinely done?

As far as am aware there is not one.

 

[Robin]

We are both T2. How can you know what your pancreas work at? Is there a test that is routinely done?

There is a test, called the c-peptide test, which can measure how much insulin production you've got, but it's very expensive, and doctors naturally aren't very keen on ordering it, because at the end of the day, they figure that provided they've worked out how to control your blood sugars, there's not much point in spending the money to get the figures. Of course, this assumes they've got the diagnosis right .....

 

[Grogg1]

. Of course, this assumes they've got the diagnosis right .....

Are you alluding to having T1 or T2 or just to having diabetes in general?

 

[Robin]

Are you alluding to having T1 or T2 or just to having diabetes in general?

Sorry, didn't explain that very well. I meant that,
1) the c-peptide test can be useful in determining how much insulin your pancreas is producing, but it's up to the doctor to interpret the result. If you're producing a lot of insulin, it's normally indicative of type 2. If you're not producing enough, it could mean that either you're really a type 1, or you are a type 2 but need Insulin to support your flagging pancreas.
2) If the doctor is unwilling to order a c- peptide test on grounds of cost, because s/he feels that the treatment prescribed is working, then that's fine as far as it goes. If the meds stop working, though, or aren't working as well as they could, it can then be a bit of trial and error finding what does work, causing anxiety and high levels for the patient, until the right solution is found. In such cases, I feel that maybe if the doctor had ordered a c-peptide test, it would have resulted in good blood sugar control a bit sooner. (I can think of a couple of members of the forum who were messed around for ages being treated as straightforward type 2s, one turned out to be type 1 and one turned out to be a sub-type of Type 2 called MODY. In both cases, it took a long time for them to get a correct diagnosis, and in the meantime they had a long struggle with high levels that weren't responding to treatment.)

 

[trophywench]

Plus of course Robin - it doesn't tell you how much longer you'll carry on producing X amount of insulin - cos it can't. Only what you produced at the time when they took the blood sample! The latter is in the lap of the Gods to some extent - however - I believe we all have to try to not leave it quite so much to chance, in whatever ways we can, don't we?

 

[Grogg1]

Thank you for the replies. So assuming I'm type 2 my insulin production could still give up the ghost? There is no way to keep it functioning?

 

[Robin]

Thank you for the replies. So assuming I'm type 2 my insulin production could still give up the ghost? There is no way to keep it functioning?

It's not all doom and gloom. Many people with Type 2 find that with good control, they can keep their blood sugars to near normal levels, and never get to the stage where their pancreas starts to give up the ghost.