Permission for Remission?

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NeoUser

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Just wondering if anyone who is trying for remission or who is in remission spoke to their GP/DSN about going for it first?
I saw my GP yesterday and I said I am going for remission and they asked how. When I said lowering carb intake and basically trying to lose weight, they said I should have discussed it with them first. From a medical point of view I get that they need to know anything which will impact my medications etc, but in reality getting an appointment just to tell them I'm trying to lose weight seems a bit of waste of appointment. It's not like I will be in remission before next appointment anyways.... Surely that's the whole point of having diabetes reviews...?
 
Great thread title :rofl:

I think folks who wanted to try the Newcastle 800 diet in the early days found it helpful to get the support of their GP, or at least keep them in the loop?
 
Looking back, I wish my GP had something to offer re weight loss. (His only comment at DX was, "Try not to lose too much weight". Thanks, mate!)

I lost a lot of muscle mass because I was too clueless, and nobody was advising me, to do some strength/resistance training while I was losing weight.
 
My thoughts are that most GPs haven't a clue about how you would go about achieving remission and in some cases seem to want the thwart it by telling people diabetes is progressive and not to test and not to go low carb and to eat low fat. I appreciate that with some diabetes medications, you need to be careful with dietary changes, so in those circumstances it would be wise, but Drs should be advising people to change their diet and try to lose some weight in the first instance of diagnosis, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that people are doing that. It should be expected. 🙄 Ok, maybe remission might not be everyone's goal but perhaps only because they are not aware it may be possible, but does the goal matter when the route is the same as managing diabetes well via changing diet and weight loss, which are the things they should have been advised to do anyway.

The only thing I can think is that the GP could perhaps have prescribed you the Newcastle diet or would have welcomed the opportunity to monitor and catalogue your journey with a view to learning how best to advise others.
 
I just said I'd prefer to go down the diet & exercise route first rather than medication. My last HBa1c indicated I was below pre diabetic levels. His advice was that I'm clearly doing something right, so to continue doing what I'm doing. I'd very much like to be in the same position next year when my next HBa1c is due and might then consider I'm in "remission"...
 
NeoUser said:
Just wondering if anyone who is trying for remission or who is in remission spoke to their GP/DSN about going for it first?
I saw my GP yesterday and I said I am going for remission and they asked how. When I said lowering carb intake and basically trying to lose weight, they said I should have discussed it with them first. From a medical point of view I get that they need to know anything which will impact my medications etc, but in reality getting an appointment just to tell them I'm trying to lose weight seems a bit of waste of appointment. It's not like I will be in remission before next appointment anyways.... Surely that's the whole point of having diabetes reviews...?
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I just did it, didn't tell them, and just get told 'keep doing what you're doing.'

I'm only on low dose Metformin, though. People on other T2 drugs do need to be a bit more careful.

You may be surprised at how quick it can be turned around. I went from 83 to 36 in three months and lost 3 stone.
 
Not in my case, but I had already stopped taking metformin after 6 weeks on my DN's advice as it was giving me painful stomach cramps. She was happy for me to try diet control to see how I got on. Fortunately I got on just fine.
 
To be honest, I think my GP would have laughed if I had said that. He as very much of the "progressive disease" thinking. I just tried to do my best, which led to remission within a few months.

In terms of when it was recognised, that came about during a lively discussion with a different GP in the practise. She was saying things, "....but everyone who has diabetes....", when I responded along the lines of, ...."When do I get any credit for achieving the results I have done?"

She actually apologised and did say that I was very unusual etc., etc.

To be fair this was 8 or 9 years ago now, but I would always advise someone newly diagnosed to set out their stall, giving themselves a couple of targets, but not too specific. Like, lowering blood glucose whilst still having a decent life and/or, maybe being a little more active, which can be anything from parking further from the front door of the supermarket, to achieving x miles aweek.
 
Hi just looking for some advice/ thoughts
a year july ago I was diagnosed type 2 with an hbA1c of 117. Prescribed metformin 1000 am 1000 pm and dapagliflozin 10mg once a day
by oct I’d lost weight was restricting carbs and hbA1c had dropped to 62
jan it had dropped again and by April it was 35 so metformin was halved to 500 am 500 pm dapagliflozin remained the same 4 weeks ago was tested again and my hbA1c had upped slightly to 37 Today at my review I was taken off metformin completely but kept on dapagliflozin
I’m a bit worried about ceasing all metformin
 
MrPixels said:
I just said I'd prefer to go down the diet & exercise route first rather than medication. My last HBa1c indicated I was below pre diabetic levels. His advice was that I'm clearly doing something right, so to continue doing what I'm doing. I'd very much like to be in the same position next year when my next HBa1c is due and might then consider I'm in "remission"...
Click to expand...

Very much like my wife did, told she prediabetic so decided to go on a diet & lost 5 stone in just over a year, so it did help matters as all bloods since have been normal, think her last check maybe year ago her hba1c was 34.

Sometimes you have to make decisions for yourself when it comes to your own health, although wife's gp did fully endorse Slimming World diet she followed.
 
Anji53 said:
Hi just looking for some advice/ thoughts
a year july ago I was diagnosed type 2 with an hbA1c of 117. Prescribed metformin 1000 am 1000 pm and dapagliflozin 10mg once a day
by oct I’d lost weight was restricting carbs and hbA1c had dropped to 62
jan it had dropped again and by April it was 35 so metformin was halved to 500 am 500 pm dapagliflozin remained the same 4 weeks ago was tested again and my hbA1c had upped slightly to 37 Today at my review I was taken off metformin completely but kept on dapagliflozin
I’m a bit worried about ceasing all metformin
Click to expand...
Wow, great stuff to bring your hba1c down like that, and now at 37. Many worry about coming off Metformin (and other tablets) but I guess there's no way of knowing if you can do without it unless you come off. Interesting they kept you on the dapagliflozin. Did they say they might take you off that in the future too?
 
NeoUser said:
Wow, great stuff to bring your hba1c down like that, and now at 37. Many worry about coming off Metformin (and other tablets) but I guess there's no way of knowing if you can do without it unless you come off. Interesting they kept you on the dapagliflozin. Did they say they might take you off that in the future too?
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They kept the dapagliflozin as apparently it’s v good for the heart
I also take a statin , although my cholesterol is apparently fine and have been taking levothyroxine for 40 years ( under active thyroid)
I’m 70 and find it all very confusing I wish they had tested for diabetes when I had my annual check for my thyroid. Then maybe I could have stopped the diabetes developing
 
harbottle said:
I just did it, didn't tell them, and just get told 'keep doing what you're doing.'

I'm only on low dose Metformin, though. People on other T2 drugs do need to be a bit more careful.

You may be surprised at how quick it can be turned around. I went from 83 to 36 in three months and lost 3 stone.
Click to expand...
Like you I have learnt to keep any conversation with the GP or the nurse to the minimum. It is easier.
 
Anji53 said:
I’m 70 and find it all very confusing I wish they had tested for diabetes when I had my annual check for my thyroid. Then maybe I could have stopped the diabetes developing
Click to expand...
It's frustrating to think that if you'd known you could have prevented as much as possible. But, you'd done a phenomenal job to bring your hba1c down from 117 to 35 and now 37. When you restricted your carb intake did you cut certain ones out completely or just minimised how often you were having them? Are you still restricting your carbs?
 
Sharron1 said:
Like you I have learnt to keep any conversation with the GP or the nurse to the minimum. It is easier.
Click to expand...
Easier but sad in a way that it 'has to be' like this :(
 
Anji53 said:
Hi just looking for some advice/ thoughts
a year july ago I was diagnosed type 2 with an hbA1c of 117. Prescribed metformin 1000 am 1000 pm and dapagliflozin 10mg once a day
by oct I’d lost weight was restricting carbs and hbA1c had dropped to 62
jan it had dropped again and by April it was 35 so metformin was halved to 500 am 500 pm dapagliflozin remained the same 4 weeks ago was tested again and my hbA1c had upped slightly to 37 Today at my review I was taken off metformin completely but kept on dapagliflozin
I’m a bit worried about ceasing all metformin
Click to expand...

That's an impressive reduction.
When my metformin was cut (1000 to 500) my next hba1c was slightly up (I believe that there is some margin of error, though) but the next one was back down again.

I was told I could stop it if I wanted, but decided to keep on it as I have no side effects. Not entirely sure if 500mg is doing much, though, as when I forgot to take it for about a week I didn't see any difference in readings.
 
I wish I’d been given the the option of cutting again rather than stopping but wasn’t.
 
Anji53 said:
I wish I’d been given the the option of cutting again rather than stopping but wasn’t.
Click to expand...
stopping completely is like going cold turkey isn't it? I actually thought it's more effective to cut down slowly over a period of time so that you don't experience any withdrawal effects - not that I know there's any withdrawal side effects other than maybe a raise in BS? Have you noticed anything?
 
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