Progressive disease

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portman

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Type 2
I have had type 2 diabetes now for eight years and have managed so far to control it on diet and exercise alone.

I know diabetes is a progressive disease so what I'd like to know is, what is the longest anyone has managed before having to take tablets or injections?
 
Hi Portman

Cant answer your question as was only diagnosed in Sept 2008 but brilliant to hear you have managed to control it on diet and exercise for 8 years - as that is what I am planning to do....so I would also be interested in any replies! :D
 
portman said:
I have had type 2 diabetes now for eight years and have managed so far to control it on diet and exercise alone.

I know diabetes is a progressive disease so what I'd like to know is, what is the longest anyone has managed before having to take tablets or injections?
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Dear Portman,

I was diagnosed a type 2 on Tuesday 4th January 1994 (10.30 am). For the 1st 3 years I was on Metformin. However, I have been diet controlled for the last 12 years. Ofcourse you can be sure that my Diet is NOT that recommended by Diabetes UK! (I use a controlled carbohydrate approach).

Regards Dodger
 
Thanks dodger.

I asume you mean you are eating less carbohydrates than recommended in a balanced diet. Is yours a diet you have come up with by yourself or a recognised alternative? I would be very interested to know the details as it is clearly working very successfully for you.
 
And so would I dodger if you dont mind. One thing that concerns me slightly - I have always thought that if you exercise you need more carbs (I'm a runner - upto 12 miles a week at the moment) - does anyone have a view on this? Ordinarily I try to do low carbs but as I am only monitoring using diastix I cant really tell how exercise/carbs affects my BG levels?
 
Dear Portman,

I was afraid you would ask about my Diet! It is NOT conventional and Diabetes UK and probably a number of people on this message board would either advise you against it or would find it difficult to stick to! What I used to do was to measure my BS before a meal then note the carb content of a meal and then monitor my BS 1 hour after the meal and then two hours. My target is less than 6.9mmol/L after 1 hour and back to the pre meal value after 2 hours. If the target was exceeded, I would then lower the carb content the next time I ate that meal. This as you can imagine is a bit of a bind so after about a year I cut back drastically on carbs until a urine test showed positive for ketones, then I just increase the carbs a little until no ketones are detected, then I repeat the cycle. I have found that over the years the amount of carbs I can tolerate has decreased because, as you point out, Type 2 is progressive. Because of this, on average, I test positive for keytones 50% of the time. Now, I must point out that I did not do this without first consulting with my GP. At first she was dubious but after a year or so was enthusiastic because of the wonderful (her words) results that I get (she has put her husband on it now). My A1cs have never been above 5.8% and my average fasting BS is running at 5.7% currently. One bonus I got on this Diet is triglicerides of 0.9mmol/L (compare this with the target Diabetes UK recommends). At my last annual check-up my diabetes nurse said she had never seen a diabetic with such a good trigliceride level. So, in summary, IT IS NOT EASY, but if you can stick to it - it works! BTW, you can find a similar protocol to the one I started with in "Blood Sugar 101 - What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes, By Jenny Ruhl" she is much better at explaining things than me!

Regards Dodger
 
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Dear Corrine,

Exercise is MOST important and I used to run every day. Unfortunately, I fractured my ancle backpacking in the Welsh mountains 18 months ago and since then I find I cannot run but I do walk a lot! (I am 68 years old). There is no question that if you exercise you can tolerate more carbs and still meet you BS targets. I can only tell you that I have been backpacking whilst my urine showed positive for ketones and it makes NO difference to my energy levels. The human body can run very well on ketones just as it can on carbs! There are many studies showing that the human body does NOT need carbs and indeed some traditional hunter-gatherers (e.g. The Inuit) think that plant foods are only for animals. BTW please get yourself a blood glucose monitor it is INVALUABLE!
 
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Please follow advise with caution

Please be aware that every diabetic is different and there are no hard and fast rules - if you are going to change your lifestyle as a result of reading a post on this board - please proceed with caution. Whilst I do low carb (not as rigidly as Dodger!) and used to do an awful lot of exercise, I did take more carbs then as I do not believe ketones are good for your body. I found when doing sustained periods of exercise little and often really worked - such as 1 glucose tablet every 30mins- 1 hour kept my levels stable. Again - this is a personal experience and everyone must find their own level.
 
Similiar Query and I'm confussed

Hi All,

It is great to hear how well you guys are doing on diet and exercise. My GP told me yesterday that I am only on my Metformin at present until I have a baby. (I have been trying for 6 months and find out next week if I am physically going to be able to conceive - I attend a pre conception clininc every month).

I was dianosed in April with sugar levels of 23, colestral of 7.7. My GP also pointed out yesterday that before he could put a face to my name, he thought they had miss diagnosed someone - which is good to hear as my results yesterday were 4.7 bloods with HbA1c 5.6. and colestral at 5. He said it is as if I am not diabetic - but I am (I assume he means my body is functioning normally on medication and can do so without with well controlled diet and exercise) and I know I am diabetic (does that make sense?).

Does this mean in therory that I could come of medication completly for potentially at least another 10 years provided I continue to eat well and excerise?. I have lost 3 stone since April.

Very Confused me :(
 
Dear Admin,

Thank you for pointing out something which I should have done! We are all different and what works for me may not work for others. You will note I am always careful to say "involve a professional". It is thought by some that keytones (we all know ketoacidocsis is dangerous) are dangerous, but that hypothesis NEEDS to be tested. BTW this site is terrific!
 
Thanks for the advice Dodger - especially as regards the monitor. Am seeing GP next week for annual review and will definitely ask for one. Now all I need is a cure for my needle phobia and I'll be well away!
 
Dizzydi said:
Hi All,

It is great to hear how well you guys are doing on diet and exercise. My GP told me yesterday that I am only on my Metformin at present until I have a baby. (I have been trying for 6 months and find out next week if I am physically going to be able to conceive - I attend a pre conception clininc every month).

I was dianosed in April with sugar levels of 23, colestral of 7.7. My GP also pointed out yesterday that before he could put a face to my name, he thought they had miss diagnosed someone - which is good to hear as my results yesterday were 4.7 bloods with HbA1c 5.6. and colestral at 5. He said it is as if I am not diabetic - but I am (I assume he means my body is functioning normally on medication and can do so without with well controlled diet and exercise) and I know I am diabetic (does that make sense?).

Does this mean in therory that I could come of medication completly for potentially at least another 10 years provided I continue to eat well and excerise?. I have lost 3 stone since April.

Very Confused me :(
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Dear Dizzydi,

Yes, a controlled carb approach can mean that you do not need meds (utimately we all will) for a good many years. However, take note of the post from Admin and be sure to get professional help before you start! In 15 years I still do not need meds but then we are all different!

Regards Dodger
 
Cheers Dodger!

C*5_Dodger said:
Dear Admin,

Thank you for pointing out something which I should have done! We are all different and what works for me may not work for others. You will note I am always careful to say "involve a professional". It is thought by some that keytones (we all know ketoacidocsis is dangerous) are dangerous, but that hypothesis NEEDS to be tested. BTW this site is terrific!
Click to expand...

Many thanks Dodger - I just have to put out words of caution now and then to remind everyone 🙂 !! Very greatful for your fab contributions xx
 
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