trying to reduce my medication

[jonhg78]

this is the first time i have ever posted on a message board i have lived with type 2 diabetes for some years now not really managed it properly until i made a resolution in jan to do something about it the first thing i did was bought a Dexcom one than started doing a bit of walking at this point my hb1c was close to 80 i was on 2000mg metformin per day and 320mg gliclazide

once i started wearing the dexacom my base line on my sugars was up in the 14s and above but by this time i had just started to walk 10 miles per day

having the ability to watch how eating different foods effected my sugars in real time i started to change my diet at the same time still walking 10 miles per day i completely cut sugar out of my drinks and nearly virtually completely out of my diet reduced my carbs

i noticed close to the end of jan my sugars especialy on a night were going to low down to 3 so stopped taking the gliclazide after about 3 days i noticed that i could not get my sugars below 10 so i started on 80mg in a morning and night and continued to walk 10 miles per day

mid feb i got my hb1c of 59 which i thought was good and my dialy cal intake was round 2000 cal however outgoing was over 4000 this resulted in losing weight by mid to late march i had lost 15kg gone down from double xxl to l in t-shirts and felt i was losing weight to quick

decided to join the gym and try and do some strength work which i have never done before and stop the 10 miles a day do as much walking as i could and introduce extra carbs into my diet and taking protein supplements as best i can i have done that for 2 months

my most recent hb1c this week was 39 which i was very please with but its alot of work my fitness levels now are great so i have decided to start cycling to work every morning and reduce my gliclazide to 40mg in a morning and 40mg in a night

my sugars have gone back up over the last 2 days by about 1 i also have neuropathy and have not been getting the support i need from the nhs

everything i have done has been with the help of my dexacom device and google i know the neuropathy is not reversable but would like to try and reverse the diabetes if anyone else has tried this what did you do and how long did it take ?

 

[harbottle]

Great job in getting your hba1c down!
Not everyone can 'reverse' T2 diabetes, but many can control it with diet and exercise.

I got my hba1c from 83 to 36 in 3 months after diagnosis by losing weight and cutting carbs plus getting in a daily walk - I am now only on 500mg of Metformin (Which I was told I could stop.) Halving the Metformin from 1000mg over a year ago didn't affect hba1c, so I suspect removing it completely won't make a difference.

Catching it early helps.

If stopping medication causes levels to rise, it is probably better to keep taking it.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @jonhg78

Thanks for sharing your story - and congratulations on the amazing work you have been putting in since January.

Sounds like the Dexcom is really helping you - it’s such a shame similar devices are not made more widely available to T2s who would be able to make as good use of them as you have.

Sounds like you’ve been careful to adjust your meds alongside the changes you’ve made to your activity levels, and the weight you have been losing. Losing weight can help you become more sensitive to the insulin you are producing, so your increased fitness and weight loss will have really helped.

Were you experiencing the neuropathy before January? If not, there is a chance it might be a transient form which can be triggered by rapid improvements in blood glucose management. Either way, aiming for relatively stable glucose levels without erratic rises and falls and as in-range as possible seems to help reduce symptoms and slow any progress.

Keep doing what you are doing!

 

[jonhg78]

Welcome to the forum @jonhg78

Thanks for sharing your story - and congratulations on the amazing work you have been putting in since January.

Sounds like the Dexcom is really helping you - it’s such a shame similar devices are not made more widely available to T2s who would be able to make as good use of them as you have.

Sounds like you’ve been careful to adjust your meds alongside the changes you’ve made to your activity levels, and the weight you have been losing. Losing weight can help you become more sensitive to the insulin you are producing, so your increased fitness and weight loss will have really helped.

Were you experiencing the neuropathy before January? If not, there is a chance it might be a transient form which can be triggered by rapid improvements in blood glucose management. Either way, aiming for relatively stable glucose levels without erratic rises and falls and as in-range as possible seems to help reduce symptoms and slow any progress.

Keep doing what you are doing!

the neuropathy started 2020 just prior to lock down but i didn't know what it was the gp was no help as time progressed the pain got to the point i could hardly walk that's when i turned to google and in turn whent to the doctor and said i think i have neuropathy but i wasn't managing my diabetes properly its only this year i decided to get it in check however since i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes i have lost over 50kg in weight which in 3 batches from 140 to 120 from 120 to 105 than this year from 105 to 88 current

with regards to the progression of the neuropathy its only in the last week that i have had it out with the gp about refering me to figure out how much damage is done and what type it is they were happy to say its diabetic neuropathy which from my understanding is not a thing the diabetes is the cause but there are 4 or 5 different types of neuropathy cant remember of the top of my head think the aim for me is to keep as healty as possible and need to reduce the meds as best as possible given my sugars are in a normal range even if they go up slightly by reducing my meds im hoping over the next few months my body adapts to this and my sugars fall again only time will tell

 

[Burylancs]

everything i have done has been with the help of my dexacom device and google i know the neuropathy is not reversable but would like to try and reverse the diabetes if anyone else has tried this what did you do and how long did it take ?

Well done on your progress and determination in achieving Good Control of T2.

Unfortunately given the current state of knowledge it is not possible to 'reverse' T2 Diabetes. 'Reversal' was a fashionable buzzword from 2013 onwards but has now been largely abandoned and replaced by a new fashionable buzzword - 'remission'. Diabetes UK now cautions against using the word 'reverse/reversal' in relation to T2 ( check out their page on 'remission'). Give it a couple of years and we'll be back to basics and talking about Good Control.

Anyway well done again on your attitude and successes. How are the other markers doing - blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function, retinopathy, potassium etc. It's not just about bgs remember.

 

[jonhg78]

Well done on your progress and determination in achieving Good Control of T2.

Unfortunately given the current state of knowledge it is not possible to 'reverse' T2 Diabetes. 'Reversal' was a fashionable buzzword from 2013 onwards but has now been largely abandoned and replaced by a new fashionable buzzword - 'remission'. Diabetes UK now cautions against using the word 'reverse/reversal' in relation to T2 ( check out their page on 'remission'). Give it a couple of years and we'll be back to basics and talking about Good Control.

Anyway well done again on your attitude and successes. How are the other markers doing - blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function, retinopathy, potassium etc. It's not just about bgs rem