Type 2 and tablets

[David Forfar]

I am HBa1/c 54 waS 48 till lockdown and lack of excercise and pigging out.
been type 2 for5 years on one sukkarto a day.
i wonder about life expectancy but have been assured by experts that theses days we know a lot more about it and you are aware of it sooner before it can do major damage
and take action you expectancy should be normal.
Perhaps somebody can answer if you do have to increase the dose it does not mean that you will end up on injections of insulin.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. If you are a T2 and not a mis-diagnosed T1 (LADA) then you may well never need to move to insulin. With a low-carb diet and Metformin (Sukkarto) you may well be able to control your BS and weight throughout much of your life. Your HBa1C is currently OK but you need to avoid it going up further. What is your BMI? If you are slim it is always possible that you are actually a T1 but that level of HBa1C after 5 years implies T2.

 

[Becka]

You are correct, if you have your dose increased it does not mean you will eventually need to take insulin.

From one tablet per day there is plenty more scope with drug treatment before insulin would be considered. There are other types of drugs which can be taken in addition to increasing your Metformin dose.

The specific reasons for your diabetes means you may never need to change what you take now, let alone increase your dose to need other drugs. And some people are able to make lifestyle changes which mean they stop needing drug treatment at all.

But most people who are type 2 will never need to take insulin. I think the total number of diabetics, for all types, who take insulin is around 40%.

From what you have said, it does not sounds like there is any reason for you to think you would become one of them. Although if you have a specific reason to be concerned then you would need to speak to your doctor as they would be able to answer based on your circumstances.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Some years ago HCPs would often seem to tell people that T2 was inevitably progressive - which hardly seemed very encouraging to someone newly diagnosed.

These days large studies have demonstrated the possibility in some people for ’remission’ or ‘reversal’ (which is more what we have seen on the forum over the years. If you tailor your menu to fit with the foods and specifically the types and amounts of carbs that your body can process, then well managed glucose levels seem possible for. any people, and a significant number seem to be able to reduce or do away with meds and still maintain near non-d HbA1c results.

As a T1, doing away with meds is not an option for me, so I am less bothered if a person needs a little medication support... ut I have k own folks who have maintained great BG results on D&E for 10 years just by eating in harmony with their metabolism.