Progressive or Not?

I am just as curious as you are on this. The experts no matter their take on the treatment agree that it is progressive. What they don't say is what makes it progressive. By that I mean they don't have any actual cause and affect reasons for the progression that you can relate to your own case. They do say that if you keep yourself in control you will at the least slow the progression. i don't think they really understand anyway.

You could very well be at the point where you can reverse it. If you are controlling with diet and moderate exercise with no medications they it sure sounds like it. I believe that if you make your lifes goal to reverse this situation and go to a very controlled situation and not just a good control you can have a very good chance of reversing this. What I would recomment is take that moderate exercise and go up a stage or two. Take exercise serious and it will get easier. I have found what they say about the more you exercise the more you want to do. It feels good even if it does tire you out... The time spent in the gym may pay off in many years without diabetes. Beside a longer healthier life. I think everybody agrees with this. At your age there might be some form of a cure for you. The longer you can be healthy the better chance you will have of beating it.

Don't take this serious and you will face what so many of us already are confronting. I know two people in my family that have lost their sight because they did not get with the program. One of them died from heart failure because of diabetes. I cannot stress enough - take this serious and make it your life's goal to beat this and you probably will. I suggest you google Richard Bernstein. He is not for most people. His approach is not what I think you should read - it is more the information about the diabetes treatment overall that you should have a working knowledge of.

I don't understand what you mean by reverse. This will never go away. You can only keep it under very tight control. Go back to your mindless eating and leave everything to chance and throw caution to the wind it will just pop up right again. There are I'm sure plenty of diabetic people die from unrelated diseases who live to a ripe old age and die from other things. Many people keep it under control their whole lives. It's progressive if you let it be. People don't go blind in 1 day or loose their legs in 1 day. There are plenty of warning signs along the way, like constant moment in time bad glucose, constant bad A1C The purpose is to take the information, corelate it with what you are doing and make adjustments. This is not like catching a cold, a headache, or acid indigestion. But it is careful, meticulous, painsteaking, paying attention to small details. It's the ultimate in self help. It's constant naviagation, using, glucose meter, weight scale, diest scale,exercise equipment. You are both the navagator and the pilot. You are on a lifetime journey. Keep making adjustments and keep the plane on course and try to hit the landing strip. You've got some people so good at manuplating food to control blood sugar and weight not only can they hit the air strip they can hit the X on the airstrip. Think control and containment not cure

Steven, you are right. What the "experts" say is it can be reversed. I have wondered myself what they mean by that. If they mean that by controlling in the normal ranges and never exceeding beyond what a non-diabetic would yhou will sse non of the complications. Well, that is not reversing it as much as what you say living the life and not having the complications because you control so well. I take it that way myself, but "they" don't really go into any detail. I think becaue they don't know enough to make such a statement.

As far as going blind in one day(or whatever) - what I have read is t does happen. Not because one is out of range or abuses theirself to that point but because of some serious illness that requres surgery or hospitalization where great care was not given to the diabetes the patient has. This is from published accounts by a doctor whos patients did advance their complication in one or two days to the point of being blinded or loss of a limb. the orginal article was to tell the diabetic how to approach being hospitalized and what you should do.

After naybe 5-or more years pills stop working. Ideally diet & exercise would be best to control this. All pills I'm sure have side effects. Not really knowledgeable. But I know something about hyperinsulin. Most people according to Dr.Atkins are producing 20 times the amount of insulin of a non diabetic person. When they start taking insulin becaus of insulin resistance it does alot of damge to alot of your vital organs. It's called hyper insulin. Dr.Atkins is very knowledgeable. Millons of followers. He treated over 5000 diabetic patients in his practice. The man understands the body and how it functions. Everyone talks about how wonderful insulin injections are. People would be dead without it, true. Read some of Dr. Atkins writing and you will find out about the down side of hyer insulin Check in out

There is not enough insulin and diabetic pills in the world if you can't control your food intake. It's a mad vicious cycle. You eat too much , you put on weight, you max out meds, than put on more weight,more insulin resistance, go on insulin, 1 shot , put on more weight, cause more insulin resistance taking 2 3 shots, get the idea? It's a mad vicious cycle. It's progressive Of course after time your beta cells can stop producing insulin. That happens to,and that is not your fault. We can only try to control certain things. Somethings we can not control We should be in control what we put in our mouth. We can exercise, Monitor glucose, Monitor weight, Eat portion controlled food. Rember you want to sleigh the monster when it is small. You don't want to turn a molehill into a mountain. We have to understand the nature of the beast

Am,

If you can control your sugars without meds that is the best thing for your body. Unfortunately as we age our metabolism changes and you may find a need for some meds down the road a bit. I have probably had undiagnosed diabetes since 1975 when my son was born (that's when all the symptoms appeared) and wasn't started on meds until 10 years ago. During those 20 years without meds I was an active mom who was often dieting to control my weight and exercising for the same reasons. Most likely I was treating my undiagnosed diabetes in the way you are now. I have mild neuropathy in my hands and feet and minor kidney damage as well as some basic eye changes. I'm on lots of meds but I have a sincere trust in my physician. She and I have come to the same conclusion. Diet, exercise, meds, insulin... whatever it takes to keep those sugars down is what I have to do. The numbers are the bottom line for me.

You may still be in the begining stages of accepting this disease and sometimes it's overwhelming to realize how much it touches on your daily activities. Seems like everytime you turn around there is food being offered, advertised, and used for celebrations and holidays. Suddenly your life looks like walking through a mine field! It does become easier over time, honest. As you become comfortable with your daily choices you will find it less daunting and more routine. Just hang in there and KOKO! (Keep on keepin' on!)

You have to work at this every day for the rest of your life. It is containment and control. You have to keep your guard up and be vigilant of what you are doing and putting in your mouth at all times. You will have to monitor, blood, monitor, weight, eat portion controlled food,exercise. Formulate your own program .Do what seems to work best for you. Use all the practical self help techniques you are aware of. With this you are never done. There is no cure. Like I said is no disease with someone with a poor work ethic I mean you have to look back and ask yourself how did all of us get to this point. to not let it happen again.There is alot of behavior modification involved. This is another thing you have to do in life not because you want to but because you have to or be willing to face the consequences. There are alot of diabetic people who sweep it under the rug and it is just some after thought. We choose to struggle not trying to be mean or insenstive, but alot of people give up. It's a matter of choice. I just feel the risks are not acceptable. The ostrich approach almost got me on insulin. According to Dr. Atkins alot of type 2 people are making 20 times the amount of insulin than non diabetic people. They are not utlizing it properly. Tight control for me sould be an A1C 6.0 Or below, staying off of insulin.and no diabetic complications. If my beta cells stop working than I have no choice in the matter. Thre is great danger in shooting more insulin into your body.accordiing to Dr.Atkins. It is called hyper insulin. He does mention insuliln is a wonderful hormone It saves alot of lives. but it has a a dark side also. I put alot of creedence in what Dr. Atkins says. He has treated over 5000 patients. He does understand the body, I just could not live on all protein. or very little carbs. His methods and Dr. Richard Bernstein's is too restrictive for me. But I keep my carbs timed. I eat mostly protein from morning till 5PM than eat my carbs and counter act it with exercise. I try to avoid the cumulative effect. Addition on top of addion I have reason for what I eat, when I eat,how much I eat, when I exercise,when I take meds. I have logical , factual,rationale,proably only understood by me,but that is irrelevant. It's all based on self knowledge.of my body. Remember we possess knowledge that no one else in the world has. We know our own bodies, and we know ourselver, We have specific information only known to us In the end like everything else in life you will be measured by the results you can produce, not methodology. Our doctors want to see numbers. I am also a big numbers guy. A1C mioment in time blood test, exercise and it effect. HDL,LDL, tryglycerides,weight, carbs , calories, NUMBERS, NUMBERS AND MORE NUMBERS, .

Post Edited (steven kreloff) : 1/2/2006 10:29:00 AM (GMT-7)

Steve,

There is further research that shows that a reduction diet that is higher carbohydrate vs. a high protein diet can improve peripheral (muscle) insulin and glucose uptake and also help with hyper insulin problems improving insulin sensitivity in individuals. This study was done by the University of Utah and may be downloaded as a pdf file here. It has often been shown that all things in moderation is a simpler way to work your diabetic program. It has a lower 'dropout' rate and is more amenable to everyday life in combination with non-diabetic family and housemates.

wa5ekh,

I'm not a believer in the 'drug companies making a fortune off of us' theory. The diabetes epidemic in the U.S., Europe and India is not discriminating when it chooses it's victims. The people who own and work at drug companies have diabetic moms and children and dads and friends or may be diabetic themselves. They have as much as a vested interest in finding a real cure as we do. Ongoing research is expensive in a country where the cost of living is as high as it is in the U.S. Research in India and other developing countries is less expensive and many breakthroughs are coming from them as well. The people who really burn my bisquits are the ones who get rich selling books full of half truths and partial implications that don't help anyone at all and only attack the drug companies. Just my 2¢

Am,

I was diabetic all along by today's standards but the numbers for diagnosis have changed over my lifetime. If I had been told I was diabetic in my early 20's when the symptoms first appeared I would have most likely gone through the acceptance stages earlier and been more aware of my diet. But you must remember that in the 1970's there was not as much knowledge about diabetes as there is now. In fact, I took a class when I was first diagnosed in '95 and when I had to start on insulin in '05 my doctor made me repeat the class. I was amazed at how much had changed in just ten years!

Because of the way that some diabetics absorb and store food they often become overweight earlier in life. In some of us the food we eat is converted to fat right away rather than used as immediate energy. Our bodies store it away quickly and then 'demand' more food because the cells are still hungry. This leads to a constant low level hunger that is impossible to satisfy. If we lived in a time of famine and hardship the way that earlier peoples did we would be just fine for the long haul. Some scientists believe that the high rates of diabetes in indigenous peoples (example- the Pueblo Indians) are directly related to the fact that long range survivors in these populations were the ones who were able to quickly store energy for times of famine. The people who couldn't died early when food was in short supply and so were not able to reproduce. Eventually you have a population who is all ready to face famine every few years when in fact, none exists. Traces of this tendency may exist in the rest of the U.S. population as well.

Anyway...(Jeannie is blathering away again!) If I had known I was diabetic I would have been more careful with food, avoided a LOT more alcohol (Just had an occasional glass of wine), and tried to add more movement to my everyday life. I would have skipped the elevators, parked far away, and generally got off my duff more. I would have made a better effort to buy fresh vegetables for myself and fam because they are soooooo much more gooder for us than canned and frozen. I would have been able to justify the expense of those fresh veggies by the not spending on less nutritious items (read: chips, beer, booze, bologna, icecream, KFC... etc!)

The difference for you is that you have the tools to oversee your disease at hand. I'm speaking of the blood sugar testing supplies in your home right now. I had to get a doctor's order once a year and go to a lab and sit and wait and get my blood drawn just to get my blood sugar checked. Then I had to wait until the doctor read the lab results and asked his nurse to call me and tell me to change my diet or add a new medicaion. I didn't even know what the numbers were or if I had known them, I didn't know their importance. Also, there was no internet for education at our lesiure, instant research and friendly support. Diabetics used to be much more depenent upon their doctor's judgement about how to handle and treat their disease. We now have the ability to monitor our serum levels on a continuing basis and can immediately see if a certain food is not good for our program. We are able to make changes and choices based on our own observation and by taking responsibility for our own treatment we are more likely to succeed.

Hope this helps.

Dear AM,
Now a lot has been answered about your basic question of whether diabetes is reversible.
1)Ifeel it cannot be reversed once confirmed,but sure is controllable.
2)Exercise and a low-carb diet will help you go in the right direction,as Jeannie mentioned.
3)Ihave read that every year 3 to 5%of the insulin-producing cells become non-functional due to deposition of a substance called Amylin.
4)As Jeannie mentioned it's a mine-field as far as diet choice is concerned,but as all of us have,so shall you will navigate better as you gain experience.
5)You are young, full of life,vim,vigour and pep,that nothing is impossible to you.
6)Your intention to exercise for 1 hour daily is perfect.No need to over-do it as hunger may appear out of the blue as it has done innumerable times to me and in trying to cope with it,we may over-compensate!
with best wishes,
sharer

Dear AM_BD,
You need more energy during the day and you usually spend more carbs then than at night.Rice is very high in carbs and if it's your choice of food ,whynot 1)veggies in the morning,2)rice in the afternoon,and 3)a protein-rich diet at night?
As far as exercise is concerned i myself am in the pits right now and i need more help than you do!(see my query in the site and add your bit of motivation)
to a happy manager,
sharer

Thanks Sharer & Steven. Sharer, are you currently following the diet that you have prescribed to me? Steven, I take your point, but surely it doesn't hurt to research on the topic by knowing more about other people's diets! But, I know that the last decision should always be mine.

Regards,

AM_BD

Warren-

You said above - "Complications can occur and I wholely disagree that they are due to anything outside diabetes. Maybe I am reading this wrong. It does not matter really, it just jumped out at me. We diabetics do face complications that have pretty well documented. Are you saying that if we get any of those complications it can only be from the diabetes? Like I said, a minor point. We are not protected from the reasons non-diabetics get these complications(eye problems, heart, weight gain, etc....). Or did i just read what you said incorrectly.

Your also choose wisely. That is the most difficult part for a lot of people, I think. It is not obvious what is the best choice. The most important choice, I think, is the overall approach you take. Do you select the ADA very loose approach or do you choose the very very tight approach like Bernstein. Or the worse choice possible is the do nothing choice. I know people that live totaly depending on meds and insulin solving the problem. Then it is hundreds of choices a week. What do you eat is many choices, done everyday. It is not so bad when you get a good idea of what is necessary to fit your overall approach. Set standards and live by them. In my own program I have decided that Maltodextrin does not fit in. I know in small amounts it does not do any harm. However, the food industry is not honest in their labeling so I have to just say no to any Maltodextrin. Sadly the chioce of doctors is not available to most of us. Believe me I would not choose my current doctor if they permitted a change. He just does not take it serious enouhg. After one year with him I am still waiting for my referral to an eye doctor.