Editor’s word: We discovered Rey’s outstanding story within the diabetes on-line neighborhood, and requested him if he would share it with us. Rey skilled extraordinary speedy success by following a exact food regimen and drugs routine instantly after prognosis with kind 2 diabetes. His enchancment was unimaginable, however others making the identical adjustments could not expertise the identical success. Please communicate to your physician or caregiver earlier than enacting any main well being adjustments of your individual.
This story was initially revealed within the autumn of 2021.
I’m Rey, and I’m a 44-year outdated male with a historical past of hypertension and being chubby, however till not too long ago I had no main well being points. Solely this previous summer time I realized that I had dangerously uncontrolled diabetes. Inside the span of simply a few months, I fully modified my food regimen, began after which stopped glucose-lowering drugs, and bought my blood sugar again into the conventional, wholesome vary. Right here’s my story.
My First Well being Scare
My story is finally a diabetes story, however there have been some bumps alongside the way in which that I feel are price together with earlier than I leap into the diabetes.
My journey actually started in the summertime of 2020. After some worrying life occasions, I developed a somewhat fixed state of hysteria, which appeared to be stopping me from getting good sleep. Even whereas utilizing a sedative, I used to be up at the very least 4-5 instances throughout the night time, each night time. I didn’t have a earlier historical past of psychological well being issues, so this was all new to me. The particularly difficult half was that as time handed, mendacity in mattress turned a set off for the nervousness, which made the sleep even tougher to return by. I felt like I used to be simply going by way of the motions to get by way of life.
Thankfully, after months of stubbornness and sucking it up the most effective I might, I lastly bought to the underside of issues. I found it was sleep apnea, and began CPAP therapy. The end result was really life-changing, sleep returned to regular, and my nervousness went away 100%.
Life was nice and I’d survived and dealt with my main mid-life well being disaster…. or so I believed! Little did I do know, however that aid would show to be short-lived as within the coming months I began to expertise a brand new set of signs.
I used to be at my highest weight but and my BMI was creeping in direction of 30. Some studying this may scoff and suppose “30 is nothing, I’m nicely above that,” however everybody’s physique is a bit totally different and apparently 30 was my private breaking level.
My fasting blood sugar was over 100 mg/dL, and my physician stated one thing about pre-diabetes, however she didn’t sound too involved about it.
The Signs
I used to be once more experiencing sleeplessness. Now I used to be discovering that as an alternative of sleep apnea waking me up throughout the night time, my bladder was certain filling up and I used to be getting as much as pee a number of instances an evening. Additionally, I used to be fairly thirsty when this could occur. I did discover it was nights that I’d eat pizza or pasta for dinner that have been the worst. Some mixture of stubbornness and maybe denial stored me from taking this too critically, so I simply stored on with issues. Apart from, this was March 2021 and also you didn’t dare go right into a medical clinic except you have been in your covid deathbed. Absolutely, this was no huge deal, and getting checked out might wait.
Nonetheless, I sensed one thing was fallacious and I lowered the quantity of pizza and pasta I used to be consuming for dinner (perhaps twice per week as an alternative of 5 nights per week), consuming beans with rice and veggies for dinner as an alternative. In hindsight, not nice, however a minor enchancment.
The subsequent main symptom arrived in April: blurry imaginative and prescient. At first, I wasn’t nervous. I’d gotten LASIK eye surgical procedure accomplished 12 years earlier, and this alteration appeared like a light return of my nearsightedness. I used to be additionally in my mid-40s, which I’m advised is a time the place focusing turns into tougher and your imaginative and prescient adjustments.
Then it bought actually unhealthy: I used to be on a visit to Florida after I couldn’t learn a menu board that was 8 ft in entrance of me. I needed to resort to taking an image of it with my cellphone after which that image to learn the menu. One thing was majorly fallacious!
Once I bought again from Florida (after some actual nerve-wracking and certain harmful driving), I went in to get my imaginative and prescient checked and acquired a -2.0 diopters prescription. The optometrist was shocked that I had let my imaginative and prescient get that unhealthy earlier than getting glasses and made a remark about diabetes, however was additionally of the impression that my imaginative and prescient would change all through the day as my blood sugar modified. That clearly wasn’t occurring to me (seems it’s extra difficult than that).
The final main symptom was that I had been losing a few pounds at a reasonably first rate clip (5-10 kilos a month). Clearly, this should have been resulting from chopping again on pizza and pasta, proper? Curiously, previous makes an attempt at consuming higher had by no means been fairly this efficient, however why query such nice progress if you’re on a roll! At this level, it was late April and the earliest I might get in for a check-up was mid-June, so why not trip out one other month of weight reduction and see how nice my labs come again then?
My Prognosis
A little bit over per week earlier than the appointment I began researching diabetes on-line, since I used to be beginning to surprise about what my physician and optometrist had stated. However absolutely that takes years to develop, proper?
Clearly, my “food regimen” was working since I had now misplaced 25 kilos this yr and weighed lower than I did in my 30s. Who knew maintaining a healthy diet was really easy!
After a bit mild studying, I shortly realized how fallacious I used to be, that every part that had occurred in the previous few months was defined completely by diabetes, and that the load loss might need been diabetes somewhat than my new food regimen. This was onerous to course of.
I picked up a blood sugar meter, and on a Friday night time fumbled with the factor sufficient to determine get a studying. I used to be shocked when the meter learn 567 mg/dL. That may’t presumably be proper! My girlfriend tried the meter and her end result got here in at 77 mg/dL. I examined mine once more and this time it registered 596 mg/dL!
At this level, it was 11 PM on a Friday night time, and my most secure plan of action would have been to go to the ER, however I figured if excessive blood sugar hadn’t killed me within the final 3-4 months, it in all probability wasn’t going to kill me that weekend. I made a decision to learn extra about diabetes, give myself a few days to get my wits about me, and go into pressing care on Monday. I additionally continued to check my blood sugar and it appeared to remain within the 300 to 450 mg/dL vary that weekend, no matter what I ate or whether or not I used to be consuming.
At pressing care my A1c got here in at 13.7%, and my fasting blood sugar was 449 mg/dL. Based mostly on my historical past, I used to be extra more likely to have kind 2 diabetes (and extra testing would later verify that). I used to be prescribed metformin, and suggested to take insulin, recommendation that I wasn’t able to take.
Rey stored monitor of his blood sugar measurements from the second he started testing, earlier than he was identified with diabetes. You possibly can see his girlfriend’s wholesome studying, 77 mg/dL, on the primary day.
A New Food regimen
I now understood that the explanation I had misplaced a lot weight so shortly was my uncontrolled diabetes, at the very least 3 months of it!
I instantly reduce most high-carb meals out of my food regimen and subsisted largely on a food regimen of full-fat cottage cheese, full-fat plain Greek yogurt, onerous cheese, nuts, avocadoes, and canned beans with olive oil. I additionally stored some fruit and berries in my food regimen initially. All through the day I ate random combos of those meals. I didn’t actually put together them or fancy them up in any respect with cooking (aside from heating the beans within the microwave in order that they’d be heat).
I knew I had screwed issues up, and if there was going to be any hope of reversing the harm I feared I had accomplished to my physique I wanted to focus. Possibly I might have the ability to return to consuming pizza, pasta, and all these scrumptious carb-filled meals that I liked sometime, but it surely was clear now wasn’t the time for that.
I’d definitely thrown within the towel on diets loads of instances earlier than and gone again to consuming like crap, however this time it felt like there was a gun held to my head, and quitting wasn’t an possibility. Maybe I’m being overly dramatic about this, and maybe it wasn’t the healthiest outlook, but it surely’s how I noticed issues and it bought me by way of the primary weeks the place I used to be at my highest degree of motivation.
I wasn’t utilizing a selected food regimen system I had discovered on the web or in a guide, it was simply me making an attempt to think about all of the meals (as a vegetarian) that I usually ate that have been decrease on the glycemic index, and sticking to these. Frustratingly, there appeared to be numerous disagreement on-line with regard to what the “greatest” food regimen was for a diabetic, however I’ll come again to that later.
The Proper Medicines
With this food regimen and metformin, my blood sugar nonetheless ranged from about 250 to 400 mg/dL that first week. My blood sugar actually wanted to return down because the longer it remained elevated, the better my threat for diabetes-related issues. Clearly, per week of my new food regimen and metformin wasn’t sufficient, and I used to be extra open to exploring what else might be accomplished.
Once I noticed my main physician after that week, she wished to place me on insulin too, with a view to stabilize my blood sugar. Though I knew that insulin would have quickly introduced my blood sugar right down to regular ranges, utilizing it might have made it tough for me to gauge if my dietary adjustments have been getting the job accomplished.
Via my analysis, I had develop into satisfied that SGLT2 inhibitors have been the one class of medication that made any sense for an individual with new uncontrolled kind 2 diabetes to take (along with metformin). Usually in uncontrolled diabetes, your kidneys excrete sugar to your urine as a method of retaining your blood sugar from getting dangerously excessive, however that impact doesn’t actually kick in till your blood sugar ranges are manner up there. With an SGLT2 inhibitor, your kidneys are simply doing that on a regular basis, retaining your blood sugar down within the course of. The true fantastic thing about that is as an alternative of insulin, which causes your physique to retailer that extra sugar (solely delaying the issue), when you pee out the surplus sugar, it’s gone perpetually.
I requested my physician for a referral to an endocrinologist and a prescription for an SGLT2 inhibitor as an alternative. She didn’t have a lot expertise with SGLT2s and began speaking about different medicine, however she might see I had a pile of notes with me on totally different drug lessons, the analysis I had accomplished on them. I feel she additionally realized that though she was the one to put in writing the prescription, that I used to be able to argue my case.
As quickly as I began taking the SGLT2 inhibitor my blood sugar got here down virtually instantly.
On Farxiga, inside days my blood sugar dropped to the 100 to 150 mg/dL vary. I needed to pee a bit extra at first too, which instructed the drug was doing precisely what it was purported to. After just a few days, I discovered I wasn’t peeing any greater than regular, which was in all probability resulting from my pretty low-carb food regimen.
[Editor’s note: Rey had an incredibly positive experience with SGLT2 inhibitors, but they are not for everyone, and do carry side effects and risks, especially when combined with low-carbohydrate diets. Please speak to your doctor about changing your medication.]
This was an excellent enchancment over the place I used to be earlier than, however like each newly-minted diabetic I had desires of reversing my diabetes and getting my blood sugar again to “regular.” I clearly wasn’t there but and simply since you need one thing doesn’t imply it’s attainable or life like, however I used to be holding onto that dream.
Remission is a really controversial matter. Most ADA and official-looking literature I discovered stated that diabetes was a progressive illness. As time passes, extra medicine are required to take care of the identical diploma of management, and a few fairly terrible issues happen because it will get worse and worse. That was a somewhat miserable outlook. If all of it falls aside ultimately, why not simply return to having fun with all these carb-rich meals that I really like and revel in no matter time I’ve bought left? Thankfully, I didn’t fall into that lure, however I’ve to think about many do.
Intermittent Fasting
I used to be conscious of web docs on the market on the fringes saying kind 2 diabetes will be reversed and other people can handle by way of food regimen alone, with out medicine. Are they promoting false hope, just like new-age healers promoting power crystals to remedy most cancers? Most of them are speaking about low-carb and “keto,” which I’d beforehand assumed to be simply one other random fad food regimen. “They’re clearly quacks,” I believed. I figured that American Diabetes Affiliation was most definitely appropriate about diabetes being progressive, simply giving me the chilly onerous reality. However only for the sake of argument, I made a decision to listen to the quacks out first.
Of the docs on Youtube, the primary to actually suck me in was Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist. He had a really intuitive mannequin for explaining kind 2 diabetes, and used analysis on treating the situation with gastric bypass surgical procedure (which has been extremely profitable) as a place to begin. He instructed a low-carb food regimen mixed with fasting in varied varieties. Hey, I’m already doing the low-carb factor and it appears to be serving to. Possibly fasting can be the subsequent nudge I wanted.
I began with 3 set meals a day (consuming between 7:30 AM and seven:30 PM, after which fasting from 7:30 PM till 7:30 AM the subsequent morning). Across the time I began Farxiga, I moved into the subsequent part of fasting, which was to skip breakfast after which eat solely lunch and dinner (eat at 12 PM after which 8 PM). To my shock, I not felt starvation after I wasn’t consuming. I now know that’s a standard profit to the keto food regimen, but when somebody had tried to inform me about {that a} yr earlier, I might have thought they have been loopy. Additionally, I didn’t actually know I used to be doing keto. I used to be simply doing a tighter model of the food regimen I’d defined earlier, with much less fruit and no beans.
I accomplished my first full-day quick the weekend after beginning Farxiga. I didn’t eat something in any respect beginning Friday after dinner till round 1 PM on Sunday, for a 40+ hour quick. Once more, Farxiga had gotten my blood sugar right down to below 150 mg/dL frequently, however this was the kick that lastly bought me again below 100 mg/dL. All through Friday it was testing 130 to 150 mg/dL, Saturday morning I used to be at 144 mg/dL, however as Saturday dragged on and my quick continued I began getting a number of readings below 100 mg/dL. My Sunday morning fasting end result was 96 mg/dL and, it bought as little as 79 mg/dL on Sunday afternoon earlier than I lastly broke my quick. To my shock, breaking my quick solely bumped me to 119 mg/dL and 5 hours later my blood sugar was again right down to 82 mg/dL. Seeing this progress felt really wonderful and it was solely 16 days after discovering out I had diabetes!
Upkeep
Rey’s blood sugars improved quickly and remarkably with the suitable mixture of food regimen and drugs.
In fact, you don’t eat your technique to diabetes in two weeks and also you don’t undo your diabetes in two weeks both. I used to be taking 2,000 mg of metformin a day in addition to the SGLT2 inhibitor. The week after my huge quick, my fasting blood sugar readings would return over 100 mg/dL, however I stored plugging away, solely consuming two bigger meals a day throughout a slim set of consuming hours. I additionally examined the high-carb waters with a 6-inch Subway sandwich – it spiked my blood sugar to 190 mg/dL, which is far greater than a non-diabetic would doubtless hit from that meal. That helped knock me again down a peg and remind me that I nonetheless had diabetes, in spite of everything.
The subsequent weekend I observed that my blood sugar numbers have been beginning to come right down to below 100 mg/dL with out prolonged fasting. I additionally observed that meals that beforehand spiked my blood sugar an excellent deal have been now spiking it a lot much less. On June 28th (day 24 of understanding I had diabetes and 13 days after beginning my SGLT2) I made a decision to cease taking Farxiga and see what impact it might have. This was not a accountable resolution, as you must all the time seek the advice of along with your physician earlier than discontinuing remedy, however with my improved blood sugar ranges, I questioned if Farxiga was nonetheless doing something for me. It turned out my guess was appropriate. There was no vital change in fasting or post-meal blood sugar readings within the days that adopted, and my kind 2 diabetes was now well-controlled by way of simply food regimen and metformin!
A couple of week later I began sporting a Freestyle Libre 2 to get a broader image of my blood sugar tendencies, and for comfort. My readings have been nonetheless within the 80-90 mg/dL vary all through the day, with small bumps up over 100 mg/dL after a meal. Once I lastly was due for my appointment with an endocrinologist to debate my diabetes therapy, the texture of the go to might greatest be summed up as “why are you right here?” My information confirmed that my common blood sugar within the earlier 10 days had been 95 mg/dL, which might extrapolate to a 4.9% A1C (in comparison with the 13.7% end result when first examined). That is, after all, solely an estimate. And my blood sugar had solely been nicely managed for 2-3 weeks at this level.
Blood sugar wasn’t the one enchancment both over final yr’s numbers: whole ldl cholesterol dropped from 238 mg/dL to 172 mg/dL, with HDL (“good ldl cholesterol”) pretty regular from 64 to 62 mg/dL. LDL (calculated) dropped from 141 to 90 mg/dL. Triglycerides dropped from 165 to 102 mg/dL. The endocrinologist agreed that I not wanted Farxiga and indicated there actually wasn’t a cause for me to see her once more, however that I used to be free to arrange one other appointment if issues modified.
My Greatest Path Ahead
Since then, I’ve accomplished extra studying on the keto food regimen and really feel that’s my greatest path ahead to proceed to take care of my well being, each when it comes to diabetes and past. I’ve improved sufficient that I not put on a CGM or carry out finger sticks to test blood sugar frequently, solely checking perhaps as soon as per week “simply to make sure.” Though I’ve examined out consuming a few of my outdated high-carb favorites and been impressed by how a lot much less they spike my blood sugar now, I’m not desirous about consuming them frequently, which is shocking to me. I’ve additionally discovered I can sleep by way of the night time simply advantageous with out my CPAP machine because of the 35 kilos of weight I’ve misplaced from my peak of 215 lbs. The sleep apnea isn’t fully gone, so I nonetheless put on the masks most nights, but it surely seems to be dialed again from extreme to gentle.
It’s a really bizarre feeling: after I first came upon I had diabetes I wished nothing greater than to proceed consuming the meals I liked and located consolation in. I felt like one thing had been stolen from me and feared that my physique was completely damaged. Why ought to different individuals have the ability to eat what they need to, and I can’t? It felt very unfair and I actually wished there to be a drug or a therapy that may let me eat how I wished to. Now that I’ve immersed myself in a greater understanding of simply how unhealthy these meals have been for me, I view issues very otherwise.
I share my story to not lord my outcomes over you in the event you’ve been much less profitable along with your diabetes. I bought actually fortunate, discovering good dietary recommendation shortly after my prognosis. Sadly, a lot of the official steerage on the market appears certain to fail. I used to be additionally fortunate with my uncontrolled diabetes “serving to” with the primary 25-30 kilos of weight reduction.
I not have aches and pains after I stand up away from bed or must roll a sure technique to keep away from them, my reminiscence has improved fairly a bit and I’m not struggling to recall issues I used to be simply advised, as I did with excessive blood sugar ranges. I’ve a lot extra power and stamina somewhat than feeling torpid or struggling to finish bodily actions. It’s like I’m in my 20s yet again (apart from a bit grey hair)! The draw back is I now know if I am going again to a way of life of having fun with carbohydrate-rich meals, issues will go poorly for me, however so long as I don’t, I get to get pleasure from life a lot greater than I had earlier than. And there are many scrumptious meals that aren’t filled with carbs that I’m free to get pleasure from.
I feel diabetes has been a web constructive for me, as unusual as that sounds. The me of right this moment could be very totally different than the me of a yr in the past.
