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Permalink Reply by Paul Curwen on May 1, 2012 at 12:34pm

Hi Jenny,

I've had "pre-diabetes" for the last 3 years now and my a1c has been unchanged at 6.0-6.2. I'm not sure how long it will stay like this but it is my understating that it will eventually progress. How fast I don't know, everyone is different. I'm currently on low carb and exercise a lot so I'm sure this has helped keep my a1c the same.

P.S. I just consider myself "Diabetic" managing with Metformin, low carb and exercise.

Paul

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Permalink Reply by jims on May 1, 2012 at 1:39pm

As a 64+ old goat with 30+ years driving this T2 nastiness, my best answer would be to carefully keep eye on at all times and watch a1c for any further increases.

I do not want to be a bad news bear BUT:

Pre-diabetes is showing that your body is wandering out of control slightly of the glucose due to probably increased liver leakage as well as slight fall off of pancreatic basil and bolus control.

In my case things were fine for a while but as I got older after 50, this mess got real worse with liver being a pain and am dawn effects of 238 to 240.

I do not think there is enough reliable data out there on type 2 diabetes properly logged that gives any clear cut indication on progression of type 2 but generally it is considered it will get worse and need to keep control and adapting.

As the present control stratagies of today were not followed 30 years back, it is unclear how it will progress if one keeps it under control.

In a pre diabetes situation, my sense is that diet/carbs control and sufficient hearty exercise help bring the body back into trim relatively easy. If liver acting up, metformin would normally be recommended today.

Good luck with your health and hopefully the experts chime in here on this. Excellent question.

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on May 1, 2012 at 3:23pm

Pre-diabetes is a funny diagnosis - like the diagnosis of a little bit pregnant. The only way to "prevent diabetes" with an A1c over 6 is to manage your blood sugar as if you were given a diagnosis of diabetes and work hard at either trying to bring it down or at least not having it go up. Most studies show that with an A1c of 6 your risk for diabetic complications is higher than for people with normal blood sugar.

Were you given a prescription for a meter and test strips? That's the most important tool for maintaining good blood sugar control.

Good luck!

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on May 1, 2012 at 3:49pm

Whether it can lead to a complete remission or not, a diagnosis of pre-diabetes is definitely an opportunity to make some changes in your life. Weight loss, if you need it as well as dietary changes and regular exercise can make an enormous difference. My brother was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a couple years ago, lost some extra weight he'd gained and has been in the normal range ever since. When I periodically ask about it he seems to think it's in the past, and I don't dissuade him of that. #1 - I don't think they really know longterm, maybe it is and #2 he is doing what he needs to do to maintain his blood sugar.

That would be my advice: Consider it a wake-up call and make some changes and then make them a part of your life. You'll be healthier in the long run no matter what the eventual outcome with Diabetes! Oh, btw, to my understanding the definition of pre-diabetes is 5.7 to 6.4 and diabetes 6.5 and over. What's ironic, about those oh so holy numbers is that many of us, even Type 1's maintain in the "pre-diabetes" range, and some even in the "normal" range. I always love when my labs come back saying I'm "at risk for developing Diabetes"!

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Permalink Reply by Emmy on May 1, 2012 at 8:19pm

According to reading I've done, including articles written by and for endocrinologists, "pre-diabetes" will almost always develop into diabetes within five years. Its a disease that progresses as time passes, because the increased blood sugar is damaging your pancreas and reducing its ability to produce insulin and cope with increased blood sugar, while your insulin resistance is building, creating a greater and greater need for more insulin, which increases appetite and fat storage. Its a viscious circle.

Sometimes people can make drastic changes in their activity levels and diet, and stave it off for a few years, or even longer, but these people are usually the exception, not the rule. I guess it just depends on how hard you work at it, and what genes you were dealt, and how early it was detected (how much damage has already been done, how much beta cell loss has already taken place).

Most people diagnosed with T2 have already lost about 80% of their beta cell function. I don't know what the percentage is for "pre-diabetic".

Actually, I don't believe in the existence of "pre-diabetes". I think its actually early diabetes and needs to be treated as such, and taken very, very seriously.

If "pre-diabetes" actually went away, and was cured or gone, then the person should be able to eat what they want, and live like they did before. Since they can't do this without the symptoms and higher blood sugar returning, they in fact do still have "pre-diabetes", or in fact, actual diabetes, that is being controlled through diet and exercise.

I think the term pre-diabetes is misleading, and does a great disservice to people. It leads them to think this is not serious, and not the real thing, when in fact it is.

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