Insulin Dependency Reversing??
Hello Everyone,
This is my first time posting, love the site so far, great community. But I have a huge problem, and I wanted to see if anyone had feedback for me.
I was diagnosed in October 2007 at age 20. My primary care doc thought I was too old for Type 1 (yeah, pretty lame) so diagnosed me as Type 2 and started me on Metformin. At diagnosis my fasting sugar was 268. Within a week, my blood sugar was over 500 and I was sent to the ER, where I got my 1st A1c-- 14.1.
Needless to say, I was put on insulin and started seeing an endo, who diagnosed me as Type 1. Everything has been fine since then, by 3 months into treatment my A1C was 5.7 and is now 5.9 (never been over 6.0 since insulin). I hadn't had many problems with lows at all, either, and have considered myself in the honeymoon phase. I have been taking a pretty steady dosage of 20u lantus and 1u novolog/ 15 g carbs, though the lantus dose has varies a few units in either direction over the past couple of years.
Two weeks ago, i woke up in the middle of the night feeling worse than ever in my life, with my sugar being 52. I got it back up over 100 after about 30 minutes, but over the past two weeks I've had to keep taking less and less insulin! That night I had low blood sugar, my lantus dose was 17u. Over the past two weeks it has gone down more and more, last night i only took 11u and I haven't taken any Novolog since last thursday. I have been eating between 200 and 250 grams of carbs a day, and my blood sugar before meals has not been over 95. It is usually between 70 and 85, and i have had under 60 twice.
I made an emergency appointment with my endo today, and she said only one other paitient in her career has exhibited this before me. That patient was able to switch from insulin to pills. I don't understand how this can be! Has anyone had a similar experience? I have read about 1.5 diabetes, or LADA, but I don't seem to fit in with what I've read.
So sorry for the long post. Thanks for any insight you guys might have.
This is my first time posting, love the site so far, great community. But I have a huge problem, and I wanted to see if anyone had feedback for me.
I was diagnosed in October 2007 at age 20. My primary care doc thought I was too old for Type 1 (yeah, pretty lame) so diagnosed me as Type 2 and started me on Metformin. At diagnosis my fasting sugar was 268. Within a week, my blood sugar was over 500 and I was sent to the ER, where I got my 1st A1c-- 14.1.
Needless to say, I was put on insulin and started seeing an endo, who diagnosed me as Type 1. Everything has been fine since then, by 3 months into treatment my A1C was 5.7 and is now 5.9 (never been over 6.0 since insulin). I hadn't had many problems with lows at all, either, and have considered myself in the honeymoon phase. I have been taking a pretty steady dosage of 20u lantus and 1u novolog/ 15 g carbs, though the lantus dose has varies a few units in either direction over the past couple of years.
Two weeks ago, i woke up in the middle of the night feeling worse than ever in my life, with my sugar being 52. I got it back up over 100 after about 30 minutes, but over the past two weeks I've had to keep taking less and less insulin! That night I had low blood sugar, my lantus dose was 17u. Over the past two weeks it has gone down more and more, last night i only took 11u and I haven't taken any Novolog since last thursday. I have been eating between 200 and 250 grams of carbs a day, and my blood sugar before meals has not been over 95. It is usually between 70 and 85, and i have had under 60 twice.
I made an emergency appointment with my endo today, and she said only one other paitient in her career has exhibited this before me. That patient was able to switch from insulin to pills. I don't understand how this can be! Has anyone had a similar experience? I have read about 1.5 diabetes, or LADA, but I don't seem to fit in with what I've read.
So sorry for the long post. Thanks for any insight you guys might have.
Tags: LADA, low blood sugar
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brunetta on -
It does not appear that you were misdiagnosed after seeing the endo, and "honey moon periods" generally do not last longer than a year. There are usually the normally expected increases in blood sugars and insulin dosages required. as time goes by, NOT decreases.
All things and miracles are possible!!! There is so much about the human body we do not, cannot know.. nor completely understand. I would suggest you continue to log your ever decreasing need for exogenous insulin and keep in contact with your medical team over the next few days or weeks.
I have personally met one woman whose body spontaneously started making insulin after 27 years of Type 1diabetes, that had resulted in a prior amputation, blindness and a stroke. 3 days later,when she awoke from the post-stroke coma,, she no longer needed insulin and could eat what she wanted. When I met her in a rehab center, She was being fitted for a right lower leg prothesis and taking physial therapy to learn how to use it. Though she still had the physical results of the diabetes complications, She was enthusuastic,grateful, energetic,happy, and praising God for her "healing"..
Again ,There are some things that medical science cannot and will not be able to explain at this point in time. I am so happy for you and I hope/pray that your restoration continues....I have no scientific explanation, but I do not need one. "Faith is the evidence of things not seen.( nor understood)" This is truly wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!!
God Bless
Brunetta
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Byrd on -
Yeah, isn't it the truth that there are so many things we can't explain! Thank you for your well wishes.
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Permalink Reply by JDavid on -
Hi I am a weird diabetic myself.....There are times I am 100% dependent on insulin shots and times I do have some, not enough, natural insulin, so I still need insulin shots. My system can Flip Flop for a reason or no reason at all. I will describe my last incident or F/F.
My BS levels had been creeping up, but I was not testing and not taking enough insulin. I gradualy began having balance problems, fell and tore my rotor cuff. 4 CATARACTS TOTAL, 1 REG AND ONE DIABETIC IN EACH EYE. I ended up in a mild DKA and had to return to doctoring. Got my diabetes back in control, 5 shots/day now. For about 18 months I was TOTALY as insulin dependent as an type-1, then I began to recover SOME. I have flip flopped around some myself, sometimes very fast. One time I was cleared by the doc in the morning and landed in the horsepital that same night via meat wagon, go figure.
When I was 14 I was threatened with shots, recovered, got a Dr letter to get in the Navy, hospitalized 4 times in 3 years. The last time I had to pass a urine sugar test to return to active duty and did (so they said).
I have plenty of complications. I still get 200s and even a rare 300s once in a while Being an unusual diabetic that does not quite fit the conventinal types, I started a group called Orphan Diabetics, all are welcome. We could use more members there, we are so few. a little more posting etc and maybe we can get even more people that do not fit the usual, typical pigeon holes or boxes. (llink below)
.
http://tudiabetes.com/group/orphandiabetics
(*&(* GOMER
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Byrd on
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Thanks so much for sharing, I will check out your group!
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on -
that's not really a lot of carbs for a type one who isn't insulin resistant and who is active. that seems to be the average amount i've heard from many type one's on this site. that's how many i eat in a day easily.
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Permalink Reply by Marps on -
Yes, I agree. If you figure around 65 grams per meal (3 meals per day) that would put you at 195 carbs right there- plus snacks throughout the day would easily put you at 250. Sounds normal to me, too.
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Byrd on
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Whew, thanks guys... for a second I thought maybe I was crazy.
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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on -
The ADA recommends 180g per day for Type 1s. But that's still a lot, in my opinion, and I'm a type 1. I don't do the Bernstein low carb thing, but I don't take in 150 per day.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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if i ate 150 carbs a day i would starve. i'm in my weight range and exercise regularly. i also work a very active job. if i didn't eat what i did i'd have to say i would be starving my body of food i need.
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Permalink Reply by Pavlos on -
My first thought when I read the title was that you might have a similar situation to mine last summer. I was diagnosed 14 years ago and I had slowly begun increasing my Humalog and Lantus dosage as needed. By last summer I was taking 30 units of Humalog with each meal and 34 of Lantus at bed. One night I went to bed just fine and woke up in the back of an ambulance around 4 a.m. It's a long story and I won't go into it again, but after that day my insulin needs began decreasing drastically. After a couple of weeks I was down to 5 units of Humalog and 12 Lantus. I don't believe in God or miracles or any of that, but at that point I was beginning to wonder if there was something "else" (more supernatural) that was reversing my diabetes.
The answer turned out to be very simple. For most of those years as a diabetic I was taking my shots in my arms (I knew nothing about scar tissue at the time). After that hospital incident I began using my legs and butt. I didn't really have a reason for it and the hospital had nothing to do with it, I just coincidentally decided it that day. It turned out that I had so much scar tissue built up in my arms that it was preventing the full absorption of my insulin dosage. So 30 units in the arm meant I absorbed only 10-15% of that. When I switched to my legs I was getting the full amount which was way more than my body needed (now that I am on the pump my insulin to BG ratio is 1:50 so you can imagine what 30 units did to me).
That was my initial reaction to your title, however you really haven't been diabetic long enough to have so much scar tissue (I wouldn't think anyway). It definitely is a possibility though.
What I am trying to say is that you shouldn't depend on miracles. Behind each one is a perfectly reasonable and logical explanation. You just have to know where to look. For you for example it might not be scar tissue preventing the absorption but the area you are using. If you have switched sites lately that might be your answer.
I hope you find the answer to your situation and wish you the best.
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Permalink Reply by Marps on
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*sigh* I don't want to, but I guess your example is reason enough for me to switch sites. I have used my legs for about two years- I cover the whole thigh area, all the way around to the sides and upper hipbone region. I guess I'll try injecting in my butt, but it hurts really bad! :( But, (haha- no pun intended) my "resistance" as my endo put it, might be due to the scar tissue. I have thought about this, and have switched sites before with no results, but... maybe it'll work now. I'll try again. (sigh) even tho I dont want to.
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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on
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I used my lower belly for infusion sets for 8 years. My CDE made me stop using that area and now, when I cheat and use it, sure enough, my average BG goes up about 30-40 pts. Last time I called into my endo's office about unexplained highs, that was their first question: "Are you using your lower abdomen again?" I moved it and the numbers came back down. It's worth trying. I've had success in new areas over the last year.
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