Three Years In

Hello all,

I was diagnosed three years ago this month. The original dx was T2 but fortunately my GP ordered anti-body tests resulting in a dx of T1, GAD >250.

The lab results were, A1c 5.9%, fasting BG 130, triglycerides 160, HDL 35, LDL 180, weight 220 height 5'7 age 52 male.

Within a couple weeks I had done extensive research and discovered the Dr. Bernstein book. Following his dietary advise I lost 40 lbs in 6 months and my BG levels normalized without insulin. My pancreas was still delivering enough insulin to cover the low carb diet.

Being that my BG levels were not exceeding 130 and morning reading were in the 100 range on average I did not revisit the doctor till my next annual exam. The blood test results were A1c 5.1% fasting BG 95, triglycerides 55, HDL 55, LDL 120, weight 183.

Last years tests came back almost exactly the same and yesterday I got this years results and the A1c is now at 5.2%, lipids and weight are almost identicle.

In my research I discovered CBD (cannabis) was shown in Israeli studies to improve outcomes in diabetic mice. I live in Washington state and got a medical cannabis card. For about 3 months starting in November of 2011 I orally ingested super concentrated cbd oil. Since then I have been vaporizing cannabis every night before bedtime (around 8pm). Last year I used the oil for about a month in addition to vaping.

I also drink about 4 oz of scotch whiskey daily. I believe this retards overnight sugar production from my liver thus lowering my fasting BG level.

A few months ago I performed a home brew glucose tolerance test by eating a 70 carb pastry. The max BG level was 240 at the one hour mark, at 2 hours the reading was 160 and back down to 100 at four hours. This test indicates my first insulin response is weak, recovery is slow but at least comes back.

I do look forward to the end of the day, the cannabis and scotch feel good and I wake up feeling rested and sharp. I am highly successful at my sales career, haven't missed a day of work or even had a bad day in nearly three years.I am not advocating any of my treatment choices;who knows if cannabis and scotch is helping? I do however believe the ketogenic diet is a a huge contributor to my health. Just wanted to share my non scientific journey.

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Welcome to tudiabetes

wow! interesting to see how people take care of this in different ways! its great that cannabis is becoming an accepted form of treatment for medical conditions. my friend has ms and it really helps her with pain.

Congrats !! Your numbers do look very good. Keep it up.
Have you done a c-peptide and GAD test recently ? Just curious as to what they are. You are on a ketogenic diet. How many carbs do you consume per day ?

It would be interesting to see c-peptide numbers, I should have requested that on my recent labs. I remember the c-peptide three years ago being at the low end of normal. I will call the doctor and request the test, it could be an interesting clue.
As to the GAD, I assume its still roaming in my blood, I wonder if insurance will cover that one on acount of its assumed to be incurable and further tests would be a waste? I'll request it a see what happens.

As to diet. I eat as much food as I like and I like food. Never have done a calorie count but imagine I consume way more calories than the charts indicate I would use in a day. Counting calories when eating mostly unpackaged whole food is a hassle and in my opinion a waste of effort. It is easy to look at food and estimate carbs when almost everything I eat is very low carb.

I eat all cuts of pork, chicken, beef, lamb, and seafood. Eggs, cheese, nuts, broccoli, asparagus, coli flower,green beans, lettuce,celery, are all on the eat as much as I want foods. I use tons of butter melted on everything I cook. Mayoniase and and high fat dressings are eaten at will.

Like almost everyone, I get a sweet tooth after dinner. My go to sweets are small portions (1/4 cup)of fresh strawberries, raspberries, bluberries, peaches, and pears. I slice the fruit into very small bits, pour into a bowl and squirt canned whipped cream in spades. I will use about half a small can per serving. A couple squares of dark chocolate won't do much to my BG. Sugar free jello and whipped cream works in a pinch especially if carb count is creeping up for the day. (0 carbs)

The average daily carb intake is likely to be around 30. I don't consider protein in my carb counting.

We have some things in common, Lab Mouse. I have not been diagnosed as a diabetic, but as a prediabetic in 2004. I started checking my bgs and noted differences between my numbers and circumstances with that of type 2 folks and found out on a forum about the Gad 65 antibodies. I ordered testing myself from an online lab service, as well as a c-peptide test. My Gad was high at 67 and my c-peptide low normal. I followed Bernstein for a few years, then when I found out in researching that Gad can be lowered in some people if diet is gluten free, dairy free, I started doing that. First gluten, and the antibodies went down and then stabilized. After a year and a half I also dropped dairy and they dropped further. When I started eating a little dairy again and some gluten free grains the antibodies bounced up a bit. The lowest I got them to was 36. I have a current a1c of 5.5. I eat 60g of carbs a day, or thereabouts. When I was doing Bernstein levels of carbs I got my a1c down to 5 I believe. Anyway, it will soon be 5 years for me, that I’ve known about the antibodies. I had them tested at Lab Corps each time on my own, then I got my current family doctor to do it for me at the lab he uses. I have discussed the antibody issue with my endo and the family doc. They seem to think I may never become a full fledged type 1, but aren’t sure, and are not of any opinion regarding gluten and dairy.

I too drink occasionally and it helps my bg levels some, especially when I eat more carbs. I lost weight on Bernstein, have kept it off and feel good. Autoimmune disease does run in my family. I don’t want any more. I have researched the Gad 65s quite a bit and follow certain researchers who study them. Gluten free does help in some cases and I think I’m one.

@Lab Mouse Thanks for your detailed post.

@girondet, Thanks for your post. I have also been on gluten free since 2 years. I was feeling better but last year I got dx with type 1.5 with GAD level 34 last year. My immune system also became pretty fragile. I started getting susceptible to cold (allergies ?). I was taking claritin 2 times a week. Last month I decided to go dairy free and I am feeling much better with the allergies. I was controlling with diet and exercise and I had a1c of 5.3 and 4.9.Couple of months back I started insulin as well.
How is your c-peptide level now did it change ? How much does it cost to test for GAD? Do you take insulin at all?

Interesting to hear your story rahul_boston. What caused you to get diagnosed? Your control sounds perfect! No, I am not on any medication or insulin. Just synthroid for autoimmune thyroid disease which I have had for almost 20 years. (Hashimoto’s)

The online lab that I ordered the Gad 65 test from is no longer around and I haven’t been able to find another online one for that test. My current doctor ordered the last one I had and said insurance would pay for it as it’s somehow connected with the Hashimoto’s. Probably only once though. No one seems interested in tracking antibodies for me while I experiment.

Maybe you could offer to pay for the test out of pocket if the doctor would order it? It cost me about $100 a couple of years ago, I think. I have not retested my c-peptide. I have noticed this about me…my post meal numbers can be fine and return to 100 in two hours, but if I eat too many carbs in a day my fasting number the next morning can be in the diabetic range…over 126-130. Especially if I do that for a few days in a row. I think this is because I make just enough insulin for about 50-60g of carbs. I cannot handle more than that and also basal needs. Exercise doesn’t seem to make a difference on that.

When I went dairy free I could add in some more carbs and get good bgs. A little bit of fruit and more veggies. I don’t do well with grains and starches.

@girondet, Thanks for the reply.
I was initially diagnosed as T2 but after about 5 months I realized that I may be type 1 as I suspected myself to be celiac and was on on gluten free diet. I was controlling my BGs by eating very less.
My c-peptide was about 1.7. After starting insulin couple of months back I am able to eat little better but my body is becoming more used to external insulin. So, its good and bad. I currently only bolus about 2 units before each meal.

Thank you all for a interesting discussion. There are no doubts in my mind that following ADA certified nutritionists diet I would have been on insulin within months of dx.

@girondet, I assume you eat no cheese? I eat cheese almost daily.

After reading Bernstien my goal has been to fend off insulin dependence as long as possible. Then when insulin is started dosing will be easier, rule of small numbers makes sense. I plan on maintaining this way of eating for the rest of my days. Sometimes it gets a bit boring but we use a lot of spices and mix up the menu.

I haven't had a cold or been sick in at least 3 years, yearly flu shots have been included in my treatment. I am calling the doctor today to request GAD65 and c-peptide tests.

It’s very interesting to find out both of your circumstances. I assume you wanted to eat more carbs rahul_boston since you went to insulin even with very good numbers. I don’t really want to eat more carbs since I gain weight rapidly when I add more in. You are doing great it sounds like! My c-pep in 2010 was 1.2, fasting and my bg was 105. I was eating 30g of carbs a day and had lost weight to a good weight for me.
I don’t know if my c-pep has improved but my fasting numbers can be in the low 90s sometimes even high 80s and my post meal numbers don’t usually go over 120 when I eat my own perfect diet I devised for myself. It took a lot of experimenting. I have not been as perfect lately though so my numbers reflect that. I intend to tighten up again because I was happier with better numbers.

Lab Mouse I also don’t want to go to insulin at present if it’s not necessary. My best health and best fitness are achieved with lower carbs anyway. No, I don’t eat cheese on my best plan and with best numbers…I let it creep back in lately but am rectifying that, lol.

We moved to a new town and it’s all about restaurants and wine. We love it, but I slacked off a bit. Here are two things I read about dairy products…the proteins can cause the same reaction gluten does in some susceptible people. Casein is the protein. My antibodies do go down with no dairy, and back up when I add it back in.
The other thing I read is that dairy is very insulinogenic. Even tho bgs don’t go all that high with eating it, a greater amount of insulin is used to metabolize it than other sources of nutrients. Anyway, it seems true for me. When I dropped dairy, I could eat higher amounts of other carbs and get better bgs. Especially fasting bgs.

I don’t get sick very often or very easily in regards to viruses. If everyone around me has a cold or flu I will get a much milder case if at all. I thought it was because of my over active immune system. However, I do get chemical sensitivities more than most people.

I would love to hear the results of your c-pep and GAD tests!

@girondet, You are right, I wanted to add little bit better.My wife was mad at me as I stopped going to restaurants and since I was already gluten free, it was even worse. I am aware of the perils of eating more and gaining weight and also adding insulin resistance. But so far exercise is able to help in that regards.

I didn't mention earlier that at the time of diagnosis my a1c was 7.2. The next two were 5.3 and 4.9. The last two numbers were purely by diet and exercise.
I agree with you that milk/dairy is insulinogenic and stresses beta cells. So in short term the BGs go down but after that it goes up.

Cheers

dairy foods have carbohydrates that's why you need insulin to cover it just like any other carbs

Eating about 4oz of cheese 3 to 4 days a week and a couple of those canned whip creams don't do anything out of the ordinary to my BGs. I have just started looking into gluten, interesting and a lot to learn. The focus has been on carbs with no concern for calories.

The doctor approved my request for GAD and c-peptide tests. I will get these at the first opportunity and of course will share.

The lab reported back with a 2.0 on c-peptide, still waiting on the GAD. I stoped by the doctors office and got all my lab results since dx in Oct 2011. They never ordered c-peptide so no base line to compare. An insulin test was on my initial blood work, that reading was 11.

It is interesting how my lipid panel has changed, Total Cholesterol 176, Triglycerides 137, HDL 40, LDL 109. My total cholesterol is up by 14, triglycerides down 74. HDL up 16, LDL up 8. From infomation I've read the LDL is likely to be of the begnine larg fluffy particles due to the high fat low carb diet. My doctor has been pushing for statins at every visit.

Your lab work has improved a lot, and it seems like your Dr. would be happy. However, once you have a diagnosis of diabetes they want your LDL to get below 70.
The c-pep sounds normal to me, if your lab range has 1 as the bottom of low normal. Someone else will have to comment on the insulin as I don’t know…you are constantly improving though and that’s wonderful! Congratulations! I hope the GADs are lower too! Way to go!

My doctor, like most doctors, follow the ADA, AMA guidelines. Guidelines that suggest eating about 8 percent of your daily calories from fat. I don't count calories but would gather that about 80 percent of my calories animal fat, 10 percent from nuts and 10 percent from the produce department. Dr. Bernstein has it nailed.

Yes, Dr. Bernstein is a blessing to me too. I followed his plan faithfully for about 3 years and then tightened up a bit more to get rid of processed foods. Fat has not hurt my lipid numbers at all, in fact helped, including saturated fat. I am thankful to have found what works for me and am now focusing on researching autoimmune issues. The GADs are associated with other autoimmune diseases, neurological ones. There is a clinical Dr.and researcher, Marios Hadjivassilou who seems to be a leading researcher in this area.I try to keep up with publications along that line. There is still much to be discovered…

Well the GAD numbers came in today. As stated in the first post I pegged the meter limit at >250, today 136. What could be happening? From what I understand the GAD numbers will slowly go down whilst the pancreas is almost out of islet cells to attack, eventually when the islets are near zero GAD will be as well? Is there any other reasons they would be lower? diet? CBD oil? typically the way GAD tests go? I'm still waiting for the insulin level.