Low carb retinopathy success

I thought I would share a low carb success with you!

In May of 2013, my husband went to the optician, because his vision seemed odd. This turned out to be T2 diabetes, with a bs of 24mmol/L and retinopathy (background?) confirmed by the hospital eye unit. I know a bit about nutrition and I know how to cook, so within a couple of days, Low Carb was underway. Fortunately we had been given a meter. It took nine days to bring sugar levels down to non-diabetic, where they remain.

This, as many of you know, was not actually a sensible thing to do and, while everything else about life and health improved, proliferative retinopathy was confirmed by Christmas and laser treatment begun in January. (for anyone new to all this, sugar levels which are very high, should be brought down slowly)

We both continued with our low carb diet, going through all the stress of laser treatment and the agonising wait for DVLA to decide if he could keep his driving licence (yes, but for three years only).

But the good news now, is that, DUE TO LOW CARB, there has been no further deterioration in his eyes and the proliferative retinopathy has “regressed”. In other words it is getting better, is no longer considered proliferative, and the prognosis is very positive. Our eye consultant despairs at NHS dietary advice and has encouraged me to join Diabetes UK (the charity, not the forum) to try and change things from the inside.

Sally

ps. Just a thought: If anyone suggests that he wouldn't have got the proliferative retinopathy in the first place, if he hadn't of gone low carb, yes he would have done, it just wouldn't have got better.

Thanks for posting Sally, nothing I like more than hearing about improvement for someone. "no further deterioration in his eyes and the proliferative retinopathy has “regressed”. In other words it is getting better"

Try achieving that on a high carb high med regime. Keep telling us about your good news and success.

Regards Eddie

wonderful sally

Many thanks for sharing this good news with us all.

Low carb just makes good sense

All the best Jan

Brilliant result Sally.

As Eddie says..."LCHF,you know it makes sense,why fight it!"

Brilliant news Sally!

Really great news. It just angers me that other healthcare professionals have taken on board the need for change but that the ones that matter, or control the message to diabetics have stick their heads in the sand for so long that they don't dare pull them out again. I think it would help in part if the HF bit was better understood as enough fat to replace missing calories from carbs. You really don't need to be drinking bulletproof coffee or having cream on your buttered cheese to do that. As many tyoe 2s need to lose weight as well, I suspect it is this bit that has the NHS dieticians continuing to advice carbs with every meal.

At the risk of sending the thread onto a different path (sorry) - I'm annoyed at the lack of advice to anyone re carbs, not just diabetics. I took my Aunt to an appointment with her GP yesterday. Her kidney function is awful (33%). Mine improved so much when I started low carbing (from 67% to > 90%) Of course her kidneys have been getting worse for years, but if her GP had told her about low carbing she probably would have done it years ago.

Carbs are so destructive and not just for the eyes.

I agree. My dad had a triple bypass after a possible heart attack ( the consultant was undecided but the angiogram showed up major problem in one artery so he had everything done whilst he was under) - for years because my mum was always dieting we had low fat spread and milk, very little cheese etc so she is blaming the meat he are and ignoring the endless carbs be consumed as he had white bread sarnies for  breakfast and lunch, cakes, biscuits , spuds with every meal. I'm not saying that he didn't consume too much processed meat which is still implicated in poor heart health in the recent Swedish study , but I bet the carbs played as big a part, but have been largely ignored.

Great news, Sally

Coldethyl, I luuuurve cream on my buttered cheese

Signy

I began this thread approximately 16 months ago, in September 2014, to share my husband's success in reversal of proliferative retinopathy.  At that time, the word "regressed" was used to describe the improvement.  Since then we have both continued the low carb life style and low blood sugars have been maintained at all times, without drugs.

Having just returned, this afternoon, from a regular eye check up, with an opthalmic consultant, may I share more good news, in the hope that it will reassure and encourage others:
the words this time were, "further improvement in both eyes ………. it's amazing!".  We then went into a discussion about the merits of low carb and how he despairs at the advice being handed out by much of the medical profession.
As for the future for my husband, he anticipates a full recovery, with, in another couple of years or so, only barest hints of past diabetes.

This "amazing" reversal is due to eating fresh food, home cooking and completely rejecting bread, potatoes, pasta, cereals, rice, flour products, sugars, fruit and juices, in fact anything which will break down into glucose in the body.  Surely, everyone's sight is worth more than a chip.
Sally

That's very heartwarming news Sally! As you say-Everyone's eyesight is worth more than a chip and I couldn't agree more as in my eyes (No pun intended) as a diabetic,blindness is the complication I fear the most and I'm sure that's the case for the many but through the LC diet,it does not have to be inevitable...Best wishes to you and your husband.

Paul

Sally wrote:I began this thread approximately 16 months ago, in September 2014, to share my husband's success in reversal of proliferative retinopathy.  At that time, the word "regressed" was used to describe the improvement.  Since then we have both continued the low carb life style and low blood sugars have been maintained at all times, without drugs.

Having just returned, this afternoon, from a regular eye check up, with an opthalmic consultant, may I share more good news, in the hope that it will reassure and encourage others:
the words this time were, "further improvement in both eyes ………. it's amazing!".  We then went into a discussion about the merits of low carb and how he despairs at the advice being handed out by much of the medical profession.
As for the future for my husband, he anticipates a full recovery, with, in another couple of years or so, only barest hints of past diabetes.

This "amazing" reversal is due to eating fresh food, home cooking and completely rejecting bread, potatoes, pasta, cereals, rice, flour products, sugars, fruit and juices, in fact anything which will break down into glucose in the body.  Surely, everyone's sight is worth more than a chip.
Sally

Great news Sally and long may the improvement continue. As you know we are a very small forum with few regular posters. That being said, this thread you started has had over 300 page views. It's posts like yours that could turn a diabetics life around. This disease does not have to be progressive as you and your husband have proved.

All the best of luck and health to you and yours.

Sally wrote:I began this thread approximately 16 months ago, in September 2014, to share my husband's success in reversal of proliferative retinopathy.  At that time, the word "regressed" was used to describe the improvement.  Since then we have both continued the low carb life style and low blood sugars have been maintained at all times, without drugs.

Having just returned, this afternoon, from a regular eye check up, with an opthalmic consultant, may I share more good news, in the hope that it will reassure and encourage others:
the words this time were, "further improvement in both eyes ………. it's amazing!".  We then went into a discussion about the merits of low carb and how he despairs at the advice being handed out by much of the medical profession.
As for the future for my husband, he anticipates a full recovery, with, in another couple of years or so, only barest hints of past diabetes.

This "amazing" reversal is due to eating fresh food, home cooking and completely rejecting bread, potatoes, pasta, cereals, rice, flour products, sugars, fruit and juices, in fact anything which will break down into glucose in the body.  Surely, everyone's sight is worth more than a chip.
Sally

So good to read this, and thank you for sharing  

All the best Jan

Sally wrote:I began this thread approximately 16 months ago, in September 2014, to share my husband's success in reversal of proliferative retinopathy.  At that time, the word "regressed" was used to describe the improvement.  Since then we have both continued the low carb life style and low blood sugars have been maintained at all times, without drugs.

Having just returned, this afternoon, from a regular eye check up, with an opthalmic consultant, may I share more good news, in the hope that it will reassure and encourage others:
the words this time were, "further improvement in both eyes ………. it's amazing!".  We then went into a discussion about the merits of low carb and how he despairs at the advice being handed out by much of the medical profession.
As for the future for my husband, he anticipates a full recovery, with, in another couple of years or so, only barest hints of past diabetes.

This "amazing" reversal is due to eating fresh food, home cooking and completely rejecting bread, potatoes, pasta, cereals, rice, flour products, sugars, fruit and juices, in fact anything which will break down into glucose in the body.  Surely, everyone's sight is worth more than a chip.
Sally

Great result for your husband Sally, our sight is precious and keeping blood sugars under control can prevent retinopathy and as your husbands case shows can even reverse it.

Thanks for sharing

Far from uncommon, but still excellent to read another success.

How will the GP rationalise this?