Cured vs. Controlled

One thing I hate reading about, especially from toxic online communities or websites, is when people talk about being cured of type 2 diabetes. I think this puts a false sense of hope in people that is not ethical and outright wrong. There is no cure once you have type 2 diabetes. If you are prediabetic, then yes, I do believe you can reverse it, but it's not technically a cure since you didn’t have diabetes to begin with. Any time you see the word “cured” you should substitute it with controlled.

The difference between cured and controlled

The best way to tell if you are cured or not is to eat high carbs for one day. If your blood sugar spikes again to levels that would be indicated diabetes, you are not cured. You are controlled. More specifically, you are diet controlled. There is nothing wrong with that at all. I actually commend and am a little jealous of you, as many people in the community would be. But I also applaud your dedication and that your body responds to diet better than mine. However, you are not cured. If I remember correctly, I don’t believe that you can get the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes off your medical records if you are diet controlled. This doesn’t mean there aren’t some people that can essentially cure their diabetes, but that is few and far between.

Find the right type 2 diabetes community

I would recommend you stay away from communities that flat out lie to you about your condition and the ability to not take any medications and just use diet to control it. While this does work for some people, it isn’t right to assume it works for everyone. It also isn’t right to make people feel bad for not being able to get off medications. I am on medication and while there is more I could do, I have a lot of trouble with it. I would be shunned from some of these communities for being empathetic towards those that struggle daily with this disease. The struggle is real and it’s hard. Do not let anyone tell you that you are doing something wrong or you are weak. It simply isn’t true.

Why I love this community is because we don’t blow smoke up your backside. We understand that everyone is different and we all respond differently to treatments and diets. This is exactly what you should be looking for in a community. Real patients with the condition you have who tell you exactly what to expect and how there are struggles, ups and downs, and the end goal may never happen for you, and that’s okay as long as you stay positive and keep working towards it.

Concentrate on what you can control

Please don’t allow people to put you down and make you feel like you are a bad type 2 diabetic because your A1c is above the goal. I highly recommend a place that does not focus on a cure, but focuses on control. That is the most important thing. You don’t need to be cured. Yes, it would be amazing if we could all be cured, but in reality, we can’t. Focus on control and positivity and life will be much better and stress-free.