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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 21 October 2020

Read how Aubrey Millet, got off his medication, under the guidance of his doctor and became ‘free of diabetes’ this year after having worked assiduously on his diet and exercise for two decades.

It was in 2000 at age 52 that I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. My fasting blood sugar level was 175 mg/dL.

I was a chain smoker that time, smoking more than 30 cigarettes a day. I was also notorious for my sweet tooth. I could eat large number of sweets in one sitting. I was particularly fond of Bengali mithai. You see, when I was studying in XLRI in Jamshedpur, we would keep going to Kolkata on weekends or holidays. It was there that my love for Bengali sweets began. I could make a meal of Mishti Doi, Kheer Kadam, Shondesh, Kalo Jam and the like.

Bye-bye sugar

So 20 years back, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I knew I had to reign in my sweet urges.

The first thing I did was to go off sugar in my coffee and tea.  It was very difficult but after 2 weeks, I got used to it. I couldn’t tolerate any sugar now. If someone served me tea or coffee with sugar, I would feel like vomiting. I also do not believe in sugar substitutes. I had read they can be harmful, so I stayed away from them from the beginning.

Next, I gave up liquor totally.  This was also not too hard as I was purely a social drinker.  At the same time, I also went of fizzy drinks totally...no Coke, no Sprite. After this came my most challenging phase. I had to end my love affair with India sweets, chocolates and desserts. It was particularly hard to kill my cravings as my house in Bengaluru is surrounded by sweet shops.

But thanks to my discipline and determination, I kept a hawk eye on my sugar levels. I had bought a Glucometer and would check my fasting sugar regularly. My diabetologist had prescribed one tablet a day for me. With medication and dietary changes, my sugar was reasonably under control. Fasting sugar now ranged between 110 and 130.

Maybe self-restrain and strictness runs in the family. I have two daughters - both of whom are national swimming champions. My older daughter, Nisha, is an Arjuna Award winner, and was the only woman in the 2000 Sydney Olympics swim team for India.

Spinal surgery

Then in 2012, there was a major setback in my life. I had to undergo a major spinal surgery that left me partly paralysed. I used to have recurrent infection of UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). The doctor would prescribe a course of antibiotics each time and the infection would go away. After some time, I started self-medicating myself. I would take the dose of antibiotics without consulting the doctor. Once, when the infection set in, I took the antibiotics as usual. The medication had the most severe reaction imaginable. My urine stopped completely, my body began turning blue and started getting stiff. I had to be rushed to the hospital. Some of the poisonous liquid had travelled up to my top vertebrae and damaged some of my crucial nerves. I couldn’t walk after that.  I was confined to the wheelchair. It has been 8 years, since I have been dependant on a wheelchair. Though at home, I can walk around slowly with the help of a walker.

After my surgery, I was prescribed a new tablet for my sugar - Glycomet SR 500mg once a day.  I have been on this medicine for several years. It was in February this year that an article in The Hindu newspaper got me thinking. The article mentioned that some brands of metformin, a common diabetic pill, was being investigated for carcinogenic ingredients and was being pulled off the shelves of pharmacies in parts of the US. After reading the article, I had this desire to discontinue Glycomet for fear of its carcinogenic constituent.

Note: Metformin is still a widely prescribed drug by doctors. Some brands of Metformin XR (extended release version) have been recalled due to presence of carcinogenic ingredients. Speak to your doctor about which brands are safe. Here is the FDA metformin recall list.  

Recorded low sugar

I have been religiously recording my blood sugar level everyday since 2000, the year I was first diagnosed with diabetes. Through regular exercise, strict diet discipline and willpower, I have managed to keep my sugar within the normal range.

But now I had new, more challenging goals. I wanted to get off that one tablet for diabetes also.

In March Covid-19 came along. I had been noticing that my sugar readings were dipping below 100 on most days. One morning, my fasting sugar came down to as low as 76. Since I have been reading copiously on diabetes, I was aware of the hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar, a potentially dangerous condition that's most common in people with diabetes. I immediately spoke to my diabetologist. Being acquainted with my history and self-restraint, he recommended that I go off my medication as an experiment for a week on 3 conditions:

  1. I would get more restrictive on my sugar intake
  2. I would increase my exercise
  3. I would religiously check my fasting sugar every day.

I complied with these three conditions wholeheartedly.  During these months, my diet included some fruits mainly papaya, citrus fruits and apples. I went off all sauces, tinned food and preservatives and upped my exercise levels by 50 per cent.

I have my cheat days or as I prefer to call it reward meals. I allow myself to have a small cup of ice-cream. Or a small bite of a mithai. I also indulge in a small helping of rice. I may have knocked off many sweet things from my diet, but my cravings continue. Hence, to feel good and less deprived, I have a list of pet sugar urge busters.

  1. Single square of sugar free dark chocolate after meals
  2. Single piece of date
  3. Single tablet of tangy, chewable sweet Vitamin C
  4. Single throat lozenges or candy drops
  5. Two or three cubes of papaya

Exercising with my walker

Although I am confined to a wheelchair, I am able to exercise at home with the help of the walker. In fact, I try not to use the walker at home, and take it with me when I am going out nearby. My physiotherapist has shown me how to exercise by holding the walker. I am able to sit down on my haunches, and repeat that several times. I raise my legs from side to side holding the walker. I do similar arm movements. I also exercise my legs and hand lying on the bed. These basic workouts keep my muscles in working order.

Off medicines

Finally after 20 years, my resolution paid off.  After checking my fasting sugar and finding it between 80 and 96 which is normal, my doctor okayed my going off medication totally. Now I am NOT on any medication at all. My fasting sugar has remained constant. Yet I continue to check my sugar levels every morning.

Today I have completed 8th month with no medicine for diabetes. Mentally I am very happy because now I am ‘diabetes free’. Amidst the gloom of Covid, I had my triumphant moment to celebrate.

My advice

My recommendation for other people with diabetes is:

  1. Always keep your doctor in the loop.
  2. Maintain discipline and exercise strict control over urges. Sugar levels can be lowered.
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