[steveg123]

Greetings,

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. They don't know if it's type 1 or 2 yet since the blood test results have not come back yet.

My body started producing insulin on it's own last wednesday. I have not had to inject any insulin since then. How common is this "honeymoon period" the doctors speak of? Is there a good chance my pancrius(spelling?) has recoverd for good?
The doctors think I may have had a reaction to a medication I was taking that might have caused temporary diabetes.

thanks for reading,
Steve

[princesslinda]

Hi Steve:
What medication did you take that they think may have brought on diabetes? My co-worker had to take large doses of steroids for a lung condition (for about a year) and developed steroid-induced diabetes. She was on insulin for about a year and is now on oral meds. They have told here she will probably be able to go off them as well in the near future.

[steveg123]

the medication was megestrol. It was prescribed to me because I wanted to gain weight.

[steveg123]

I would just like to add that i'm 21 years old, and nobody in my family has diabetes. The doctors think it's type 1 because of the symptoms I had.

[steveg123]

21 views, but only 1 person replied?

Here is an article that is intersting:

Entrez PubMed

[Mama Belle]

To answer your question the honeymoon period is relatively common. Some people have honeymoon periods that last for days or weeks, others have them that last for months or years and some people never experience one. My daughter didn't. If it is type 1 (& not caused by meds) and you are in the honeymoon period, your pancreas cannot recovered permanently. Once you get type 1 it does not go away, it may get better for a while, but it doesn't just go away. Some folks can stop injections entirely during their honeymoon, but they eventually start increasing as the remaining insulin producing cells die off.

Now if this is related to type2 or medication, it could be a different story entirely. How were you diagnosed? What tests did they do?

EDIT: I would agree that the article is very interesting. It sounds like this could have been precipitated by the meds.

Best of luck!

[dbc]

I think the honeymoon period is more common the older you are when diagnosed. The onset/progress of T1 diabetes is relatively rapid for children/teens, but much slower for older people.

So a combination of being diagnosed early in the progression of the disease and being older can result in an extended honeymoon period. There a a number of T1.5 members here who have had honeymoons lasting a few years. I was diagnosed T1/1.5 3 years ago, and am only starting insulin this month for the first time.

[steveg123]

Originally Posted by dbc

I think the honeymoon period is more common the older you are when diagnosed. The onset/progress of T1 diabetes is relatively rapid for children/teens, but much slower for older people.

So a combination of being diagnosed early in the progression of the disease and being older can result in an extended honeymoon period. There a a number of T1.5 members here who have had honeymoons lasting a few years. I was diagnosed T1/1.5 3 years ago, and am only starting insulin this month for the first time.

I hope mine lasts that long. Actually, I hope mine lasts forever, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by steveg123

I hope mine lasts that long. Actually, I hope mine lasts forever, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.

I know the feeling -I was getting into thinking "if I carry on eating healthy maybe I'll avoid insulin..." (i'm on a fairly strict lo carb diet)

No such luck - bottom line, T1 diabetes is a progressive disease, the best we can do is slow down the rate of progression by doing all the right stuff.

I'm starting with the insulin next week when I get back from a business trip. I plan on carrying on with the diet & exercise as part of the disease management process, but it will be nice to have the occassional slice of pizza now that I'll be able use insulin to control the bg!

[Funnygrl]

Almost everyone with type 1 experiences a honeymoon, and it can last months, even years.

It does sound like you have type 1 based on your age and thinness.

[steveg123]

update:

I had a doctors appt. on tuesday, and my blood test results came back negative, so I do not have type 1.

I still haven't had to use insulin, and my blood sugar has been good. The doctor now thinks it was caused by the medication, and I don't have diabetes at all. He still wants me to test twice a day for the next two months, and have blood work done again in two months just to make sure it's gone.

It's a miracle in my eyes, and I thank god every day for this miracle.