How Nicky Gebka beats her type 2 diabetes

A study published in The Lancet predicts that 1.3 billion people will have diabetes by 2050. Also, one in two adults who live with diabetes don't know that they have the condition. There are several types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. It happens when the body's own immune system damages the pancreas - the organ that produces a hormone called insulin (which is important in getting the glucose from the food we eat into the cells in our body that use it). It's often not clear why this happens, or what triggers the damage. Type 1 diabetes is more commonly diagnosed in children than in adults.
• Adults who are diagnosed with diabetes most often have type 2 diabetes where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or body's cells don't respond properly to the insulin. This results in too much sugar (glucose) in the blood which can cause damage throughout the body. Type 2 diabetes is caused by unhealthy living, weight gain, a life without much physical activity. These elements also feed any genetic risk a person has for developing the condition. Find out more.
• Other forms of diabetes also exist, including gestational diabetes - which occurs during pregnancy and is usually temporary, and prediabetes - a potentially reversible condition that occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes can lead to diabetes unless steps are taken to prevent it.

Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission. Just ask Nicky Gebka

Nicky, 57, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2005 after a Health Check showed severely elevated glucose levels in her blood.

For the next 16 years, Nicky followed a carefully prescribed regimen of medicines. "I had to take a lot of medicine and doing so kept my diabetes stable," she says. "I was a midwife running my own well-baby clinic and I lived a sedentary lifestyle. I didn't make time for exercise and I was lazy about changing my lifestyle to better manage my diabetes."

Nicky gets COVID-19

In 2021, Nicky got COVID-19, and with diabetes a risk factor for developing serious COVID-illness, she got very sick. Nicky spent eight weeks in hospital, six of which were in ICU on a ventilator and dialysis machine (dialysis replaces your kidneys, filtering your blood in their place). At the height of her illness, Nicky received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a type of treatment that supplies the blood with oxygen from outside the body so that the heart and lungs can rest and heal.

"The ECMO machine is a last intervention and there are very strict criteria to bring put onto ECMO," she explains. "My family was called on three separate occasions to say goodbye to me. Doctors didn't think I'd make it."

Of course, Nicky still had type 2 diabetes to contend with. "My glucose levels were uncontrolled at the time, and the hospital was giving me injections to stabilise my blood sugar levels." After being fed through a drip for several weeks, Nicky lost 20kg.

"I then decided to do something about my weight"

After Nicky's extended hospital stay, she was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in her right ankle "When I was at my podiatrist, I saw how I looked and realised I had to take my health more seriously."

Once Nicky was well enough, she started following a healthy eating plan and walking slowly, and soon saw results. "With every 5kg that my weight went down by, I would check in with my metabolic specialist doctor and we would slowly reduce my diabetes medicine."

Today, Nicky is 53kg lighter than she was before she had COVID-19. "I walk up to 10km every day with my dog, and I see a biokineticist three times a week."

By August 2023 Nicky had stopped taking her diabetes medicine. Nicky was in diabetes remission.

• Diabetes remission is when the blood sugar levels of people with type 2 diabetes return to normal levels for at least three months without taking diabetes medicine.

In January 2024, Nicky had foot reconstruction surgery of her right foot. She wasn't allowed to put any weight on her feet for several months. "During this time I continued to see my biokineticist to make sure I didn't lose any muscle mass."

Today, Nicky's blood glucose levels are stable and she remains in remission. "I don't need - or want - to go back on medicine for diabetes," she adds.

What is Nicky's advice for people living with diabetes?

"I now prioritise looking after myself and listening to my body," says Nicky. She encourages those with type 2 diabetes to:

• Eat healthily: "Find an eating plan that you enjoy and stick to it."
• Move your body: "Every small step counts towards your health."
• Educate yourself: "Start seeing a Discovery Diabetes Care Network GP as they are really skilled at managing diabetes and will partner with you in ongoing care."
• Listen to your body: "Listen when your body tells you that it's full when you are eating."
• Be kind to yourself: "Take time for yourself and look after yourself - you only get one life."
• Ask for mental health support if you are struggling.

"I am extremely fortunate"

"Discovery Health Medical Scheme has played a fundamental role in funding my healthcare costs over time - from my extensive COVID-19-related admission to my diabetes and arthritis medicine, which have come at significant cost."

"If I hadn't been a DHMS member throughout my health journey, I wouldn't be here now. I am extremely fortunate."

Now Nicky plans to use her experience to help other people with diabetes. After her foot reconstruction surgery, she started studying to be a health coach. "I want to be in the health sector screening people for diabetes. And, I want to help other people who live with this disease to get their lives back - like I did."

Related articles

References