diabetis / low carb
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diabetis / low carb
| Wed, 02-18-2004 - 9:32pm |
Hello everyone,
It's a beautiful spring-like day in my home town. Has anyone in this board tried the low carb diets? I was on atkins for several weeks. I had lost ten lbs. But, when my doc. fount out, he had a fit. He put me back on the exchange diet, and diabetis meds. I can't seem to get enough to eat. I'm hungery all the time.. even though I'm on a 1500 cal. diet. I felt so satsfied on low carbs. And needless to say the weight is comeing back on. Can anyone offer advice?
carolyn
It's a beautiful spring-like day in my home town. Has anyone in this board tried the low carb diets? I was on atkins for several weeks. I had lost ten lbs. But, when my doc. fount out, he had a fit. He put me back on the exchange diet, and diabetis meds. I can't seem to get enough to eat. I'm hungery all the time.. even though I'm on a 1500 cal. diet. I felt so satsfied on low carbs. And needless to say the weight is comeing back on. Can anyone offer advice?
carolyn

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I'm in diabetes education classes now, and have learned a lot. Am so glad that all vegs are "free" per the RN and dietician. That helps curb my appetite. Just wish I could figure out why my numbers are so high first thing in the morning. Guess patience will have to do, huh?
Hi Kathi,
Welcome to the board. My name is Mary Frances and I am the other community leader for this board. I am a type 2 diabetic and a registered nurse. Any advise I may give is not a subsitute for seeking medical advise from a health care practitioner of your choice.
The reason that your blood sugars are higher in the morning than at bedtime is because of insulin resistance. At about 4 AM your liver is converting stored fats into glycogen which turns into sugar and your pancreas can't make enough insulin for you to bring your blood sugar back under control. Your pancreas is actually making more insulin than you need but your system is resistant to it.
This is quite a frustrating condition that is found in 97 percent of type 2 diabetics. Glucophage, Avandia and Actos are the meds used to break this condition down. Exercise is a great help in breaking down insulin resistance.
As I am sure you have read elsewhere on this board, I am going to be started on insulin because of this very problem. Last night when I went to be my blood sugar was 98, and I wondered it I needed to eat something. I didn't eat anything. When I got up this morning my blood sugar was 149. Hopefully when I start on the insulin this will be under better control. I even went to exercise yesterday!
By the way, there isn't a diabetic out there who is trying to control their blood sugar that isn't eating a reduced carbohydrate diet. While the meal plan given to you may have more carbos than you can handle it is certainly containing less carbos than you were eating before you were diagnosed. By the way, we don't call it a diet anymore because eating for diabetics requires a life style change and unlike a diet you never go off it!
Please get back to me with your questions and comments,
Mary Frances
cl-maryfrances40
DX two years ago with insulin resistance. Was afraid that it would turn into diabetes, but being the type that thinks she can wish/think away things didn't believe it would go this far. A1c was just over 11 mid-January instead of under 7. Blood was taken on Monday, and saw my endocrinologist on Wednesday. When he told me that the dx was now diabetes, I started crying. He said "'go see you psychiatrist'" and left the room! (I'm on Lexapro 20mg qam and Klonopin 1mg qhs for the chronic pain of the fibro) The PA then came in with samples of Amaryl and a prescription for 4mg bid. She, too, left w/o giving me a chance to ask the questions that really needed to be answered.
Went out to the parking lot and read the insert which said the starting dosage was 1mg daily. Was quite concerned, went back into the reception office to leave a message for the PA whom they said wasn't available, and left a note with some of the questions I had. (A Mexican food delivery truck had just pulled up as I was going back in...so you can guess what my thoughts were - a drug rep's gift was more important than a patient's needs)
When I didn't receive a call to answer my questions, I called two days later and the PA insisted that I start the Amaryl 4mg bid with meals. So, lunch and dinner was the plan.
After 3 weeks of diabetes education, I've been told by the RN that I should take the 8mg at dinner so it would cover overnight and make my number lower in the morning before breakfast. Started it Thursday night, and don't really see much difference. Maybe my body is still on strike, huh?
I take my measurement at 5-5:30AM when I feed my two diabetic cats and give them their insulin. It was 123 at 5:40 this AM (had yoghurt 15mg=1 unit at 12:40AM) My meter gave me weird readings after dinner yesterday. Because it was 220 (then 259, 200, 208, and 193) I took the 193. Didn't understand how the numbers could have been so wacky in 10 minutes' time. Am thinking of calling the meter company to see if they can enlighten me. Can't tell I'm sort of compulsive about this, huh?
After I took care of the cats and the reading, I drank 8oz of non-fat milk. Slept from 6AM until 3PM...have been so tired lately. So, at 3:30PM, the level was 137 and that was w/o food since the milk. Had a chicken salad (strips of lemon chicken on lots of lettuce, 2 qtrs tomato, so olives and onions) which shouldn't count as carbs as the diabetes educator said that vegs don't count.
So, now at 7PM, will see what's what this time. Took the 8mg of Amaryl at 4:30PM while I was eating lunch...a bit med non-compliant? ;-0
Haven't been exercising as much as I'd like which might make a difference. Have fibro and my hips and legs have been giving me fits for over a week. Can't have the rheumatologist give me injections. Also, think the injections might have contributed to the onset of the diabetes. (My vet says she's sure that's what gave one cat diabetes...'course that's type 1, I think.) Only way I can sleep (sort of) is to take an Ultram...only twice this week, though.
Sorry this is so long. I'm pretty lonely, and don't really have a support system. I've only told one person, my best friend who is a RN and caring for her 84 yr old diabetic father. Didn't mean to bend anybody's ears/eyes unnecessarily. I'll try to behave myself from now on.
Kathi
The last test result was 117!!! Guess taking the 8mg of Amaryl when I did was fine.
I'm going to get this sooner or later, I hope.
:-)
Kathi -
Smoochdog (aka Michelle)
For some reason, the Amaryl seems to make me hungry. So, good that I take it with meals.
My post lunch was 117 so taking the 8mg at that time wasn't so bad after all!
Good wishes for your surgery. I definitely will email with you.
Kathi,
There is so much to say to you. I am not sure where to start.
I am really concerned that you were started on the maximum doseage for Amaryl. Where do you go from here if you need more medication? Normally patients are started on 1 or 2 mg and then increased as needed. Usually stopping at 4 mgm. The peak time for Amaryl is 2-3 hours and the half life is 9 hours, which means that the amount of drug in your system decreases from that point on.
The reason your blood sugar is higher in the morning is your insulin resistance. You are not on a medication to decrease your insulin resistance. The medications for this are metformin (glucophage) Actos and Avandia.
Amaryl is a good drug that tells your pancreas to make more insulin. It does cause hypoglycemia and weight gain.
Please remember that 8 ounces of milk has as much carbohydrates a slice of bread (15) so you need to count that as part of your carbohydrates.
Most type 2 diabetics do not need a bedtime snack unless their blood sugar is 110 or less. Bedtime snacks only enourage weight gain for type 2 diabetics. If you need a bedtime snack, you must subtract the carbohydrates from your days total.
I think your blood sugar was lower after eating your salad with the chicken because you had enough protein to balance out the veggies and you didn't have much in the way of carbos. It is true that veggies aren't counted in the carbohydrate amount unless they are starches.
Watch your blood sugar carefully but only do it once! You may need to back off the amount of Amaryl that you are taking. If you experience hypoglycemic reaction of 80 or less you need to notify your doctor.
On the way you were treated by the physician and the PA, I think it was appalling that you were treated in such a cavalier manner. I would give them one more try and if this treatment continues I would ask for a referral to someone else who specializes in diabetes. There is no reason that you as a newly diagnosed diabetic who's diabetes is totally out of control needed to wait for two days for a phone call back.
Your average blood sugar is 270. Your body isn't used to it being in the normal range anymore. When you achieve a blood sugar of 150 you will feel like you are having a hypoglycemic reaction. This is perfectly normal feeling as your body will need time to adjust to the lower readings. When you feel sweaty, headachy, shakey take your blood sugar reading.
I have never heard of taking the Amaryl anytime but after breakfast. If you take it at night how do you cover breakfast and lunch with medication. You don't need to answer this question. This is just my thoughts about why this wouldn't work as intended. What you really need is to add in a medication to breakdown the insulin resistance. Which by the way is the recommended first treatment for type 2 diabetics. (When I was started on Amaryl the recommendation was to start of a sulfonylureas and then metformin. The recommendations have since been changed.)
Check out the Joslin clinic web site www.joslin.org. There is a special section for newly diagnosed diabetics. Read it as this will really help you understand what is going on.
Befoe this gets any longer I am going to stop. Please get back to me with your questions and comments. I certainly hope that you feel better real soon.
Mary Frances
cl-maryfrances40
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