Got my diagnoses....sort of
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Got my diagnoses....sort of
| Sat, 04-10-2004 - 2:54pm |
Saw the dr on Thursday and brought with me my home numbers. I have been home monitoring for 2 weeks while keeping a journal of everything I ate. He believes I am in a pre diabetic state. My numbers are all over the place..high..low..normal. The pattern shows great fasting numbers..but as the day goes on they get higher and higher. Bread seems to be my worse enemy..worse then sweets. He is sending me to an Endo but the wait is a year. In the meantime, I'm seeing an internist..the wait being 3 months. In the meantime, he has put me on Xenical to try and help take some weight off..but will not give me anything else until I see the internist. Now for my questions..lol
In the last 4 months I have had unexplained weight gain and have put on 35 lbs. The dr said said most people lose weight when the become diabetic but it can happen the other way..it is just very rare. So I went on the dr phil diet a week ago. Since starting the diet I have become very tired..very thirsty..always in a brain fog..and weak. His diet is low carb, low fat, low sugar. 120 carbs a day from whole grain and fruit. Is the diet causing these symptoms or the diabetes? You think I'd be better off on another diet? Also, I haven't lost any weight...lol...now..your probably thinking..I've only been on it a week. But with the rapid start menu your suppose to lose 10 lbs in 14 days. I'm half way there and nothing. Plus, I feel awful.
Has anyone else used Xenical? How'd it work out?
Just wondering what everyone thinks. I have no idea what I am doing.
Also, I had a GTT done in Jan. The numbers were normal. I saw the report when I was there on Thurs which did not make the dr happy, but anyways...my fast number was 4.9..the highest the number ever got to was 7.4...but at the 4 hr mark the number was 4.4..now I always thought that if the 4 hr number fell below the fast..then that was cause for concern? Am I wrong?
Any help here would be appreciated.
Sue
In the last 4 months I have had unexplained weight gain and have put on 35 lbs. The dr said said most people lose weight when the become diabetic but it can happen the other way..it is just very rare. So I went on the dr phil diet a week ago. Since starting the diet I have become very tired..very thirsty..always in a brain fog..and weak. His diet is low carb, low fat, low sugar. 120 carbs a day from whole grain and fruit. Is the diet causing these symptoms or the diabetes? You think I'd be better off on another diet? Also, I haven't lost any weight...lol...now..your probably thinking..I've only been on it a week. But with the rapid start menu your suppose to lose 10 lbs in 14 days. I'm half way there and nothing. Plus, I feel awful.
Has anyone else used Xenical? How'd it work out?
Just wondering what everyone thinks. I have no idea what I am doing.
Also, I had a GTT done in Jan. The numbers were normal. I saw the report when I was there on Thurs which did not make the dr happy, but anyways...my fast number was 4.9..the highest the number ever got to was 7.4...but at the 4 hr mark the number was 4.4..now I always thought that if the 4 hr number fell below the fast..then that was cause for concern? Am I wrong?
Any help here would be appreciated.
Sue

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I can't understand why it would take a year to see an endocrinologist!!!
If he thinks you're diabetic, you should see someone right away. I wouldn't wait more than a month.
I also disagree with the Xenical. What kind of doctor is this? This can be a very dangerous drug. Why would anyone want to take a drug that gives you diarrhea all the time? Am hoping that MaryFrances will see this and have some input.
Wrong...Mr Bill...one of the signs of diabetes in an unexplained weight gain! In fact, being overweight is really a precursor for diabetes!
Do a web search about diabetes. I like www.diabetes.org. It'll give you some of the facts and maybe answer some questions.
Kathi :-)
The reason for the wait is because I'm Canadian. lol Sad but true. It's really no surprise..well that's not true ..I thought maybe 3-5 months or something but we wait along time to see specialists. Because of the mess our health care system is in, I also cannot see another dr. I'm too consider myself lucky that I have one at all ( and believe it or not I do) He has admitted he does not know what to do with me and therefore chooses to do nothing for the time being. Lab work comes out normal..or so I think. Despite symptoms and my home numbers. I gotta tell you though. I really don't feel good. I am sooo tired all the time I can barely think. Always feel like I need to yawn. My mind is so foggy..I can't even hold a train of thought. Never mind carry a conversation. I don't know if it's the diet or the disease. I have no idea what to do anymore.
He also said that normal number are this......fasting...4-8 and 2 hrs after meals..3.5-11. Now I thought the range was much smaller. So now I'm not sure if he even knows for sure what he's looking for when lab results come in. I feel so alone.
Hi Sue,
Welcome to the board. I am sorry it has taken me this long to respond to your postings. I have a chart which converts A1C's to blood sugar readings and I thought I had a handy dandy one for the rest of the world to US numbers but no such luck.
Xenical is a drug that is used to help people lose weight and it is sometimes used in diabetics. But I think there is a much better way to manage diabetics. First off you need a visit to a dietitian to learn about diabetic eating and meal planning. I have found that when diabetics eat in a diabetic manner, which means that they measure their carbohydrates, proteins and fats, that they are magically able to lose weight. If you are truly a pre-diabetic, here in the lower 48 states the standard of treatment is to start the person of glucophage or metformin. Along with this, meal planning and increased exercise are the treatment suggestions.
Even a modest weight loss of 10 percent can get your blood sugar under control and prevent you from being diagnosed diabetic. 97 percent of type 2 diabetics have insulin resistance. The easiest way to decrease insulin resistance is with exercise. Walking 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week is a good way to start. Since you live in Canada, and the weather often isn't favorable for outside exercise, is there a mall near you? Manytimes they allow folks to walk inside the mall before it opens. So check this out. The first place I heard of it was in BC.
The internet allows you to go to whatever web site you want for information. While most of our posters are from the US, do not forget about the Canadian Diabetes Association which has a very good website also, the last time I checked it. I also like to refer people to the Joslin website www.joslin.org
Glad that MaryFrances sent you a response. She really knows her stuff!
You're not alone! We're here for you. I'm a newbie, too. So, some of the things I discuss will ring a bell for you and some that you mention will help me. We'll hang in there together, ok?
:-)
I honestly thought he may put me on metformin. He said he was reluctant too try any meds till I see the internist. He did say the internist would start meds for me though. I knida decided on my own that I would continue testing at home..even though he said not too..well he said it wasn't necessary. If my numbers are too high I'm gonna go to the hospital. Just walk into the ER. I mean, I feel so bad. I don't know why..but through all that I've been going through..I would have to say this is the worse I have felt. These last 5 days have been awful for me. I don't know if it's my BG...or this diet. But I need to find out. I haven't tested in over a week. Another question. Can starches have more of an effect on BG then sugar?
Hi and I am jumping right into that last questions about starches and sugar's effect on bg levels!!! YES!!!!!!
So at my last drs app I managed to see my lab report done last Jan. O.K...so 1 hrs after drinking that awful sugar drink my numbers was only 7.4..then at the 4 hrs mark it was 4.4. So I'm thinking how is that possable that the numbers would be so different. I mean the drink had 75 grams of sugar. Maybe if I have to have that test again I should eat a slice of pizza instead of drinking sugar.
I only have on more suggestion. If you can't get to a dietician, I would suggest eating less carbs and maybe joining Weight Watchers. I did and I have lost 95lbs and now my bs in undercontrol and even eating pizza doesn't bother me. I was taking glucophage xr but no longer have to take it. One thing WW taugh me was how to eat a well balanced diet and proportions of servings.
www.pdljmpr.com
good luck
Happy Easter,
The goal range, and I am going to give them to you in US numbers, is 90-120 for fasting for a diabetic. This changed this past January so these are the new goal numbers. The goal for after eating is less that 140. this is measured two hours after eating. Bedtime goals are 110-140.
You are absolutely correct about testing. This is like driving a car without a speedometer. When you get stopped for speeding you have no defense because you don't know how fast you were driving. Same thing applied to your glucose meter. You have no accurate idea of what is happening without testing your blood sugar.
All carbohydrates raise your blood sugar. Some do it faster than others. But as a diabetic you have to eat measured and most likely reduced carbs. The current thinking is to count them and not use exchanges. This is so the diabetic meal plan can be liberalized. By the way we no longer call it
WOW!!! Congrads on the WW loss. I'm very proud of you for you!
How did you get off the Glucophage-XR? How long had you been taking it?
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