HI,
I had some blood work done last month, and I don't really understand the scores very well. IF anyone has any insight I would much appreciate it. I am type 2 diabetic.
tryglycerides 7290
cholestral 493
I think the good chol. was normal and the sodioum was really low. The doctor put me on 45mg of actos a day, 40mg of lipator a day and I was already on 10mg of glucatrol xl. I have completley changed eating habits and I am in the process of starting an excercise regime. However I am still not feeling well and my sugars on average are about 287. Thanks for any help and info. I just found this site and have already found some helpful info.

Sahara,

The only bits of insight that I can give you is that both your triglycerides and cholesterol total are very high. In fact, I don't mean to scare you, but those are the highest values of those that I have seen reported. I am not even sure that the tests used to determine those values are valid in those ranges. Did your doctor not seem alarmed that those values are way outside the norm (assuming they are in mg/dL)?

Your blood sugar at 287 is pretty indicative of diabetes. My fasting sugar was 324 when they caught it.

I am not familiar with Actos, but the glucatrol is there to help reduce your blood sugar average, and the lipitor is for cholesterol. Any idea when your next followup blood draw is? I would be interested to know what changes have been effected by the combination of medications and diet you are on.

[This message has been edited by ubernier (edited 01-15-2003).]

You probably don't feel well because your blood glucose is so high. If the glucophage isn't working for you then your doctor needs to change your meds. Does your doc know that your sugars are still so high? If not then you need to let him know.

Sahara -
It sounds like your doctor added another diabetes medication (actos?). I would advise monitoring your blood glucoses quite frequently if you're not already doing so. You need to determine your fasting glucose pattern (AM, before breakfast), your post-meal pattern (2 hours after any meal, timed from when you first started eating), and your pre-bedtime pattern.

If your blood sugars don't come down significantly, then you and your doctor need to work more closely to get them down. Target ranges for a diabetic are:

Prior to meals: 80-120
1 hour after a meal: 80-180
2 hours after a meal: 80-140
Before bedtime: 100-140

Since diabetics are more prone to circulatory problems and heart disease, it's imperative to get your cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL down, and your HDL up. Ask your doctor for a follow-up plan to test both your HbA1C(a measure of long-term blood glucose) and a lipid profile to make sure your numbers are coming down.

Originally posted by ubernier:
Sahara,

The only bits of insight that I can give you is that both your triglycerides and cholesterol total are very high. In fact, I don't mean to scare you, but those are the highest values of those that I have seen reported. I am not even sure that the tests used to determine those values are valid in those ranges. Did your doctor not seem alarmed that those values are way outside the norm (assuming they are in mg/dL)?

Your blood sugar at 287 is pretty indicative of diabetes. My fasting sugar was 324 when they caught it.

I am not familiar with Actos, but the glucatrol is there to help reduce your blood sugar average, and the lipitor is for cholesterol. Any idea when your next followup blood draw is? I would be interested to know what changes have been effected by the combination of medications and diet you are on.

[This message has been edited by ubernier (edited 01-15-2003).]

hi,
Thanks for responding. Yes the doctor did seemed alarmed and she put me on the lipator and actos asap. I have another appointment for more blood work this month. I agree I was in shock at the numbers, I am only 31 so that's pretty scary for me. All I can do is eat better, excerise and take care of myself. You have a good day and again thanks

Originally posted by sahara996:
hi,
I am only 31 so that's pretty scary for me. All I can do is eat better, excerise and take care of myself.

I can understand. My diagnosis of type 2 came at 33 years old (3 years ago). You are correct about eating better, exercise and taking care of yourself. I wish I had started when I first got the diagnosis rather than relied on a pill. My type 2 is entirely controlled by weight/diet/exercise. I no longer needed medication after Ilost my first 20 lbs.

Another poster suggested you monitor your blood sugars and that is great advice. I still do it from time to time, but when I started, I would check it before and after meals, at least 6 times a day. I know its a bit expensive, but I felt it was important to know my pattern. If you see a point in the day or after a meal where your sugars go pretty high, try a little exercise at that time. Its amazing what one can do to the concentration of blood sugar with a 15 min jog.

I wish you success in bringing those numbers back down and I hope that you will post the results of your next lipid profile and that it is good news.