G'Day, All...I was just put on 10mg Crestor to control elevated cholesterol. Would like your opinions, please :-)

- Vikingirl

Thanks for the replies and the website info. Very informative and enlightening...which still leaves me in a somewhat confused state as to what to do :-)

Cheers,
- Vikingirl

.... BTW...I am of Nordic decent and it's interesting to note that when considering diabetic treatments as, Scandinavians have among the highest prevalence of Diabetes in the world. Lucky us...not.....
Interestingly, New Zealand and Finland share the dubious distinction of having the highest incince of T1 diabetes in under 5 year olds in the world. And the only apparent common denominator is is high milk consumption in this age group. Mmmm ... could it be an autoimmune reaction to all that bovine insulin?

Cheers,

Mark :p

I find info like that very interesting, Mark. I'm always after the big picture and enjoy reading all the new things they're finding about Diabetes (among many others), especially lately with all the latest DNA research and such.

There's even a theory that Type 1 Diabetes developed in our evolution around the time we experienced our overnight ice-age. Many froze to death, many fled South, and few adapted, allowing them to suffer extreme freezing temperatures without ice crystals forming in their blood. High levels of blood glucose prevent cells and tissues from forming ice crystals. In other words, Type 1 diabetes would have prevented many of our ancestors from freezing to death. This is why Scandinavia has such a high prevalence. How does that theory explain New Zealand, then? Must be through the Viking invasions of (now) UK and the subsequent world travels that brought them to Australia and New Zealand, ya? Just guessing :-)

I'm just really a newby to the cholesterol thing. Thank Goodness my BP is fantastic - even normal-low. Hope it stays that way.

- Vikingirl

AFAIK, Crestor and Lipitor are the preferred choices, unless contraindicated for specific reasons. DO have your Team pay attention to those liver-related tests. (Oats are a good thing, maybe switch your wheat-based carbs to oat? They're both kinda empty calories, but one's good for cutting LDL.)

There's even a theory.... Type 1 diabetes would have prevented many of our ancestors from freezing to death.
That theory is bonkers. True and complete Type-1 causes a slow death from starvation... Even when you're only eating only caribou, seals, deer and fish, the protein and fat is converted into SUGAR by the liver to run your body (at a smooth, even rate). A T1 victim with complete beta cell destruction, after the 'Honeymoon Period' and without insulin production, will die, wasting away.

My guess is that T1 is not as likely something CREATED, but rather something LACKING: When you catch one of those notorious "flu-like illnesses", your body doesn't contain the proper coding to recognize the beta cells as "self". (They do have some distinctly "foreign" characteristics, almost as if they were originally bacteria rather than animal cells.) And while other persons' bodies will properly refuse to create antibodies which attack the proteins of beta cells, recognizing them as "self", ours stupidly did attack, thinking they are among the "flu-like illness" foreigners.

There are distinctly different rates of T1, and T2, among different populations. This makes good sense. But I wonder, how much of the "Scandinavian" rates of Diabetes is caused by much greater exposure to the "flu-like" illnesses which turn on the erroneous IR? The cold climate keeps people indoors more, in closer contact and more likely to spread "flu-like" illnesses to each other.

If I'd gotten a flu shot that fateful year, I might not be where I am today. :(

Some background:
I'm 38, Type 1 for 1.5 yrs....although I have progressed to the point of being called a Type 1 because I no longer produce insulin. I am also what they call "Brittle".....I have yet to obtain some kind of control with my sugars.
- Vikingirl

"I no longer produce insulin.": Is this a guess, or did you actually have insulin levels measured? (It's a VERY expensive test, hardly ever done except when a study is doing tests for FDA approval of new insulins.) If it's a guess, then you might easily still be in "Honeymoon", and that could be contributing to unstable bGs. I see two choices:

Choice one: Hope that you ARE still in Honeymoon, and wait for it to calm down.

Choice two: Get a Pump and a CGMS (own one, use it permanently, not just "borrow for 5 days"). See my many pro-CGMS rants if you're interested/curious.

Hiya, Rick....always informative as expected :-) Thanks for your info and insight. Always appreciated.

Like you, I have my opinions regarding the "theories" I read, but nonetheless, find just about everything I read to be of some interest. I choose to be as informed as possible, even if the information is questionable, in order that I might make the best, informed decisions for me and my health.

I'm estatic that Diabetes hit me at such a time where the spotlight has never been brighter on the disease. There has not been the amount of research and advancements like there is today. Unfortunately, much of the latest and greatest (CGMS, pumps, insulins, etc.), are way too expensive to afford. I'm currently without insurance and pay for everything out of pocket. Just spent almost $400.00 for a couple months supplies. I've been a candidate for the pump for some time now, but am not in a position to afford the $7,300 to get one plus the $250/month for supplies. I'm considering the latest MiniMed CGMS before even the pump, but it, too is about $1,400. I'll get there, just have to work towards it.

You are right about the honeymoon period. It's just an educated guess by my Endo, as I did inquire about certain tests (GAD65 for one), which would determine the state of my pancreas and it's beta cell activity...but he confirmed that such tests are only done under special circumstances.

BTW, I'm with you on the everyone could benefit from a CGMS. Hopefully, one day they'll come down enough in price as to be available to all Diabetics - like, say our glucose monitors are now. Wouldn't that be nice?

Still don't like what more I'm reading about cholesterol and statins.

Are any of you on statins? Have/do you experience any of those nasty side-effects?

Thanks again to all.

- Vikingirl

Vikingirl,

As a type 1, I guess you are not concerned about producing too much insulin. As your pancrease producing no insulin, the challenge is to balance the action of injected insulin with the glucose primarily created by the consumption of carbohydrate.

It seems like we may not all have a common unerstanding of the terminology here. The ADA diet, which involves consuming 40-60 grams of carb at each meal, is typically high-carb. That is 160-240 grams of carb a day! A low-carb diet involves restricting carbs to less than 50 grams a day.

The Bernstein Diabetes Solution diet, for example, limits carbs to 30 grams a day - 12 for breakfast, 6 for lunch and 6 for dinner. It is based on the very simple principle that carbs are a non-essential macro-nutrient and make blood sugar go up. So for a diabetic, the less carb you, eat the better. And the only reason that any carb is allowed in the diet is so that vegetables and salads can be eaten. And all grains, starchy veges (potatoes, pumpkin, carrots etc), rice and pasta are strictly verboten.

Eating this way results in marvelous blood sugars for both T1 and T2 diabetics. While I find it too restrictive, I have found a compromise that works really well for me. I have cut virtually all carbs out of the breakfast meal. This is the most problematic time of day for achieving stable blood sugar because of the DP effect. And cutting out carbs has enabled me to avoid starting that dreaded rollercoaster ride in the morning.

My breakfast typically consists of 3 eggs, heaps of cheese, cut-up salami and a mushroom. All the fat and protein mean that I don't get hungry. And my blood sugar is remakably stable in the morning. And, in case you are wondering, eating like this hasn't caused my cholesterol to increase. I also eat lots of fruit. But I do it later in the day, at times when my blood sugar needs to be supported. Like in the late afternoon. So I get all te vitamins and antioxidants I need.

You really don't have to tolerate volatile blood sugar. And the principle really is very simple. The less carbohydrate you consume, the less insulin you need to inject, and the smaller the chances of mis-judging your insulin dose are. Also, the fact that your body learns to depend on keytones as the primary source of energy means that exercise doesn't make your blood sugar drop so sharply. The net result is that your blood sugars become a lot more stable.

Of course, cutting carbs means that you have to consume more fat. And it is because of the perceived dangers of a high fat diet that low-carbing is considered outside of the mainstream. But that is another whole debate ....;)

Cheers,

Mark

BTW...it was when I adopted the low-carb approach and bumped up my fats and proteins that my cholesterol started to become an issue. This is why I'm trying to find out more about the cholesterol-diabetes link.

Mark1e: I, too find the "less than 50 grams carbs/day diet" too low for me. I guess I'm just a believer in moderation. I would never follow a diet that excluded grains & tree nuts, for example. I've read Dr. Bernstein and, while I can agree with the approach, I would never exclude that much carbs from my diet. I know the whole low-carb thing is a hot debate right now and I choose to sit on the fence, so to speak - it has valuable merit but I don't endorse it completely. I do not believe carbs are "the enemy" and on principal, will not follow a specific diet to the exclusion of all other considerations (not again :-). Hey...we all agree that what works for one person does not work exactly the same for the next, right?

I must admit that I am also very leery of keytones as the primary source of energy. I don't like what I read about the high-fat, high-protein diet for how it (possibly) affects the kidneys. Will be reading into that a bit more, too.

Any comments/opinions on how a higher-fat, higher-protein diet affects cholesterol? I have read past threads where folks who've followed the low-carb diet and suffered other complications becuase of it (liver, kidneys) to those who swear by it. Is a fatty liver really such a bad thing for a Type1 diabetic? Jury is still out :-)

- Vikingirl

.... Any comments/opinions on how a higher-fat, higher-protein diet affects cholesterol? I have read past threads where folks who've followed the low-carb diet and suffered other complications becuase of it (liver, kidneys) to those who swear by it. Is a fatty liver really such a bad thing for a Type1 diabetic? Jury is still out :-) ....
I am sure you are familiar with the mainstream thinking on this. If you are not entirely happy with it, google Malcolm Kendrick and Duane Graveline.

Cheers,

Mark ;)

Wow! Thanks for those, Mark! I've been reading sites for the past hour....very, very interesting and the type of stuff I was looking for.

Thanks again :-)

- Vikingirl

Hiya, Rick....Just spent almost $400.00 for a couple months supplies. I've been a candidate for the pump for some time now, but am not in a position to afford the $7,300 to get one plus the $250/month for supplies. I'm considering the latest MiniMed CGMS before even the pump, but it, too is about $1,400.- Vikingirl
CGMS may cost about the same as you're now standing on bG testing alone, because you can test bG much less often. Here's my Dexcom financials: start-up cost, $500 (that's a one-time "special" for Receiver, Transmitter, and 2 Sensors. Cost for Sensors per month is, SURPRISE, is less than $70 Off-Label.

It's insane to run a Dexcom according to the FDA approval (just 72 hours). Off-Label, my last one worked for 17 days. My current one has just begun day 12, it's still going strong. And another woman I have an email relationship with is on day 15, we're joking about how she's about to "break my 17 day record, but I'm just 3 days behind you, right on your tail" with my second full-term Sensor.

SAVINGS? If you by your own strips (yes, obviously), you can cut your strip usage WAY down... I used to do about a dozen per day, now I only do 5. That saves over twice as much money as the Sensors cost. (I've always used the expensive One-Touch Ultra strips, nothing else works at high altitude. 7strips at .80 each is $5.60 saved per day.) For me, the bG strip savings would be about $170 a month-- so, subtracting my $70 monthly expense, I've got $100 savings per month, or $1200 per year, to put towards to Receiver and Transmitter replacements. Receivers (expected life 12 months) cost $550. The Transmitters cost $250, but only last 6 months, so you need 2 of them per year. $550 + $500 = $1050 cost. It's already a financial winner BEFORE I count the Glucagons I no longer need, and I see that the USA list price for those nasty things is now $125 each, and even from Canada the prices have been going up quickly.

If you're not pumping, MiniMed CGMS makes no sense financially. Consider Dexcom or Abbott.

Thanks for the info, Rick. I've been following your Dexcom "trials" since you started it :-)

Question: Do you experience a degradation in the sensors after wearing them for so long? Was discussing the avaialble CGMSs with my nurse last week and mentioned some of the results you were having. Her concern was that you may not get accurate readings after a certain time (they wear out?) and/or that the sensors weren't meant to be worn that long and may cause infection? You seem to be having no issues, though :-)

I guess if you changed your sensor as recommended (every 72hrs), it would price the thing outta affordability for many, yes? Can't remember...do you purchase your supplies on-line? From USA?

Thanks,
- Vikingirl

The dexcom system looks pretty nifty. But it doesn't provide 7, 14 and 30 day blood glucose averages. To me, this is a major shortcoming. Those averages are key performance indicators when it comes to managing control.

Cheers,

Mark :cool:

First, for Mark: I strongly disagree! The Dexcom gives you a 9-hour graph with 3 clicks (firs two clicks show 1-hour and 3-hour). You can see the 9-hour graphs whenever you want, which should certainly include each morning. That gives you a good view of your overnight status. The 3-hour graph is perfect for post-prandial indications. I use the one-hour for active treatment choices, "where am I going right now?"

If you take care of the 3-hour and 9 hour averages, then the multi-day 7, 14, 30, (and 60, whatever) "averages" have already been taken care of. Your Endo will still want an A1c to verify your long-term averages with a lab-based reading, the Dexcom (and the other two brands) aren't reliable enough for that, even if it does have a big enough memory to store the thousands of data points which such a long-term average would entail.

In contrast, the 14 and 30-day averages from my meter only reflect averages of the tests I've taken- leaving huge gaps during sleep. They've often disagreed with my A1c results.
- - - - -
As a user, I have zero interest in such values, my Endo's gonna insist on an A1c test anyway. Again, the major shortcomings which I have are (1) the sweat and water problems; (2) accuracy, I do wish it was better (it's about 4 times less accurate and reliable than One-Touch Ultra); (3) No replaceable batteries for the Receiver/Display unit.

Abbott Navigator sounds like it may do a great job of addressing #1 and #3, in which case I'll probably switch... unless the Sensor life can't be extended to save money like Dexcom's can.
- - - - -
Now for VikingGirl: They're study and my experience both show no significant difference between day 1 and day 3 (or in my experience, day 5 and day 13). Here's there % of Dexcom readings which fell within 20% (or 20 POINTS at One-Touch readings below 80mg/dL) at various times after insertion:

0-12 hours, 64%
12-24 hours, 63%
24-36 hours, 59%
36-48 hours, 63%
48-60 hours, 58%
60-72 hours 62%

With they way it goes down and then jumps back up, I think that this is all statistical noise. On the other hand, there is a definite direction, losing accuracy in hours after calibration:

0-3 hours, 62%
3-6 hours 63%
6-9 hours, 59%
9-12 hours, 58%

But remember, these numbers are comparing readings taken at the same instant, with no adjustment for "trend" and the delay of ISF readings versus blood readings (for me, Dexcom readings are a closer match for blood readings taken 10-15 minutes later).

Dexcom will not ship to a non-USA address. I did ask them, on behalf of a Saskatchewan woman, if they would ship to my address "in care of". They said that is OK (I was surprised), as long as she got her script from a trained USA Endo.

Where do you live?