I have been following these boards for sometime and I really appreciate all the people who share their thoughts and offer help to those searching.
I am 50 and have been struggling with some medical issues for the past couple of years. IBS, Arthritis, Cervical Disc Bulge. (I don’t like getting older ). I have high blood pressure for the past 10 years which is managed by medication and well controlled. I have High cholesterol which until recently was managed by Lipitor for about 10 years. My neuro took me off it because he believes it has been a significant cause of muscle pain for me.
A concern that I have and my GP has expressed is potential diabetes. For the past several years my fasting glucose level has been 101 – 118. (I have blood draws every 6 months to check my cholesterol levels) In June a hemoglobin a1c was 5.4.
My symptoms are:
Frequent urination (there are times I can urinate 5 or 6 times in the matter of a couple hours),
Muscle cramping especially in my calves (probably from Lipitor)
Hunger – I need to eat every couple of hours
Lightheaded
General feeling of being not well.
My wife, the best support in the world, believes that my glucose levels drop through out the day and that may be causing the problem. I just don’t know what to do. I have an appointment with my GP in a couple of weeks and would love to have some questions to ask or be able to develop some plan of action so your direction and comments will be greatly appreciated.
Hi MNGardener, There are some relatively inexpensive glucose meters on the market that you might want to consider getting. I am type two, but am just over the borderline and try to manage with diet and onglyza. If you think you might be going into type 2, I would suggest getting one of the less expensive meters and keep a food and medicine journal for a couple of weeks and take your blood glucose counts on waking, an hour after eating, then 2 hours after eating. If you do this for a couple of weeks it will give you and your doc a good "picture" of the rise and fall of your bs and what foods seem to affect it the most/least. My doc did a fasting bg test, followed by drinking straight glucose and taking periodic readings at the dr. office. This and my A1C levels (from blood draw) showed that I had crossed from borderline into diabetic. I feel so fortunate to have caught mine in the beginning stages as it makes me very motivated to keep it in the lower numbers. I too have all the lovely things you are dealing with in addition to fibro, myofascial pain syndrome and a closed head injury and thyroid disease. I started off a couple of decades younger than you, so it is not just a matter of getting older as a matter of the body just not working as it should. Of course as time goes by we get worse not better (I know...fun fun...lol). Hope this gives you an idea to try. Hang in there and get checked soon!
Hi Mim
Thank you for your reply. I will get the meter and start keeping a log of foods and meds. Since this is very new to me I am curious if it is a drop in bs or spike in bs that causes the symptoms to be aggravated? Or is it something that is unique to each individual?
I honestly don't which it could be, but it sounds more like a drop in bs. Hopefully using the meter will give you a much clearer picture of what is going on. It can be so frustrating to know something is out of whack with the body and not sure exactly what the cause is. Keep us updated with what you find, I am curious as to what you find. Good luck!
Mim
