Need advice on getting treatment

[Liz1965]

I have a blood sugar problem that is getting increasingly difficult to control and was wondering if anyone out there has something similar. I have had various doctors run the same tests, get the results, tell me it's extreme and then do nothing. It's pretty frustrating.

My problem seems to be a very rapid increase in blood sugar after eating. My fasting glucose is normal, but I go up to over 300 mg/dl within the first hour after eating a moderate amount of carbohydrates. Then I oversecrete insulin to compensate for this and my blood sugar drops fast, often to below 60 mg/dl. I recently had an endocrinologist tell me that I have diabetes since my blood glucose stays over 200 mg/dl for over two hours before dropping, but no treatment was offered. What's especially concerning is that it's getting worse as I age (I'm in my early 40s), to the point where I can't tolerate any carbohydrates, and I have developed both peripheral neuropathy and gastroparesis. Although I don't know that these conditions are caused by my blood sugar problem, it seems likely. I should also mention that I have a family history of this. My maternal grandfather had the exact same blood sugar pattern, which got very severe in his later years, and my mother has it to a lesser degree.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out there has a similar problem and, if so, how I might go about getting some type of treatment. As I mentioned before, the doctors I've seen have commented on the severity of my glucose tolerance test results but have done nothing to investigate the underlying cause the high postprandial glucose level. Is this standard, or have I just not found the right doctor? I have had a number of blood tests show that my fasting insulin level is supressed, so I'm wondering if this isn't part of the problem. Any insight into the nature of this condition would be greatly appreciated!

[Monkey7935]

A friend of mine had high blood sugar readings and she started using some lizard spit insulin (dont ask me) but it did wonders on her.

As for me, I strictly follow the carb guidelines and havent got severe enough for insulin (just use pills so far). A female should have no more than 12 units of carbs a day. To find the true carb in what you eat you do this equation: total carbs per serving - fiber per serving = true carbs per serving. There are lots of veggies out there that are basically carb free! So when I get starved, I veg out on the veggies that have only 3-4 carbs a serving. And I normally keep a unit or two available for those snacks that just want to happen. Oh 15 carbs is 1 unit. For a meal a female needs at least 3 units to make it to the next meal (I learned the hard way, save yourself from getting low like I did).

[Wallis86]

See above post, sorry I double posted.

[Wallis86]

Sounds like you have some pretty good insulin resistance. That pattern is fairly typical for early T2. You should get to a new endo and start taking some medication. If they don't want to put you on the typical T2 drugs, there is a drug called Acarbose, which actually prevents you from absorbing carbohydrates, thus preventing the blood sugar spikes, thus hopefully preventing the lows. The drug is not recommended for anyone with Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's disease. Importantly, if you still go low on the drug, you MUST treat with pure glucose because that is the only carb that can be absorbed by your body on Acarbose. Just a thought. I am NOT taking the drug, I just know about it. Go see a new endo who can hopefully help you out. P.S. I have a similar problem as you that could not be diet controlled, even basically removing all carbs from my diet except treating the lows. The endo's have given up basically, telling me I could have LADA, T1 in the early stages (that is markedly slowed down in progression due to immune suppressing drugs for other conditions), or early T2 from prednisone. I am only 21, thus at the right age to still have T1 diagnosis, plus the presence of other autoimmune conditions further ups the likelihood, but I don't know yet. I basically go low every hour except most of the time at night, which is when I take my prednisone (causes your blood sugar to rise), or if I go markedly high and then it takes a longer time until I go low (not a good trade off though!). I would only treat your lows with 15g of carbs to try and reduce the likelihood of another postprandial high. Hope thats slightly helpful. Ok have to go... I'm 51.

[Mark1e]

Originally Posted by Liz1965

.... it's getting worse as I age (I'm in my early 40s), to the point where I can't tolerate any carbohydrates, ...

If you can't tolerate carbohydrate, don't eat it. Get your calories predominantly from fat and protein. It is much healthier anyway.