Now that was fun

[nadinbrzezinski]

Last edited Sun Feb 21, 2016, 07:38 PM - Edit history (1)

I got the flu three weeks ago. It was a full on bad flu, with high fever and the rest of it.

So my sugars have not been good. Ok... some of it is the meds for the cough. So today, I went out for a 20 minute walk. Damn it I am out of shape! But that should help. I figured a nice leisurely walk was the way to start. And yes, I still need to again lose weight. Insulin, some weight gain. Already started to lose it, but damn it, this is the story of my life.

But after the exercise I feel better.

[woodsprite]

1. Glad you're on the mend!

I've been sick since Friday. I don't think it's the flu, but maybe a sinus infection. First time I've been sick since being diagnosed. I'm just on oral meds 2x daily and had been watching my numbers slowly coming down until Friday morning, boom- up they went. I'm still running a darned fever and sugars are elevated. I was so looking forward to seeing what change there was in my A1C, but this probably screwed it up. Guess I'll call the dr in the morning.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Do so and get better

[TexasProgresive]

3. Sickness can sure play Hell with your sugars

I had a respiratory thing. I was still able to exercise most days but those sugars just went up. I knew I was on the mend when they went down. Keep on truckin' (walking)

[woodsprite]

4. I'm a week out now from getting over "progressive bronchitis"

They ended up putting me on Prednisone, Albuterol inhaler, a Z-pack antibiotic, and Mucinex DM. They also had me go into the office every other day to listen to my lungs, check my breathing capacity and give me a 10 min. in-office breathing treatment. Still have a cough, but she said that could last a month.

Now admitted, I just started back in walking yesterday, but my fasting numbers are still hanging around 130-140 when before I ran the fever and had to go on all those meds, it was between 107 and 110. I really have been off exercise since 1/29 since I had rotator cuff surgery and they didn't even want me to walk on the treadmill so maybe I just have to get back up to the level I was before surgery (20 min. of aerobics in each morning and 40 min. of walking each evening.) At least I'm hoping that's all it is. It's almost like the metformin and lysinopril have stopped working

[TexasProgresive]

5. Are you still on those meds?

Prednisone is a steroid, those elevate BG. Albuteral has shown to raise sugars especially in women over 60 and Azrithromycin (Z-Pack) also can raise sugars. You might bring this up to your primary care doc and if you have an endocrinologist check with them.

If you have a relationship with a pharmacist see if there are any substitutes that you could suggest your doc prescribe. It is amazing to me that M.D.s are allowed to prescribe medication when the majority of their drug education is ojt from drug sales people. Pharmacist have to study drugs for years before they can dispense. I never say or write this, but "WTF!"

A disclaimer, I am not a doctor or pharmacist. My wife worked as a technician in a hospital pharmacy and we just have a high regard for pharmacists.

edit to add: I have been visiting a web site that has been very helpful:
www.diabeticconnect.com

[woodsprite]

6. I finished the Z-pack a wk ago, the Albuterol on Monday, and the Prednisone yesterday.

so maybe they're still having an effect on the blood sugars. My Dr. said the z-pack continues working about 10 days after you take the last dose. Combine all those meds w/ the fact that I had rotator cuff surgery, and I guess it's no wonder my sugars are still out of whack.

I'll check out diabeticconnect. The nutritionist that they have me seeing doesn't really want me to read anything, just get my info from her. I had read an article from diabeticliving that made a comment about white potatoes spiking your blood sugar faster than a baked good. She said "But potatoes are healthy". I'm still staying away from them as much as I can - at least the white potatoes.

When she looked at my food log for the last 6 weeks, she dinged me on eating 2 all beef hot dogs without the roll for dinner one night (said I would have been better off having one hot dog with the roll plus a cup of ice cream). And she dinged me on taking the Prednisone pills with 3-4 oz. of Glucerna to mask the taste, and that I should up my fiber. I'm getting around 10-12 gr/day and she said it should be a minimum of 25 gr/day. I guess if that's all she found, I've been pretty good.

[TexasProgresive]

7. I certainly don't want to get in between you and the nutritionist

Here's an interesting article from a retired MD with type 1 diabetes.

Why Your Doctor May Question a Low Carb Diet

Keith Runyan, MD | March 08, 2016
Category: Food & Nutrition

snip:
Overall I would say that despite the mounting evidence of the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet for many medical conditions, it has not yet been accepted as “standard of care” in 2016. I doubt there will ever be a sudden declaration of its benefits and safety. Rather, there will be a gradual move over to its acceptance in small steps. For example, the American Diabetes Association in its Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2016 states the following: “As there is no single ideal dietary distribution of calories among carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for people with diabetes, macronutrient distribution should be individualized while keeping total calorie and metabolic goals in mind.” I hope you can appreciate the subtlety of this statement. It is not a specific endorsement of low dietary carbohydrate, but it is acceptance of it. However, physicians who may read that one sentence of the 112 page document might not interpret it in the same way.

snip:

Dr. Keith Runyan is a retired physician who practiced Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, and Obesity Medicine during his 28 year career. In 1998, he developed type 1 diabetes at the age of 38 and struggled to manage his blood glucose due to hypoglycemic episodes. When he started regular exercise in 2007, his sports nutrition (sugar) exacerbated his glycemic control further. While preparing for an ironman distance triathlon, he discovered the ketogenic low carbohydrate diet that had been used for all persons with diabetes prior to the discovery of insulin in 1921. It was resurrected by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein and Dr. Runyan adopted his method of diabetes management. To Dr. Runyan’s surprise, his hypoglycemic episodes dramatically improved as did his glycemic control. He remains active with swimming, cycling, scuba diving, and more recently olympic weightlifting. He writes about his experiences to help educate others with diabetes in his blog, Ketogenic Diabetic Athlete.

http://asweetlife.org/feature/why-your-doctor-may-question-a-low-carb-diet/

Is Your Dietitian Crazy?
How to find a dietitian who really helps and skip the ones who don’t.
By Amy Campbell MS, RD, CDE
5. You’re the expert in your diabetes. Another wise reader mentioned this in the discussion thread and I, too, learned this years ago: everyone’s diabetes is different. Advice from healthcare professionals, friends, neighbors, and others on this website can be helpful, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you. Diabetes medications don’t always work the same way in different people. Low-carb diets may be right for some people, but not everyone. Walking may be a great exercise for certain folks, but possibly not for people who have peripheral neuropathy. Your dietitian can recommend how much carb to eat, if and when to eat a snack, or whether the Paleo diet might be beneficial for you. It’s up to you, however, to decide if these recommendation will work for you. And sometimes you won’t know until you try things out. But you’re in charge and you get to decide what’s best for you.

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/2345-is-your-dietitian-crazy

How to Talk to a Dietitian About Your Diabetes Diet

Choosing what, how much and when to eat following a diabetes diagnosis can be overwhelming. But don’t worry: There is help.

Your primary care doctor or endocrinologist might refer you to a certified diabetes educator (CDE) or registered dietician (RD) to learn more about managing your diabetes and diet. If he or she doesn’t refer you, ask.

This guide isn’t a replacement for a doctor’s visit. Here we’ll cover tips to help you communicate effectively with your dietician or CDEO and specific questions to ask — all things to help you get the most out of your relationship with your healthcare provider.

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/diet-and-exercise/getting-started/657-how-to-talk-to-a-dietician-about-your-diabetes-diet

[woodsprite]

8. Just checking in to see how you're doing.

Hope you've been able to make a complete recovery from that nasty virus thing going around. I seem to still have a bit of a cough hanging around. My dr. gave me a refill on the albuterol inhaler if needed, like if I start noticing squeaks when breathing again.

It's been like 2 weeks since I posted, a week since easing back into exercise, and I'm finally seeing my numbers heading in the right direction. I'm trying to learn everything I can since I'm a newbie, but have PT for my shoulder 3 nights a week, and of course that's when the diabetes self mgmt class is offered. I feel like I have to do the PT since I have a limited timeframe and it's rehab from surgery vs. the 6 wk diabetes class that will be offered again (just not sure when).

Just felt like I was totally floundering after being hit with the surgery recovery and that virus in the same month. It felt like starting from scratch and I was really stressing over not seeing my numbers budge or go up. I was actually thinking maybe the metformin stopped working for me. I added back in the light exercise and worked up to 40 min/day of walking, and now I'm finally starting to see them move in the right direction again.

Hope you're on the mend as well!

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. I have and it took some lovely steroids, The

sugars are back in control. But those were some rought 3 weeks.

Thanks for asking

[woodsprite]

10. Glad to hear you're over it and back on track!

That was the first time I ever took oral steroids. The only other time I had a steroid was when they gave me a cortisone shot for my shoulder, which is how they found I was diabetic. But they really seem to work like a charm. I can honestly say though that I'd try anything first just because of how much they screw with your whole system.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Do they ever