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Fasting blood test

Posted , 13 users are following.

Whisper2003
Whisper2003

Hi, lovely people. i hope someone can advise. I received a letter from a GP at my surgery requesting that I have a fasting blood test, glucose I assume. I am currently on 5 mg pred after just over 2 years. Is this necessary or useful do you think? I'm one of the 'lucky' ones who lose weight on pred and my BMI is extremely low. I have little appetite and eat 6 times a day to try to maintain where I am now! I have struggled to get down to 5 and am not sure my adrenals are doing very well. Very fatigued and not too comfortable at the moment.

I'm happy to accept donations of extra pounds that you have to spare!

0 likes, 41 replies

41 Replies

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  • Juno-Irl-Dub
    Juno-Irl-Dub Whisper2003

    Posted

    Hi Whisper,  I had to answer you having read your first sentence!!    First, don't panic. I think Gillian is quite correct ie.  that your doc. wants to  check for diabetes as it can be a risk when taking Pred. Do you have any other well-known symptoms of diabetes - peeing a lot, drinking a lot (water). You did mention tiredness which is also mentioned.

    I'm not sure whether your weight- loss could be related to diabetes. I certainly was one of those unlucky ones with weight- loss since starting Pred. but yours seems a bit excessive. Were you always a bit skinny? I can sympathise with you trying to keep eating to maintain the weight. Others may not.  Kind regards,  J

     

  • jan21306
    jan21306 Whisper2003

    Posted

    I also have lost a lot of weight on prednisolone.   I am down to 7.5 mg after 21 months.  Also very fatigued, also eating 5 smaller meals a day.  Every time I weigh myself I hope to have put on weight, but it hasnt happened yet. 
  • ptolemy
    ptolemy Whisper2003

    Posted

    It is normal to have regular glucose tests every so often along with the other blood tests for PMR. It is to check for steroid side effects, as well as PMR inflammation. My doctor prescribed ten different blood tests last month. The good news was my liver results looked pretty good, so I had a drink to celebrate! 
  • LayneTX
    LayneTX Whisper2003

    Posted

    Hi Whisper,

    My doctors always test my sugar, well, since Prednisone, 1 1/2 yrs, down to 5 mg.

    My results non fasting is 105. So they aren't concerned, but I've gone through stages of peeing a lot, very clear, kind of feel like high blood sugar, too energetic, but also fatigued, even warm pee for a bit, no infection. 

    But both doctors didn't seem worried about a number that is not  > than say 140 (I don't know what number means diabeties, though my father is and he tries to get his lowered to 135).

    But I wonder if those numbers fit small, skinny people! As I am now.

    So...guess I'll assume it's my adrenals trying to balance. 

    I just drink lots of water. wink 

    My blood pressure is low now, again not low enough to worry anyone, but I get dizzy and get to eat more pink himalayan sea salt. wink

     

  • FlipDover_Aust
    FlipDover_Aust Whisper2003

    Posted

    I am completely and utterly jealous that you haven't gained weight on pred. I'm a bloody whale.

    If you are not feeling so well at 5mg, there's nothing stopping you from going back up to where you last felt well.

    • JanSP
      JanSP FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      FlipDover, 

      I'm jealous too. I'm ready to join your pod! All this weight is really messing up my lower back, leg and breathing. Lack of exercise and sleeping so much isn't helping at all.  Depression is causing me to make some bad food choices. During my first few years of GCA and PMR I handled things better. Now approaching my seventh anniversary I'm fed up - pun intended. My liver and heart are part of the autoimmune mess and this morning I got a new symptom. The room started spinning about 6 or 8 times. Fortunately I was in bed. I didn't feel dizzy or nausea just what I was seeing was going round and round. It happened again an hour and a half later. I'm going to be extra careful not to fall. I already broke one hip thirteen years ago while doing some fancy figure skating.  I use to be so active and athletic. Jan

    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust JanSP

      Posted

      Are you sure we are not the same person in different bodies, Jan? I was only saying yesterday that I don't know if I can't exercise because I'm so fat, the meds, the disease, the lack of sleep, the depression....... What ever it is, I've completely lost the plot. I vacillate between eating only AIP food and eating such crap I know it's hurting me. Two years ago I was doing triathlons! It seems unbelievable I'll ever do anything like that again.

      My liver is complaining because of the MXT I started 5 months ago... just add it to the list of problems caused by the medication that makes life livable.

      Get yourself to the Dr about that dizziness my friend.

    • EileenH
      EileenH JanSP

      Posted

      With Flip there Jan - report that dizziness. If you have cardiovascular problems with the autoimmune stuff it needs investigating properly. I have atrial fibrilllation due to the autoimmune bit of PMR...
    • JanSP
      JanSP FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      Flip,

      Things really went downhill yesterday. Couldn't move my head without the room spinning, terrible nausea and my eyes twitching back and forth. According to my husband my eyes weren't even moving in a corrdinated way. Long story short I ended up in the emergency room. It's vertigo which I wish would be gone-gone. Medication really helped with the nausea but it's only treating the symptom. I had a brain CT scan and found out I've had some minor little strokes in the past but fortunately no brain damage. I wonder if that is a result of the GCA? I went home after 5 hours and have an appointment with my GP on Monday. I can move my head this morning but not while I'm lying down or everything starts spinning again. My mother had vertigo toward the end of her life as well as lupus and two other autoimmunes. I inherited the wrong persons genes. My dad lived a pretty healthy 95 years.

      Flip - triathalons- amazing! By the way what is AIP food? I need a translation for this side of the pond.

      Jan

    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust JanSP

      Posted

      Oh sh-t. This is no good at all.

      I was ready a post on Facebook this morning (that a fellow forum member had posted) that PMR sufferers are 3 times likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack - as if we need to add more problems to the list. So, yes, it seems ipossible it might be related to the PMR/GCA. (since everything on Facebook is true, right?)

      AIP = Autoimmune protocal. It's a 'diet' that purports to reduce the effects of autoimmune disease. Basically it's just meat, fruit and not all veggies (no nightshades). Like I said, I struggle between following it striclty and falling off the wagon!

      I must have inherited my father's genes.. mum's family all lived to a ripe old age and had no autoimmune diseases at all. No idea what my father's side were like as we had no contact.

    • Anhaga
      Anhaga FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      What I read, and I believe I posted the link to Facebook, was that there is a correlation between PMR/CGA and the incidence of heart and stroke problems, but if you read the article you'll see that the correlation may be turning up because the patients are being followed more closely than non-PMR/GCA patients.  There may not be a cause and effect here at all.  But it is something to be aware of.  Maybe that morning I almost passed out in church is worth mentioning to my doctor after all, but chances that it means anything more than it would have if I didn't have PMR, well, probably nothing significant.
  • Whisper2003
    Whisper2003

    Posted

    Thank you for your replies. I have always drunk quite a lot so no change there. Peeing increased as soon as I started prednisolone, though less now than at the start. Also have always been skinny and was looking forward to weight gain but my appetite left when the steroids began. Very disappointing. I was hoping to lose some wrinkles but no such luck!

    I do have the occasional blood test now but just for inflammatory markers. Never had blood sugar  requested before. 

    Like you, Layne, I have low blood pressure and take the pink salt! Low salt shows on every blood test but I have no idea what that means.

    I know that the fasting will reduce my weight even more. Am staying on 5 mg in the hope things will settle.

    FlipDover, I am jealous too....the other way!

    • ptolemy
      ptolemy Whisper2003

      Posted

      The fasting is not that long and a lot of it can be while you are asleep anyway. I cannot see it will make much difference to anyone's weight.
    • LayneTX
      LayneTX ptolemy

      Posted

      Agree, the fasting is usually just stop eating after 9:00 p.m. And hope you get blood taken in morning. 

      Yes, Whisper, we get to eat lots of avacados, and nuts and seeds! Now I eat a big steak once a week, I don't care what they say about red meat. And butter. Lots of olive oil! 

      I'm hoping our smallness is way for our body to be gentle on our PMR areas.

      But the sagging skin is gross. I lost 25 lbs, down to 109. My underware don't fit well! And bras, ha. Can't find pants small enough, might look at juniors size. 

    • LayneTX
      LayneTX

      Posted

      Also, I understand, we have to force the food in sometimes.  I'm so tired of spinach and kale I feel like a horse, but I know it's very good for us.

      Also, protein smoothies are pretty good, can pack in fruit, plain yougert, I'm even drinking a bit of buttermilk now, add ginger, almond milk, flax seeds, .... List goes on. wink 

      good luck my friend. 

    • Whisper2003
      Whisper2003 LayneTX

      Posted

      I agree, the sagging clothes are not too attractive but I am always hoping I might grow back into them. I, too, eat high protein and as much high fat as I can and make up bone broths and soups for in between all the seeds, nuts. avocado whole milk and cheese. Really frustrating as I don't know where it all goes. I must have hollow legs. I think I weigh about the same as you. 
    • jan21306
      jan21306 Whisper2003

      Posted

      Hi Layne and Whisper.   I also weigh about 108/9 lbs.  i have lost 24 lbs since getting PMR and being on Pred.   I really dont like being like this, it 

      has taken away all my energy as well.  I am too tired to cook a lot of the time, so just do quick easy things like baked salmon and baked potatoes !

      i also have protein drinks which I think have saved me from losing more weight.   None of my clothes fit so have had to buy smallest size available.  I thought about going to children department too !

      I never ever thought I would long to put weight on !

    • EileenH
      EileenH LayneTX

      Posted

      It isn't half as good for you as is made out! I love spinach - but mustn't eat it. Kale is an absolute no-no too.

      I can only get bras from one lady in the northeast of England - other places don't do a 32 in larger cups! And despite still being a very cuddly waaaaaaayyyyyy above 140lbs which is probably my optimum weight there is still drooping skin...

      TMI. I know....

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