jaydy
Posted , 4 users are following.
Having suffered from PMR for 11 months I have now been diagnosed as diabetic, obviously as a result of the PMR and its resultant medication etc. My doctor has said to avoid sugar etc and try to lose some weight (which has been caused by the preds!) Is there anything else I should be doing? I am just assuming that if there is the doctor would have said ,but at the moment I am overwhelmingly tired most of the time and keep falling asleep. I know that I am over 80 and must expect to slow down a bit, but am active by nature with a number of hobbies and interests, most of which I am finding it impossible to participate in.
5 likes, 10 replies
EileenH Jaydy
Posted
I put on over 40lbs because of first untreated PMR for 5 years limiting what I could do and then one particular form of pred led to fast weight gain. Since being put on another sort and being VERY disciplined I have lost all that 40lbs and am aiming to get back to pre-PMR weight.
I used the 5:2 fasting diet as a basis and have also cut carbohydrates drastically: no processed carbs at all, I cook from scratch and eat carbs in the form of veggies grown above ground - no potatoes, a few carrots but mainly salad greens and veg. I'm also very strict on portion control - meat or fish is rarely more than 4oz raw weight. I don't refuse to eat carbs - if we are out for a meal and the dessert menu is too good to resist I don't say no. But then that isn't every day! I rarely feel hungry - but there is nothing the matter with feeling hungry: it is a healthy thing to feel. I remember it being a common sensation when I was a child - you were starving before your next meal. How often does that happen these days? As soon as people feel hungry they reach for a biscuit or something from the frig, as if it were a bad thing and should be stopped.
Cutting carbs with pred does seem to help the weight gain problem - pred changes the way our bodies process sugar so it also will help with the Type 2 diabetes problem - reduce the sugar your body has to process and the problem must improve.
As for the hobbies - Constance has written in a thread about how she is now using the "Spoon Theory" by Chrstina Miseriando, a parable about husbanding our resources when we have an autoimmune disorder that leads to fatigue, which most of them do. First you do what MUST be done (not necessarily the cleaning by the way), then you do what you WANT to do. And if you have any spoons left you can do other things...
Jaydy EileenH
Posted
I guess I must just soldier on to the best of my ability. My GP stopped some of my old medication and asked if I wished to discontinue my statins although she would really advise against it so I have continued my 40gr atorvastatin although I sometimes feel that they contribute to some of my problems.
EileenH Jaydy
Posted
I'd really try dropping the statin - especially if your doctor offered you the option. They are well known for causing PMR-type problems.
Jaydy EileenH
Posted
helenemiles EileenH
Posted
I have just been having a read and wonder if statins may have contributed to my symptoms ??
i am on atrovaststin 10 mgs . This was given as a life long preventative along with aspirin following a small clot , stenosis in my left shin in 2010 . No high blood pressure .... Peripheral vascular disease ...
i was originally on the cheaper version but had evident side effects so was swapped .
Would appreciate your thoughts .
helene
EileenH helenemiles
Posted
I discussed it immediately with the pain doctor, an anaesthetist, and a couple of weeks later with the cardiologist, Both thought my decision was right and the cardio said I didn't need to try anything else as atrial fibrillation wasn't a "cardiac event" anyway - it was non-cardiac specialists who made the statin decision because of an elevated cholesterol.
I cut carbs and my cholesterol is now down to normal range - and I have a very high HDL so it is actually lower than it appears. If you want to change cholesterol by diet - cutting carbs is by far the most effective way to do it.
helenemiles EileenH
Posted
popped on them following peripheral vascular disease diagnosis as that is the recommended long term treatment along with aspirin .
more preventative rather than reactive .
Basic statins prescribed , experienced awful side effects .
helene
EileenH helenemiles
Posted
If they are the cause of your ills - do you really want to live with this for life just in case the statin might reduce your risk of a heart attack a very small amount? PMR was bad enough - the statin side effects I had were far worse, I couldn't walk more than 50yds without being convinced I was having a heart attack.
The only way to see is to take a break and see if things improve - and then go back to the drawing board. I think it is simvastatin that actually mentions PMR in the list of side effects - maybe not in the bit of paper in the pack, but on one of the company's website ones.
helenemiles EileenH
Posted
i think I will have a 6 week break and monitor if there is a change .
you are right , they are dished out like smarties with little thought or review.
really helpful
helene
christine_fay Jaydy
Posted
It can open a whole new way of life and give you a new interest.
Best of luck.