PMR and diabetes
Posted , 7 users are following.
Sorry, me again. Leg and ribs going quite well, have some lovely technicolour bruises after my knock with the landrover and thank you for all your replies. I am seeing the gp this morning on another issue, and I know already that I have had a recall for blood tests..not for pmr as those are satisfactory, despite my knock, but for diabetes.
?This will be the third lot of bloods for diabetes in six weeks and am trying hard to ensure sugar levels are down. I cannot do any more exercise as I walk 3 miles in morning, 2 in afternoon and swim half a mile three times a week...albeit slowly, but I am 62!!!. I am also trying to watch my sugar intake as I really don't want to be diagnosed diabetic and it is in family..mother, brother, aunt, uncle plus 2 cousins. Blood tests are a pain...the last time, a week ago, they tried 7 times to get blood, calling the gp who tried twice, despite my drinking of loads of fluids etc etc.....
?Just having a rant, please excuse me!!! Is there a link between steroids and diabetes...???
0 likes, 16 replies
EileenH margaret_84727
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Yes - steroids chance the way your body processes carbs and our constant advice on here is CUT CARBS. Drastically if necessary. It also helps avoid the pred-associated weight gain.
The pred makes your liver release spikes of blood sugar into the blood. That, overall, increases the Hba1c level - a measure of your average BS level over the last 3 months and a far better indicator of whether you are diabetic than random BS tests. If you cut your carbs LOTS you are removing the main cause of BS in your blood and so the average level drops anyway. You do not need carbs for energy - the body learns to process the fat deposits in your body instead once your carb intake is low enough. And you certainly don't need the quantity of carbs the western diet in general includes these days When you were put on pred your doctor should have warned you of the potential side effects and how to reduce their effects.
And as a footnote - NO set of healthcare professionals would get to try getting blood out of me 7 times in one single session. That is appalling behaviour. Doctors are notoriously bad at taking blood - mainly because they are set loose on the poor patients once they get to hospital work with no training, try to avoid doing it and as a result do not have the experience to find an elusive vein. I assume your local hospital has a phlebotomy clinic? Ask to go there.They do it every day, all day.
Warming the patient up makes a bigger difference than drinking fluids unless you were severely dehydrated - which if it was a fasting sample I suppose could have been the case. And don't get me started on slapping the area they think there might be a vein but can't see/feel it - I still have the bruise from a nurse doing that last week and then the vein "burst" (I use her terminology). Blasted woman went to try it again on the back of my hand a couple of days later - but I told her to stop that time. It hurst and doesn't work - don't do it!!!!
EileenH
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Sorry - first line should be "steroids change..."
EDIT facility. PLEASE
Silver49 margaret_84727
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I'm glad you are recovering from your knock with the land rover. They are big beasts. I know others will be along shortly who are more knowledgeable but there is a possibility of getting diabetes whilst taking Pred. I think it reduces as we reduce the steroids. I don't know if you have gained weight on the steroids which does happen. The advice is to cut the carbs which helps with weight loss and would also help with diabetes. I know I gained 3 stone but have now lost more than half of that amount. As soon as I cut the carbs it drops off. I hope your GP appointment will clarify your blood results. I can see that you have a good exercise regime. Best wishes.
Silver49 margaret_84727
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margaret_84727
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Thank you for your replies...yes, have just been told I have diabetes. Luckily the next blood test has been cancelled. I have an appointment with the diabetic nurse on Tuesday and she will discuss diet.....GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't warned about dropping carbs at all, but will see if I can get more info or a new cookbook! I have put on weight with the steroids but thought the exercise kept it pretty much in control. Will see what I can find out about low carb diet....I am a bit disappointed at my own lack of knowledge, didn't even know I was pre-diabetes stage!!!!! oh well, onwards and upwards!!!
EileenH margaret_84727
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I'll lay oddds the last thing the diabetes nurse will suggest is cut carbs! Despite it now being recommended/approved of by the American Diabetes Association for management of diabetes. The UK seems to be a bit stuck in a rut - tell the patient to eat carbs and hand out medication...
I like a site called Diabetic Mediterranean Diet by a doctor, Steve Parker, who is himself a diabetic.
Anhaga margaret_84727
Posted
My daughter, who is a registered dietitian, told me when my blood sugar went high at the beginning of pred that if I ate carbs I should also have some protein at the same time. In other words, don't have bread and butter alone, make sure if you have the bread there's also cheese, or peanut butter, or some other source of protein in the same meal or snack. I'm not really sure why this helps but it may be something to do with the fact that digesting protein is a slower process and it slows down the entry of sugar into the bloodstream so you avoid an unhealthy spike.
phyllis48183 margaret_84727
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margaret_84727 phyllis48183
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Well, am trying to get on with it all!!! Have gone no carbs following Dr. Maurice Moseley someone's book, inventor of 5-2 diet but am doing the more drastic version of trying to reverse diabetes by doing 8 week plan no carb diet.....Back to walking and swimming, and am trying SOOOO hard. At least if it doesn't reverse diabetes I tell myself I will look better/thinner!!!! I know some say you can't lose weight on steroids, but if I ACHIEVE nothing I know I will be so disappointed after all the effort.... Am hoping for a better stretch of luck soon...what with the land drover incident, diabetes diagnosis and attempted burglary Sat night, guess i'm feeling a bit down...which I know will only be temporary.
EileenH margaret_84727
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Attempted burglary - oh how horrid!
margaret_84727 EileenH
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Well done, Eileen! Am trying to follow suit!!!! Have done a 3 mile walk, a 2 mile walk and will swim half a mile again today!!! Food intake greatly altered so am hoping I am doing some good!!!!! We will see....but am quite a determined. As you have such great knowledge, is there any link/relation between pmr and rheumatic fever which put me in hospital for 6 months as a child, totally immobile all over, couldn't feed or have a drink by myself or even read a book as not allowed to turn pages??? learnt to walk again in following months....
?As to burglary, no show by police, despite them making two appointments and no phone call to explain why...up the road had theirs burgled same night and is on cctv. Don't know whether police been there yet!!!!!!!! Am losing confidence in them.
?Thanks so much for your reply...had nervous breakdown last year and am still on seroxat and diazepam, so I guess a few set backs don't help!! Again am trying so hard and craft is my salvation!!!!
EileenH margaret_84727
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I don't think there is a link between rheumatic fever and PMR - rheumatologists seem not to think so at least but whether that is a recommendation I don't know!
I gather the police aren't interested in anything these days!
Anhaga margaret_84727
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I have a suspicion that in the future it will be found that certain ailments or exposures early in life do predispose us to coming down with some sort of autoimmune disorder later in life. Probably rheumatic fever could be one of these in some individuals. I have a suspicion that exposure to tb when I was a child may have led to my getting sarcoidosis, probably in my teens although I wasn't definitively diagnosed until I was about thirty. Who knows, that and some other factor, plus stress, probably can be implicated in the state of my health today. As older people we have become complex beings, much more interesting to keen doctors than babies or younger people who may still get serious illness but are generally speaking far less complicated.
margaret_84727
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I have lost a stone in four weeks, through exercise and diet...it's VERY strict, but so far, so good. I realise it'll slow up, but am hoping next blood test that I can be pre-diabetes!!!! Wishful thinking, perhaps, bot can't try any harder than I am!!!!
EileenH margaret_84727
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margaret_84727 EileenH
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