how worried should i be

[dgbeam]

I'm a 47 year old female diabetic with psoriasis arthritis, nash,& cirrhosis, about 30 lbs. over weight. alt &ast in the 13o's plt's in the 112's.fatigue, n/v , itching, spider veins on face chest and arms. How concerned should i be
thanks
Gail

[boron]

As you've read in above article, it's important that you have sugar and cholesterol in normal levels. You should have a reliable doctor whom you'll trust, and will help you to achive CONSTANT normal levels of both sugar and cholesterol. You two should make a revision of all your drugs, and eliminate all what's not absolutely needed. If you are/were on steroids, this probably greatly affected your cholesterol level.

Large doses of insulin you need obviously means that you're partly resistant to insulin (this was the mechanism of your type II diabetes). I can't recommend anything regarding insulin, but I think, appropriate diet could help you a lot to control diabetes and hence NASH. Your dietitian should do the job, otherwise endocrinologist (or whoever brings about your diabetes) should help you to stabilize your sugar.

[dgbeam]

No alcohol but took alot of meds for my arthritis over the years . I'm type 2 diabetic that
was doing well until 2 years ago when my pancreas was injured during surgery  guess what now insulin dependent . I use a pump now. then I was one of the lucky ones to get salmonella from the peter pan peanut butter, then the following July I had  hep A. By last
Oct. I was losing  weight very sick in pain all the time. My chol is high but I already take as much zocor as they will let me. I eat a 1400 Cal. Diabetic and I work most of the time.
I have almost constant n/v and the sicker I get the higher my sugars are the more insulin I need.Last year my A1c stayed above 12 most of the time now I have it down to between 7-8 but thats with alot of insulin. I'd love to lose weight and do some exercise every day.I just don't seem to be doing something right
All suggestions are appreciated
Thanks
Gail

[boron]

Here is some nice explanation how the weight loss influence the effectiveness of insulin:
http://www.cigna.com/healthinfo/ut1396spec.html

[boron]

How fast will cirrhosis progress depends on the persisting of the cause, which I don't understand what it is in your case. I mean, it' looks like it all comes from NASH. If you don't drink alcohol, the main reason for nash is obesity and eventual high cholesterol. NASH is also connected with type 2 diabetes, you seems to have type 1. Loosing weight and lowering cholesterol at least stops, if not improves NASH. Cholesterol may be lowered with some drugs and with low fat diet, as you probably know. Activity is not only physical activity, I've lost some weight (unintended) during the study - like 2 kg in one month, just from the sitting behind the desk all day.

[dgbeam]

Thanks,
Have a dietitian ,problem with losing the weight because of extensive damage from arthritisand large amounts of Insulin use ( 4,000 units a month ) My biopsy shows
Level 2 0ut of 4 of inflamation with extensive scaring stage 4 of 4 with definte cirrhosis
How quickly does cirrhosis progress, I missed 4 months of work last yesr and this yesr isn't looking good.

[boron]

It all depends on how extensive your NASH and cirrhosis are. You should certainly do something with those 30lbs. I suggest you to get a dietitian (or if your GP or GI are good with this) for a diet plan.

Beeing overweight is a strong factor for NASH; with appropriate diet it may resolve and  help with some of your symptoms, like itching.