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blood sugar question
a couple of posts below FLGUY asked for more to talk about blood sugar issues...i have not had any tx yet..i do feel like sh-- alot of the time...maybe 50 to 65 percent of the time...the pains are no big deal its the light head feeling and not knowing if i'm going to pass out or not is what really gets to me...i'm starting to think my hep c virus has screewed up other things...today i was feeling bad...then at 4 pm i ate a grape fruit and felt much better...i think i might need the sugar in fruit...i'll try this again and see what happens...i would really like to hear more from others here about their blood suger and what they do about it...billy
I just think this is so weird, that I get these 3 glucose fasting tests all spaced out like this...I keep thinking, maybe this doc knows something I don't...duh...but still, it seems strange to me...I did take a that other test way back in Germany, (I remember how creepy it was getting all those blood draws without eating) and I was okay...but because of my hypoglycemia, if I went six hours without today without food, I'd jump off a terrace...supposedly I actually have a reaction to my own insulin...but I'm not hypoglycemic in the diabetic sense...whatever, I'll do what he says but I can't see the point, thanks for this thread, it's explained a lot to me...
Eggs are freebies, While no food is the preference, I think they are mainly concerned about anything with sugars or carbs (which are converted to sugars).
This is epescially true for me right now as I'm a type 2, meaning I am counting carbs at meals, eating multiple meals a day to level out the carb intake over the day, and (sigh) needing to start exercising more. I've been procrastenating on the last one, but no longer have the anemia from tx as an excuse anymore (actually it wasn't just an excuse since even walking was sometimes nearly impossible when my Hgb was hovering around 9 during tx).
This is epescially true for me right now as I'm a type 2, meaning I am counting carbs at meals, eating multiple meals a day to level out the carb intake over the day, and (sigh) needing to start exercising more. I've been procrastenating on the last one, but no longer have the anemia from tx as an excuse anymore (actually it wasn't just an excuse since even walking was sometimes nearly impossible when my Hgb was hovering around 9 during tx).
As I think I've said before, I'm not much of a fan of fasting blood sugar tests. The definition of diabetes, for example, is a fasting blood sugar above 126 and/or a number above 200 at any time. I can very easily eat a nice dessert and one hour later register 260, yet I've never seen a fasting over 115 (and it's usually, without meds, around 95 to 110). If you only test my fasting blood sugars, you'd say I had no problem, yet my postprandials indicate full-fledged (though in the early stages) diabetes.
You have a problem with hypoglycemia, which is often a prelude to diabetes. You need to learn what your curve is on the 6-hour graph. Hypoglycemics usually go high before they go low, but this is not always the case, and the way you treat your hypoglycemia depends on knowing just how your body reacts to carbs and glucose.
I can't imagine how a physician can diagnose and treat you without getting the full picture. I absolutely agree that you need that glucose tolerance test; bring a good book and/or I-pod and you'll be fine. Continuing to go for fasting blood sugars only, IMHO, is an utter waste of time. Actually, it's comparable to testing ALT and AST in order to detect hep c. By the time your liver enzymes have risen, you've usually had hcv for years. By the time your fasting blood sugar has risen, you've usually had diabetes for years.
You have a problem with hypoglycemia, which is often a prelude to diabetes. You need to learn what your curve is on the 6-hour graph. Hypoglycemics usually go high before they go low, but this is not always the case, and the way you treat your hypoglycemia depends on knowing just how your body reacts to carbs and glucose.
I can't imagine how a physician can diagnose and treat you without getting the full picture. I absolutely agree that you need that glucose tolerance test; bring a good book and/or I-pod and you'll be fine. Continuing to go for fasting blood sugars only, IMHO, is an utter waste of time. Actually, it's comparable to testing ALT and AST in order to detect hep c. By the time your liver enzymes have risen, you've usually had hcv for years. By the time your fasting blood sugar has risen, you've usually had diabetes for years.
Hi Foresee,
You mentioned your hep doc has you taking the fasting glucose tests. Were you ever given a 6 hour (fasting) glucose tolerance test for the hypoglycemia? I sat there at Quest for 6 hrs with them drawing blood every hr (or 1/2 hr, can't remember) and then THEY LOST THE TEST!!! It's amazing, how can they lose all those vials of blood? Plus you would think they would make it comfortable by having a TV or something for those who may be spending 6 hrs there ...AND they made me watch the clock to tell them when the next blood drawing would be! Well the supervisor heard my mouth but I never got the test again. Too ticked off. It just absolutely amazes me the mistakes that go on at these labs. It's scary.
You mentioned your hep doc has you taking the fasting glucose tests. Were you ever given a 6 hour (fasting) glucose tolerance test for the hypoglycemia? I sat there at Quest for 6 hrs with them drawing blood every hr (or 1/2 hr, can't remember) and then THEY LOST THE TEST!!! It's amazing, how can they lose all those vials of blood? Plus you would think they would make it comfortable by having a TV or something for those who may be spending 6 hrs there ...AND they made me watch the clock to tell them when the next blood drawing would be! Well the supervisor heard my mouth but I never got the test again. Too ticked off. It just absolutely amazes me the mistakes that go on at these labs. It's scary.
Thanks so much for the explanation. That was fascinating to me and takes the question out of hypoglycemic, hyperglycemic or hypochondriac!
These are all really interesting issues. It has been known almost since HCV was cloned that some patients with chronic infection have problems with glucose metabolism and at a greater rate than the average individual in the community, suggesting the virus has some specific effect on insulin / glucose homeostasis (i.e. can induce high sugars / maybe diabetes). This effect seems to be increased in some patients infected with certain genotypes (eg genotype II), preferentially although this is not completely certain yet. The Replicative homeostasis II paper Virology Journal 2005, 2:70 doi:10.1186/1743-422X-2-70, the second article by that author, suggests how this might occur; Basically the thesis is that HCV proteins are stuffing up the insulin / cholesterol etc receptors essential for proper glucose metabolism.
Hepatitis C seems to get into liver cells (and this is critical in the virus life cycle; if the virus does not get into cells, it doesn't reproduce etc) in part through the Cholesterol receptor, found on each liver cell (and many other cells as well). It seems likely that people with HCV also have abnormal cholesterol levels more frequently as well.
Finally, as the liver is the center of energy metabolism, and glucose is stored in it for later use (as a polymer called glycogen), any disease that impairs the way the liver works (i.e. like HCV) may cause impaired breakdown of glycogen, reducing the rate at which the liver releases glucose into the blood stream for the muscles and brain to metabolize as fuel (neither of these tissues store glucose to any degree and both need it as a primary fuel), hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) may result, causing anxiety symptoms (aas result of the compensatory increase in adrenalin output) difficulty with concentration (because the brain is starved of glucose) and general lack of energy.
Live long and prosper...
Cheers,
Sonic
Hepatitis C seems to get into liver cells (and this is critical in the virus life cycle; if the virus does not get into cells, it doesn't reproduce etc) in part through the Cholesterol receptor, found on each liver cell (and many other cells as well). It seems likely that people with HCV also have abnormal cholesterol levels more frequently as well.
Finally, as the liver is the center of energy metabolism, and glucose is stored in it for later use (as a polymer called glycogen), any disease that impairs the way the liver works (i.e. like HCV) may cause impaired breakdown of glycogen, reducing the rate at which the liver releases glucose into the blood stream for the muscles and brain to metabolize as fuel (neither of these tissues store glucose to any degree and both need it as a primary fuel), hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) may result, causing anxiety symptoms (aas result of the compensatory increase in adrenalin output) difficulty with concentration (because the brain is starved of glucose) and general lack of energy.
Live long and prosper...
Cheers,
Sonic
you know, because I'm hypogycemic, My hepatologist has me taking these fasting glucose tests every month, I just think it's weird...I guess I should go to an endo guy (yet another doctor), but I now have to have take another test in two weeks...the last two have been 99, then 95...I told him I eat an egg about 3 hours before the test, he says that's alright (though how much that effects a fasting glucose test is unknown to me) I should maybe go to the diabetes side, though I don't have diabetes, they might know something on this...any input would be appreciated...
I actually had a length discussion about it with the DM instructor when it was mentioned that LFT tests may be run when oral meds are introduced because they can affect the liver. It was during those individual discussions that I learned that recommendations these days are to not prescribe oral meds for diabetes if elevated LFT's exist.
I believe there was one which could be used because it was found to have little to no effect on the liver, but can not remember it off the top of my head.
I believe there was one which could be used because it was found to have little to no effect on the liver, but can not remember it off the top of my head.
Working pooch- Yeah, I used to drink an eighteen pack a day for many years. I guess you could say I earned this stuff honestly. My Mom and Dad both have DM as well though. You can buy a home glucose test kit for about a hundred bucks, or have the doc investigate for you. Although DM is another chronic disease to contend with (groan), it is generally manageable and something that we as patients can readily influence. Good luck to you,
Bill
Grand Oak- interesting that the DM class left you with that impression. My primary care guy initially pulled me off my Glipizide and Metformin to see if it had any effect on my ALT/AST, which were consistently running about 300/150. After a month of very high BG, the enzymes remained high and he restarted the oral anti-diabetics. This has been a couple of years now; my enzymes are now in the 20
Bill
Grand Oak- interesting that the DM class left you with that impression. My primary care guy initially pulled me off my Glipizide and Metformin to see if it had any effect on my ALT/AST, which were consistently running about 300/150. After a month of very high BG, the enzymes remained high and he restarted the oral anti-diabetics. This has been a couple of years now; my enzymes are now in the 20
My Gluscose has always been fine and was fine at the start of tx. Given family pre-disposition (Grandmother, Father died from shock, Brother) I had asked to have regular checks with labs. Of course what do I know, I'm simply the patient right!!
Well, 3 months post tx guess what? Type 2 diabeties. Fortunately, I seem able to control with diet and exercise, but I also learned from my classes at the International Diabetes Center that should meds be necessary, I most likely will have to jump straight to shots as pills can not be used when abnormal LFT's are measured.
Given that tx failed to clear HCV, it seems LFT's are always abnormal, even if only slightly elevated (i.e. 10-20 unit above high water mark).
So, it would seem that not only did I suffer through 10 months of tx to have it fail to clear the virus, but it also seems to have blessed me by making my health situation worse.
Well, 3 months post tx guess what? Type 2 diabeties. Fortunately, I seem able to control with diet and exercise, but I also learned from my classes at the International Diabetes Center that should meds be necessary, I most likely will have to jump straight to shots as pills can not be used when abnormal LFT's are measured.
Given that tx failed to clear HCV, it seems LFT's are always abnormal, even if only slightly elevated (i.e. 10-20 unit above high water mark).
So, it would seem that not only did I suffer through 10 months of tx to have it fail to clear the virus, but it also seems to have blessed me by making my health situation worse.
thanks for all the info....i have to say that i knew something was wrong about 7 years ago....i thought it was diabeties and got tested 3 or four times...always fasting..one symptom i had was sores breaking out on my legs...always in the same spots...and when i would run like 4 or 5 miles a few times a week they would go away...i was drinking at night vodka like lots of nights a third of a fifth...i stopped that a year and a half ago but still drank 1 to 2 beers a night until late this feb when i found this forum..both times i stopped drinking i went through hell...i didn't drink untill i was almost 40...now i'm 55..and a lot of the time i didn't drink that much..i kind of hope my blood suger is messed up and my liver is not too bad...biopsy in 2 weeks will tell...i do get a lot of pain in the liver area..maybe its my pancreas...thanks..billy
Bear in mind that blood sugar is a result of carbohydrate metabolism, so just adjusting your daily Snicker
Sorry, my short term memory is shot, can't remember usernames at all.
I can say that other than some red skin spots, the only symptom I noticed prior to diagnosis was a low blood sugar problem. Not knowing what was going on, I started carrying life savers, which worked but only for a short time.If I went out hiking I'd bring bread and fruit, carbs and sugar, worked everytime. Try to eat before you get light headed. Eat less, but eat often. Good luck.
I can say that other than some red skin spots, the only symptom I noticed prior to diagnosis was a low blood sugar problem. Not knowing what was going on, I started carrying life savers, which worked but only for a short time.If I went out hiking I'd bring bread and fruit, carbs and sugar, worked everytime. Try to eat before you get light headed. Eat less, but eat often. Good luck.
Hi, you mentioned Grapefruit seemed to help. This may be helpful for you.
This is from a Fresh Juices & Menu Planner provided by the "Juiceman."
I'm looking in the book and there is a drink here called: "Blood Sugar Balancer" and so it may or may not be useful information for you...
These things could be eaten too, they don't need to be made into juice. Although it is easier to juice a large amount of veggies rather than eat them.
Here's what's written in the book:
"Therapeutic Juice Drinks
(Juice therapy is not recommended in place of medical treatment, but as a complement to treatment.)
Blood Sugar Balancer
(May be helpful for diabetes and hypoglycemia)
3 Carrots
2 Lettuce Leaves
1 handful of String Beans
4 Brussel Sprouts
2 Apples"
Best Regards,
Matt
This is from a Fresh Juices & Menu Planner provided by the "Juiceman."
I'm looking in the book and there is a drink here called: "Blood Sugar Balancer" and so it may or may not be useful information for you...
These things could be eaten too, they don't need to be made into juice. Although it is easier to juice a large amount of veggies rather than eat them.
Here's what's written in the book:
"Therapeutic Juice Drinks
(Juice therapy is not recommended in place of medical treatment, but as a complement to treatment.)
Blood Sugar Balancer
(May be helpful for diabetes and hypoglycemia)
3 Carrots
2 Lettuce Leaves
1 handful of String Beans
4 Brussel Sprouts
2 Apples"
Best Regards,
Matt
Here is an interesting article you might want to read from the Journal of Clinical Diabetes:
http://journal.diabetes.org/clinicaldiabetes/v17n21999/Pg73.htm
Excerpts from the article:
http://journal.diabetes.org/clinicaldiabetes/v17n21999/Pg73.htm
Excerpts from the article:
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