Medical Update

[SKY Spy]

Hey ol' buddy...

Sorry to hear you are not in the best health. All I can say is take care of yourself, we want you to be around for a looooooong time.

I'm only 36 and I'm sure very soon I will have to go to the doctor and get myself checked out. I have not visited a doctor in 5 years. I know, I know, shame on me but I had been feeling good. Now is a different ballgame. I know I have arthritis, pretty bad on my left shoulder and elbow. and I'm way too fat to be 100% healthy. I'm actually afraid of going to the doctor because of what he/she may find...

Oh well my friend, keep us posted on your progress. I know I will hate this part of getting old...

Regards,

BA...

[kphelgerson]

I don't know if there is another doctor on these forums, so I'll open up and confess that I am one. 20 years now, in fact. Have I got all the answers? No. Do I know a thing or two? Yes. Have all the other members been telling you the right stuff here? You bet. Personal experience: Became a total vegan vegetarian for 6 months to prove I could do it. Dropped my cholesterol from 189 to 134. Even though I picked up walking/jogging vigorously, never got over 3 miles a day, and wasn't able to keep up my HDL level (The High Density Lipoprotein= the good cholesterol) as the total fell, but it didn't matter. As the total fell my LDL fell, and the ratios all stayed the same. Triglycerides went to the 50's. But I didn't have diabetes or a family history and didn't have enough reason to keep doing it. So I reverted. You however, have reason. And do you need to be a vegan? Absolutely not. But will you have to make changes? Sure. But control of your sugar levels will go a huge way to controlling your Triglycerides (TGs). Remember the TGs are really fats that float to the top of the test tube when we draw blood out of someone. These fats are made of a fatty acid backbone and three molecules of a sugar substance. So a perfect diet for elevation of TGs is one rich in fats and sugars. And what is Diabetes Mellitus type 2 (DM2) but a vast amount of extra sugar in your blood? And why? Due to insulin resistance. What's that? Something a strict diet starts to get under control. But like already mentioned, Metformin (Glucophage) can help a lot. It inhibits stored sugar in the liver from being called into service when not needed, and it sensitizes your cells to the sugar already there for them. Beyond that there are many other medications short of insulin, like Actos, Amaryl, Avandia, Byetta, Diabeta, Januvia (Brand new), Prandin, Precose, Starlix, and now, if it gets to that, the new inhaled insulin Exubera, then lastly a plethora of types of injectable insulins. To put it mildly, there has never been a better time to be diagnosed with DM2.
Like mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to take a class called Diabetes Education at your local hospital . No one can be smart enough to catch all the nuances of an illness themselves: You need a guide. That's the job of diabetic educators. At our local hospital in Kalamazoo, MI, they conduct 3 classes of 3 hours each plus individual dietary education for about $750, hopefully covered by insurance. Nothing helps as much as taking those classes, enrolling in a health club (and going!), and becoming a member of the American Diabetes Association and getting their mailings/magazine.
You didn't get smart about Sky's without reading lots about them. You can do this. And anyone with a question, criticism, etc., can PM me or just hit me here. When I can, I'll look for your posts. Best wishes.
And for everyone out there with DM2, remember the 5-year risk of having a heart attack with DM2 is the same as the 5-year of having one if you already have had one: 20%. So, DM2 is called a "cardiac risk equivalent" for good reasons. So get on ZOCOR (now generic simvastatin) or another statin to lower your risk of a heart attack, since the first ever is still 50% fatal. And you'll learn the benefit of ace-inhibitor medications to spare your kidneys from DM2-induced damage. Sounds like a lot of fuss, but it's far easier than cardiac rehab and dialysis! So Good Luck and write/PM me if desired. And lay low on the suds.

[Ernest]

Thanks for the info, and I will due whatever the doctors ask of me. As i come across questions, if you don't object I will ask them on the forum openly so as to help anyone lurking that could benefit from them.

Thanks for taking the time to explain all this to me, it is truly appreciated

If openly posting my health issues and progress will help others with theirs, then that to me is great. There are things to be learned in this Forum Family besides the SKY, and that to me is

[Skip]

Ernest, Actos is what I take in the morning with Amaryl and 2 Metformins. The Actos is cheaper than Avandia but has a side effect of swelling in the legs and feet. So I take pee pills [lasics] every other day and that way I keep my water weight down. Now I don't know about the other drugs mentioned but remember one thing. Get your blood tested every 3 months to see what your liver and kidneys are doing and don't let that good looking nurse stick you in the same place for bloodwork because it will scar your blood vessals and arteries over time...Skip... Call me if you have any concerns over this ....Luv ya man...

[HappyAmI]

Originally Posted by Skip

Ernest, Actos is what I take in the morning with Amaryl and 2 Metformins. The Actos is cheaper than Avandia but has a side effect of swelling in the legs and feet. So I take pee pills [lasics] every other day and that way I keep my water weight down. Now I don't know about the other drugs mentioned but remember one thing. Get your blood tested every 3 months to see what your liver and kidneys are doing and don't let that good looking nurse stick you in the same place for bloodwork because it will scar your blood vessals and arteries over time...Skip... Call me if you have any concerns over this ....Luv ya man...

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Ernest. I have this dreaded disease, but it is treatable. Don't do what I did and go into denial, thinking you can be normal. Do as everyone tells you here, because this is your quality of life. This is a scary disease, but if you take the bull by the horn, you can control it. I lost 80 lbs hoping to become normal. Well, I look normal now, but I still have diabetes and still have to take my meds, eat right, and exercise. This is a small price to pay for having our eyesight, all our digits and limbs, and having healthy kidneys. I have seen the ravages of this and you don't want to go there. Get on the internet and learn as much as you can about it. We all are pulling for you. We all need support when facing this kind of news. God bless you! You can do it!

[nighttripper]

Sorry to hear of your test results ,but I do feel your pain. I got my warnings last month.

[kphelgerson]

Originally Posted by Ernest

Thanks for the info, and I will due whatever the doctors ask of me. As i come across questions, if you don't object I will ask them on the forum openly so as to help anyone lurking that could benefit from them.

Thanks for taking the time to explain all this to me, it is truly appreciated

If openly posting my health issues and progress will help others with theirs, then that to me is great. There are things to be learned in this Forum Family besides the SKY, and that to me is

No problem. If 20 years in family medicine has taught me anything, it is that everyone is an individual and nothing works the same for everyone. Genetics plays a huge part in DM2. But some universals apply: Diets of about 70% complex carbohydrates are still the recommendation for you. Read Shredded wheat for breakfast, with skim milk and about three strawberries cut up on it. No sugar, or use equal. Oh, and make it two large shredded wheat bisquits, not the little frosted stuff. And start to walk if you aren't doing it. The goal is 10,000 steps a day. That's about 4 miles. Start slow. Too many begin with 30 minutes of walking and hurt their legs within 3 days. Start with 10-15 minutes and go slow, increasing by 5 minutes every two weeks or so. Every day is a new chance to succeed. You will do great.

[londoner]

Hey, Ernest
BAD NEWS: so sorry you are feeling under the weather.

GOOD NEWS: There are plenty of us who would take your RL off your hands.

LOL

[Texas Red Line]

Originally Posted by londoner

Hey, Ernest
BAD NEWS: so sorry you are feeling under the weather.

GOOD NEWS: There are plenty of us who would take your RL off your hands.

LOL