Re: matter of opinion

[Guest guest]

Hi Barb,Are you a type 1? I'm a type 2. I can see with a 1 or a 2 that has

decreased pancreas function. I guess we will know when I get there:)

[Guest guest]

Well, I'm home, and no bloody knuckles from fighting with the new doctor. It

seems all I do lately is see doctors! LOL

He is friendly and respectful, which is good, and he seems very

straightforward. We talked a bit about Cushing's, I never knew there are

actually 6 different kinds of it! I'm always the last to know :>((

He ran some labs today, we'll know the results on Monday, because some are

exotic and take longer. How about that, I have exotic blood -- now I know

why all the women chase me...

Doc switched my insulin to a new kind, we're going to experiment with it for

a month and see how well it works. Larger dose, too, so we'll see. I can

download my One Touch readings into a database on my computer; every week I'm

supposed to email the database to him, then he'll call me to discuss it, and

adjust the insulin dose accordingly.

Doc gently brought up the subject of going inpatient, it would speed up the

tests, but all I had to do was say " no " once and he surrendered. He tells me

that in all his years of practice, he has treated several clergy, and not one

has ever agreed to go inpatient. LOL

He also gave me some medicine to reduce the congestive heart failure. He

promises to aggressively treat the DM and the Cushings.

So far a good day, except for the sun glare and all the pollution out there,

yuck!

Jim

[Guest guest]

Susie,

I don't know nearly what you know but I know the paramedics told me if my bp

went to 50 on the bottom that I need to call my dr.I hope you are feeling

better but you might give your dr a call today

[Guest guest]

Susie,

Is there an acute care clinic up there?How about a doc in the box

[Guest guest]

Susie,

Could it be dehydration?

[Guest guest]

Jim, your new doctor sounds like a good one. Thank you so much for keeping

us updated on your health progress.

You can go to a good search engine such as http://www.altavista.com and do

gobs of medical research. For instance, if you type in Cushing* it will

find a stack of web sites. (The asterisk is a wild card.)

My ferritin is too high. I had more blood drawn yesterday and they are doing

a complete iron panel. I had apparent heart attacks last April and October.

Then just a few hours ago I had another lovely surprise ... I felt very

unwell, and like my chest was going to explode, and my legs kept falling

aslepp and my feet were swollen. I started monitoring my blood pressure. My

pulse was fine, but the b.p. bottomed out. It was reading 70-something over

50-something ... Then, five times in a row, it was too low to register. And

I was sweating like a pig. I dragged myself back to the bedroom and laid

beneath a fan for a few hours, so my heart wouldn't have to work so hard.

I'm doing better now ... b.p. about 95/75 and pulse in the low 60s. So I'm

off to the internet to do more research on the impact of high iron that

isn't bad enough to be hemochromatosis (the cause of 10 percent of all

diabetes), and to figure out whether today's incident was another heart

attack, or overdosing on one of my blood pressure meds.

Never a dull moment!

Susie )

[Guest guest]

> <<<... So I'm off to the internet to do more research on the impact of high

> iron that isn't bad enough to be hemochromatosis (the cause of 10 percent of

> all diabetes), and to figure out whether today's incident was another heart

> attack, or overdosing on one of my blood pressure meds.

>

> Never a dull moment!

Susie,

Maybe a trip to the doc or emergency room is in order.??

[Guest guest]

, you wrote:

<< Susie,

Maybe a trip to the doc or emergency room is in order.?? >>

Yep ... it's in order. But I just finally paid off the last ER visit. No

insurance, and no money.

Susie

[Guest guest]

> <<<Yep ... it's in order. But I just finally paid off the last ER visit.

> No insurance, and no money.>>>

Susie,

But this one sounds potentially deadly...

If it happened to me you'd say " go to the doc " ..

Take care,

[Guest guest]

Hmmm ... I should have added that my doctor and I are e-mail buddies, and I

immediately sent her a note, telling her I'm quitting one of my four b.p.

meds. In addition to a water pill, I'm taking:

200 mg Metoprolol (beta blocker)

180 Verapamil (calcium channel blocker)

100 mg Captopril (ACE inhibitor)

I had a recent spell where my pulse dropped into the low 50s. After some

online research, I dropped the beta blocker, then feathered it back in

gradually. And I saw my doctor as soon as could be arranged, and she agreed

with that course. But this time, the pulse held great, ranging from low 60s

to low 70s all day. This time it was different ... could have been another

heart attack, but Ireally don't think so. The others were different ...

chest pain, and a feeling of being really ill, and sweating like mad, and

being unable to get up out of my chair.

After doing some research, I have decided to drop the Verapamil, and will

keep monitoring b.p. and pulse several times a day. My doctor is not

careless; she understands that I don't do anything without doing some

research, so she has cautiously given me quite a lot of freedom.

Since heart problems are so very common among type 2's, I recommend that all

of us keep a monitor at home and " refur " to it often.

Susie )

[Guest guest]

writes:

<< Susie,

But this one sounds potentially deadly... If it happened to me you'd say " go

to the doc " .. >>

I'm already sure it wasn't a heart attack. After the last two, I could tell

that I had been hammered pretty severely. I would get winded just walking

down the hall from the bedroom to the living room, and I tottered around

like a weakling for about six weeks. And I had chronic chest pain. I feel

just fine right now ... sitting here in a swimsuit, munching on hunks of

roast beast and low-carb veggies in a really yummy liquid that reminds me of

New Orleans. I have my energy back - no dizziness - no chest pain. My blood

pressure has been climbing slowly/steadily all day ... I'm back up at

130/83, with a pulse of 77. These home blood pressure meters are really

great! I'll keep reporting in every day, to reassure you that I really am

fine ... I'm not as reckless as I sound ... hahahaha ... When I hit the bed,

I phoned my faraway sweetie, and he told me to go to the ER, and I said I

was too weak to drive, and he repeatedly offered to phone an ambulance for

me. And we stayed on the phone for 1-2 hours, until I knew I was better.

His name is Rob, and he is Mr. Wonderful ... )

Susie

[Guest guest]

Do you think you should see a doctor immediately?

OtterCritter wrote:

>

>

>

> Jim, your new doctor sounds like a good one. Thank you so much for keeping

> us updated on your health progress.

>

> You can go to a good search engine such as http://www.altavista.com and do

> gobs of medical research. For instance, if you type in Cushing* it will

> find a stack of web sites. (The asterisk is a wild card.)

>

> My ferritin is too high. I had more blood drawn yesterday and they are doing

> a complete iron panel. I had apparent heart attacks last April and October.

> Then just a few hours ago I had another lovely surprise ... I felt very

> unwell, and like my chest was going to explode, and my legs kept falling

> aslepp and my feet were swollen. I started monitoring my blood pressure. My

> pulse was fine, but the b.p. bottomed out. It was reading 70-something over

> 50-something ... Then, five times in a row, it was too low to register. And

> I was sweating like a pig. I dragged myself back to the bedroom and laid

> beneath a fan for a few hours, so my heart wouldn't have to work so hard.

> I'm doing better now ... b.p. about 95/75 and pulse in the low 60s. So I'm

> off to the internet to do more research on the impact of high iron that

> isn't bad enough to be hemochromatosis (the cause of 10 percent of all

> diabetes), and to figure out whether today's incident was another heart

> attack, or overdosing on one of my blood pressure meds.

>

> Never a dull moment!

>

> Susie )

>

> ---------------------------

[Guest guest]

asks:

<< Could it be dehydration? >>

Dehydration was very likely a contributing factor. I have been taking the

same mix of meds for months now, with no problem. But I think four b.p. meds

is excessive, so I am going to discontinue the Verapamil for now and see

what happens. Thanks for the idea!

Susie

[Guest guest]

> <<<Since heart problems are so very common among type 2's, I recommend that

> all

> of us keep a monitor at home and " refur " to it often.>>>

Hi Susie,

I've got 2 Omron BP devices...one for work and one for home... I take AM & PM

readings and keep track of them in my bg/weight chart.

How often have you been taking readings Susie.??

[Guest guest]

Good morning everyone

Susie,

I hope you are feeling better this morning. If I remember correctly you said

you cannot do aerobics because of your feet,is that correct? I know there is

alot in everyday living but what do you do as an alternative?

I also have a question or two. One I have been doing alot of aerobics(twice a

day) and I don't usually skip a day,but I have found the weight does not drop

until I skip a day,any opinion on that. I can work my buns off for a week and

not drop a pd but if I decide to take a break then the weight will drop.

Also my feet started going nuts last night with itching,they were itching so

intensley I had to put them under cool water to stop it or try to stop it. I

was on the computer more then normal yesterday and I have stopped taking my

mevacor (cholesteral) any thoughts?

[Guest guest]

Granger writes:

<< How often have you been taking readings Susie.?? >>

I keep the lil critter right here on my computer desk and usually check 1-3

times a day, , because I had allowed my hypertension to run out of

control for years, and I now have an incurable condition that must be

treated with very large doses of medication. But when I have a problem, like

I did yesterday, I probably checked ... hmmmm ... 20 times.

I feel like I'm balanced on the edge of a sword. As was suggested, what

pushed me over the edge yesterday was dehydration from a combo of food

poisoning and experiencing a heat wave with no air conditioning (it was 84

degrees yesterday morning at 9:30).

Susie

[Guest guest]

Gosh, Susie, I'm surprised at you...you keep a BP monitoring device at your

elbow but not a bottle of water on a hot day??? (Guess you're not perfect

after all! :-)) Vicki

In a message dated 99-07-28 03:55:51 EDT, you write:

<<

I feel like I'm balanced on the edge of a sword. As was suggested, what

pushed me over the edge yesterday was dehydration from a combo of food

poisoning and experiencing a heat wave with no air conditioning (it was 84

degrees yesterday morning at 9:30).

>>

[Guest guest]

Ouch Vicki,I'm sure you didn't mean to be so nasty,to someone that always has

a kind word and a helping hand to anyone that needs it

[Guest guest]

Granger asks about the " lawn accident. "

I keep three acres mowed, and eventually moved up to an 18-hp., three-blade,

44-inch cut model. It has two 78-inch belts - one to drive the first two

blades, and the other to run off that shaft and drive the third belt. I live

in mountainous terrain and apparently my brake pads were badly worn. Also,

someone had been monkeying with the tractor and removed one of the belts. It

needed some work, so I built some ramps and loaded it up in the back of

" Maybelline " and took it to the shop. The driveway at the mechanic's place

is steeper 'n a mare's nose. I am a hotrodder, and was up in 4th gear,

rolling down the driveway, and found I had no brakes at all. What I should

have done is turned the switch off. But I didn't, and I was headed right for

the mechanic's shop at full speed. So I did a J-turn, and the tractor and I

rolled. I got body-slammed really hard on my left side, dislocating my

shoulder and sustaining lots of cuts and bruises and a back injury. I'm

still having pain when raising my arm, but am healing okay otherwise. The

mower suffered numerous injuries as well, including both headlights popped

out, the hood cracked, the mowing height lever broke, the left front wheel

assembly broke, and scuffed paint. I got the wheel rewelded and repainted

it. Now the only problem is it has only one speed: wide open. The first

time I had to climb back in the saddle at that high speed, I was so nervous

I had to hop off and waggle my hands, like a high-diver. And of course, with

that much throttle, when I turned the key off, the dang thing jumped a foot

ahead. Talk about being spooked! But I'm okay with it now ... I just have to

be more careful about mowing the really steep sections, because I can't slow

it down. But I bought a nifty 6-hp. high-wheel, self-propelled mulching

mower for that.

Yeah, we country folk are really into our gear!

Susie

[Guest guest]

writes:

<< Sometimes if the rubber thing going to the cuff is not pushed in right or

if

it needs new batteries it will do the err thing. I have had to deal with

relatives with high bp my whole life grandmother,mother,me >>

My machine tests the batteries first before it will try to do a readout.

They are fine. And I was feeling very, very ill ... many symptoms. That is

why I was checking my b.p. so frequently. Pressure right now is 126/89, and

I haven't taken any meds in 24 hours, and yesterday morning I spit up most

of them. So I do think I was overmedicated and the dehydration pushed me

over the edge.

Susie

[Guest guest]

Oops, you're absolutely right, ! After I sent it off I immediately

regretted it. I've got to learn to think before I click! Sorry, Susie -- and

I forgot to add, glad you're feeling better! Plz forgive me! Vicki

In a message dated 99-07-28 11:07:17 EDT, you write:

<< Ouch Vicki,I'm sure you didn't mean to be so nasty,to someone that always

has

a kind word and a helping hand to anyone that needs it >>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 99-07-28 11:38:57 EDT, you write:

<< And she did put a smiley at the end ... and I noticed it had a double

chin ... >>

Yup, you're right, that's definitely a double chin! :-) Vicki

[Guest guest]

writes:

<< Ouch Vicki,I'm sure you didn't mean to be so nasty,to someone that always

has

a kind word and a helping hand to anyone that needs it >>

Oh, I'm a huge teaser myself, . I got a laugh out of Vicki's comment. I

think it shows a lot of trust in each other when we can horse around like

that. And she did put a smiley at the end ... and I noticed it had a double

chin ...

::::::::::::::::::::::: ducking :::::::::::::::::::::::::

Susie )

[Guest guest]

Hey Vicky

I should be the queen of opps that didn't sound the way I wanted it too and I

knew you were a nice person:)

[Guest guest]

Very very very warm water stops my itching! I guess I actually meant as hot as

you can stand! Toni

OtterCritter wrote:

>

>

> Jennny writes:

>

> << ... you cannot do aerobics because of your feet,is that correct? I know

> there is

> alot in everyday living but what do you do as an alternative? >>

>

> I was doing step aerobics and a stationary bike, and kept being short of

> breath and having chest pains and feeling faint. I blamed it on asthma and

> shingles, then discovered I have a bad heart. And ordinarily I am on the

> road, so I don't get much vigorous exercise. Also, I am recovering from a

> " lawn accident. " So my only exercise is just the work around here. I have

> some land in the country. I'm going to be moving soon, and expect to be

> hiking and lifting weights and resuming the exercise bike soon.

>

> << ... I have been doing alot of aerobics(twice a day) and I don't usually

> skip a day,but I have found the weight does not drop until I skip a day,any

> opinion on that. I can work my buns off for a week and not drop a pd but if

> I decide to take a break then the weight will drop. >>

>

> One theory about type 2 diabetes is that we are the descendants of ancestors

> who developed extremely thrifty genes in order to survive during times of

> famine. Some people claim that if we cut calorie intake too much, our bodies

> go into " starvation mode " and it becomes extremely difficult to lose weight.

> I unknowingly set myself up for that because I was, like my sister, probably

> diabetic from childhood. I was always athletic, but would also starve myself

> to keep the weight off. Now, because I am sedentary, I find weight loss an

> elusive goal. I lost 25 pounds and stalled out.

>

> << Also my feet started going nuts last night with itching,they were itching

> so

> intensley I had to put them under cool water to stop it or try to stop it. I

> was on the computer more then normal yesterday and I have stopped taking my

> mevacor (cholesteral) any thoughts? >>

>

> This is a new phonomenon to me. Which part of your feet were itching? Have

> you been wearing new shoes or new socks? Were you barefoot when the itching

> began?

>

> Susie

>

> ---------------------------