Re: Help!

[Guest guest]

I Had had the difficulty swallowing for years and the headaches with

straining, but as a nurse, I had heard that the headaches I was having were

many times caused by an aneurysm and if I had one, I didn't want to know, so

I wouldn't tell anyone!

My symptoms were gone as soon as surgery was done. I still have some

numbness and tingling of my hands, but it may not be caused by the ACM. I

also have lupus, so it is probably the culprit for some of these symptoms.

Langley, RN or MeMe

From the great state of TEXAS ( : ~)

**I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ians 4:13

ACM 20mm~No SM~Decompressed 6/19/00- Craniotomy, C1, C2 laminectomy & dural

graft+ Lupus + Disc Herniation C5-6, T8-9 & L4-L5

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the responses.

I started out on a medication that I can never remember the name of.

Something that started with a V, or " Av.... " Then my doctor switched

me to 2 mg daily of Amaryl. That went down to 1 mg of Amaryl.

The doctor took me off the pill because I had lost weight and he felt

I could now stay under control due to the weight loss. He also said

not to worry if my level got up around 200 for a while, that my body

would adjust in a couple of months. He said nothing about how long

it would take for the medication to leave my system. The

nutritionist said 4-6 weeks. It has been almost 4 weeks now.

My only A1C reading was 6.2. That was in August. I had to give up

my medical insurance when the rates went up in January and it would

cost about $100 to have the next test. I am currently on

unemployment and cannot afford that cost.

My doctor seems convinced that most of my symptoms are due to

anxiety, not diabetes. Sometimes I feel dizzy. Sometimes I can't

see as well (though nothing gets blurrier), and I find it difficult

to concentrate. This most often happens within an hour to an hour

and a half after I eat, but still within two hours after a meal I am

usually below 120. Exercise almost always increases the concentration

and vision problems.

The nutritionist said that if I take in fewer than 500 calories a

meal (not counting snacks), I will have muscle trouble. The doctor

said 1200-1800 calories per day. I have a food list (in fact,

several lists), but that's mostly about the numbers of carbs and has

very little do to with planning a healthy meal.

I had someone tell me months ago that he knew many diabetics who had

absolutely no problems at all after going on the Atkins diet, but

I've also heard that people on the Atkins diet tend to die like flies.

The worst problem is that everyone has a different idea as to what is

the best way to handle diabetes. I just wanted to see what everyone

else is doing, and maybe then I'd be able to see a direction for

myself. So far, I've only talked to health care professionals, none

of whom is actually diabetic. I felt it was time to take my issues

to the experts, and I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks,

Alma

[Guest guest]

Wow, what to eat or not to eat is a complex subject. I read at the

American Diabetic Association website that ketosis is bad and can lead

to death if it isn't corrected quickly. And my sister found on the

Net (sorry, I don't have the URL and I doubt that she wrote it down or

anything) some report that said the Atkins diet leads to heart and

kidney problems. According to that report, not eating enough carbs is

the same thing as starving oneself to death. When it doesn't get

enough carbs, the body literally begins to eat itself from the inside

out. And this information isn't just on one site, either.

No one has offered an explanation yet as to why nutritionists and

doctors should be so wrong as to recommend a standard level of carb

intake. If they are wrong, why don't they know it? Almost every

website my sister found used the standard recommendations. So, it

would appear that the majority of people (including health care

professionals) believe that the standard " diabetic diet " (i.e., carb

intake recommendations) is the correct one.

I've noticed, however, that professionals seem to want to lump

diabetics all together in two basic groups, Type I and Type II, though

the nutritionist did tell me that it's pretty individual. After 7

months, I had figured that much out for myself.

Now that my medication seems to be wearing off and my levels are

slightly higher, exercise does appear to be helping somewhat. Before,

it made me feel absolutely terrible or brought my level down too far.

Or both! But I have to exercise shortly after eating. Otherwise,

I've noticed that my level actually goes UP following exercise.

In re the Health Dept. issue, in my area the Health Dept. does not

offer food stamps. It is the state social agency, which is a

different office altogether. And at the moment I am not eligible for

assistance. I don't meet the income requirements. Once my

unemployment benefits give out, maybe then....

I was literally testing up to 20 times a day for a while, and my

doctor told me to go back to just 3 times per day: before breakfast, 2

hours after lunch, and before bed. Most days I still end up testing

at least 4-6 times, depending on how bad I feel. I am usually in the

normal range, and have never caught it over 135 even with the slightly

higher levels. So I'm still stymied as to why I continue to feel

bad....

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

Alma

[Guest guest]

Dear Alma,

I tend to trust the experiences of my fellow diabetics who

have " walked the walk " for many years. I have been eating low-carb

for about seven years. I know people, including personal fitness

trainers and body-builders, who have been doing it for 10-20 years.

In fact, until about 30 years ago, when our country became enamored

of pills and decided they could fix everything, low-carbing was the

approach all diabetics were taught to follow, to improve their

glycemic control.

Low-carbing doesn't kill us; diabetes kills us. And the safest, best,

cheapest, simplest way to control our glucose spikes is to limit the

foods that cause the problems: carbohydrates.

<< I read at the American Diabetic Association website that ketosis

is bad and can lead to death if it isn't corrected quickly. >>

They are confusing benign dietary ketosis with diabetic ketoacidosis,

which is another matter altogether. Ketosis is when we shift our

overweight type 2 bodies into fat-burning mode; ketoacidosis is when

type 1 diabetics don't shoot their insulin and their glucose readings

spiral out of control, which causes their bodies to burn their own

muscles in order to survive.

<< my sister found on the Net ... some report that said the Atkins

diet leads to heart and kidney problems. >>

Dr. Atkins has been responding to that nonsense for 30 years.

Diabetes is what kills us, particularly affecting our hearts and

kidneys. Low-carbing is one of the best ways we can control that 800-

pound gorilla.

<< According to that report, not eating enough carbs is the same

thing as starving oneself to death. When it doesn't get enough carbs,

the body literally begins to eat itself from the inside out. And this

information isn't just on one site, either. >>

It's sort of scary to realize how many " authorities " support bogus

notions. When I read these things, I always think of that scene in

the " Wizard of Oz " where the old guy yells, " Ignore that man in the

booth! I am the great and terrible Oz! Silence!! "

<< No one has offered an explanation yet as to why nutritionists and

doctors should be so wrong as to recommend a standard level of carb

intake. If they are wrong, why don't they know it? Almost every

website my sister found used the standard recommendations. So, it

would appear that the majority of people (including health care

professionals) believe that the standard " diabetic diet " (i.e., carb

intake recommendations) is the correct one. >>

Usually I cut quoted material to the barest minimum, but your

paragraph above explains quite poignantly our dilemma. We have a

whole generation of " experts " who are barking up the wrong tree.

Things have been turning around just within the past year, however.

<< I have to exercise shortly after eating. Otherwise, I've noticed

that my level actually goes UP following exercise. >>

Think of the exercise as the " antidote to carbohydrates. " Also

understand that those glucose readings taken right after vigorous

exercise are bogus in a sense, because they reflect the glucose that

was stored in your body organs (and doing long-term damage) jumping

into your bloodstream, en route to the exercised muscles that are

calling out for " fuel. " If you exercise and get a spurious high

reading, check again later and you'll probably find that your

readings drop quite a bit, once the glucose has reached the exhausted

muscles that are crying for it.

Please ask your County Health Dept. about getting free medical care

and meds and supplies. I met with the Administrator and she assured

me that I would never be turned away as long as I needed them. And I

never was. )

<< I am usually in the normal range, and have never caught it over

135 even with the slightly higher levels. So I'm still stymied as to

why I continue to feel bad. >>

When we are diagnosed diabetic, we tend to pin everything on the

diabetes. I'm guessing it is something else. Please tell us more

about the ways in which you feel so bad. We'll pipe up with ideas ...

Susie

[Guest guest]

Alma, ketosis is a benign condition...you're confusing it with ketoacidosis

which is quite a different thing and CAN lead to death. (This is a common

mistake).

Have you read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions by K. Bernstein,

M.D.? If not I strongly suggest you do. He's a diabetic, he's an MD and he's

been low carbing for more than 40 years. By doing this he was able to reverse

many of the complications of diabetes and normalize his BGs. Many of us on

this list have lowered our carb intake and have lived to tell the tale,

smile. Personally, I eat about 100 carbs a day and use insulin also, since

I'm a type 1. I've been following this plan for five plus years and I'm

still, happily, alive and quite well. My last A1C was 4.6.

You can get the Bernstein book at your library or at Amazon or any book store

can order it for you. The hardcover is about $25 but Bayer is selling the

paperback version (available only through them) for $8 plus shipping.

Here's the ordering info, if you're interested.

Call Bayer direct at 1- and request Part #0441445. Their

ordering lines are open 8 am - 5 pm eastern standard time. They take Visa or

MasterCard.

And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of good

stuff:

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

Vicki

In a message dated 02/12/2003 7:11:50 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

larbsr@... writes:

> Wow, what to eat or not to eat is a complex subject. I read at the

> American Diabetic Association website that ketosis is bad and can lead

> to death if it isn't corrected quickly.

[Guest guest]

Re: Help!

Wow, what to eat or not to eat is a complex subject. I read at the

American Diabetic Association website that ketosis is bad and can lead

to death if it isn't corrected quickly.

There is a difference between 'ketosis' and 'ketoacidosis', although some

writers use the terms interchangably.

And my sister found on the

Net (sorry, I don't have the URL and I doubt that she wrote it down or

anything) some report that said the Atkins diet leads to heart and

kidney problems.

That study, I have been told, dealt with people who had heart & /or kidney

problems before going on Atkins--and Atkins made them. Also, they stayed on

'induction' levels for longer than Atkins recommends. Nobody has yet

demonstrated, that I know of, that a low carb diet can cause heart and/or kidney

problems in people who did not have them before, especially at maintainance

phase.

According to that report, not eating enough carbs is

the same thing as starving oneself to death. When it doesn't get

enough carbs, the body literally begins to eat itself from the inside

out. And this information isn't just on one site, either.

Again, these 'doomsayers' seem to assume that one stays on the extreme low

carb levels of the induction phase long term. That simply is not what Atkins

recommends. True, some people do go by the 'if a little is good, more is

better' rule and try to stay on the radically low carb regemen for longer than

the program recommends; hence, the problem is not so much Atkins as half-baked

versions of Atkins. (Perhaps 'half-broiled' would be a better way of putting

it?)

No one has offered an explanation yet as to why nutritionists and

doctors should be so wrong as to recommend a standard level of carb

intake.

My doctor must be unusual, as she told me to minimize t the carbs.

If they are wrong, why don't they know it? Almost every

website my sister found used the standard recommendations. So, it

would appear that the majority of people (including health care

professionals) believe that the standard " diabetic diet " (i.e., carb

intake recommendations) is the correct one.

I think because the research that established the 'standards' dealt with Type

I-s and Type II-s on insuline, rather than Type II-s trying to control it by

diet alone.

[Guest guest]

I don't know why this message has turned up twice. The first time was 2/9 and

I distinctly remembered it because of the remark about folks on Atkins'

" dying like flies " which I responded to.

Is our list having a hiccup??

Vicki

In a message dated 02/17/2003 12:50:51 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

larbsr@... writes:

>

> Thanks for the responses.

>

> I started out on a medication that I can never remember the name of.

> Something that started with a V, or " Av.... " Then my doctor switched

> me to 2 mg daily of Amaryl. That went down to 1 mg of Amaryl.

>

> The doctor took me off the pill because I had lost weight and he felt

> I could now stay under control due to the weight loss. He also said

> not to worry if my level got up around 200 for a while, that my body

> would adjust in a couple of months. He said nothing about how long

> it would take for the medication to leave my system. The

> nutritionist said 4-6 weeks. It has been almost 4 weeks now.

>

> My only A1C reading was 6.2. That was in August. I had to give up

> my medical insurance when the rates went up in January and it would

> cost about $100 to have the next test. I am currently on

> unemployment and cannot afford that cost.

>

> My doctor seems convinced that most of my symptoms are due to

> anxiety, not diabetes. Sometimes I feel dizzy. Sometimes I can't

> see as well (though nothing gets blurrier), and I find it difficult

> to concentrate. This most often happens within an hour to an hour

> and a half after I eat, but still within two hours after a meal I am

> usually below 120. Exercise almost always increases the concentration

> and vision problems.

>

> The nutritionist said that if I take in fewer than 500 calories a

> meal (not counting snacks), I will have muscle trouble. The doctor

> said 1200-1800 calories per day. I have a food list (in fact,

> several lists), but that's mostly about the numbers of carbs and has

> very little do to with planning a healthy meal.

>

> I had someone tell me months ago that he knew many diabetics who had

> absolutely no problems at all after going on the Atkins diet, but

> I've also heard that people on the Atkins diet tend to die like flies.

>

> The worst problem is that everyone has a different idea as to what is

> the best way to handle diabetes. I just wanted to see what everyone

> else is doing, and maybe then I'd be able to see a direction for

> myself. So far, I've only talked to health care professionals, none

> of whom is actually diabetic. I felt it was time to take my issues

> to the experts, and I appreciate the feedback.

>

> Thanks,

> Alma

>

[Guest guest]

At 05:05 PM 2/17/2003, Vicki wrote:

>I don't know why this message has turned up twice. The first time was 2/9 and

>I distinctly remembered it because of the remark about folks on Atkins'

> " dying like flies " which I responded to.

>

>Is our list having a hiccup??

>Vicki

Hmmm...

Sure could be. I thought it sounded familiar also, but, did not want to

risk " missing " a legitimate post...

Sorry all....

Rick

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/7/04 12:21:31 PM, VulvarDisorders writes:

<< No there is no pain when we have sex with out intercourse. One doc

suggested that I have pelvic floor dysfunction, another said it was a nerve

thing and

so on and on! It only hurts when we have intercourse and sometimes before

when I had to use tampons. The pain is in the top, clitoral area, and then

around

the sides of the labia. We have some lidocaine 1% to put on and it takes a

little bit of the pain away but it is still pretty uncomfortable. >>

Elavil works for some, it doesn't for others. I'd get Lidocaine 5% ointment

and try the Lidocaine Cotton Ball treatment. There's information about it in

the archives. It's resulting in pain free sex for a lot of women. I also

find relief from Atropine cream, which you can also find information about in

the

archives.

What country does mz stand for? That is a new one for me.

Debbie

Tiger

" Hey Tiger, quit bringing quotes from UC to the Bruce list!! :-) " - Jim G.,

5/4/04