Guest guest Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 In a message dated 9/18/04 12:24:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time, duncancrow@... writes: > >High cholesterol levels have never been linked to disease by any >research anyway. That didn't stop the medical machine from making 1/3 >of the population into a potential customer. >>>>>>. Whether that's true or not in the abstract isn't really the point since the studies show that being on the statins does reduce the incidence of heart attacks. Maybe they're not sure exactly why and they're not sure of what else the statins do other than lower the cholesterol, but the fact is that they statins do have a risk lowering effect, especially in diabetics, which, to me, points to there being much more at work here than just lowering cholesterol. There may be some anti-inflammatory effect of the statins as well. Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 How do you find the info to calculate the bs average from A1c. Guess I am new too only dealing with this for 6 months or so. My eye doctor says when I was tested for the last glasses (not by him) he finds my bs was very high going by that Rx and the current one. To make matters worse I am hypo in the am 60-70 and below but have very high by the end of the day or if I eat something like whole wheat pasta which makes it high fir a long time. I argued with the Dr about being put on oral meds but she didn't want to do it yet. She thinks it would increase the hypo. I'm getting scared by some of the high readings. It seems the extreme lows balence things out but why should I have high readings which could be doing damage. I am doing my anorexia thing don't eat or eat the minimal I will keep the bs highs down. Damn this diabetes stuff is so controversial!!! billijo ______________________________ Different labs have slightly different ways of testing A1c & so the results are somewhat different, but here's an approximation--- An A1c of 7.0% = 150mg/dl. Each 1% = 30mg/dl. So, an A1c of 6.0% = 120mg/dl, etc., & you can extrapolate between the 30mg/dl jumps. Again, an approximation, but it's close enough (and easy) for me. I hope you didn't get new glasses when your bg's were " very high " because your eyes will change again if/when you get the bg's back down. I assume that you're a T2. For T2's, there is one thing that makes bg's go up, and that's carbohydrates. I think you said you're low in the morning, and high by the end of the day. Have you tried " multiple " small meals or snacking thru the day instead of eating regular meals. That might smooth out your roller-coaster bg's. Just a suggestion. Pasta, any kind, is high carb and can be expected to increase bg's. Of course, whole-wheat is better than regular, but still can effect many that way. I don't mean to be flip about this but there's a saying (paraphrased) " high bg's will kill you slowly, but low's will do it quickly " . Now, if you aren't taking any bg-lowering meds, then the lows you're experiencing (60-70) are not likely to be dangerous. They may make you feel bad, but won't progress to the danger level. Your Dr is right, though, many of the oral meds can make the risk of hypo worse, and with those meds, the hypo can progress to the danger point because they overcome the body's bg regulating system. Eating nothing (your anorexia thing!) is not going to solve your problem, in fact it probably makes it worse. When the body senses it's starving & needs energy, it will trigger the liver to dump glucose into the blood, and that's the opposite effect you want. Again, I would suggest multiple low-carb meals through the day. Try it at least. , T2, dx'ed 4/98, Average bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 6.0%, controlling with LC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 Cappie, I've had a BUSY weekend, so I may be too late in answering this. I don't know about herbs, but what about niacin therapy? Here's a link with info, including possible side effects and the advice to talk with your doctor about it. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9489 SulaBlue > Some good news is that my cholesterol went down a bit after more than a > year of continuous rising, even tho I was losing weight all that time & > had not changed my eating. Now it is at 215--of course still much too > high. I guess the experiment taking garlic tabs did have some effect so > I will continue them. We talked about increasing my statin drug but doc > still was reluctant so I am going to add the herb others suggested to > me. I can't remember the name--anyone? > > > > > cappie > Greater Boston Area > T-2 10/02 6/04 A1c: 4.3 > Mod 100 carb diet, walking, Metformin. > ALA/EPO, Coq10, B12, C, Cal/mag > ALC, full spectrum E > fish oil, garlic, flax seed, multi vitamin > Lovastatin 20 mg, Enalapril 10 mg > 8/04: 25 to go/135 lbs gone / 5' / 66 yrs > cappie@w... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 billijo Here's a helpful chart. I've printed it out and keep a copy of it, with a highlighted 'target range' in my testing kit, just for comparison. http://www.geocities.com/diabeteschart/ SulaBlue > Cappy, > How do you find the info to calculate the bs average from A1c. I argued with the Dr about being put on oral meds but she didn't want to do it yet. She thinks it would increase the hypo. I'm getting scared by some of the high readings. It seems the extreme lows balence things out but why should I have high readings which could be doing damage. I am doing my anorexia thing don't eat or eat the minimal I will keep the bs highs down. Damn this diabetes stuff is so controversial!!! Are you seeing an endocrinologist, or just your regular doctor? If you are not seeing an endo, you might consider doing so. Also, have you seen a registered dietician? If not, one can help you with a meal plan that will work for you, hopefully at any rate. Even with a trained professional there's a lot of experimentation to be done! BTW, NOT eating does NOT keep your BS down! It will make you go hypo -- but your body may well respond by dumping a load of sugar from your liver to counter that. That's a big part of it's job! SulaBlue > billijo > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I'm home and working on catching up with e-mails, regular mail, laundry and the house. cappie, if the policosanol does not raise hdl, there is always zetia in combination with lipitor. The two together are more than the sum of their parts. Another thing to consider is wine. Which I am doing again. While I was gone I shared some wine with my brother-in-law and found it helped the arthritic pain in my knees. It also wipes out my morning and dawn rises and I actually have lower bgs in the AM than at bedtime. When I took it before, my hdl went into the 80s, my doctor was ecstatic. But I hated the taste of a dry red like pinot noir, merlot and shiraz. Now I am drinking a cabernet sauvignon, diluted, and it is more palatable. It is a table wine from France that I found at Trader Joe's. Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Helen: my doctor has wanted me to have a bedtime glass of red wine for years! I hate wine tho & altho I gave it a good try (nose holding & all), like lou, I simply could not force myself to drink it. I will try the poly till next blood work & will suggest the zetia to her if numbers are still not good. Glad you made it home ok--home you had a good time! cappie Greater Boston Area T-2 10/02 6/04 A1c: 4.3 Mod 100 carb diet, walking, Metformin. ALA/EPO, Coq10, B12, C, Cal/mag ALC, full spectrum E fish oil, garlic, flax seed, multi vitamin Lovastatin 20 mg, Enalapril 10 mg 8/04: 25 to go/135 lbs gone / 5' / 66 yrs cappie@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 ML: One thing I am good about is pill taking--I figure that even if I haven't been " perfect " that day, the least I can do for myself is take my meds & supplements. One can continue the struggle the next day for better eating but the meds not taken can not be recovered. The struggle is what matters hon, not the perfeection. cappie Greater Boston Area T-2 10/02 6/04 A1c: 4.3 Mod 100 carb diet, walking, Metformin. ALA/EPO, Coq10, B12, C, Cal/mag ALC, Biotin, full spectrum E fish oil, garlic, flax seed, multi vitamin Lovastatin 20 mg, Enalapril 10 mg 8/04: 25 to go/135 lbs gone / 5' / 66 yrs cappie@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Funny thing ML, I have seen my baby pics & I was a very chubby baby! Not so as I got older tho. My mum once said she was ashamed to take me out in public for fear people would think she was starving me-<g>. cappie Greater Boston Area T-2 10/02 6/04 A1c: 4.3 Mod 100 carb diet, walking, Metformin. ALA/EPO, Coq10, B12, C, Cal/mag ALC, Biotin, full spectrum E fish oil, garlic, flax seed, multi vitamin Lovastatin 20 mg, Enalapril 10 mg 8/04: 25 to go/135 lbs gone / 5' / 66 yrs cappie@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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