Post
by purple » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:07 pm
SRSDDS: Saying the Pancreas burns out is a bit of an oversimplification on my part which should have included increasing Insulin Resistance. I was more focused on finishing a really long post.
I do not feel offended by your statements, as most of the opinions mentioned did not come from me. I think I usually attributed them to their source and usually did not include much include my own feeling about whether the opinion was correct. For instance, it was the hypothesis by the surgeon who did early stomach operations that diabetes went away (I think it was either stomach stapling, or some other stomach sized reduction) because of a reduction in stomach size. Perhaps that information has been completely over ridden by much better research and knowledge. Your observation that the person is no longer a diabetic because they are no longer taking in as much sugar seemed to me the good answer. I felt that the Surgeon was clearly referring to the idea that the body chemistry was significantly changed by an effect other than a simple reduction in blood sugar. One of the problem for me with that is, I know that simply not eating is not a very good way to lose weight. Someone once told me (and not speaking of a Diabetic person) that to lose weight the first thing one must do is eat breakfast. I do not see much of any acceptance to the idea that diabetes can be made worse by the stomach getting air during treatment, and would not discourage anyone from seeking treatment for Sleep Apnea about the potential for increasing Diabetes from air into the stomach during treatment.
When I mentioned that the Pharmacist said she was not a Diabetic, it is not my opinion, and you are in a better position to know. My memory of her lecture is not perfect, perhaps the blood sugar of 180 she mentioned was lower and my statement might be off a bit, but it was an extraordinarily high number for a normal person. Perhaps, if our class had asked, she might have described herself as a pre-diabetic. The point was that stress can cause our bodies to do extraordinary things, like quickly cause high blood sugar, as can a bit of food we felt was innocuous.
In some of my descriptions, I was trying to help someone identify the symptoms which might effect them, that would reveal they are diabetics, or in some stage of pre-diabetes. Like diabetics do not create muscle, or at least not easily.
When I said some drugs stimulate the pancreas to create more insulin, I find I was incorrect. As I do not take Metformin I had not researched it: As I look it up just now, Apparently the primary action of Metformin is to reduce the amount of sugar released by the liver. My GP told me that the drug he prescribed for me both stimulated the Pancreas to produce more Insulin as well as reduce Insulin resistance. I do take Glimepiride, (Amaryl) As I look it up right now.
"Like all sulfonylureas, glimepiride acts as a secretagogue.[3] It lowers blood sugar by stimulating the release of insulin by pancreatic beta cells and by inducing increased activity of intracellular insulin receptors."
While I am glad to hear that some parts of the Medical establishment now accepts "high insulin levels" are extremely dangerous, I do not hear that from my GP, or from my GP of any advice about how to prevent such high insulin levels. While suspect because it came off the internet news, I did read of a study where one group had much more tightly controlled blood sugars and had worse outcomes than the group which had less well controlled blood sugars. One of the constant conclusions of researchers seems to say that we need to have far lower blood sugars to prevent damage, never lower insulin levels. At no point have I ever gotten a recommended routine for me on how to keep the Sugar and Insulin do very big yo yo swings in my body. It is mostly eat small meals with variety at fixed times, that are limited carb, limited fat, always with some protein to feel satiated, exercise more. Check Blood sugar once a day.
I did not mention, that it is astonishing how little exercise it takes to keep blood sugars down. I have been told that exercise not only burns off -hopefully glucose, but it reduces insulin resistance. We should probably start a thread on how exercise can help people to sleep, or is it keep them awake because they did it too close to going to bed.
I feel you made an excellent point in saying that people should rely upon their MD and Diabetic team for info. I certainly acknowledge that every case is different. Plus, as you say, the internet is truly a poor place to get info.
Perhaps Doc, you could help us all by starting a thread on how people should go to their doctor and how they should plan to interact with their doctor. I know that some of us started expecting instant miracles from our Doctors, and they mostly take time to work through the different health issues we have, and have tests and treatments that are not very pleasant. Seems like we must go to a GP perhaps 3 or 4 times before he stops looking for the issues which seem to be crucial to him, like hypertension, and begins to work on the issues which seem more important to us, like constant pain. Or how they seem to very casual about some serious pain, like migraines, as I think they do not want to actually make the pain worse by acting overly concerned with it. Or how treatments sometimes a bit of trial and error to find out what works for each patient. We need to be clear to pursue some treatments for a sufficient period of time, like hypertension drugs for several weeks, as the process of adjusting to the drug can take that long before we begin to feel normal again. Likewise I think you make a good point in saying something about the Atkins diet. Advocates of the Atkins diet love to talk about how many pounds have been lost, whereas the medical profession sees those individuals who have destroyed their kidneys with the Atkins diet. Those people who, after following popular theory (in this case the Atkins diet) and thereby destroy their own health, and will die prematurely. Doctors know about those cases, and the general public does not seem to listen very well. I think SRSDDS can explain all of this better than I can.
Also to talk about - how do I say it, how to implement the mental toughness to stay the course of a long term treatment, like Diabetes, which I am feel you have mastered with all the years of diabetic treatment you have been on. Perhaps that kind of thing is easier for doctors as you often see those who failed in taking good care of their bodies. Like it is easier if one talks every week with someone who has had parts of their body amputated for lack of good Diabetic treatment. or to implement a good diet exercise program if one sees several heart patients every week, people who huff and puff to get to the mailbox and back.
For me, I knew I needed treatment for sleep problems. Use of a Sleep Apnea machine lead to first night improvement of sleep, and quality of life. I love my Sleep Apnea machine. On the other hand, Diabetes treatment is a constant suffering and misery which could only be worse by one thing, the consequences of untreated or poorly treated Diabetes.
Personally, I have friends who refuse to see doctors because of a few really bad experiences with docs. Often I find some do not realize how much medical knowledge and treatment has improved in just the last few years, let alone the years since they last saw a doc. Individuals who do not know how much a doctor can do for an individual. Some simply because they do not know how really caring medical professionals are. It is difficult for me to see some choose to suffer, literally to the point where they hurt enough or are afraid enough that they will go to the ER, as opposed to choosing a life where they could feel better. I hate going to funerals, even more funerals of friends.
