Blood sugar problem
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 2.5 years ago. I bought Dr. Rosedale's book and started his diet.. Over the past 2.5 years I've maintained a low carb diet (generally around 30 grams of carb/day, 1300-1500 calories, moderate protein), sometimes Dr. Rosedale's diet, or Dr. Bernstein's, or, most recently, Dr. Kraus'. I'm taking all the supplements Dr. Rosedale recommends. No matter what I eat, my blood sugar remains high (200+). My fasting insulin tests in the high-normal range (8.2mIU/ml). My lipids are in great shape, and I WAS only about 10 pounds overweight (BMI 25).
Last December, in a final attempt to get my BG down, I started insulin. It didn't take a high dose, I got close to normal numbers on 30-40 units a day, but it's caused me many problems. After 3 months on insulin, I had a lot of lab tests done. My weight has gone up over 20 pounds since December. My blood pressure (always low normal) is now at the high end of normal. My HS-CRP has gone from 3.0 to 6.6. And, most perplexing, my A1C, after 3 months on insulin with reasonably good BG meter numbers (30 day average 133) is now 8.6%; it was 7.2 before I started insulin! Lipids are still good. What's going on, and how can I fix it???
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Support Staff 1 Posted by Fiona on 23 Mar, 2012 07:54 PM
Oh dear, you do not seem to be heading the right direction. As you know impossible to treat anyone via a web Q and A line.
Dr. Ron read your message and this was his response; 'If she has adequate insulin production of her own as she indicates, she absolutely needs to get off insulin. High insulin is worse than high glucose. Is she or was she taking any other medications other than insulin, especially diabetic meds?'
Often in these cases, Dr. Ron needs to get down deep to find the root cause of this, where he goes over everything to find out what might be causing your BS to stay so high. If you could also give a run down of what you are eating, the carbs are low which is great, you are not eating fruits correct?
2 Posted by lynnw1366 on 23 Mar, 2012 09:58 PM
Thank you, Dr. Ron and Staff. I know you can't treat me, but maybe suggests tests or a direction to investigate? I'm not on any other medication, and have the same thoughts about insulin being worse for me than the high glucose. Would Metformin be better? I do believe that something else (deep down) is responsible for my high BG. I always assumed I was insulin resistant, but I'm starting to wonder if my problem is something else (triglycerides are 83, HDL is 76, LDL 160, VLDL 17). My sex hormones all tested high with estradiol and testosterone "out of range" high (I'm a post-menopausal 56 year old woman).
I eat low-carb whey protein for breakfast, meat, eggs, seafood, non-starchy vegetables (mostly raw in salads, and I try for a large variety), nuts, cream in my coffee and for sauces, and cheese. I cook with coconut oil. I feel better with slightly higher protein than Dr. Rosedale recommends (around 70-80 grams/day). No grains (including rice and corn), no sugar, very little fruit (a few strawberries once in a while), no starchy vegetables. I don't often get hungry and find it easy to stay on this diet, so I wonder if my leptin is working normally? I test positive for ketones in my urine (small-medium level), but I can't lose weight.
Support Staff 3 Posted by Fiona on 23 Mar, 2012 10:36 PM
How tall are you, what do you weigh now, what is your ideal weight and do you work out, how active are you?
Fiona
Sent from my iPhone
4 Posted by lynnw1366 on 23 Mar, 2012 11:27 PM
I'm 5'7", and now about 184 pounds (I was 160-165 before I started insulin). I'd like to weigh 150 (maybe less). I exercise 4-5 times a week , 45 minutes to one hour (light aerobics with handweights) in the winter. In the summer I work outside 3-4 hours a day doing farm work and gardening. Very little intense exercise, but lots of movement.
5 Posted by lynnw1366 on 29 Mar, 2012 03:33 PM
If eating very low carb doesn't normalize my blood glucose, and insulin isn't the answer, what do I do?
6 Posted by Gretchen on 28 Jun, 2012 06:27 PM
I would love to know the answer to your last question!! I'm in the same boat except my BS isn't quite as high as yours yet. I'm not medicated and have almost the same diet as you. Morning BS is 125-140 and I just had my fasting insulin checked (don't have results yet). Good luck!
Support Staff 7 Posted by Fiona on 29 Jun, 2012 09:51 PM
Metformin is the only drug Dr. Ron will allow his patients on, but a better alternative is benfotiamin that you can buy at any vitamin store.
Note from Dr. Ron.
I only very rarely have prescribed insulin for type II diabetics. I would have to know much more before I could make this recommendation, such as C-peptide levels and if other modalities have all been correctly tried.. I disagree with Dr. Bernstein about the merits of insulin and feel that insulin, especially long-term, is more harmful than glucose. However sometimes insulin can be used short term, perhaps a month, to lower blood glucose after which the insulin is then withdrawn with the hope that the reduction in glucose will allow the body to keep it there.
Ron Rosedale M.D.
Support Staff 8 Posted by Fiona on 29 Jun, 2012 09:54 PM
There are many other things that can effect blood sugars; hormone imbalance, stress, not enough sleep or not enough sleep at the right time, etc. In all of Dr. Ron's patients that were on the diet and the supplements, he was able to figure it out and get the BS and weight where it needed to be.
Support Staff 9 Posted by Ken on 19 Feb, 2013 01:21 AM
lynnw1366 & Gretchen
How is it going with your quest to get your diabetes under control - I have an interest here. I was having problems with my type2 diabetes.
My doctor had me on 3 metformin, 1 Victoza injection plus 1 Levemir insulin injection daily and my BS on a 8 hour fast would not drop below 160.
After a month on the Levemir injection my doc dropped it because it wasn't lowering my BS.
I was having great difficulty in breathing and that was the beginning of my own search and which is when I came across Dr. Rosedale's Health Plan in June 2012.
I started using Dr. Ron's general plan that is available on his sight and within 3 wks I, basically had to drop the Victoza and 3 metformin, my BS was dropping down in the 50's.
I first dropped the Victoza injection and around day 3 or 4 I became aware that I could take a shower and not have any problems breathing.
My BS continued dropping and within that 3 wk time frame I was off all diabetes meds & injection. My BS has ran in the 65 to 95 range, normally 70 - 85, since that time.
I also had a weight problem, 232 lbs, now 170 lbs.
I really don't have the words to express how better I feel physically.
Hope things are going well.
Ken
10 Posted by lynnw1366 on 19 Feb, 2013 02:29 AM
My blood sugar is doing much better now! I did a lot of hormone testing, and my cortisol was high (slightly above the reference range all the time). I started taking Seriphos and Holy Basil to normalize cortisol levels, and it's solved a lot of my problems. I feel better, sleep really well, and my blood sugar is much easier to control. I'm still eating the low carb, moderate protein, 1200-1300 calorie/day diet., but now my diet actually works to keep my blood sugar in range. I DO have to take Metformin (2000mg/day); if I try to stop the Metformin, my blood sugar shoots up again.
Support Staff 11 Posted by Ken on 19 Feb, 2013 03:14 AM
Hi lynnw
Back in Aug 2012, I started taking the "Benfotiamine that Fiona mentioned". I take (1) Benfotiamine 300mg daily - along with Dr. Ron's plan, it very well could be why my BS is doing so well. I haven't withdrew the Benfotiamine to test but even before I was taking it, my BS was doing great. I take it for a maintenance/stablizer.
Good to hear you are doing better and hope that your health continues to improve ...
Ken
Support Staff 12 Posted by Ken on 19 Feb, 2013 03:20 PM
lynnw
• you said, I DO have to take Metformin (2000mg/day); if I try to stop the Metformin, my blood sugar shoots up again
Some questions:
• How long do you stay off the metformin
• How much does your BS go up to
• Do you recheck 2 - 3 times a day, (12-16 hr peroid) for a 3 -5 day range
The reason I ask is that I watched mine fluctuate for a few days before my BS began to stabilize.
Ken
13 Posted by lynnw1366 on 19 Feb, 2013 03:54 PM
I haven't had the nerve to stay off of Metformin very long. My BG is usually under 140; even missing one pill makes a difference. When I stop Metformin, my BG starts climbing. By 24 hours without Met, my BG can be up near 200 (I test 4 or 5 times/day). SO I panic and start taking the Met again. I've tried this several times, with the same results.
Support Staff 14 Posted by Ken on 19 Feb, 2013 05:15 PM
Hi lynnw
I am not speaking as a doctor or a diabetic expert, just as someone who has fought this battle before.
Anxiety can sure cause it to go up very quickly. While 200 is high, it is not critical in the short term. Testing 4 - 5 times daily may be an over reach, suggesting there is a bit of anxiety that is giving you a hard way to go. Try to mentally relax, allow yourself to be calm instead of anticipating your BS to be up.
Do a search on the stablizing effect of Benfotiamine.
Ken
15 Posted by lynnw1366 on 19 Feb, 2013 06:30 PM
I've been taking Benfotiamine for a year or more; it's the lipid-soluble form of thiamine (B-1).
I follow the testing recommendations of testing fasting and before and 2 hours after lunch and dinner. Now that my BG is in a good range, I don't often test that much anymore, unless I try a new food. I don't have anxiety (I had high cortisol; I know all about what stress/anxiety can do), and I don't have high blood sugar unless I stray from my diet or stop taking the Metformin, so I stick with the program and all is good.
Support Staff 16 Posted by Ken on 19 Feb, 2013 06:53 PM
Hi Lynn
Glad that you have worked out a plan that works for you, that's what I did.
I do hope that your overall health continues to improve.
Ken
17 Posted by cssoto on 09 May, 2013 09:15 PM
I am a 25 year old male with type 1 diabetes since I was 10. Recently I've been having a problem with my morning blood sugar. Every morning after breakfast and my morning insulin dose my blood sugar sky rockets no matter what I eat. I can eat a simple bowl of oatmeal with a banana or apple or I can eat scrambled eggs made simply with the egg whites and some peppers, onions, tomatoes and ham and after 1 to 2 hours my blood sugar is in the 300-400 range after putting some 32 units of Humulin N and 10 units of Humalog. This happens even if I wake up with a BS level of 70 or even 65 mg/dl and then proceed to have breakfast.
At night my body responds way better to the insulin since my blood sugar doesn't shoot up after dinner and my afternoon dose of insulin (if my BS is below 100 I do not use Humalog) and I check my levels before going to sleep to make sure that they are not low and I don't suffer an episode late at night.
I've been trying to search for answers of what this might be due to. I've checked for low and high glycemic index foods to try and see if that was what was causing this but it happens with whatever I eat for breakfast be it oatmeal or pancakes. It is very annoying because I will then need to pump about 6 - 7 more units of Humalog apart from the original 10 that I put on during breakfast and I feel that subjecting my body to too much insulin will have negative effects in the long run. If you have any type of information regarding what this can be due to please point me in the right direction because I already have an endocrinologist whom I brought up this problem in the past but never gave me a clear answer he just told me shoot up more insulin but I feel that the amounts that I am using are just absurd.
As for my physical condition I am 6ft tall and weight roughly 200 pounds and although my body weight is close to above average my weight is mostly muscle since I used to bodybuild in the past and gained roughly 20 - 25 lbs in muscle.
18 Posted by Ranjana on 14 Apr, 2014 08:45 AM
My fasting insulin level is 8.2 ml U/ml. Fasting blood glucose is 86 mg%.
Am trying to get pregnant from last two years. I have started with metformin as suggested by my doc from last week (1/2 tab for 5 days each, then 1/2 morning 1/2 evening for 5 days.... Then 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 for 5 days, then 1morning 1 evening till I conceive and get pregnant and later. My prolactin level is 25.2 ng/ml. For which Iam taking cabolgene every Sunday night(total 6 tablets).
Is my fasting insulin level is very high? Can I control it with excercise? I used to eat a lot of sweets. But now on control diet. Please suggest.
19 Posted by Jim on 18 Apr, 2015 10:50 PM
Where can I find dr. Ron's diet
Support Staff 20 Posted by Ken on 18 Apr, 2015 11:07 PM
Hi Jim
Rosedale Book - details
Dr. Rosedale On-Line Health Plan
Ken/ Rosedale Support Team