Diabetes & Byetta

Hi all,

I’m new here, so here is a bit about me. I am 47 years old. I was advised that
I was
"borderline" about eight years ago, but then through rigorous diet and exercise
maintained normal levels for a few years. Then I started fertility treatment and
the
regime went to pot, plus I was taking fertility drugs and steroids (I think the
hormones pushed me over the edge).
Three years ago I was diagnosed and started both metformin and insulin (as I was
preparing for pregnancy) I did very well with my pregnancy levels and gave birth
to a
normal healthy baby boy, but my own levels have never gone back to their old
prepregnancy numbers.
My endo took me off of the insulin. I did metformin and avandia for a while.
(more…)

Hi all,

I am new to the list and new to Byetta. I had my first dose last night with my
evening meal and oh my am I nauseous! LOL! I fell asleep on the couch around
8:00…something I would never do, but I just wanted to lay still so the nausea
would go away. I was pretty nauseous all night and woke up this morning with
acid reflux…something I have never experienced before.

Here is the weird thing…even with the nausea I slept better than I have in
months. I didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to drink water and I
was not sore this morning when I woke up. I feel like I am going to puke, but my
body feels rested and I am not thirsty this morning.

So what can I do for the nausea? Is it going to eventually go away or should I
be treating it with something? I don’t know what is going to happen when I take
(more…)

Debra,

You asked about lymphedema in your legs. I have it, and will tell you
what I’ve been doing to control it.

There are many reasons why people get it: from birth, from injury,
surgery, or even genetics. My mother had what she called "fat feet"
and over time I’ve developed them too.

One doctor I had looked at my legs and feet and told me his office had
been visited by a lymphedema specialist just the week before, and he
thought that’s what I had. He said that I should see a physical
therapist who specializes in lymphedema, and could find one by calling
the oncology department of a hospital. Since many women who have had
breast cancer surgery develop lymphedema, the oncologists have names of
(more…)

Hello Group,

I am new tonight but not new to diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1998.
Oral meds worked will for me until about 2 years ago when I started
getting diminishing returns. Endo really pressured to to have
bariatric surgery, but I weighed out the risks and fired the Endo
instead of having the surgery. Have not had any sucess with
sustained weight loss with any diet or exercise program.

Since being on Byetta (still on 5 as I have only been on it for 2
weeks) I have had no urge whatsoever for any in-between meal snacks,
sweets or anything of that nature. My appitite has been greatly
supressed. (I am eating about 1/4 what I used to and much healthier
and am satisfied.) My sugar levels which were way over 200 most of
the time (my last A1C was 9.2) are now in the range of 114 to 140.
(more…)

I’m on about my third day on ten-unit doses of Byetta. I didn’t think
5 units did much for me. Well last night I got so busy at work I ended
up skipping my last meal of the day. Normally I don’t have any big
issues doing that, since I’m a once-a-day Lantus user. But last night
I woke up about 4AM so hypoglycemic I had to get up and eat a handful
of prunes. (I can always tell when I’m hypo. I sweat like a pig.)
Even so, four hours later my morning blood sugar was 61. This begins
to look like promising. No nausea or other problems so far, but I’ve
always had a very steady stomach.

Ok, I started Byetta on September 16 and for the first two weeks, my readings
were elevated, ranging between 160 and 230. Later, I started taking the oral
meds 1 to two hours before I took Byetta and ate. My sugars were still in the
same range. I don’t know how high they were before starting Byetta because I
was a bad girl and didn’t check as often as I should have. Anyway, since my
sugars were still in the same range as when I took everything at one time, I
tried something different. I took the shot, immediately ate afterward, and
about two hours later, I took the oral meds. My sugars have now dropped to 136
and below. Not too low, but just right. Any comments on this? Has any one
else tried this method? I haven’t been back to my indo to get an a1c reading,
and won’t be doing that until the 9th of November. If I had continued taking my
pills two hours before the shot, that meant I would have to get up about four in

Hi,

I’m Linda, a t2 diabetic, diagnosed in 2003. I went straight on insulin due to
knowing some diabetics and learning that I could allow my beta cells to "rest"
if a cure ever
came along. After hearing of other peole’s successes with Byetta, I’m going to
ask my endo on Tuesday if I can take it. I take Novolog and no other diabetes
meds. My current dose of Lantus is 45units. Is it realistic to think I will be
able to get off of insulin after Byetta gets into my system? Do I need to ask
for metformin as well?
Is there anything I need to tell my endo to "make my case" for trying it? My
main goals are to leave the insulin and tolose weight.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What is the best way to treat bruising after so many shots in the stomach? I

Well, now that I’m no longer using the drug (oh no, I’m a ‘user’! LOL)
I am going to say sayonara to youse guys…

Best of luck to everyone…

I have to honestly say, though, that some of the conversations about
bad vs good and doctors who yell at their patients who struggle with
tight control at times, etc, etc., are too upsetting for me.

Tight control is always my goal and has been since I was diagnosed
nearly 15 years ago. My A1c is regularly under 7.0 and I don’t need a
doctor to yell at me. I have been known to ‘fall off the wagon’ myself
many times.

I just know that beating myself up or allowing others to beat me up
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I found this in the back of my Diabetes Forecast:

Frio "cooler"

It’s an insulated, cooled thingy for keeping pens cool. Here are the
things it can do:

-Keeps insulin bottles or pens cool without refrigeration.

-Activate with just tap water

- Great for active travelers

-Can be used and re-activated hundreds of times

(more…)