Diabetes & Byetta

How do you decide when to go to an endocrinologist? I asked my family practice
doctor this. My husband is in sales. He met someone who work at the local endo
clinic. He talked about my numbers at the time. That person said that they
could help me. I asked my dr at what point he sent people to the endo. He said
if they had more than one endocrine issue or if he just couldn’t get the numbers
down. Then sometimes they consult. He has an older practice so maybe that is
why he seems to be well informed. If Byetta hadn’t worked I may have pushed
harder. But he seems generally knowledgeble. But just before I

I have been on Byetta for 23 days. From Day 4 to day 21 I was also on
Glucovance. At my follow-up appointment on Wednesday my doctor was very
pleased. My morning BS has been ranging from 80-94 and one hour after meals
has been ranging from 88-110. The one-hour after meals was immediate with
the start of the Byetta. The morning has been a gradual - but consistent -
decline. The diarrhea side effects with the Glucovance has been so awful
that she allowed me to go off of it and only take Byetta. She thinks,
especially since I will go to the 10 pen next week, and am compliant with my
meals, that Byetta will be enough for me. In those three weeks I lost 4 1/2
lbs.

I do not look at Byetta has a miracle or ‘the answer’. I look at as a TOOL
to improve my health. I do not expect Byetta to do the work for me -
but enable me to control what I eat instead of having what I eat control
me. I am totally into low glycemic eating. I eat absolutely no white flour,
(more…)

Does anyone else have the side effect of a extremely watery mouth while
on Byetta? I started on the shots yesterday and all day today my mouth
is just so watery. I feel like a slopperingy fool.

Carrie

I have been reading about the VA drug problem for someone on this list. The
VA Healthcare system is really doing the best they can with money they are
allotted. They are required by law to provide medications for all eligible
veterans. Most veterans only have a $7.00 co-pay. The problem is not with
the veterans who get all of their care at the VA and also their meds. What
is a problem is many veterans get their care somewhere else because they
have health insurance and get a once-a-year appointment at the VA to just to
get their medications. It is a loophole that many take advantage of - and I
cannot blame them for it. However, it affects funding issues. If they were
getting all of their care, then the VA would get some insurance
reimbursement for them and this would help providing better prescription
coverage. The VA is not required to provide every drug available on the
market and they do not - just as many insurance companies do not. Each
facility is only budgeted so many dollars for prescription drugs - they have
to manage it as best they can to meet the huge demand for so many. They do
(more…)

I am wanting to try something and would like an opinion. Right now I am
taking 5mg Byetta at 5:00 AM and eating my breakfast on my way into work
between 5:15 and 5:30. I work 10 hour+ days with a very long commute. I
leave work at about 5PM and do not arrive home until between 6 and 7PM.
Then the Byetta and wait 15-20 minutes to eat. The good point is this does
keep my Byetta fairly balanced at 12 hours apart. However, I do have to
deal with hunger at lunch I am being disciplined and eating a small healthy
meal and do not snack, but it is more difficult than the other two meals.

This routine forces me to eat much earlier than I would like to - I would
rather eat at my desk around 7 AM. My Solo low glycemic bar will hold me
5-6 hours with or without Byetta.

I have been thinking about not taking the Byetta in the morning and eating
my breakfast at 7AM…… then taking the Byetta at 11:30 and eating at noon
(more…)

I have been Byetta for almost 4 months now. The first month I had a lot of
nausea although I never actually threw up. Besides that I felt very cold all
the time. As time went on the side effects lessened. However, since starting
my latest pen, I am feeling like I’m starting all over again only worse. I am
VERY gassy and bloated along with nausea and it doesn’t seem to matter what I
eat to lessen it. Has anyone else experienced this? It’s still just a 5mg pen
and I haven’t altered when I take it or anything.

If you have experienced the gastro discomfort, any advice? I take otc gas
medicine and that helps a little. Any food recommendations to try or to steer
clear from?

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.

source: drweil.com

Caffeine Fights Diabetes

Sadly, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Japan has risen from 5 to 15
percent of the population in the last two decades, probably for the same
reasons the disease is rampant in the rest of the developed world – too much
bad food and not enough exercise.

But an ongoing study, known as the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for
Evaluation of Cancer Risk, which has followed 110,792 adults in Japan for
over 16 years, reported in the April, 2006, Annals of Internal Medicine that
those who consumed more than six cups of green tea or three cups of coffee
daily had a 33 percent and a 42 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes,
respectively.
(more…)

Since we have been talking a lot about nutrition today, I had to throw this
out (and hope I am not disobeying a list rule)…. it is SORT of
on-topic….

FOR SEVERAL YEARS my husband and I have made a conscientious effort to
get our family to eat more healthful foods at meals and for snacks. The
children often express their discontent with this. One afternoon I returned
from
grocery shopping and our 17-year-old son started to unpack the bags.
"Oh, no!" he exclaimed, pulling out paper towels in a new earth-tone shade.
"Whole-wheat towels!"

I always do my 2nd Byetta injection at 6PM and eat at 6:15. Since we ate
early today (at 4:30PM), it slipped my mind and I just realized I did not
take it. I am now in the habit of eating smaller meals so, thankfully, ate
the amount of food I usually eat.

Do you think I can take it around 8 or 9PM and eat a small snack afterward?

January of 2006 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabettes. Since then my
doctor prescribed and changed so much medication it has my head
spinning. He was trying to control my blood presure which is very high
most of the time. I am overweigth by 100 lbs. My colesterol is high,
Ive got medications coming out of my ears! 1 month ago he prescribed
Byetta for my diabetes and its better.Byetta also doesn’t make me
hungry. I am still strugling with what I should eat. I know the foods
I need to get away from but then what do i need to eat? so that my
sugar dont sky rocket. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
Laflor718