Bad News
Hi all!
I have been on Byetta since the day before Thanksgiving. My A1c is not dropping
enough. The doctor added glyburie and increased my avandia. I am going to go
on a low carb diet. I hope that those things together will help. I am most
concerned about weight gain that tends to go with insulin. Since I am already
on byetta then the shot does not scare me. I did that before when I was
pregnant.
August 6th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
Hello Pam, What is your current A!c and what was it before Byetta?
How many carb gms/day do you currently eat?
Do you take,or have you ever taken Metformin?
Aloha, Marge
August 6th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Hello Marge,
my current A1c was 10.1. My last one was 11.1 so not much difference. I am
taking Metformin and Avandia. I will start on glyburide again today. We will
see what that does.
Hello Pam, What is your current A!c and what was it before Byetta?
How many carb gms/day do you currently eat?
Do you take,or have you ever taken Metformin?
Aloha, Marge
August 7th, 2006 at 4:50 am
Pam, my doc had me on a low carb diet when he first diagnosed me
last summer. I had tried Atkins before with limited success but
this time I tried Protein Power. After speaking to a diabetic
nutritionist, I don’t feel I was getting enough carbs on that plan
but it was much easier to stick with than any low carb plan I’d
tried before and I lost about 35 pounds (though I put 5 back on
after getting off the diet over the holidays). Good luck to you
and I hope your A1C goes down. Mine went from 11.4 to 7.8 but now
he’s added Byetta in hopes of getting it down even further.
–Michael
August 7th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Hello Pam, It IS stressful,worrying and trying so hard to get BG in good
range,lose weight and to add insult to injury we can’t even enjoy "diet"
foods such as fruit and low fat carby stuff like popcorn. It’s rotten!
I love carbs but can’t eat many of them and what works for me is mini
meals,about 6/day with no more than 10 carb gms. at a time.This is about
the only way I can keep BG okay even with the Byetta,Starlix,and
Metformin.
I’m glad you are on Metformin and in addition to the Byetta they will
make you less likely to gain weight from the Glybiride and increased
Actos.
Let us know how low carb changes your numbers.
Aloha, marge
August 7th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Is starlix a kind of insulin?
Hello Pam, It IS stressful,worrying and trying so hard to get BG in good
range,lose weight and to add insult to injury we can’t even enjoy "diet"
foods such as fruit and low fat carby stuff like popcorn. It’s rotten!
I love carbs but can’t eat many of them and what works for me is mini
meals,about 6/day with no more than 10 carb gms. at a time.This is about
the only way I can keep BG okay even with the Byetta,Starlix,and
Metformin.
I’m glad you are on Metformin and in addition to the Byetta they will
make you less likely to gain weight from the Glybiride and increased
Actos.
Let us know how low carb changes your numbers.
Aloha, marge
August 7th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Hello Pam, Starlix and also a drug called Prandin are short acting meds
that you take before meals to deal with BG after meals. They stimulate
the pancreas to produce insulin but for a shorter time than Glybiride or
other sulfs.
It will take a bit of time to decrease your BG from the higher numbers
you have been having. Just take it easy,if you must have a carby fruit
etc. divy it up and have small amounts through out the day.
Make sure you get proper rest. The stress of lack of sleep can really do
a number on the BG.Since you have the responsibility of a baby I would
put the both of you down for a daily nap and let nothing interfere with
it.
Also,I always want more carbs when I’m tired, a recipe for disaster!
Aloha, Marge
August 8th, 2006 at 2:48 am
Hi Marge,
Yeah I have noticed that if I am tired I want carbs. I think it is leftover
from when carbs gave us energy instead of causing blood sugar problems. I also
notice that I don’t miss them as much if I don’t start eating them.
Hello Pam, Starlix and also a drug called Prandin are short acting meds
that you take before meals to deal with BG after meals. They stimulate
the pancreas to produce insulin but for a shorter time than Glybiride or
other sulfs.
It will take a bit of time to decrease your BG from the higher numbers
you have been having. Just take it easy,if you must have a carby fruit
etc. divy it up and have small amounts through out the day.
Make sure you get proper rest. The stress of lack of sleep can really do
a number on the BG.Since you have the responsibility of a baby I would
put the both of you down for a daily nap and let nothing interfere with
it.
Also,I always want more carbs when I’m tired, a recipe for disaster!
Aloha, Marge
August 8th, 2006 at 8:45 am
Hi Marge,
Your six ten carb meals per day sound very interesting to me, and I
wonder what an average day looks like to you. Can you share one or two
days with us?
Jo
Pam William wrote:
>Hi Marge,
>Yeah I have noticed that if I am tired I want carbs. I think it is leftover
from when carbs gave us energy instead of causing blood sugar problems. I also
notice that I don’t miss them as much if I don’t start eating them.
>
>Thanks for your help. I will work on the nap too.
August 8th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Hello Jo, Sure I can give you a typical day. I’m no Betty Crocker, and
all I eat is easy to make.
B……Glass of Hood’s Carb countdown milk, mixed with a cup of strong
espresso from my little machine….3gms carb
and
egg white omelet with low fat cheddar cheese slice….2 carbs
snack… a piece of Roman meal Carb Aware toast with butter ,tomato
slice and a bit of salsa…., 10 carbs
lunch …. salad with tomato,lettuce,slice of avacodo and low carb
dressing,sometimes with a bit of sliced ham or turkey lunchmeat….under
10 carbs
snack …..a cup of chicken broth and a bowl of cucumber slices dressed
with a bit of hot chili oil under 10 carbs.
dinner…..chicken or other meat with 2 veggies….under 10 carbs OR
low carb tortilla wrap with meat,veg and melted cheese slice .
snack….dish of large olives,glass of red wine, 2 crackers with either
Almond butter or cheese spread or other dip.
other mini meals can include a half cup of lower carb yogurt,or a glass
of Hood’s milk, a few stawberries or if I’m craving an apple or pear
will cut it up and add a few slices at a time to meals through out the
day.I will also do this with pasta serving…a few forkfuls at a time.
Aloha, Marge
August 8th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Thanks very much, Marge, all sounds interesting and good. I am a
retired person, at home most of the day, and every walk through the
kitchen tempts me. I am going to give this a try for the next week and
I feel quite certain it will work well for me. I am going to get out my
carb count book and see what else I can come up with.
Cheers,
August 8th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Pam,
I have been on insulin for 2 years and have gained not one pound. If you
reduce your carbs you will probably see a drop in weight. Insulin may
cause weight gain because your body was not functioning properly and you
needed more calories to fuel it. ONce your glucose is under control you
dont need that many so need to reduce your intake. A lot of people do
the opposite. They can take the insulin to cover the extra food so they
just shovel it in. Now I didnt say all do, and that isnt why all gain,
but I have known pleanty that have done that then wonder why they are
gaining*G*
Take the meds, eat lower carb and watch for lows and look for lower
numbers on the scale too.
August 9th, 2006 at 4:48 am
Hello Jo, Please let us know how it works for you. I’m at home also and
I find this real easy to do.
Looking over what I wrote you I see I should have mentioned quantity for
dinner. My meat serving is only about 2 oz. and veggies say a few spears
of broccoli and a bit of carrot. Tortilla is half tortilla.
Since starting Byetta I’ve really lost interest in meats.
Aloha, marge