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Doctor says high insulin.

4K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  VeeJay 
#1 ·
Hi im new around here.

Anyway some input would be really good as im really confused. Im now 21, I have been suffering from severe skin problems since i was 16 almost like bugs crawling and tingling my skin all over the place to counter this the other thing that worked was prednisolone. doctors slowly found out i was getting prescriptions from other doctors and using them for 3 odd years now. So i finally seen a Allergies specialist and they sent me for some tests including a Glucose Tolerance Test , the results come back and the doctor says i have Insulin Resistance and yes i am still clueless on insulin resistance.

comment on the bottom of the test says

Comment : Impaired fasting glycemia. Hyperinsulinemia in association with impaired fasting glycemia reflects insulin resistance.


for these past years ive experienced Dizzyness , hungry all the time , rapid weight loss and weight gain , urinate alot , dry skin and irritable skin (allways feel hot and my skin is red ) , memory is really forgetful ( happens alot ) , muscles are tending to twitch as ive been getting older.


any imput would be nice
 
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#3 ·
Hello and welcome to the Diabetes Forum. Did the doctor tell you that you have Diabetes Type 2? High levels of insulin resistance will result in a diagnosis of T2.

The doctor should also have referred you to a pathology lab for an HbA1c test, which will give him (and you) a figure that shows your overall blood sugar for the past three months. Diabetics have this test every three months, and an HbA1c of over 140 mg/dl (in the US) or 7.0 mmol/L (in most of the rest of the world) is considered in the diabetic range. This test can't be done at the same time as the OGTT because you need to eat before the test.

To learn more about diet and how to control your blood sugar so that it drops down below the diabetic level and you can keep it there, visit Blood sugar 101. This will help you a lot as you come to terms with the diagnosis and the changes you need to make in the way you eat in the future to obtain and gain control of the disease.

And also read the posts in the forums here. There is a whole world of valuable information here on Diabetes, written by diabetics who are living with the disease every day.
 
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#6 ·
In that case, do as much reading, here and on the blood sugar 101 site I linked to above, as you possibly can, so that you can ask the right questions when you go back to see him. There is a heap of information about diet that you will need to help you get that blood sugar down. It seems the doctor thinks you need to be on insulin, so your blood sugar must be quite high.

Also try to start a regular exercise routine and build it up to a moderate level. This will help bring your blood sugar down. And don't forget to drink plenty of water. I find I need at least 2 litres of water a day, more in really hot weather or if I am spending a lot of time in air-conditioning.

And do ask questions here. Some of the members here are very knowledgeable and all will be willing to help you. :)
 
#7 ·
i do have some results here i can type them out if it helps

Glucose Tolerance Test with Insulin

Fasting Glucose 6.6 (H) mmol/L (3.0-5.4) Fasting Insulin 9 mIU/L (1-12)
1 Hr Glucose 11.8 mmol/L 1 Hr Insulin 81 (H) mIU/L (9-45)
2 Hr Glucose 5.2 mmol/L (3.0-7.7) 2 Hr Insulin 15 mIU/L (5-30)



Fasting 2 Hr
Impaired Fasting glycemia : 6.1 - 6.9 and <7.8
Impaired Glucose tolerance : <6.1 and 7.8 - 11.0
IFG & IGT : 6.1 - 6.9 and 7.8 - 11.0
Diabetes Mellitus : >6.9 or >11.0

Comment Impaired Fasting glycemia. hyperinsulinemia in association with impaired fasting glycemia reflects insulin resistance.
 
#8 ·
You have either very early stage type 2 diabetes or "Syndrome X", a precursor to diabetes. Debating where one ends and the other starts is pretty pointless - although it goes on at length.

You can be thankful that this has been caught nice and early and if you take it seriously and take action, much harm can be avoided which would have been inevitable had this not been discovered so early.

Your body (along with all of us here) has trouble with glucose. It has had too much (for its innate ability to deal with it) and is throwing up distress signals and defense mechanisms. Insulin resistance is your cells' way of telling you, "ENOUGH with the glucose, already!"

Glucose has two sources:

1) ingested carbohydrates - all of them - most especially things like sugars and starches but carbohydrates are found in many things. Start reading labels. Drop anything with more than just a few grams in the proposed serving size.

2) ingested protein above what your body needs for its primary purpose which is cell bulding and repair. Any protein consumed beyond that is sent to your liver and converted to glucose.

It is unlikely that your doctor (or any other medical professional) will give you correct or useful advice. There are very few exceptions but not many. If you follow the standard advice you can be sure of meds followed by multiple meds and larger doses followed by injected insulin. It is NOT necessary to go down this road.

K.I.S:

Here's all you need to do:

Unless you are gaining weight, keep your total calories right about where they are. Don't increase the amount of protein you eat. If you are eating a lot, reduce them to approximately 15% of total calories.

Next: begin cutting carbs and replacing them with fats. Make sure you investigate all the foods which contain fats which include oils, avocado, nuts, butter, etc. Replace each 9 grams of carbs you reduce with 4 grams of fat in order to maintain the energy you need, i.e., isocaloric or same number of calories. Only fats can replace carbs as an energy source for your cells. Your body cannot process very much glucose successfully, so this is your only recourse.

Stay FAR away from all man-modified fats and oils like margarine, commercial vegetable oils (especially "hydrogenated"!), trans-fats, etc. Ignore the saturated/unsaturated distinction and just eat whichever fats appeal to you. You may find the diet a little difficult or "uncomfortable" for a few days or weeks but that should pass pretty quickly and move to quite the opposite.

Continue down this path until things are better. Even if you went all the way to ZERO carbs it would be perfectly safe and no hazard to your health (although I haven't heard of anyone who actually did that).

Your doctor although he would most likely NEVER suggest such things and may even try very hard to scare you away from them will be quite happy with the results - you can use him for that. Get your labs done on schedule and then invite us to the party when you see the results.
 
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#13 ·
It's not as tricky as it seems at first. Just start by cutting carbs -- ALL of 'em: bread, grains, potatoes, rice, pasta, even fruit and starchy vegetables, like carrots. Cut most of them completely out, cut the rest way down.

I recommend buying a glucometer and learning how your body responds to different foods. Cut out anything that makes your blood glucose rise above 140 mg/dl (I think that's 7.7 in your units; someone please check me), and keep your morning fasting blood glucose below 100 mg/dl (I think that's 5.5 mmol/l). If I read your results correctly, this result is in the diabetic range:

1 Hr Glucose 11.8 mmol/L
One high reading isn't enough to make a diagnosis, but along with your other results, it's cause for concern. No, make that cause for ACTION.

It may not feel like it now, but you are soooooo fortunate to catch this early!!
 
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#10 ·
Welcome to DF. Insulin Resistance is one of those diseases that is hard to test for. It is basically a malfunction of the pancreas where the pancreas will put way too much insulin out in response to eating carbs. Over time your cells get resistant to the insulin and the cells don't let the insulin in. All this extra insulin contributes to Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X. Also the Prednisone you are on is a known contributor to Diabetes. My dad was on a daily dose of prednisone and developed full blown diabetes. Your skin condition is probably an autoimmune condition. Many times people with autoimmune conditions also get diabetes.
 
#16 ·
jwags, I think that causality is pretty much backwards. The initial condition starts with cells not responding to insulin and taking up glucose, i.e., insulin resistance. In recent studies, this has been connected directly to methylglyoxal a by-product of the metabolism of glucose in the cells. Thus, excessive glucose is most likely the initial cause of IR and of diabetes itself. This explains the very clear trend of syrocketing diabetes as carbohydrates took a larger and larger role in our diet.

During this stage, the cells begin to "starve" because they are not allowing the insulin to push the glucose in for energy. So, while there is plenty of insulin in circulation, the starving cells continue to demand more. This is when the pancreas begins producing abnormally large amounts of insulin. Yes, it is hypothesized that this high insulin itself further aggravates insulin resistance, but it is not the original cause.

Over time, the pancreas begins losing its ability to produce insulin. Most believe this is due to "overwork" during the Syndrome X phase (in most cases well before any diagnosis of diabetes). This completes the other half of the typical case of T2: insulin resistance plus insulin insufficiency.

So, while diabetes becomes a disorder of the pancreas, it is fundamentaly a disorder of the cells and specifically of glucose metabolism by the cells which eventually if "glucose-abuse" continues does harm to the pancreas and in fact many other organs.

Importantly, elevated glucose in circulation is a SYMPTOM (and a late-arriving one at that) of this disorder and is not the disorder iself.
 
#12 ·
Welcome to the forum. This place is really great and lots of well informed folks here to give good advice.

No need to add to what has already been said about your labs and diabetes. But...

I have been suffering from severe skin problems since i was 16 almost like bugs crawling and tingling my skin all over the place...
I'll relate my similar experience. Very itchy, dry skin. Dry eyes. Achy muscles (dx'd fibromyalgia).

I had a food sensitivity test run and found out I'm sensitive to a number of foods. Trial and error indicated the itchy skin was from dairy (not lactose intolerant, but allergy to casein). Other symptoms are from other foods. Gluten caused many symptoms other than intestinal-- dry skin and eyes, mood swings, etc.

I say that, to say this. Taking prednisone is like putting a bandaid on the problem. Much better to figure out the source of the symptoms and eliminate (if foods, skin care items, etc.) or treat specifically.

Long-term prednisone comes with it's own problems which would be better to avoid.
 
#14 ·
Welcome jpds. I'll not repeat what has been posted earlier - suffice to say I agree with all of it. Just make sure your doctor orders the full slate of tests for diabetes diagnosis . . . fasting blood sugar, HBA1c, GAD antibodies and a lipids panel wouldn't hurt either. And stay tuned here - there's a truckload of experience/knowledge/wisdom here.
 
#15 ·
wow some good advice . And every time i wean off the prednisolone my skin problems are unbearable it just makes my life crap. I will be asking my doctor about more options on the next appointment but finally feels like im getting closer to the problems.
 
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