[mtatum4496]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum, but not new to being diabetic. I was diagnosed in February of 2008, along with being diagnosed with a few other issues. Fortunately, those other issues were not anything I would have to live with forever and for the most part are either now gone or at least fading out.

I came across this forum while doing a search for more information about Janumet, which I've been taking since the latter part of 2008 and which I believe may be causing tiredness and fatigue that I was attributing to one of my other conditions (anxiety disorder and panic attacks) that has faded significantly. It was really just a hunch on my part, but I was surprised to read that Janumet can cause fatigue in some people.

Although I joined an online forum for my anxiety and panic disorders way back when, I never did join any type of forum centered around living with diabetes. Looking around, this one seems to be quite good, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Some background, I'm 52, born and raised in the American South, the divorced father of a 14 year old son that I'm very proud of, and work as a writer.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone here.

 

[HardBackStrider]

Welcome - lots of great people here. I am T2 7 months in and 53 and .....

 

[Dee_H]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum, but not new to being diabetic. I was diagnosed in February of 2008, along with being diagnosed with a few other issues. Fortunately, those other issues were not anything I would have to live with forever and for the most part are either now gone or at least fading out.

I came across this forum while doing a search for more information about Janumet, which I've been taking since the latter part of 2008 and which I believe may be causing tiredness and fatigue that I was attributing to one of my other conditions (anxiety disorder and panic attacks) that has faded significantly. It was really just a hunch on my part, but I was surprised to read that Janumet can cause fatigue in some people.

Although I joined an online forum for my anxiety and panic disorders way back when, I never did join any type of forum centered around living with diabetes. Looking around, this one seems to be quite good, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Some background, I'm 52, born and raised in the American South, the divorced father of a 14 year old son that I'm very proud of, and work as a writer.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone here.

Hi and welcome..I'm new too. Hope you get the support you are seeking.

 

[Shanny]

Hello & welcome! Make yourself at home here - glad you can concentrate on managing your diabetes now.

Do you test a lot? What are your numbers? What kind of food plan do you follow? We're nothing if not nosey.

I do thank you for joining us & I hope you'll be able to visit often.

 

[thisstinks]

Welcome mtatum! I was newly diagnosed the beginning of July and also suffer from anxiety and panic. I am still trying to get that under control and manage diabetes. I have two children, 5 and 3 and I live just up I-65 from you, close to Birmingham! This is the best, supportive forum. Of course, it is the first forum I have been a part of but I have received nothing but excellent advice and support.

 

[Patdart]

Welcome, mtatum! Glad you found us and hope you'll ask any question you need to and as I always say, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Some truly nice folks here.

 

[mtatum4496]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Now, on to the questions.....

I test daily, typically at the two hour mark after a meal. Unless I've been a bad bad boy, my numbers are usually somewhere between 110-125. When it comes to diet, my doctor provided me with a meal plan to do some mixing and matching, heavy on darker green vegies and pretty much no simple carbs, but with limited amounts of complex carbs. Portion control is a big part of the process too. I allow myself one day off per week to eat whatever I want, but even then I've had to retrain myself to understand what is a "real" portion versus what I've always considered to be a portion.

My big problem is breads and pasta. When this first started, I figured it would be sweets, but really I very rarely want anything sweet these days and normally some fruit will take care of the urge. I don't keep bread or pasta in the house anymore, and when I have it out, I opt for whole grains and then of course limit the portion.

As I mentioned I've dealt with depression, anxiety, and panic the last several years - even had agoraphobia at one time. These days, the agoraphobia is just about gone, I'm off the antidepressants and doing fine on that front, and taking Xanax up to a limited amount per day when I need it. The last few months, I've felt the need less and less. My lingering symptom is fatigue that I can't seem to shake and since learning that my Janumet may have something to do with that, I'm cutting back to one dose per day instead of two to see if my energy will pick up a bit. If so, I have a doctor's appt coming up and I may see if he will consider switching me back to Metformin. Yesterday was my first round of cutting back, and my numbers were still in the usual range, although closer to 125 than 110, but still below the 140 my doc wants two hours after a meal.

Thissstinks, I feel for you. What course of treatment does your doctor have in place? I had to go through a few doctors until I found one that wanted to do more than toss me some pills and send me home. My current doctor put me on a regimen of B vitamins, calcium and magnesium and cut back the Xanax a previous doc had prescribed. We tried Lexapro, but it made everything worse, so he changed approaches and put me on Wellbutrin. It helped with both the anxiety and the depression and did not trigger any side effects for me. (also I have a friend who went through this - Paxil turned out to be the right thing for him). This doc is also the one who found the blood sugar problems.

Okay, that's my epistle for the day. Hope everyone is doing fine!

 

[thisstinks]

Thissstinks, I feel for you. What course of treatment does your doctor have in place? I had to go through a few doctors until I found one that wanted to do more than toss me some pills and send me home. My current doctor put me on a regimen of B vitamins, calcium and magnesium and cut back the Xanax a previous doc had prescribed. We tried Lexapro, but it made everything worse, so he changed approaches and put me on Wellbutrin. It helped with both the anxiety and the depression and did not trigger any side effects for me. (also I have a friend who went through this - Paxil turned out to be the right thing for him). This doc is also the one who found the blood sugar problems.

QUOTE]

Yes, it is hard! My ob/gyn diagnosed me with diabetes per my therapist's suggestion! Crazy isn't it? I have been on and off antidepressants since the birth of my daughter three years ago. Rignt now, I am on 50 mg of zoloft and an ativan as needed. I hardly ever take the ativan but find it helps with the side effects of metformin. So in a matter of a couple of weeks, I went from taking no medicine to zoloft, metformin, bp meds and ativan. No wonder I am a mess. I have an appt with an endo on September 2nd (don't want to be treated for diabetes by my ob/gyn) and I hope he tests all my vitamins, minerals and hormones. I feel so out of whack! I am glad to hear you have your anxiety under control. I know mine will get better I just have to give it time. But I am not very patient.

 

[moon]

Sounds like you're being conscientious with your diet and yielding good results - congrats. I do have a question though:

I allow myself one day off per week to eat whatever I want,

What is the 'whatever' and what do your numbers show when you do this? Have you experimented with sticking with your program w/out a full cheat day for a couple of weeks and seeing the difference in your fastings, not just your after-meal numbers? I've found if I let my bs number get higher than I like that it takes a couple of days (or more) to bring it back into a range that I'm comfortable with. I'm going through this right now because of eating far too many berries.

Yesterday was my first round of cutting back, and my numbers were still in the usual range, although closer to 125 than 110, but still below the 140 my doc wants two hours after a meal.

This is the number creep that I've gone through with my berry orgy and I'm working to get back to <100. The 140 after meals recommendation is for the 1 hour mark, it's important to keep your 2-hour post meal <120. One of our bibles is Blood Sugar 101 because she backs up everything she says with research - it's a very solid site. I personally strive for lower numbers because nobody knows when damage starts, and I want my numbers to be closer to 'normal' range not 'diabetic' range.

Something you might think about is instead of having a cheat day to eat whatever you want, is to work on finding alternatives that aren't poison to a diabetic body. Just as you thought you'd miss sugar but don't, you can adjust to different choices. And maybe have a cheat few bites, or a small cheat dish on occasion without programming it for a whole day.

Someone once said something that the time sounded wacky but now I get it - that after he has a full meal, he will sometimes take a few bites of a forbidden something a family member is eating and trick his brain into thinking he got full on it Sometimes just a bite or two works wonders psychologically!

 

[Patdart]

Someone once said something that the time sounded wacky but now I get it - that after he has a full meal, he will sometimes take a few bites of a forbidden something a family member is eating and trick his brain into thinking he got full on it Sometimes just a bite or two works wonders psychologically!


You are so right, Moon! I do that all the time when eating out and it's very satisfying, I don't feel deprived then!

 

[mtatum4496]

What is the 'whatever' and what do your numbers show when you do this? Have you experimented with sticking with your program w/out a full cheat day for a couple of weeks and seeing the difference in your fastings, not just your after-meal numbers? ...

...The 140 after meals recommendation is for the 1 hour mark, it's important to keep your 2-hour post meal <120. One of our bibles is Blood Sugar 101 because she backs up everything she says with research - it's a very solid site. ..

Hi, Moon.

As I mentioned earlier, I do allow myself to have whatever I like on my day "off" but it must be within reason. Portions must still be measured, carbohydrates and fats counted as well as cholesterol content. Over time, I've learned how to measure a true portion and not eyeball servings the way I once did. This makes it easier for me to not go crazy with carb intake even when I'm allowing myself a treat.

As to "whatever" I literally mean whatever. If I am craving fried chicken, I allow myself one small piece (as opposed to putting away half the bird like I once did}. On the rare occasion I want dessert, that may mean a thin slice of a pie with lunch or dinner. Typically, even on my "free" day, I'm likely to go heavy on collards, kale, spinach, some legumes etc, simply because I like them and also because they contain nutrients that are helpful in feeding my nerves and gradually helping me get past my nervous illness.

When it comes to the 120 mg/dl one hour after a meal - well, that does not jive with what I learned in the diabetes classes I took at the local hospital or what my doctor has given me for guidelines. The data provided guidelines for 180 mg/dl or under one hour after a meal, and 140 mg/dl or under two hours after eating. As for resting levels, I've had as low as 88 this year, which strikes me as pretty decent. I do know that what is considered a proper target for some is different from others. In any event, I seem to be pretty consistent with hitting the 110-125 range at the two hour mark, so I am likely to continue with that approach for the foreseeable future.

One thing I've learned the last few years is that foods which have a milder impact on my levels can wreak havoc for someone else. For example, I have a friend of mine who is about my age, weight, and height. He is also type II diabetic and also controls his with medication (and is actually more active than I am). For some reason, the same size serving of pinto beans will push his numbers up about 20 points from mine.

 

[moon]

When it comes to the 120 mg/dl one hour after a meal - well, that does not jive with what I learned in the diabetes classes I took at the local hospital or what my doctor has given me for guidelines. The data provided guidelines for 180 mg/dl or under one hour after a meal, and 140 mg/dl or under two hours after eating.

Sadly, research shows that damage definitely is being done in your body at levels over 140, and the 120 number would be 2 hours after a meal not one hour.

You might want to poke around the site Blood Sugar 101. It's full of great info that is backed up by studies which she gives links to.

A page that talks about after-meal readings with cited studies, and is valuable reading, is here: Research Connecting Organ Damage with Blood Sugar Level

As to why the ADA continues giving bad advice, that perhaps should be its own sticky thread, but Diabetes Educators can lose their certification if they do not follow ADA guidelines - so they all give the exact same cookie-cutter advice. They do not offer to provide studies showing those high blood glucose numbers are safe - because there aren't any.

Believe me, I've been shocked by the disparity between what we should be doing and what we were all told was okay when we were diagnosed - and I'm pretty PO'ed at the establishment because of it.