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Posted by O2Btickfree2 (Member # 9742) on :
 
Okay i just had a sugar blood test which came back 6.3 which i have been told it is diabetic. I have lost a lot of weight. Now wonder if i will have to have insulin. How in the world will i know what is sugar related and lyme related. Im on biaxin. My muscles are so weak in my back i cant sit for long or stand. If i dare to push i get a mild fever and very sick feeling with lots of pain in my back. Now i had this when i first got sick 13 years ago. Is this lyme or sugar.

One thing or another ugh.
Thanks
 
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
 
o2b

was this a1c, 3 month blood sugar glucose? sounds like it.

anything over 6.0 is DIABETES.

i've had diabetes 2 for 6 yrs. jan. 2;

40 yrs. chronic lyme at xmas, and misdiagnosed for 34.5 yrs.

for 1st 2 years i was on DIET & EXERCISE; NO MEDS!!

once you are diabetic, you'll be on something the rest of your life as it PROGRESSES!

i've been on oral meds for 3 years; 2 different drugs for 2; 3rd one, januvia added this past year.

mine is 7.3 for last 6 months; got to get it UNDER 6.9 and lower the better.

so your 6.3 is a GOOD; it is just slightly elevated!

so using my example; no INSULIN for now; hopefully you can go the route i did.

you said you lost weight; that's better yet!! was this before or after your blood tests done?

good luck; many of us have both here.

you'll have to make sure you see an eye specialist annually to check for diabetes retinopathy; early loss of vision which was dx on me 2 yrs. ago. my followup showed non, but dr. said it will come and go rest of my life.

plus checking for lyme symptoms, macular degeneration, and catarachts. hugs
 
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
 
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Sorry for what you must be feeling right now. But it can get better.

Have you been diagnosed with lyme?

Do you have a LLMD? If so, they should be made aware of this.

If not, and you are on this forum, I assume you are exploring that as a possibility and are seeking a LLMD(?)

Lyme (as well as other infections) can CAUSE diabetes. The good news is that both can become manageable and, when treated for infection, and good self-care, there is a chance that the diabetes will stabilize.

You may not need to take insulin, but see what the doctor says. Diabetes can often be controlled by diet and frequent small meals. You will learn all about how to eat foods that are low on the glycemic index - and that is basically what the "lyme" diet is, anyway.

About exercise, with lyme, no aerobics are allowed until much better. However, even something like Tai Chi can be very helpful gentle exercise with diabetes. Moderate walking when you are ready, too.

This is where you need a good LLMD - if your diabetes doctor starts pushing exercise, always first check with your LLMD. Movement is important but aerobics can set you way back. See Burrascano's guidelines for details. Link below.

There are also some wonderful nutritional supplements that can help. Is there any chance that you have any naturopathic doctors (ND) in your area? And Lyme Literate NDs? They often know a lot about the supplements of help with diabetes.

Acupuncturists (L.Ac.) also know a great deal about treating diabetes.

--------------------

This book is specific to lyme and other chronic stealth infections.

The author discusses the endocrine connection and effects of STRESS on a person with such infections. You can read customer reviews and look inside the book at this link to its page at Amazon.

http://tinyurl.com/6xse7l

The Potbelly Syndrome: How Common Germs Cause Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease (Paperback) - 2005

by Russell Farris and Per Marin, MD, PhD

=======================


http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf

Dr. Burrascano's Treatment Guidelines (2008) - 37 pages


Sections regarding self-care:

Go to page 27 for SUPPORTIVE THERAPY & the CERTAIN ABSOLUTE RULES

and also pages 31-32 for advice on a safe, non-aerobic exercise plan and physical rehabilitation.

--------------

This is included in Burrascano's Guidelines, but you may want to be able to refer to it separately, too:

http://www.lymepa.org/Nutritional_Supplements.pdf

Nutritional Supplements in Disseminated Lyme Disease

J.J. Burrascano, Jr., MD (2008)
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Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
 
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Hey, the good news is you can go from "ugh" to feeling BETTER when this gets under control. It can be reversed. There are no guarantees but it is possible.


Here are few things that can help: Gymnema Sylvestre tops the list. It is absolutely wonderful - and it helps stop cravings for sweets. Usually best in a formula.

While it is prescribed mostly by NDs and L.Ac.s, many MDs will also consider using it. A holistic MD is more likely to consider it, though, than one who is steeped in the pharmaceutical model. Information about it had appeared in medical journals.

There are also some particular vitamins and nutrients that are helpful for diabetes care, including chromium, taurine, etc.

--------------------------------

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

PubMed Search:

Gymnema Sylvestre - 133 abstracts


=======================

From a fabulous book, "The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook" (Tillotson):

http://tinyurl.com/5z2klz

GYMNEMA (Gymnema sylvestre )

WHAT IT DOES: Gymnema is bitter in taste, and cooling in action. It improves blood sugar control in diabetics, numbs the taste of sweet completely (for about 20 minutes), and decreases appetite (for about 90 minutes).


RATING: yellow

SAFETY ISSUES: None reported. Should not be used by people with low blood sugars (hypoglycemia).


STARTING DOSAGE:

* 1:1 extract: five to 10 ml per day
* Pill: 500-1000 mg three times per day


Gymnema actually means "sugar destroyer." It grows in the wild forests of central India, all the way to Western Ghats and up to the Himalayas.

Research indicates that gymnema stimulates insulin secretion or release of insulin from the pancreas. Japanese studies have shown that it improves glucose tolerance in animal models of diabetes, and other studies show that the effects can last for up to two months after discontinuation.

This herb is a good long-term tonic for Type I and II diabetics. Results are best seen after long-term administration, over six months to a year. I prefer to use it in combination with several other herbs for blood sugar control, because it affects only a few aspects of the imbalance.

In case you're curious, sugar tastes like sand for twenty minutes after you chew on a little gymnema.


- Full chapter at link above.

=====================


http://www.vrp.com/ArticlesSearch.aspx?k=Gymnema

Search results for Gymnema: 6 articles

(Other beneficial supplements are also included in most of the articles).

===================

http://www.itmonline.org

Search: Gymnema - 2 articles, one on interaction with drugs

----

http://www.itmonline.org/

Search: Diabetes

- Eight pages of links, the top three focus on ``Treatment of Diabetes with Chinese Herbs . . . ``

======================

This is the formula my ND suggests:


http://tinyurl.com/3jjrpn

Ayush Herbs - Bio Gymnema

You can read the Ingredients here, too.
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Posted by O2Btickfree2 (Member # 9742) on :
 
thank all of you for your answers. I have been checking my blood for the last three days. The highest has been after i ate breakfast 167 but then dropped to 90. It has been running like 110. Today i just ate starches to see what it would do. Right now im trying to figure out what i need to eat to keep it down. I know not any white stuff. It went to 130. Doctor hasnt called me to come in so guess hes not concerned. But i am enough to watch it. I dont want to be on meds even tho i know it might happen eventually. My mom was a diabetic at 21 shots every day.

I lost weight before the test probably 30 lbs. Im very over weight tho need to loose lots more. But right now i cannot do anything physcial. I get so weak in my back muscles. In fact all my muscles ache. I went to go out for supper i barely made it threw.

For the person who asked if i have lyme yes its came back after 8 years and then 6 good years. I fell several times last year and i think it set it off again ugh.

Thank you all for your comments. Its hard for me to know what is causeing my symptoms. Thyroid makes your muscles ache, lyme makes your muscles ache, diabetes makes your muscles ache and last but not least yeast.


Thanks again
 
Posted by sapphire101 (Member # 6638) on :
 
This is my experience with diabetes. I was dx'd with type 2 right before I found out I had lyme in 2004.

I controlled it with diet and pretty strict for a long time. After I saw my LLMD he said it was probably caused by lyme. I wasn't overweight, actually I was very thin and it didn't run in my family.

Every time I would see a new dr they would ask me why I had diabetes. Like I would know. LOL It made sense to me that it was caused by lyme.

As of today, I am no longer diabetic. I can eat what I want with no spike in my BS. It gradually got better as I kept treating the lyme and getting better.

So there is hope it can get better. By the way, I've always had more muscle pain than any other pain. I'm still having it in my arms pretty bad. It used to be hard for me to even hold a glass or anything. I have it in my back, too so I feel for you.

Connie
 
Posted by Shosty (Member # 12232) on :
 
Your HgA1C of 6.3 is not bad at all. I doubt you are having many symptoms due to diabetes. My back has similar symptoms and I do not have diabetes.

My daughter (now 19) has had type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes since age 4, and she would give anything for a HgA1C that low. Even with hours of hard work a day, it is hard to get it below 8 when you have type 1.

The fact that you are overweight, and that our mother had diabetes, would indicate to me that Lyme did not have anything to do with your diabetes.

There is no way insulin is in your immediate future. You may not even need oral meds, and if you, do need them, you may not need them for that long, if you lose weight, exercise, and eat right.

You should proactively see an endocrinologist, or your family doctor at the very least, and get a treatment plan. You should also see a nutritionist, who can help you with a diabetes plan and also with losing weight safely.

Go online and look up "glycemic index." The foods highest on the list are the ones to avoid the most. Although I will say, there is some individual variation in our responses to foods.

In general, mixing carbs with fat or protein slows down the sugar curve. In general, yes whole wheat is better than white bread, and brown rice is better than white, and so on. Fiber is good.

Your case is not all that bad- yet- and you have plenty of chance to bring yourself back down under 6.
 
Posted by O2Btickfree2 (Member # 9742) on :
 
Thank you for your comments i have been monitoring my blood sugar and its not been bad at all . Not normal as it should but not sever either. So i will just watch what i eat.

I plan on watching it closely. Still loosing weight i feel cant wait to see just how much a nice plus for a change.
 
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
 
Eating cinnamon with each meal wtll prevent the spikes that typically happen after eating. Find good organic cinnamon at the HFS and buy it in bulk.

I have used an eating plan from a book - "The
Pro-Vita Plan for Optimal Health" by Dr. Jack Tips ND.

After eating that way I would spike only 3 points !

I know a number of docs in OH. What general area are you in ? I can PM you some names if interested.

As Keebler mentioned the Gymnema is also good.
 
Posted by Shosty (Member # 12232) on :
 
Dr. Bernstein (sorry forget his first name) has written on low-carb, low-glycemic diets.
 


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