I can't win!!!

[linda]

Hi Lynnie, Parisa and Patti,

Your advice is very good; I too eat about every 3 hours and breakfast is usually whole wheat toast and an egg. I have to eat something with protein every time I eat carbs. Thank goodness I keep the sugar tablets that are made for diabetics in my purse, they're the best thing next to juice. They absorb quicker than hard candy and can be found with the diabetic meters and test supplies at any grocery and drug store. Except for today I've been able to check my blood sugar with my meter when these episodes occur, and it's been in the 70's every time. I need to get another meter to keep in my purse I guess. I also check my blood pressure every time except for today, and it's been good, in the 120's over low 80's, which is much better than it was when I was taking 15 mg pred. My normal when I'm not overweight is 100/60, which fits with what you said about low blood pressure and AI-er's. I've dc'd the diabetic meds b/c of a hypo episode while visiting my parents, I have also dc'd the high blood pressure med for fear that it would cause it to be too low as well.

I have worried that something else is going on as well, but it's consistently happening when my glucose is in the low 70's. I'm wondering if my meter isn't reading accurately, I also found in my research that it's difficult for meters to be accurate when the glucose is low. If that is happening, my glucose may be lower than it's reading.

The other thing is that sometimes I also have other symptoms, like sudden nausea, weakness or sweating, but these are all also symptoms of hypoglycemia, and the symptoms can be different from one episode to another-as if it's not a confusing enough situation already. I have a real respect for people that live with diabetes for life, it's like constantly being on a tightrope walk. I appreciate your thoughts, I too, have wondered about other causes. But the fact is that blood sugar begins to lower as pred is decreased, and the simplest explanation is usually correct. Oi, my head hurts.

I know I'm a broken record, but to everyone out there considering prednisone, don't unless you're dying; if you're already using it start tapering it down with the help of your doctor. It's just not worth it!

Thank you Lynnie and Parisa, I mostly just needed to vent. I think the reason I'm so frustrated is that I'm doing everything right but continuing to have problems.

[Kim]

Linda, bless your heart, what a scary thing to happen.  Sending you a big hug ((( ))) and sincerest wishes for a break in all this crap.

Take care…..kim

[linda]

Another low glucose level again today, this time I caught it before the room started spinning. Whole wheat toast with low sugar jelly and a boiled egg for breakfast and a protein bar for a snack. Good, slow metabolizing carbs and protein. How long do the abx in the levaquin class stay in our bodies? that's the only thing I can figure as they can cause low blood sugar.

[Eva Holloway]

Sorry Linda that you are in such a fix. I am no help with diabetis so I will not give any advice, but hope that you find out what causes these episodes.

I still hope to see you in April at the Singing Festival. All three days the concerts are free. Fridays the individual State choirs will sing, Saturday it will be masschoir songs, so you will hear a very large choir sing (over 1200 singer) and Sunday afternoon we will have just the Texas choirs singing their own program. We are rehearsing every Tuesday night here in Houston and then we meet once a month with the other Texas choirs in Austin for a combined rehearsal. About five more weeks,I am so glad when it is over, working on this for 8 months now.

Take care,

Eva:D

Eva Holloway

[mschmidt]

Linda,

I'm sorry to hear you're having some scarey episodes.  Sounds like the blood sugar thing is complicated! Levoquin has a half life of 6-8 hours, which means it should be completely out of your body within 48 hours.  Did you read the side effects of Levoquin? Common side effects include dizziness and drowsiness.  I hope this info helps.

Maria

[linda]

Maria- yeah I checked the side effects, but like you said it should be out of my system.
It's so weird that I've gone from being a diabetic that needed meds to control my blood sugar to dangerously low blood sugars in the space of about 6 weeks. I'm going to check my glucose 4 times/day til I see the doctor, hopefully she'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I think my endocrine system is confused, trying to readjust to the lower level of pred, which means that my adrenal glands are not compensating for the lower levels of steroids in my body. It's used to a higher level of steroids, and now that level is much lower. I guess the adrenals can't make up the difference, even healthy adrenals only produce the equivalent of 5 mg pred/day and I was up to 15 mg for quite a while. I'm just now figuring this out as I'm writing, but it seems to make sense. But it's also worrisome, it means I've got poorly functioning adrenals, or non-functioning adrenals (poor little prunes :sick:). No big surprise there, tho.

So I need to do something to help my adrenals come back to life. Visions of Gene Wilder – They're alive, ALIVE!!! Here I am being my own doctor again. I'm really tired of research, any one know off hand what is good for adrenals? Aside from putting little electrodes on top of my kidneys and waiting for lightning, that is. zzzzzzap!:shock: Isn't it DHEA? Thanks for making me think and working this out- hopefully!

Eva-are the rehearsals in Austin open to the public? It might be fun to go up and watch a rehearsal with my son. And what songs/hymns are you singing? I don't know if you've heard or already bought the cd by Susan Boyle, I LOVE it. It has some pop, of course 'I Dreamed a Dream', a few bluesy style such as Cry Me a River', and 2 hymns-How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace. Here's one of the songs, one of my faves b/c of the lyrics. JB recnetly sent me the video of Pavarotti's last performance, it was so wonderful, thanks. Maybe this will inspire some of us as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IisoOPoCzLU

[Eva Holloway]

Linda,

next rehearsal is on Saturday, 27th March at the Saengerrunde Hall next to Scholtz Garten on San Jacinto the buildings are attached to each other. We start at 1 pm. If you get there early you may have lunch with us. All the singers from Austin bring lunch for the one that come from other towns, such as Dallas, San Antonio, New Braunfels and Houston.

Hope you can come,

Eva:D

Eva Holloway

[Patti D]

Geeze Linda,
So sorry you had another crash is blood sugar today. I wish I had some idea of how to help you but you said you are no longer on medication which really confuses me as to what is causing this rapid drop.
I will continue to send well wishes your way.
I am totally hooked on Susan Boyle too. I got her CD about 2 weeks ago and loved your youtube link.

Hope you get this under control so you get some rest from this stress!

Patti

[Cherie]

Hi Linda,

I take a supplement called AdrenaSense, but there are other brands out there too. I'ts great to balance your adrenals. I hope this helps you.

Heather

[m.]

Hi Linda, low thyroid can make people susceptible to lung infections (see Broda Barnes' research), so checking out thyroid is often a good idea. For infections, in general. You'd want, at minimum, TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. That is what my doctor checks regularly.

For blood sugar issues, you might find Diana Schwarzbein's books easy to read. She is an endocrinologist who has a lot of diabetic patients.

Although the covers of her books hawk the weight loss aspect, I suspect that was the publisher's decision because Schwarzbein focuses on getting healthy.

She also has a web site with a short video that might interest you.

[linda]

Thx everyone, with your help I think I've figured it out. Probably what's happening is steroid withdrawal syndrome, which fits what I said earlier. Betcha can't guess what the fix is? :doh: NONONONONONONO, I WILL NOT INCREASE MY PREDNISONE!

I'm still getting low glucose levels, but checking with my meter more often has helped me see them coming and head them off.

M.- you're right about the thyroid, I'm already on synthroid and hoping to switch to Armour soon. It's probably the biologic I'm taking that is the culprit for the pneumonia.

[Author]

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