Q: My cholesterol stays at 500, my triglycerides at 2500. I am a diabetic, have high blood pressure, low thyroid levels, and have tested positive for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and just about everything else. I don’t feel bad, just unhealthy. I am almost 55 and just want to go to bed after work each day. I went from a very active job to a sedentary position and it seems to suit me because I don’t like to move a while lot. My fat is in my abdomen, quite naturally, and I have small legs.
I take 200 units of 70/30 insulin a day and 200 units of regular insulin each day. This amount of insulin brings my blood sugar down only until I eat a morsel of food. Without the insulin, my blood sugars stay at between 300 and 400. I have four sisters and three of them have the same characteristics only mine is intensified.
A: Let me go on record as stating I have never heard of anyone taking 200 units of 70/30 plus 200 U of regular insulin and still being able to work or even function on a daily basis. Sugar levels that high are simply beyond my comprehension and you indicate you don’t feel badly? You belong in Ripley’s Believe it or not if your problem is a real one and you aren’t attempting to put one over on me.
In any event and for the sake of other readers, diabetes is a group of diseases that affects how the body uses glucose (blood sugar). Glucose is an important source of energy for the cells that make up tissue and muscles and is the main source of fuel for the brain. It comes from two major sources – food and the liver. When insulin levels in a healthy individual are low, the liver metabolizes stored glucogen into glucose, allowing for levels to remain stable. Unfortunately, in the diabetic, this is not how it works.
Risk factors for developing type 1 diabetes include having a parent or sibling with the condition, having had an exposure to a viral illness, low vitamin D consumption, and being Caucasian. Those risk factors for type 2 diabetes include a family history, hypertension, abnormal HDL cholesterol levels with high triglyceride levels, and the aging process. The long-term consequences of diabetes may include kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and more.
Symptoms will vary from person to person, depending on how elevated a person’s levels are. Those individuals with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes may not experience any symptoms early on, while those with type 1 will experience symptoms that are more severe and occur rather rapidly. The most common signs and symptoms include hunger, fatigue, hypertension, blurred vision, increased thirst, an urge to urinate frequently and an unexplained weight loss. The type known as 1 can develop at any age; however, it typically presents during childhood or adolescence. Type 2, the more common form, can occur at any age and is often preventable. Testing may include an FBS (fasting blood sugar), random blood sugar testing, and an A1C (glycated hemoglobin).
Treatment – whether for type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, or pre-diabetes include eating a well-balanced diet with more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and less refined carbohydrates and sweets; physical activity of at least 30 minutes each day which will lower blood sugar levels as it transports sugar to the cells for energy; reducing or discontinuing alcohol if appropriate, careful monitoring of readings, periodic lab testing, oral medication if appropriate and self-administered injections for type 1.
I feel it is vital to bring your cholesterol and sugar levels within normal range – the method to do so should be discussed by you and your physician. Coordinate an exercise program with his or her approval that can be done daily. It need not be physical but should be consistent. Make an appointment with a dietitian who can review your diet with you and make appropriate recommendations. Ask for a referral to a diabetes specialist in your area who can review your records and get you on track. The entire process can be extremely frustrating – particularly when you do everything recommended and fail to experience improvement. Management can be time consuming. If you feel you need the support of others who are experiencing similar problems, join a local support group either through your hospital or through the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-342-2383. Perhaps your sisters will choose to join you in the endeavor to lead a healthier life.
