Search Results

I'm finishing my second month on Accutane this week. So far, I've seen about a 60 to 70% improvement in my acne. Unfortunately, my doctor says it's still not where he wants it to be (and I completely agree). He's increased my dose to the maximum and plans to keep it there for the next three months (the rest of my course) unless the side effects become too much to handle.

Another reason for the increase is to avoid a relapse after I go off of it. He's mentioned this to me several times...that he isn't quite sure Accutane will be a permanent fix for me. The reason being that if I truly do have PCOS (which multiple doctors have agreed with now) then my hormones will just go back to where they were and it won't matter.

So I'm taking some time today to look into my different options with PCOS treatment. Unfortunately, I've done or am doing quite a few of the suggestions. And I'm just not sure where else to turn.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

I haven't taken my Metformin for the last two days. The nausea was really getting to me over the past week and I decided that I just couldn't handle it any more. At least, not right now. When I had a major research paper due as well as a lot of work and apartment stress. I do plan to start back on it again, probably tomorrow, and probably back at the 250 mg instead of the 500 mg.

My blood sugars are still getting a lot better. My monthly average is actually below 200! Which has been on my goal list for quite some time now. So I'm very excited to see these numbers dropping into more acceptable ranges. I still have some problem areas (fearing lows after a run, stacking my boluses, and the like), but for the most part I am running consistently in better areas.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (1)

I'm a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. I have been since I was 4 years old. I also have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS for short)...along with endometriosis if you really want to get detailed. The PCOS didn't pop up until 2006 when things progressively got worse.

Sudden weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, pelvic pain, very irregular periods, acne, male patterned hair growth, hair thinning, ovarian cysts, and increasingly difficult blood sugar swings.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (1)

I've been battling a few lows here and there over the last two weeks (since I raised my Metformin to 500mg but kept all insulin the same). Nothing too difficult, just an extra juice and crackers on the occasion. But the last two days have left me wiped out on the blood sugar front. And I've decided it's time to change things up.

On Thursday, I ran perfect the entire day. It was the first day at JDRF so I expected a change in blood sugars since it was new routine. I had a salad for lunch, didn't bolus, and felt shakey a few hours later. So I drank a Coke but didn't test. A later check showed I was probably in the 70s before the Coke.

On Friday, I was running perfect again. I had tuna, an apple, and a few crackers for lunch. I bolused accordingly. When I got home after work, I ate two hard boiled eggs with a little salt and pepper. No bolus.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (1)

Dear Metformin,

It has come to light in the last week that you have developed a couple of rather unacceptable behaviors over the last few months, and due to my strict zero-tolerance policy for medications that cause me problems, I must inform you that your services are no longer needed here. To put it bluntly, You're Fired!

When you were first hired about a year ago, you did your job well.  You helped me maintain fairly decent blood glucose levels, and assisted in the lowering of my A1C numbers.  And the side effects that several people had warned me about never appeared.  All was going well until about three months ago, and then you changed.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

Last night, Marvin called to meet for dinner spontaneously. He was craving Mexican food. I'd only eaten a snack after I got home from work so I made the half hour drive to the restaurant. I had two beef tacos with rice and beans and passed on the chips and salsa. I took my usual insulin, unsure whether I'd counted the tacos correctly with the mix of fat and protein.

Marvin and I went from dinner to his house to get some work done together. I've spent a lot of time lately helping him remodel the house. I think we are both very ready to have him move in. So I painted the closet doors and filled holes along the base boards and trim. It was late by the time I finished just the one bedroom, but Marvin still had work so I stuck around to read and chat.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (3)

I haven't posted much on my other health conditions lately. Ever since taking Accutane, my PCOS seems to be much less of a concern. And my endometriosis is now something that I've adjusted to. But lately, I'm really feeling the physical and emotional strain of these other conditions.

The Accutane cleared my skin completely, although it did nothing for the hyperpigmentation and scarring left behind. My breakouts are now only happening around my period, although they are getting worse with each month. Nothing too alarming yet. I've been taking vitamin A every day for the past few months. I increased it the week of my last period which seemed to help that problem.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (4)

It has only been a couple months since I took an unintended break from Metformin. I had taken about a week off because I couldn't seem to get to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription, and when I finally did start taking Metformin again it upset my stomach something fierce. So I decided to take a longer break. Actually, I figured I could just give it up completely because spending that much time in the bathroom and feeling as rotten as I did wasn't worth it.

At first my sugars seemed to be doing fine. But lately I'm not doing so good in the blood sugar management department. Particularly with fastings. Whoo boy have they been high. I figured it was a pattern of eating slow-absorbing carbs in the evening. I have been going to bed with acceptable readings and waking with atrocious readings. I didn't think about Metformin until this morning.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

I've put off starting Metformin for several months. I just don't want to risk the nausea and tummy troubles that so many people have on it. I hate being nauseous. It's the one sickness that I really don't do well with at all. Give me pain, but don't make my stomach hurt.

Each week is passing with highs that don't budge, injection after injection trying to compensate, weight gain, and the occasional hormone-related breakout. Some of that I know is my fault. But some is completely out of my control and most likely due to the insulin resistance that goes along with PCOS.

I'd love to have the kind of diabetes that stays steady and runs normal. Like my dad. He barely struggles with anything over 180. He doesn't even count carbs, although he does maintain a fairly strict low carb diet. But even when he splurges, he does not see numbers like I do. And I'm sick of that.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (2)