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07/08/09 01:33 PM

"My brother was dx'd with T2 about 8 years ago. He can't seem to get his weight and bg under control. He walks 9 miles per day and watches his food"

Asked By: fiercekitten

Category: Type 2

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Could this be metabolic syndrome? Why can't he lose weight and why is his blood sugar more than 400 no matter his activity level? (it has always been that way...from the time he was first diagnosed...not even the atkins diet helped him lose weight) I realize his bg may not be going down because his pancreas may be wearing out...but...from the start? and what about the amount of exercise and activity? He is so discouraged and I worry for him alot.

Expert Answers (1)

07/09/09 08:26 PM

Dear fiercekitten, If your brother was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 8 years ago and can't get his blood sugar under control using oral medications, he needs to start using insulin. His doctor can get him started on the types and amounts of insulin appropriate for him. The doses will need to be adjusted for a while until the glucose levels have come down. It is possible that he is actually a Type 1 diabetic. This can be determined by the physician running some tests that tell if insulin is being made by the pancreas and if any immune reaction has occurred to the cells that make insulin. Although type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in young people, we do occasionally diagnose it in a more mature adult. The tests can give us a definitive answer. Anyway, your brother needs to make an appointment to see his doctor right away. And then he needs to have a referral to a diabetes education team to help him learn how to manage his diabetes.

Answered By: Janice Fisher

Accreditations: RD, LD, PHD, CDE, BC-ADM

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Community Answers (6)

02/18/10 12:39 PM

there is no such thing as not having enough money for medical needs, the less money you have the easier it is to get assistance, free meds, free insulin, free doctors visits, free testing materials and more are all available to anyone willing to do a little extra paperwork and ask for help. insulin only causes about ten pounds of weight gain, people who blame insulin on morbid weight gain are using it as a screen to cover and nothave to admit to much larger issues with food exercise and often both. this does a HUGE disservice to other diabetics who are told stories of insulin being a horrible boogy man tha will make you fat and take over your life, insulin is simply a suppliment for what your body should be producing naturally but cant.

Answered By: rivierasrider

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07/13/09 08:49 AM

My A1C has been around 400 for a while now...its steadily raised over the years no matter what meds/insulin/combo I use. Food makes little or no difference either. Nothing makes a difference. I'm stuck with high resistance and obesity (thanks to the insulin). So far, no damage to my kidneys, eyes, pancreas, etc. But that won't last, I'm sure. What I'm saying is: all the writings are based on "averages" but there are those of us who are not "average" and all doctors I've seen are stumped. None of them take a "Dr. House" stance of wanting to beat a challenge. They would rather I just go away and not hurt their reputation. So, I'm stuck. Any more suggestions? I take Metformin, Glibizide(sp?), two types of insulin, etc etc etc.

Answered By: lyncarvelli

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07/13/09 07:44 AM

He, like me, has no insurance and can not afford a "team.:" He doesn't even have the money to test all that often. Every time he does (with my mom's meter) it is over 400. It has been high enough to not even register. Yes. He displays signs of decreased healing ability in the appendages and neuropathy. He does the best he can with what he has. No amount of cajoling will get him to a Dr. because he simply and literally can't afford one. (He did go to a doctor to get diagnosed 8 years ago and was dx'd as T2) (He tried the dietician and CDE at that time because then he had insurance - but had the same results)I was just wondering whether it could metabolic syndrome. I think if he could loose some weight it would help him. Nothing works though. I honestly am not trying to be hard to get along with or obstinate - but saying "go see the doctor" is the same as saying "your guess is as good as mine." In this situation, he can't afford it - so I'm trying to research to see what I can find out for him. Thank you so much for the replies though. I love dLife and am so thankful for it.

Answered By: fiercekitten

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07/10/09 01:48 PM

I'm a litle confused about how long he's had diabetes -- 8 years or from the date given of April 2009? If he's been having these problems for 8 years without his doctor changing his care plan, I think he really, really needs a different doctor! Absolutely no disrespect to the expert, but I think there might be some other questions to ask. Does he have any signs or symptoms with his high blood sugar levels? In our IHS clinic, often times men with such high BG levels come in with skin yeast infections in their underpants area. How often is he getting A1c's done? What are they running? How is his vision? What is his eye doctor seeing when he gets an exam? How are his urine tests for microalbumin coming out? Does he always double check the expiration dates on his strips and double check to see that the code on the strip bottle is the one on his meter? Calibrated his meter? Has his meter been dropped or otherwise damaged? How old is it? Has he had a dietician help him with an eataing plan? (Atkins doesn't work for everyone.) If these 400 readings are coming after meals, maybe Byetta or Januvia would be helpful. High fasting readings might be helped by appropriate snacks at bedtime. Maybe his doctor could have him wear a continuous BG meter to better see just what's going on on a daily basis. In my mind, it would seem that if he had type 1, he would be losing weight -- a lot of it. And, if he's doing so much exercize/walking with such high blood sugars, he'd be at great risk for diabetic ketoacidosis. With such high readings, where does he even get enough energy to walk that much?

Answered By: marcie

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07/10/09 12:05 PM

My thoughts exactly if his bs are 400 and still no weight loss and he walks that much he could be type 1 or a type 1.5 he needs some action before yesterday. Serious damage has most likely started with bs that high. I ran 400 for two years and I wont go into my damage the list is pretty extensive. The longer this is put off the longer your brother has to recover the damage that has or is occuring I urge him to get on insulin asap.

Answered By: furball64801

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07/10/09 12:04 PM

Answered By: furball64801

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(6 Answers)

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