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jeniferlouise02

jeniferlouise02

Active Member
Messages
44
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some advice please?

Last year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, which when I'm ill often gives me hypoglycaemia. I have to take steroids every day and that helps keep everything balanced. If I become ill and require more steroids, hypoglycaemia is one of the first signs I need to up my steroids.

As I have gotten used to my illness, I was managing better and hardly ever having problems with my sugars anymore, but I occasionally still test when things don't feel right.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago my blood sugar started dropping and I was constantly hungry and thirsty, but not ill with my autoimmune disease. I experienced hypo's 3.5(ish) a couple of times each day and got all the sicky, dizzy, clammy type symptoms and knew before I tested it would be low. During that week, my highest readings even after food barely rose above 4.8 I thought it would pass, but then just over a week ago, I started getting high(ish, well high compared to my normal) after meal readings of 8.0. Within two/three hours after I've eaten, I start getting cold and clammy and it's not long before I am hypo again! It doesn't matter what I eat, it always seem the same. I feel like I'm swinging from high to low all day and it's not pleasant. When I eat I start to sweat (a lot) and feel sick. That's new for me and it stops me eating my whole meal.

I'm not ill, so my sugars shouldn't be affected by my AI disease and I haven't changed my meds for the last year.

Any ideas?

TIA
 
jeniferlouise02 said:
Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some advice please?

Last year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, which when I'm ill often gives me hypoglycaemia. I have to take steroids every day and that helps keep everything balanced. If I become ill and require more steroids, hypoglycaemia is one of the first signs I need to up my steroids.

As I have gotten used to my illness, I was managing better and hardly ever having problems with my sugars anymore, but I occasionally still test when things don't feel right.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago my blood sugar started dropping and I was constantly hungry and thirsty, but not ill with my autoimmune disease. I experienced hypo's 3.5(ish) a couple of times each day and got all the sicky, dizzy, clammy type symptoms and knew before I tested it would be low. During that week, my highest readings even after food barely rose above 4.8 I thought it would pass, but then just over a week ago, I started getting high(ish, well high compared to my normal) after meal readings of 8.0. Within two/three hours after I've eaten, I start getting cold and clammy and it's not long before I am hypo again! It doesn't matter what I eat, it always seem the same. I feel like I'm swinging from high to low all day and it's not pleasant. When I eat I start to sweat (a lot) and feel sick. That's new for me and it stops me eating my whole meal.

I'm not ill, so my sugars shouldn't be affected by my AI disease and I haven't changed my meds for the last year.

Any ideas?

TIA
Click to expand...
Hi,
I have some links below that may help you.
Most of a the symptoms you prescribe, do acquaint with hypoglycaemia.
You should go to see your GP.

I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
 
JJ Smith said:
Hi ya when your on steroids they take up more of your bodies sugar that's why your getting low readings if you need more help just post me

JJ
Click to expand...

I believe steroids do just the opposite - they increase blood sugars, they don't lower them. Some people have what is known as steroid induced diabetes, diabetes caused by high steroid use.

@jeniferlouise02

I'm going to tag @nosher8355 as he may have some information for you.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I believe steroids do just the opposite - they increase blood sugars, they don't lower them. Some people have what is known as steroid induced diabetes, diabetes caused by high steroid use.

Jeniferlouise

I'm going to tag @nosher8355 as he may have some information for you.
Click to expand...

I thought that as well but I wasn't certain!
Each time my lad had problems with his asthma, his doctor referred to bloods!
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I believe steroids do just the opposite - they increase blood sugars, they don't lower them. Some people have what is known as steroid induced diabetes, diabetes caused by high steroid use.
Click to expand...
That's certainly true of the steroids I took (Prednisone).

That's actually how I found out I was a type 1 diabetic two months ago. Blood sugars were in the 500+ range (28 mmol/l or around that).
 
@jeniferlouise02

Hello Jenifer and welcome to the forum. Here, mentioned above, is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask plenty of questions if you need to and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. It's really kind of you to take the time to try to help me work it out.

I don't think I explained very well about my steroids. I have adrenal insufficiency/ Addison's disease. I take a dose of steroids which only replace the natural amount of the same steroids my body would make if I didn't have the disease. Therefore the steroids shouldn't be affecting my blood sugar at all. The only slight complication to this, is that sometimes when I'm ill or stressed I have to take more steroids, because under these circumstances my/ your body would naturally make more, but mine can't, so I have to take them. If I don't take enough steroids, my body isn't able to control blood sugar. It's cortisol that my body doesn't make and one of the first signs I'm not taking enough steroids is a hypo.

If I was taking too much steroid, I would have higher blood sugar and a slightly higher risk of diabetes. I also already have an autoimmune disease and have been told I'm likely to get others, so I could be at risk for it that way too, but not just by taking a replacement dose of steroids.

My GP always tests my hbca1 or whatever it's called and she says it's fine. But now I realise I'm getting so many highs and lows, I'm worried it could be pretty useless?!

I'm just confused.

Thanks again

Jen
 
Hi,

I am not sure that you can count on small doses of steriods only having a small impact.

I also have serious hormone weirdness going on, and it seems that one of the knock on effects of this is that I am particularly sensitive to certain drugs, treatments and (I am guessing) steroids would probably do the same.

Another effect (for me) is that everything goes wangy as a result of one imbalance. It is like dominoes. So that may well be happening to you.

When the body hypos, one of the results (in a person with normal hormone responses) is that a cocktail of stress hormones are released into the bloodstream to stimulate the liver to dump glucose into the blood to solve the problem. I simply do not understand the details, but even with your adrenalin deficiency, you will still be getting that response. which is what causes the sicky dizzy clammy feelings you are having.

So I am afraid while I cannot give you any suggestions to help with your hormone issues, I can suggest that they all go together, including being affected by the steriods.

My experience is that when the hormones go really wacky on me, and I hypo a lot (which can often be caused by stress or shock, or being over tired) then the only thing that I have found that really makes a difference is taking tight control of my diet, and avoid carbs. Since carbs cause blood glucose fluctuations, and often the these fluctuations are what causes the first domino to fall over.

I have no idea if that will help you, or not, but might be worth trying a low carb diet, just to see if it helps.
 
Thanks for your reply Brunneria and gio58,

I've added a bit below about what adrenal glands usually do as I don't think I've explained things very well.

Just to be clear, my adrenal glands don't work, but they don't just produce adrenaline, (which is the least of my worries!) they produce cortisol and aldosterone. I take replacements for both of these in the form of steroids. So in theory, I have exactly the same amount of cortisol and aldosterone in my body as a person with normal adrenal function, I just take mine as tablets.

My GP isn't interested in high or low blood glucose unless it's over 11 or under 3. Mine is/ has been over 8 after eating and regularly drops to 3.3-3.5. I don't see my endocrine consultant again now until April.

Thanks again for trying to help me understand. I've got a feeling weird blood glucose levels is just another thing I'll have to get used to!

Adrenal function:
The adrenal glands sit at the top of the kidneys, one on each side of the body and have an inner core (known as the medulla) surrounded by the outer shell (known as the cortex). The inner medulla produces adrenaline, the “fight or flight” stress hormone. While the absence of the adrenal medulla does not cause disease, the cortex is more critical. It produces the steroid hormones that are essential for life: cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol mobilises nutrients, it enables the body to fight inflammation, it stimulates the liver to produce blood sugar and it also helps control the amount of water in the body. Aldosterone regulates salt and water levels which affect blood volume and blood pressure. The adrenal cortex also produces sex hormones known as adrenal androgens; the most important of these is DHEA.

The normal adrenal cortex has an enormous functional reserve. This is called upon by the body especially in times of intense stress, such as surgery, trauma or serious infection. One of the most significant consequences of Addison’s disease is, therefore, the body’s failure to adapt to such stresses and, in the absence of adequate steroid cover, this may result in a state of shock, known as an Addisonian crisis, which is a medical emergency.

Jen
 
I think that you should at least contact your GP about the change in your levels. Maybe your appointment with the endo can be brought forward.
There are some people on here with Addison's and Type 1. (both are autoimmune and having Addison's increases the risk but it's a long way from inevitable ie not all people with Addison's get T1 ) With T1 they would be getting much higher glucose levels than 8mmol/l if they weren't taking insulin .
However, one of these has a slowly developing form of T1 and I don't think uses insulin yet so may be able to help.
@Lesleywo
If you haven't already seen it there is also a forum on this Addison's site which might be of some use (can't check it out without joining thought) http://www.addisons.org.uk/topics/mt_index.html
 
Also 3.3 is not a hypo, biologically speaking. Type 1 diabetics with a blood sugar of 3.3 may be heading toward a hypo because they may have exogenous insulin still in their system when they hit a number below 4, whereas a non-diabetic like you will simply stop producing insulin at that point. If it is stable at that level, it is simply at the lower end of normal. As a Type 1, I don't worry if my blood sugar is in the 3s, as long as I know it is not going down. In fact I feel best around 3.8!

I am not saying that you are not getting some of the symptoms of a hypo, though, because some of the symptoms of a hypo are actually caused by adrenalin. It may be that you need your dose of your main medication adjusting, for example. But all the blood sugars you quote here are within the non-diabetic range.
 
Thanks guys,

That info is very helpful. I will let my GP know that my levels have changed.

I'm already a member on ADSHG, but hadn't thought about posting there about this. I'll try that too.

I do wonder if I might slowly be developing diabetes. I really hope my gut instinct is wrong, but I'll try to change my diet anyway.

Thanks again for the advice and support x
 
Hi Jennifer, I've had Addison's Disease for the last 16 years, also Hashimoto's disease. As you already know, autoimmune diseases tend to come in clusters, you don't just get lumbered with one!

My endo told me once that your cortisol levels and glucose levels are linked (he implied that glucose levels can be low due to the Addison's). I am not diabetic but I am Gad positive, meaning I could possibly get LADA. I did develop some insulin resistance (my Mum had type 2) but my c-petide is not high; my blood sugars are pretty good, definitely not diabetic or even pre diabetic. My HbAlc is always 5.8% whether my fasting insulin is elevated or not. My endo says impossible to say if I will get LADA, I guess I'm just playing the waiting game, waiting for the 'switch' to be turned on, so to speak. Hopefully it will never happen.

The swings you are experiencing in your sugars sound horrible ... if I eat processed carbs, then go several hours without eating I get that awful hypo feeling. but my sugars have never been below 4 on my monitor, so just because 'technically' your levels may not be classed as hypo doesn't mean that you are not experiencing those symptoms that make you feel awful.

I'm sorry I can't be much help to you but if I had been diagnosed as having pre diabetes I would insist on a GAD and c-peptide test, for the simple reason you are an Addisonian and would be more likely to have autoimmune diabetes. At least if you know you could start taking steps to preserve your beta cells.

@ShellyC23 has Addisons and LADA .. she might be able to help?

Hope you feel better soon.

Lesley
 
Thank you very much Lesley,

That's food for thought. My addisons was only picked up due to my constant low blood sugar. It was never high before. I had a period of highs just after diagnosis, but think that was due to illness.

I really hope (everything crossed!) this is not the start of another autoimmune disease.

What is GAD? How did you know you had insulin resistance? Is it ok for your fasting levels to be high, but your HbA1c to be normal?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for your help x x x
 
hi every 1, 9.4 blood sugar level is this high. & im not diabetic
 
nothing but hugs [[[hugs]]] for everyone posting on this thread - i can only describe it as that "i know what you're going through " feeling even though I can't directly with this. ( been D for 43 years T1 so do have some experience with autoimmune -- LOL )
 
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