Cortisone injections?

PoppyPetal said:

Has anyone any experience of what these may do your bs levels? My T2 is controlled and now in non-diabetic range by lchf only. I am just weighing up the pros and cons about having a series of 3 injections for my arthritic knee. I understand that these may help a lot or may not as they don't work for everybody. Just trying to figure out if it is worth giving them a try or better to carry on as I am.

Click to expand...

No direct experience @PoppyPetal , but take a look at this................
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/costicosteroids-and-diabetes.html

I have recently had injections of HA (Hyaluronic Acid) and Kenalog in both knees at a local private hospital. Pain in both knees has since diminished.

I did read that blood sugars can be raised by this procedure, but it is short term.

Your blood sugars would be expected to be high for about 10 days if you decide to go for the injection.

PoppyPetal said:

Thanks for the quick replies. I had read that my bs is likely to rise but hopefully someone here can maybe give me an idea of by how much. @artofflowers were you taking bs readings daily before and after your injections? I think if it is only likely to have bs higher for 10 days or so it is maybe worth a try for me.

Click to expand...

I had the HA and Kenalog injections on each knee separately. The left knee was last December and the right knee on Mar 4th.

My fasting blood sugars were 6.6 on Mar 4th and have risen slowly to 8.2 five days later, but are now coming down to normal.

PoppyPetal said:

Thanks for the quick replies. I had read that my bs is likely to rise but hopefully someone here can maybe give me an idea of by how much. @artofflowers were you taking bs readings daily before and after your injections? I think if it is only likely to have bs higher for 10 days or so it is maybe worth a try for me.

Click to expand...

PoppyPetal, I have had cortisone injections in an elbow, knee, back and base of a thumb, over the years, for a variety of reasons. In all instances, whilst uncomfortable to have done and for a couple of days afterwards, they were successful for me. I haven't had any post-diagnosis.

One thing I would say is that if your Doc has suggested these injections, and you are considering them, you must be in a decent degree of pain. On that basis, I would ask you to look a the bigger picture.

So what if your bloods go up a bit, even if it's for a couple of weeks. If it means your pain diminishes, or disappears (even if for a period of time), the chances are your body will "enjoy" the respite from whatever you use to manage your pain now, and you might be more comfortable walking or exercising.

Diabetes is a long game, and sometimes we have to accept a short term less than ideal situation for a longer term gain.

If you find they don't work for you, you don't need to have them again, and at least you'll know. There's nothing worse than a "what if" question going around in our heads.

The last cortisone jab I had in my knee last September sent my blood glucose from 5,s into the 9 ,s for a few days then went back to normal o we the following week .
If they get the jab in the right place it's well worth it and lasts about 4 months.