Life has changed or challenged

[kitekrazy1]

I got my AC1 down to 5.9.  I was taken off of insulin back in August.  I got one of those portable pedal bikes to exercise and I walk around the block after supper.  Another issue was high blood pressure which is probably hereditary.  The nice thing is I only have to check my glucose 6 times a week. My goal is to keep it under 130.  My doctor was impressed with my blood test and see him in 6 months.  I've had to put some effort in maintaining my health with exercise and diet.  Sad that you have to wait for the shit to hit the fan to take action. 

 Going to the grocery store can seem like the land of depravity.  No need to walk down the cereal or candy aisle with death staring at you.  I still go down those aisles. It's like looking up an old girlfriend just to see how she looks.

 I also have nueropathy which I probably had for 10 years. That was probably hereditary and diabetes made it worse.  I spent 6 weeks with no medication for it.  I have to take 4 pills for it with 2 at night.  Gabapentim can also create Dimentia but it's either that or a load revolver to solve the pain.   That bad thing is when my blood sugar went  down from 600+ the neuropathy is also in my right hand pinky and the finger next to it.  They move fine but they are numb.  This creates a problem playing a flute since your pinky helps balance it and there are times certain notes will almost cause it to roll out of my hands. 

 I also started exercising with a fitness ball. The biggest challenge is not to roll of it.

[bitflipper]

The neuropathy isn't necessarily forever, either. Contrary to what we used to believe, nerves do eventually self-repair. 15 years ago, the only sensation in my feet was of being cold. I am happy to report that now if I step on a nail it once again hurts like hell. Progress!

[craigb]

4 hours ago, Paul Young said:

Gabapentim can also create Dimentia but it's either that or a load revolver to solve the pain. 

*Disclaimer!*  I am NOT a pharmacist (the actual profession that studies drugs and their interactions) and anything I say that is misconstrued as medical advice is all on you!* ?

That said, my father was one of the first to be put on Gabapentin (aka Neurontin) when it was first being tried for other reasons back in the 1990's (my father had a complex case of temporal lobe epilepsy and manic depression).  It was during this time that my mother underwent major cancer surgery and massive chemotherapy (she was one of only two people to survive the level and type of cancer she had for that year throughout the entire United States).  However, all that chemo torched her nerve endings and my father's doctor couldn't stop extolling the virtues of Gabapentin to aid neuropathy.  At the time, there were no reports of any negative side-effects, so she ended up on the maximum dose (seven pills a day) for 20 years!  So, as part of trying to get all of her meds reduced about two years ago (she's 91 now), I read a lot of studies and reports, including several on Gabapentin.

So, here's the upshot:  Compared to the vast majority of drugs out there, Gabapentin is still one of the most useful and safest.  The dementia issues all occurred in patients who took large dosages over long periods of time and, as my mother is evidence to, it still doesn't affect everyone.  From everything I've heard and read, it really works great for neuropathy, but the key is to slowly reduce the dosage as the nerve endings repair.

My suggestion to you is to try and find the reports and keep questioning your doctors.  It might help you in the short term!

Side-note:  My mom is now in long term care as of late last month after a few E.R. visits, a hospital stay and a lot of attempted rehab starting in early November.  One upshot of this is that they've removed a lot of grains and sugar from her diet and she just dropped below the supposed diabetic line for the first time in decades.  She's never been far above, but she also wouldn't stop eating cheap waffles with pure sugar syrup for breakfast everyday either!

Remember, there isn't much of anything with your body that YOU can't fix!  Let's just say I have far less respect for medical doctors than I used to and a lot of evidence (including personal) about what's really possible.  Good luck!  ??

[InstrEd]

I had my yearly last fall and I was border-line diabetic.   My wife being a nurse said you really need to start watching your sugar intake.  So the first thing I did was only black coffee straight in the morning and gave up almost all my soda consumption.  3 months later and I'm 12lbs and striving for another 10lbs off.

5 hours ago, Paul Young said:

Going to the grocery store can seem like the land of depravity.  No need to walk down the cereal or candy aisle with death staring at you.  I still go down those aisles. It's like looking up an old girlfriend just to see how she looks.

I can't believe how quickly I feel the same way.  I don't miss most of the sugary foods. Also my wife and I went to low salt potato chips years ago and when we have regularly salted chips we complain how salty they taste.

 

[Shane_B.]

1 hour ago, InstrEd said:

3 months later and I'm 12lbs and striving for another 10lbs off.

That's still pretty heavy for a poodle.

[InstrEd]

4 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

That's still pretty heavy for a poodle.

Hey just because I"m short doesn't mean you can make fun of me. Remember I can still reach your knee caps  ?

[Shane_B.]

1 hour ago, craigb said:

Remember, there isn't much of anything with your body that YOU can't fix!  Let's just say I have far less respect for medical doctors than I used to and a lot of evidence (including personal) about what's really possible.  Good luck!  ??

You are 100% right. I lost more than most normal 6' tall men weigh and have kept it off over the last 3 years and I'm only getting healthier as I age since I started lightly working out and watching what I eat like a Hawk. No processed carbs (candy, cake, pie) and no grains of any kind. My taste buds changed so much that when I drink unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk now it's almost too much. But on holidays when I do eat cookies and pies I get high as a kite. It's the strangest darn thing. Plus all my old bad habits come flooding back and it's incredibly hard to get back and stay on track. It was then I realized that I didn't crave these things before because they tasted good, it was how they made me feel, and it put a whole new perspective on it for me. Everything was going awesome up until a large yellow vehicle that hauls young people every morning and afternoon ran a stop sign and almost killed me. Ya never know what's going to get you. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Shane_B.

[InstrEd]

2 hours ago, Shane_B. said:

drink unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk now it's almost too much

My wife's cousin came into town a couple years ago and I got her totally unflavored Almond milk. I finished the carton and now that is what I have most of the time.  Can't have the sweetened milk as it is just to sweet!

[kitekrazy1]

5 hours ago, InstrEd said:

I had my yearly last fall and I was border-line diabetic.   My wife being a nurse said you really need to start watching your sugar intake.  So the first thing I did was only black coffee straight in the morning and gave up almost all my soda consumption.  3 months later and I'm 12lbs and striving for another 10lbs off.

I can't believe how quickly I feel the same way.  I don't miss most of the sugary foods. Also my wife and I went to low salt potato chips years ago and when we have regularly salted chips we complain how salty they taste.

 

I'm down to 182lbs.  !0 years ago I was 280.   7 months later I' still trying to get back upper body strength and my abs are still weak.

I have caffeine free diet Coke which taste good but I hardly touch it.  I drink more flavored waters and decaf tea.  Plus I drink a glass of red wine every other day.  

 Most of my snacks are unsalted almonds and walnuts.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Paul Young

[kitekrazy1]

1 hour ago, InstrEd said:

My wife's cousin came into town a couple years ago and I got her totally unflavored Almond milk. I finished the carton and now that is what I have most of the time.  Can't have the sweetened milk as it is just to sweet!

 Almond milk is only good for weight loss and fart free.   I went back to low fat milk for smoothies because it has protein,  Almond milk only has a gram of protein and one carb so it's not so great for a diabetic.

[Shane_B.]

1 hour ago, InstrEd said:

My wife's cousin came into town a couple years ago and I got her totally unflavored Almond milk. I finished the carton and now that is what I have most of the time.  Can't have the sweetened milk as it is just to sweet!

I recently tried Cashew milk too. It's a lot heavier than Almond milk. It was good but the Almond seemed sweeter. It also has fewer calories and carbs than Almond milk. Real milk has a lot of cholesterol and carbs and that's bad. Plus the jury is out on calcium intake at a certain age. Some studies find it actually makes bones more brittle after 50. Whole unfortified non-homogenized milk is actually the only truly healthy milk for you and it's more the fat content in it that's good for you than anything else. I don't think you can buy it at the store anymore. But you can still get it at farms directly if you tell them you want it for your kitties. nudge nudge wink wink. I know quite a few people who do just that back home. Everything I've read said diabetics should avoid milk except for whole because studies show there are certain fats in whole that protects against it, obesity, and heart disease but who knows. I can find studies that show it's good and bad. My nephew and one of my uncles died from diabetes and it runs in my family. I'm an anomaly. I was big as a horse and healthy as one too. That is not the norm and I imagine I will pay for letting myself go some day.

[Shane_B.]

33 minutes ago, Paul Young said:

I'm down to 182lbs.  !0 years ago I was 280.   7 months later I' still trying to get back upper body strength and my abs are still weak.

That's great! I'm happy for you. It's not an easy thing to do to lose that much and keep it off. ??

[Wibbles]

20 hours ago, Paul Young said:

Gabapentim can also create Dimentia but it's either that or a load revolver to solve the pain.

 

15 hours ago, craigb said:

*Disclaimer!*  I am NOT a pharmacist (the actual profession that studies drugs and their interactions) and anything I say that is misconstrued as medical advice is all on you!* ?

That said, my father was one of the first to be put on Gabapentin (aka Neurontin) when it was first being tried for other reasons back in the 1990's (my father had a complex case of temporal lobe epilepsy and manic depression).  It was during this time that my mother underwent major cancer surgery and massive chemotherapy (she was one of only two people to survive the level and type of cancer she had for that year throughout the entire United States).  However, all that chemo torched her nerve endings and my father's doctor couldn't stop extolling the virtues of Gabapentin to aid neuropathy.  At the time, there were no reports of any negative side-effects, so she ended up on the maximum dose (seven pills a day) for 20 years!  So, as part of trying to get all of her meds reduced about two years ago (she's 91 now), I read a lot of studies and reports, including several on Gabapentin.

So, here's the upshot:  Compared to the vast majority of drugs out there, Gabapentin is still one of the most useful and safest.  The dementia issues all occurred in patients who took large dosages over long periods of time and, as my mother is evidence to, it still doesn't affect everyone.  From everything I've heard and read, it really works great for neuropathy, but the key is to slowly reduce the dosage as the nerve endings repair.

My suggestion to you is to try and find the reports and keep questioning your doctors.  It might help you in the short term!

Side-note:  My mom is now in long term care as of late last month after a few E.R. visits, a hospital stay and a lot of attempted rehab starting in early November.  One upshot of this is that they've removed a lot of grains and sugar from her diet and she just dropped below the supposed diabetic line for the first time in decades.  She's never been far above, but she also wouldn't stop eating cheap waffles with pure sugar syrup for breakfast everyday either!

Remember, there isn't much of anything with your body that YOU can't fix!  Let's just say I have far less respect for medical doctors than I used to and a lot of evidence (including personal) about what's really possible.  Good luck!  ??

 

 A recent study carried out in Finland and Germany - Use of Antiepileptic Drugs and Dementia Risk—an Analysis of Finnish Health Register and German Health Insurance Data - concluded that although some antiepileptic drugs did correlate with an increased risk of dementia, gabapentin did not.

I'm been taking gabapentin for neuropathic pain for nearly 10 years. Currently I'm on 2,400 mg daily (800 mg 3 x a day) - the recommended maximum dosage is 1,800 mg daily, with an absolute maximum of 3,600 mg.  For me it takes the edge off the pain, although not always as much as I would like. *

 

 

 

 

 

* Consider that an example of British understatement. 

 

[kitekrazy1]

I take 600mg at night.  I also do some stretching and use a massager for feet.  I was given Tylenol in the hospital and rehab which did nothing.  For sometime I had burning in my hips which the gabby pills didn't stop.   I also realized there is a lack of coordination and can lose balance on one foot.  

[craigb]

That's interesting about the Tylenol.  It seems to be about the only lower-level pain relief medical personnel will give you, yet I've heard from a few others (including my Mom) that it doesn't do anything for them.

[Shane_B.]

2 hours ago, craigb said:

That's interesting about the Tylenol.  It seems to be about the only lower-level pain relief medical personnel will give you, yet I've heard from a few others (including my Mom) that it doesn't do anything for them.

Doesn't do squat for me either. ?

[Notes_Norton]

Tylenol (Acetaminophen - Paracetamol) is the biggest cause of liver failure in the world today.

Be careful not to exceed the recommended dosage.

[craigb]

3 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Tylenol (Acetaminophen - Paracetamol) is the biggest cause of liver failure in the world today.

Be careful not to exceed the recommended dosage.

More than excessive alcohol?  Wow.

[Notes_Norton]

1 hour ago, craigb said:

More than excessive alcohol?  Wow.

Yep

Quote

Acetaminophen is the nation's leading cause of acute liver failure, according to data from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes for Health.

Just one link of many:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/11/tylenol-far-most-dangerous-drug-ever-made-11711

I never take it myself. I love my liver, and can't live without my liver, so I'm a liver lover.

None of the NSAIDs are without their risks, so I don't take them unless absolutely necessary. When I do I choose Ibuprofen at the minimum dose. Ibuprofen seems to work better for me, so I can take less of it.

If I'm going to damage my liver, I'll choose a nice Cabernet.

Notes

[InstrEd]

When my aches and pains got really bad I started to do a mini fast and that really help me with inflammation. Science or not it helped me.  My wife's GI doctor said it could as lots of food cause inflammation.