[supar3]

Hello all!! I am here today looking for some thoughts on my husbands diagnosis. It was noted on a recent blood test that his glucose was high 125.5 on a fasting glucose test. At that time he was also noted to have very high LDL and very low HDL. He was not overweight, but did have lousy eating habits. Our dr. instructed him to start a low-fat low-sugar diet, then return in 3 months to see how things were going. He gave him a list of foods to remove from his diet. Within 3 weeks he lost 20 pounds and starting having serious heart palpitations with dizzy spells. He became very thirsty and starting getting up at night to use the bathroom which was something that hadn't happened before. His weight has dropped from 185 pounds to 161, and yet he cannot stop eating. He is eating double the food he was before and yet keeps losing weight ( he is 5 feet 11 inches) . He finds his heart is fluttering mostly in the mornings, even after breakfast, and that is mostly when the dizzy spells occur also. He went back to the dr to report what happened since following this new eating plan, and the dr has requested more blood work. He asked for another fasting blood test, followed by another test 2 hours after eating breakfast. My husband had this done last Saturday. For breakfast he ate a bowl of cereal (Cheerios) with skim milk, 2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and homemade oatmeal using Splenda and apples. Two hours after consuming this, he was so tried and droggy he could barely get back the lab to have the blood drawn. He ended up sleeping for 2 hours after that in the middle of a loud room.
He has noticed that his legs are extremly itchy and he has scratched to the point of drawing blood, and his breath is bad. He smells like stale sweet cigars that is so strong it wakes me at night. He does not smoke.

I guess what I want to know is what do you think about all this happening AFTER he gave up sugar, and started a low carb diet. From what I can tell, his symptoms are what drive most people to seek medical attention, and not what happens after low sugar, low carb diet is started. He went to the dr originally with indigestion when these numbers were found out. His indigestion has improved, but all these new symptoms have started. Does this sound right? Also, is it possible he has developed Type 1? He is 38, and his mother is a diabetic.

Any imput would help.

Thank you everyone.

Sue

[slipperyelm]

Yeah, it is possible he is Type 1. The doctor can find out. It is also possible this is Type 2.

You say doctor asked him to go on a low fat, low sugar diet, yet you then say he is on a low carb diet. That breakfast you described sounds not low carb, but very high carb! If he needs to restrict carbohydrates, I think you two will need to read lables and perhaps use books or the internet to look up carbohydrates per serving of your food.

Is he checking blood glucose levels at home? Is he on any meds? It sounds like he needs help right away.

[xMenace]

Sounds like classic type 1 symptoms, especially the dramatic weight loss. Go see a doctor stat!

[supar3]

I guess with his numbers the way they were with high cholesterol and high sugar, the dr tried a happy medium. He recommended taking out red meat and pork, soft cheeses, cream and milk for the fat part. For the low carbs he took out pretty much anything that was white, plus fruit and some vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and yams. My husband prior to this did not eat breakfast at all, so he recommended the Cheerios as an good breakfast with the skim milk, I guess thinking more about fat then sugar. The day of the test was actually the first time he has eaten any bread in a month. The nurse who took his blood told him to eat as a "normal person" for the test. It was also the first time he had eaten peanut butter since starting the new diet. The Cheerios in the morning is pretty much his only starch during the day.

I am worried to cause I don't really trust my dr. He is okay if you have a sore throat, but is very conservative in his ways. I believe he should be acting a bit quicker and maybe doing better test such as a glucose tolerance test or something. He has offered no meds for anything despite the fact he said "these are the worst cholesterol number I have seen in over a year". We are Canadian and I do not know how to convert cholesterol numbers or I would post them here. When he saw the dr 2 weeks ago he had lost 16 pounds, he has since lost 7 more and the dr went away for a week on vacation. The dr also noticed on his second exam (in a month) that my husband now has an extra heart beat and has ordered a Holter monitor which isn't until the end of the month. It just seems that things should be moving a bit quicker, and I am worried about him driving and stuff.

Thanks again everyone.

Sue

[Lynne1]

Originally Posted by supar3

For breakfast he ate a bowl of cereal (Cheerios) with skim milk, 2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and homemade oatmeal using Splenda and apples.

That's a lot of carbs...especially in one sitting. Cheerios, whole wheat toast, oatmeal and apples have lots of carbs in them individually...and your husband is eating them all in one meal. Whoa! No wonders he's tired. Whole wheat toast w/pb and some eggs or egg whites would be much better. Still a few carbs but moderated w/some fat or protein should give him better bgs after his meal.

[xMenace]

Canafa too.

I eat the Blue Menu PB from the SuperStore. It is salt and sugar free. Did you know regular PB has added sugar? It may take awhile to adjust to, but I can't even eat the Squirrel stuff any more.

Also try the SuperStore's in-store breads. I like the Museli one. It fills you up and my sugars behave very well with it.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by supar3

.... He was not overweight, ..... Within 3 weeks he lost 20 pounds ..... He became very thirsty and starting getting up at night to use the bathroom ...... His weight has dropped from 185 pounds to 161, and yet he cannot stop eating. He is eating double the food he was before and yet keeps losing weight ( he is 5 feet 11 inches) . ..... and his breath is bad. He smells like stale sweet cigars that is so strong it wakes me at night. ....

Sounds just like the onset of type 1 diabetes. In which case you you don't want him to go into ketoacidosis. What was the result of the test after that carby meal? Ask the doctor to test for keytones and antibodies. And take him to the ER if he isn't feeling well.

[supar3]

We haven't heard the results yet. I was hoping the dr would have called today, but nothing yet. The whole thing is strange in that all these symptoms started after he starting eating healthy. Before this he ate worse then anyone I had ever met, yet was never overweight. All he drank was coke and coffee. He would go all day with just a donut or danish. He would skip vegetables, and never touched fruit. Snacked on cake, chocolate, chips, cheesecake...loved his cheescake. Then he switches to this new diet, and is sicker than ever. Its so strange. Guys at his work are starting to ask questions cause he looks so gaunt. His uniforms are falling off. One guy suggested he take candy to work for the dizzy spells. My dr just seems so lax, and he's just getting sicker. I thought Type 1 struck children and teenagers. There is so much I do not know, and my dr is making me nervous. We have talked about just going into the ER, but figure they will just tell us to touch base with the family dr. Unless of course he passes out or something. Then we will be off to the hospital.

Thanks everyone.

[grace girl]

Well, I'm not a doctor, but alot of what you describe reminds me of what I went through myself. I was diagnosed type one at age 32. It happens. The change in his diet probably has nothing to do with it....his pancreas giving out probably has everything to do with it. If you don't trust your doctor, find another one!

[palefacegirl03]

Find another doctor or get him to the ER. It sounds like the onset of Type 1.
Type 1 happens to adults too.

[lilituc]

If you do not go to the ER, please get a blood glucose monitor and ketone testing strips. They are not too expensive here (except for the strips), I am not sure about Canada. If you see moderate or high ketones he needs to go to the ER immediately. But he needs to be testing his blood sugar in order to find out what's going on when he has symptoms.

[ProudNanaof5]

He sounds just what I experienced. I lost 150 lbs before dx. And I was dx type one at age 57 so Diabetes doesn't only hit young'uns. I had same symptoms as your hubby. I would suggest you get him in to Dr immediately. I also would suggest you get a glucose meter and ketone strips. I did that before I went to dr. I was testing 400 - 500+ and also was throwing off lots of ketones. If your Dr won't pay attention to his immediate needs you need to get another dr NOW!!! Good Luck and let us know how is doing...

[supar3]

Well, we FINALLY got the results back from the dr and now its more confusing then ever. His fasting glucose was normal at 5.7 (which I believe is 103) but....the test taken 2 hours after he ate all those carbs....4.1 (or I believe 74) The dr now says he is hypoglycemic, not diabetic. Any ideas???

Thanks

[lilituc]

It sounds like he has reactive hypoglycemia.

I think you definitely should get a blood glucose monitor and keep an eye on his numbers before eating and 1 and 2 hours after. If the results are what you expected you don't have to monitor all the time, just make sure you keep an eye on it and notice any trends.