I need help

[trinasangels]

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. We moved and I've been very busy. I feel so helpless right now. I went to my Edno appointment and ended up disliking the Dr so much I am looking for a new one now ( I have enough meds to get me by a month or two)

I just did not feel comfortable with this Dr at all and felt he was a perv.

My levels have been lower ( YAY) But still struggling a few times a day ( with over 250's) But I am not having 400's and 500's no more!


The problem is I have gained a GREAT deal of weight now!( i am not talking 5 or 10 pounds! I mean over 20 pounds)
I don't understand it. I am eatting healthy . I've never been this heavy except with I was expecting my children. I have gained it SOOO very fast! This is scary!

I feel like crude I hate the way I look. I dont know what to do but I can not continue to gain this weight. I JUST CANT!

I am still on the Lantus and apidra ( 48 units Lantus and then 25 and up units on apidra depending on what I eat and how many carbs)
I cant even fit in my clothing now!!


I feel better physically but emoctionally I am now dead. :(

[ant hill]

Hello trina, It's your friend Peter here to look after you.
Well Trina, You have gained weight because that you have enough insulin to get the nutrients to the mussel tissue and I bet you feel much better now. So now that you have done this well enough to gain weight it's time to think of eating the right stuff and also the exercise is also the key to tone your body the way you wanted to be. Just remember that food is a fuel to your exercise!! And I would know as I was a ballet dancer in the 70's.
Do you dance Trina?? And have some jelly beans at easy reach if you fall low. :D

[SueM]

Is the 25 units taken at each meal?
The only sure way to lose weight is to exercise and watch your carb and calorie intake.
Sorry I can't offer you any more practical advice but unfortunatly there is no magic cure :(

[trinasangels]

thanks peter and sue. I just cant believe this fast weight gain. Talk about a knock down!
Peter I do like to dance! I dance with the kids around the house. I also work out on a gazell( I know thats spelled wrong!) I worked out to hard 2 days ago and now it hurts with every step ( lol)

Sue yes that is with every meal. I start out at 25 and go up depending on how many carbs and how high or low my bs was before meal.

I feel like a fat pig even though I have been eatting salads , baked fish and healthy foods. I have been trying to eat some red meats( gag) i hate meat! but I am trying .

Were going to cancun this summer and I picked out 3 new dresses two weeks ago they fit so good NOW I CANT GET THEM ON!!! :(

I've went from wearing a 12/13 to a 16 in a couple weeks! I have almost nothing I can even fit any more :( I didnt start eatting more or anything.

Perer I am feeling a lot better medically wish I was feeling better emoctionally now! Seemed like before I was ok emoctionally ( a bit stressed but ok!!) but I was physically not good at all. Now I am ok physically but not so good emoctionally because I am struggling with all of this weight gain :( I just feel so horriable. Think I am going to throw the mirrors away !

[shiftzor]

How long have you been diagnosed? It’s common for people to lose weight before they are diagnosed with diabetes and this inevitably leads to weight gain once you are taking insulin as the body readjusts itself.

What sports/exercise do you do? How many carbs, fats and cals do you eat on average? (you don’t have to tell me) Just eat a well rounded diet, don’t starve yourself otherwise it will just get worse the next time you eat. If you have big portion sizes you could reduce those and make sure that you aren’t taking too much insulin, a good sign of this is constantly snacking to maintain bg level. Good luck

Healthy Eating (http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/7_Self-Care_Habits/Healthy_Eating/Healthy_Eating.html)

[UpNorth]

It is said that Lantus can cause weight gain... Maybe try Levemir as basal instead, and see if that can stop the weightgain. It's normal to gain some weight back after a while on insulin when having normal bloodsugars again. But gaining as much as you've done sounds a bit wierd :s:

[SueM]

thanks peter and sue. I just cant believe this fast weight gain. Talk about a knock down!
Peter I do like to dance! I dance with the kids around the house. I also work out on a gazell( I know thats spelled wrong!) I worked out to hard 2 days ago and now it hurts with every step ( lol)

Sue yes that is with every meal. I start out at 25 and go up depending on how many carbs and how high or low my bs was before meal.

I feel like a fat pig even though I have been eatting salads , baked fish and healthy foods. I have been trying to eat some red meats( gag) i hate meat! but I am trying .

Were going to cancun this summer and I picked out 3 new dresses two weeks ago they fit so good NOW I CANT GET THEM ON!!! :(

I've went from wearing a 12/13 to a 16 in a couple weeks! I have almost nothing I can even fit any more :( I didnt start eatting more or anything.

Perer I am feeling a lot better medically wish I was feeling better emoctionally now! Seemed like before I was ok emoctionally ( a bit stressed but ok!!) but I was physically not good at all. Now I am ok physically but not so good emoctionally because I am struggling with all of this weight gain :( I just feel so horriable. Think I am going to throw the mirrors away !

That is one h*ll of a lot of insulin to take/meal :eek: That is more than I use in a whole day.
I think you need to find someone who knows what they are talking about and teach you how to manage your insulin/food.
Find a good endo and take it from there. If I had 25 units of insulin/meal I would need to eat 250 carbs to match it.
Is Levemir available in Canada? That may be a better option for you.
Have you tested your basal to see if it is correct?
Are you by any chance insulin resistant even though you are type 1?

Sue

[xMenace]

As has been mentioned, exercise and diet.

Walk every day for 30+ minutes. Find the time. Your 'Gazel' is fine too, but you have to use it.

With your food, just start cutting back slightly each meal: one less piece of bread, a little less butter, drink water instead of milk. Also try to lower your GI a bit at a time. It will add up. Slow and steady is the way to go.

[ant hill]

As has been mentioned, exercise and diet.
Yes John, Find the time, Even park the car further away from the shops.

Walk every day for 30+ minutes. Find the time. Your 'Gazel' is fine too, but you have to use it.
Yes that's a good idea too.

With your food, just start cutting back slightly each meal: one less piece of bread, a little less butter, drink water instead of milk. Also try to lower your GI a bit at a time. It will add up. Slow and steady is the way to go.
Also cut back on the insulin at 1U at a time and if you are ready, Take another Unit off and test test test and steady as you go Trina. :D
Also you can do this like say that you want to do the walk or anything physical and it's lunchtime. Have your lunch but half the bolus as the exercise will "Burn off" the rest of your lunch. ;)

[kgm0612]

Trina.........(((HUG)))

My opinion, from past experience, is the more you stress yourself out about gaining weight, the more you're going to be eating, and the more weight you're going to put on.


Try cutting back a bit on your carbohydrate intake and start walking every day (afternoon or evening). The two combined will help you lose the weight.

Good Luck.

Karen

[Scratch]

Usually after someone gets diagnosed for type 1 and begin taking insulin, they'll gain some weight as the body rebuilds after losing so much before diagnosis.

I will say it sounds like you're taking a lot of insulin which may indicate some level of insulin resistance or the chance that you are taking too much insulin. This happens sometimes, a type 1 diabetic takes too much insulin and as a result has to feed the insulin, which leads to a calorie excess and weight gain.

One of the hardest things to do is to get your doses right so as to avoid the feed-the-insulin trap. You should do some basal testing and check that your Lantus dose isn't causing you to drop all the time. If it's doing that then your basal is too high and you're having to take on extra carbs to keep from going hypo all the time. That ain't good.

In fact, checking on that basal dose and seeing if it's doing a good job of keeping your blood sugars nearly level when you aren't eating is probably the most important thing you can do.

[notme]

Trina, I can sympathize with how you are feeling right now. I also gained weight on insulin and was very frustrated. When diagnosed with type one, I lost almost 30 pounds in a month or so. Gaining that weight back was not an issue, I wasn't overweight to begin with. The issue I had was the extra twenty pounds that went on when I got control of my blood sugar.

I know a lot of people don't believe that insulin makes you gain weight, but for some of us.....it does. I think some gain more easily especially if you have a family history of obesity or just having the tendancy to gain weight easily. Others have always been thin and genetically they will always be thin despite insulin.

Taking twenty five units of insulin per meal is a lot. The less insulin you take (while still maintaining your good numbers) the more weight you will take off. This means eating meals small enough that you can lower your insulin dosage. It is tough. It has taken me a long time to take off some weight but it can be done. I also tend to gain muscles very easily. If I rollerblade, I get very muscular in my legs and I gain muscle weight.

Stay off your scale for a month. Exercise, eat meals that cause you to take less insulin and try not to go low so you have to eat carbs to get your numbers back in line. The more corrections you do, the more calories you eat. Count your calories and lower your fat intake. (despite what some people say) we will gain with higher fat content meals. To maintain a healthy weight, I have to cut my calories to 1,200 per day and burn more than that by exercise.

Good luck Trina. If nothing else, you have to know that you are not the only one!!!

[barbarac]

I went through the same weight thing. Spent a year that everytime I went to the Dr. I had gained another about 3 lbs. Was eating less, moving more, and gaining rapidly. After a little testing--which most was normal, I started another "diet"--I have tried them all. This was strictly portion control. Most of us have way too much without even realizing it. Like 3 oz of meat looks awfully small, but it does satisfy. Cut out whites as much as possible (like breads, sugars of course, potatoes, rice). Lots of water (like 60 oz. a day or so). Spring is coming--lots of walking.

I really know how you feel though. I gained, lost again, went off the portion control thing gradually and have gained again. Right now I am in the same clothes situation. It feels awful when nothing fits or looks right.

I am one of the ones who I believe insulin does cause me a weight gain, plus all this other medicine they keep putting me on. If you ate a little less then you could also cut back on some insulin.

Good luck.

[KCP]

I can certainly sympathise with you hon. I gained 10kg's last year after moving from a mixed insulin to Protophane and novo rapid, and then to Lantus. It was awful! but my diabetes was under control for the first time in yeasr, and I am not a newly diagnosed T1 as you can see by my sig.
What i found was what everyone else has said: you need to cut down your portioan sizes as now that your body is using the fuel you are putting in properly, it all gets saved as muscle. You also need to start some sort of excersise whether it be walking, dancing aerobics... just something!!

What i did was I:
Switched all simple sugars out of my diet. No juices, no sugar in coffees.
Ive just recently srted eating only heavy grained breads, (which i now cant eat as i also have IBS)
Eat more veges
and eat throughout the the day at around the same time each day
excersise!!!! but make sure you add some form of muscle work as well, as the muscle you have, the more calories you can burn doing nothing...
I have lost 7-8kilos so far now, and thats been since last july. Its been hard but it can be done!!!

[artwoman]

Hello trina, It's your friend Peter here to look after you.
Well Trina, You have gained weight because that you have enough insulin to get the nutrients to the mussel tissue and I bet you feel much better now. So now that you have done this well enough to gain weight it's time to think of eating the right stuff and also the exercise is also the key to tone your body the way you wanted to be. Just remember that food is a fuel to your exercise!! And I would know as I was a ballet dancer in the 70's.
Do you dance Trina?? And have some jelly beans at easy reach if you fall low. :D

What a coinicidence! Iwas going to reply to Trina because that's my name too! And then you danced! I danced as a job for a long time. I recall right before my dx, friends from the company telling me they finally believed it was possible to be too thin.

When I got dx'd and started on insulin, I gained enough weight back to be a "civilian" I didn't want that. It was hard, but I found an Endo who I could convince that I wasn't like any other person in terms of weight requirements. So I amped up the activity, went very low carb and started to titrate down the insulin. Once I went on the pump and could do really tiny dose of insulin, I got my ballerina body back. Of course now I am retired, but I still feel good.

[Alice]

Trina, sorry you're having such a rough time! First, you need to find a new endo...I really don't think you can do this alone.

Secondly...how many carbs are you eating with 25 units as your "base" meal dose? That just sound incredible to me...probably you're using meal doses to help with basal levels.

I know we've talked about this before...keep us posted...but really, how many carbs (grams) are you averaging per meal to support 25 units? I'm very worried here.

[KCP]

actually, yea thats a really good point. 25u as a base meal does is quite high...Mine is 8u!! (granted everyone is different..)

[Alice]

I don't have a "base meal" dose and am confused as to what that would mean. I assumed most people (never assume, I know!) take 1 unit of Humalog per a certain number of carbs...therefore a meal could be 0-whatever for the amount of carbs eaten.

But starting at 25 makes no sense...unless you meant 25 carbs?

Your Humalog should be covering meal carbs only...with a few exceptions such as corrections.

[KCP]

i know someone mentioned it to me as you have a starting point for you meals and then move up from there depending on your carbs etc.
I know that for a meal no matter wha i give at least 8u for a meanl and 5 for a snack.. but thats how i work as I do not have the patience to sit down and meticulously figure out how many carbs i am eating.But thats just me....
ALso, when i am higher then normal i have a correction factor of .5. So for every mmol i am above 5mmol i give an extra .5u of rapid.
SO if i am sitting at 10mmol i would give 2.5u of rapid on top of the amount i am giving for a meal to bring me down to an acceptable level as well.

[KCP]

and this is what works for ME

[ant hill]

What a coinicidence! Iwas going to reply to Trina because that's my name too! And then you danced! I danced as a job for a long time. I recall right before my dx, friends from the company telling me they finally believed it was possible to be too thin.
WOW!!! And that's no finer word that I can fathom to find.
When I was diagnosed in 1971 My ballet teacher looked at me and she shook her head in dissbelve that I was too fat. :( and because I was so nieve of this supid desiese I was getting the lows. :( and as you know ballet is damanding work. :(

When I got dx'd and started on insulin, I gained enough weight back to be a "civilian" I didn't want that. It was hard, but I found an Endo who I could convince that I wasn't like any other person in terms of weight requirements. So I amped up the activity, went very low carb and started to titrate down the insulin.
And that's what I did not do as the doctors at that time restricted me to that rate and no meters then too. If the case today then I would be still dancing. :D
Once I went on the pump and could do really tiny dose of insulin, I got my ballerina body back. Of course now I am retired, but I still feel good.

Yes, Those were the days and now I can only dream and had the en pointe shoes in '76 and quit in '77 and cried. :bawling:

[trinasangels]

Hi everyone. I am feeling a bit better today. I think maybe I am just under to much stress right now with the new meds and moving and getting my special needs son back in to school( he has been home schooled a year and half)

Yesterday the pain in my side started hurting again ( it has been off and on) My husband asked a Dr he knew for advice and he seems to think it may be my pancreas.

I will be the first to admitt I dislike going to the Dr. it seems like everytime I do I am having another surgery. I still at times feel the pain from my last surgery which was a majior one. I get scared.

I have even been putting off going back to my lung dr ( they found masses in my lung which was a rare forum of endo! and i had to have part of my muscle wall in my stomache removed along with overies) cervix was removed when I was early 20's.

anyways I have a fear of Dr because I fear surgery. I've had so many and Don't want another. I am only 29 to young for all of this.

Tonight the pain in my stomache is pretty bad and I may take myself to the Er while everyones sleeping I have not decided yet. I guess I fear if they do test something will come back wrong.


I did mention it to my Dr not to long ago but she didnt seem to concerned but I guess I am not that its been months and its still coming and going.

Ty for allowing me to vent and whine. I have been trying to not let my friends and Dh know how bad the pain is at times because I feel like I am always complaining about something!

[ant hill]

Hello Trina, It's me again.
You seem to been through it all haven't you. :( This pain on your side may be related to your lung and your stomach and I don't blame you for not going to the doctor or the ER as that would scare me too Trina. Gee I feel for you as you are a nice person with a lot will power to be healthy as possible.
You must be under some amount of stress. Do you have much time for yourself?? :)

[trinasangels]

Hello Trina, It's me again.
You seem to been through it all haven't you. :( This pain on your side may be related to your lung and your stomach and I don't blame you for not going to the doctor or the ER as that would scare me too Trina. Gee I feel for you as you are a nice person with a lot will power to be healthy as possible.
You must be under some amount of stress. Do you have much time for yourself?? :)

Hi ant hill. I went to the Er and they seem to think I hurt my back some how and that is what the pain is on my left side. they gave me something to relax it which I'll take as soon as I go to bed. They did not run any test though but I do hope thats just the problem. as far as time for myself? lol not really but thats ok. I'll get rest when I am in heaven although a break would be nice once in a while!

[UpNorth]

Hi everyone. I am feeling a bit better today. I think maybe I am just under to much stress right now with the new meds and moving and getting my special needs son back in to school( he has been home schooled a year and half)

Yesterday the pain in my side started hurting again ( it has been off and on) My husband asked a Dr he knew for advice and he seems to think it may be my pancreas.

I will be the first to admitt I dislike going to the Dr. it seems like everytime I do I am having another surgery. I still at times feel the pain from my last surgery which was a majior one. I get scared.

I have even been putting off going back to my lung dr ( they found masses in my lung which was a rare forum of endo! and i had to have part of my muscle wall in my stomache removed along with overies) cervix was removed when I was early 20's.

anyways I have a fear of Dr because I fear surgery. I've had so many and Don't want another. I am only 29 to young for all of this.

Tonight the pain in my stomache is pretty bad and I may take myself to the Er while everyones sleeping I have not decided yet. I guess I fear if they do test something will come back wrong.


I did mention it to my Dr not to long ago but she didnt seem to concerned but I guess I am not that its been months and its still coming and going.

Ty for allowing me to vent and whine. I have been trying to not let my friends and Dh know how bad the pain is at times because I feel like I am always complaining about something!



Is it endometriosis you have? if so, then it could be that causing the pain in your side... Those endometriosis things can pop up anywhere at anytime :s: I have a friend who has the most difficult kind of endometriosis and they've taken it all out (uterus etc) and she still gets more and more endo :(

[trinasangels]

Is it endometriosis you have? if so, then it could be that causing the pain in your side... Those endometriosis things can pop up anywhere at anytime :s: I have a friend who has the most difficult kind of endometriosis and they've taken it all out (uterus etc) and she still gets more and more endo :(

It was endometriosis I had( I am saying had because they said they got it all last surgery)

My last surgery because of it was very complicated! I had a rare case of it that actully moved into my lungs ( I had masses in my lungs because of it!)

I had my cervix removed in early 20's and so when I started to hurt and get very ill they didnt even think of endometriosis this time. But it was endometriosis . It was in my muslce wall of my stomache and they actully had to remove part of my stomache because of it. It was a long hard recovery. I can still feel the pain when I lift something heavy. BUT I can now breath and my last scan of my lungs showed the masses going away.. I have not did my follow up scan out of fear but I need to soon.

My overies was also removed during the last surgery and I can not take any hormones what so ever because hormones makes endometriosis grow on me in places it should not!

So it's been a longgggggggggggggggg year trying to adjust to no hormones , the hot flashes and now my blood sugar out of control. I sware I start to freak out when something hurts! I dont want another surgery the last one was just to bad! They opened me up litterly from one side of my stomache to the other and removed some of my stomache very painful. I couldnt even walk i had to come home on a walker .( thankfully I didnt have to use the walker but a month!)


My blood sugar had been under control until the last surgery as well. It went out of control a few months after my surgery. well now looking back and knowing how I feel when it goes way up I think it went out of control a month after surgery.

Sorry I am going on and on! These muscle pills and pain pills the Dr has me on for myside makes me very talkative LOL needless to say I am feeling really good right now LOL LOL

[ant hill]

Hello Trina :), That made me feel better as you're are better and happy LOL. Endometriosis MMmm..... I dont know of that condition but it's giving your BG's a workout so no wonder that you're high. Are you alowed alcolhol Trina? :T

[UpNorth]

It was endometriosis I had( I am saying had because they said they got it all last surgery)

My last surgery because of it was very complicated! I had a rare case of it that actully moved into my lungs ( I had masses in my lungs because of it!)

I had my cervix removed in early 20's and so when I started to hurt and get very ill they didnt even think of endometriosis this time. But it was endometriosis . It was in my muslce wall of my stomache and they actully had to remove part of my stomache because of it. It was a long hard recovery. I can still feel the pain when I lift something heavy. BUT I can now breath and my last scan of my lungs showed the masses going away.. I have not did my follow up scan out of fear but I need to soon.

My overies was also removed during the last surgery and I can not take any hormones what so ever because hormones makes endometriosis grow on me in places it should not!

So it's been a longgggggggggggggggg year trying to adjust to no hormones , the hot flashes and now my blood sugar out of control. I sware I start to freak out when something hurts! I dont want another surgery the last one was just to bad! They opened me up litterly from one side of my stomache to the other and removed some of my stomache very painful. I couldnt even walk i had to come home on a walker .( thankfully I didnt have to use the walker but a month!)


My blood sugar had been under control until the last surgery as well. It went out of control a few months after my surgery. well now looking back and knowing how I feel when it goes way up I think it went out of control a month after surgery.

Sorry I am going on and on! These muscle pills and pain pills the Dr has me on for myside makes me very talkative LOL needless to say I am feeling really good right now LOL LOL

I have a friend who has the most difficult type of endo and she has had everything taken out, and still she gets more and more endo popping up everywhere all the time. If having a bad case of endo, it can come back even without hormones :s:

[trinasangels]

I have gained another 5 POUNDS in the last 2 days. this is unreal! We went and looked at gyms today and will look at a few more over the weekend until I find the one I like. BUT I just dont understand this. I dont eat bad I mean 5 POUNDS in 2 days?? I just keep gaining and gaining.

[SueM]

Are you retaining fluid? Are the scales accurate?

[BriOnH]

Really good advice given in this thread imho. As noted Lantus of all insulins seems to have the biggest problem of gaining weight, but as also noted when your body is deprived of insulin it eats your fat, and muscle away and now it is building back up.

May I ask what other meds you are on? Quite a few out there that can cause weight gain. Especially antidepressants.

In today's society it's just awful what woman have to go through as far as weight is concerned. All these anorexic's thinking this should be the norm. I have a sister that was anorexic and no matter how thin she was she always felt fat.

If you feel good that's what's most important. Like others mentioned exercise is crucial, weight or not, it helps controlling diabetes much easier.

[ant hill]

I have gained another 5 POUNDS in the last 2 days. this is unreal!
Ho no! :( And in just 2 days. I am now thinking of fluid retianation Trina but I am not certian that it is.
We went and looked at gyms today and will look at a few more over the weekend until I find the one I like. BUT I just dont understand this. I dont eat bad I mean 5 POUNDS in 2 days?? I just keep gaining and gaining.

The way to go Trina. :D And hope you do well. ;)

[ladytaz]

Trina, have your Thyroid checked. And THOROUGHLY!! That is commonly a reason for sudden weight gain. A thyroid gone crappy!

I too have over the last couple months gained weight for no reason. I've also been bone cold too! Like when it's 76 degrees in my home, I'm bundled up and shivering! I have my Endo appt. in a couple of weeks, and I'm gonna ask him to test me. My mom and baby sis have Graves Disease, and my Grammie had issues with her thyroid as well. So, I think it best to check it.

I also think you may have an issue with insulin resistance. But I can't remember if you were already on Metformin, or if you couldn't take it, or whatever. I also agree to find ing yourself a new Endo ASAP!! You should NEVER feel unfcomfy with your doc!!

I totally understand your deal with not wanting to go to the docs. My sis is like you, and has had MANY surgeries. (13 I think) between her early 20's and early 30's! She too had endometriosis, that seemed to take FOREVER to diagnose. She had a hysterectomy, leaving her ovaries, at age 27. and then I think it was 2 years later had one ovary removed, due to burst cysts, then a couple years later the last one, for the same reason. She'd also, at the time, had to litterally have her intestings scraped off the side of her back abdominal wall, cuz of scar tissue, it had fused it's self there! She's litteraly a walking medical mess!

Me, I've only had two surgeries in my life. A right ventral hernia when I was like 10, and then a tubaligation (the OLD fashioned kind, not no laproscopic) when I was 29. I don't want NO more, but I know I need at least one more. Hopefully it can be done at one time. Got two things really. My gall bladder and an umbilical hernia that need to be removed. *sigh*

anyways, I'm prayin for ya, girl! I know how you're feelin with the weight gaining stuff. I've never expected to be thin again, after having my children (they screwed up my motabolism something fierce) and have accepted that. But, I REALLY ain't liking this, at ALL!!! It's just more weight than I'm comfy with carrying around!