[GuitarManDave]

I'm sure my MODY tests have come back but I've been too busy to call my doctor and get the results. Actually... to be more truthful... I'm almost afraid to find out. If it turns out NOT to be MODY then I think it will be a huge letdown. I've spent two years trying to get a firm diagnosis and MODY has been a perfect fit for my symptoms. To discover that it ISN'T Mody will feel like going back to square one. I know - it sounds irrational. I have an appointment with my Endo in a couple of weeks with a full cholesterol and a1c workup so I figure I'll wait til then - might as well get all the news at the same time!

Good luck with the Prandin - it really threw me for a loop. Often one pill wasn't enough and seemed to have no impact but two pills sent me crashing into the basement. Not fun.

I'll be curious to hear how Apidra works out for you.

One thing I've found after being on the pump for a month is that pre-bolusing is absolutely critical. If I don't give the insulin 20-30 a minute head start then it's worse than not taking it at all - big spike then a big crash. Yuck!

I have to admit now that I've gotten good at counting carbs and figured out my carb-2-insulin ratio I've gotten sloppy with my diet. I realize this probably isn't healthy. Can anyone point me to evidence for this - specifically that it is NOT ok to load up on carbs even if you are keeping it under good control with insulin? Weight gain is not an issue for me - in fact I'm trying to gain weight.

Happy spring!

[lottadata]

Dave,

I know what you mean about wanting the diagnosis but fearing it won't come through so you'll be left scratching your head again.

But it is important to remember that if you have the personal and/or family history suggestive of that kind of problem, the gene tests are not definitive. On the Joslin site where they discuss MODY they say they believe there are many more MODY genes that are not yet identified. I spoke to someone who was recruiting for their MODY gene project there who told me the same thing.

At my endo appointment last week the doctor suggested that I try Prandin along with the other insulins, so I figured, why not. I started with 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet which was better than nothing but not quite strong enough. So I boosted it to 1/2 a tablet today and it did very well at lunch where I ate a meal that can be a problem with insulin as it blends fast and slow carbs. I peaked at 123 at 1 hour and ended up at 93 at 3 hours. I would be VERY happy if that turns out to be reproducible. That was with about 45 grams of carb.

If I can get that kind of result reliably, I might be able to replace the insulin. It was so much more mild than the Amaryl which was terrifyingly overpowering even at a tiny dose.

The biggest concern I have about Prandin is hunger. I've heard reports it makes people hungry and can cause weight gain.
And the other problem is that I'm used to titrating insulin very closely to what I eat, and don't like the idea of eating to the drug. I am old and small so it takes a tiny amount of calories to keep me going. I will gain weight eating an extra couple hundred calories a day.