A bit of crowing :)

[Dr Mordrid]

Got my latest set of labs back after my recent hospitalizations and such.

What brought on all that stuff, and the amputation of my toe, was that my blood sugar control went to hell - the pills stopped working, and as the doses went up I got sicker. Got to where my a1C was all the way up to 11, normal being 4-6, and my fasting glucose was up over 300, with normal being 60-140. Sucked as this came on rather fast - especially the a1c rise. Had everyone scratching our heads.

So....went on time-release insulin and a high-protein diet and after just 3 months -

a1c: 5.6, and my average fasting glucose is 80 and still dropping.

Cholesterol: 138 total (normal: 120-200), with HDL being 45 (normal: >40)

Blood pressure: 120/68

Weight loss: >30 lbs and counting

HDL could be a bit higher, but that goes with my vitamin D level being a bit low so in the sun and on supplements I go.

Doc says everything else is now just great - for a 20 year old (and I just turned 61)

[degrub]

always good to hear a healthy rooster before dawn

[Umfriend]

LOL @ degrub and agreed, well done Doc.

[Brian Ellis]

I'll do some crowing, as well.



As you know, I'm on a stiff corticosteroid regime for GCA and PMR. Side-effects can be that the drugs can trigger the onset of diabetes, increase blood pressure, cause osteoporosis and several other dire conditions. I have to monitor daily the blood serum glucose and pressure. The above graph is the glucose for June, the green line being the fasting (pre-beakfast) level. I emphasise that I take nothing to reduce blood sugars or stimulate natural insulin levels, so the green line is natural. I don't have a specific diet, either. My lunch is usually a sandwich of 7-seed wholemeal bread with ham, cheese, tomato and cucumber. The 2 h peaks after lunch is usually not too bad, but the abnormal peaks you see on the red line relates to when I ate out, such as a snack bar mixed sandwich (bigger than mine and made with white factory-made bread, which I suspect has a high sugar content). Anyway the Drs. say my pancreas must be as tough as they come for a 78-y.o.!!!

Blood pressure is also normal, averaging 116/68 over the month, but this is chemically controlled, so I can't boast about it.

HbA1c is not normally done here. My Hb is slightly low at 12.0 g/dl, despite my intake of red meat and liver! Hct is 35.3% and RBC slightly low at 3.88 x 10^6 /µl. Cholesterol is OK at 156 (HDL 55)

Question: The USA uses mg/dl for blood serum glucose. The international unit (ISO) is mmol/l. Is there a reason why?

[Dr Mordrid]

No reason I know other than that's the way glucose has always been quantified, and last I heard it's the same in France, Japan, Israel and India. (cue: Topol singing "Tradition" )

All meters can display either but are delivered in mg/dl mode, even the pro models used in major centers like Henry Ford Hospital where I go, and that's where they stay. Even medical records are in mg/dl.

a1c is routine here, but since it changes over the long term it's usually done every 3-4 months.

[Technoid]

atm (Friday night, eating chips and drinking soda) My blood sugar levels are probably "3 steps past sugar coma" high

[Dr Mordrid]

Just went back to the Henry Ford wound clinic today -

Post-op the wound was just about 10x10 cm. After the third hospitalization it was 9x9, the re-infections slowing the healing. After being turned over to the Henry Ford wound clinic and seeing them weekly, also with home nursing care, the wound was down to about 5x5 cm last week. This week (today) a bridge of skin appeared across it leaving 2 small wounds: 1.5x2 cm and 1x4 cm.

Doc and all others concerned are very, very pleased. Look like it could be totally closed in just a couple more weeks.