Kidney ultrasound for DS 9 ?

[bumbershoot]

Bumbleshoot, I would love to hear more specifics about how your DH is managing so well with diet and exercise- that is fantastic! I take Metformin for high blood sugar/ PCOS. I try to walk 5 times per week and have kept my weight down until recently- I have gained around 15 pounds Is he on a special plan or just eating healthy? My problem is I know what I need to do, but I'm not good about follow through.

I'll tell you first why he hadn't wanted to take the metformin.

He was diagnosed with the 443 at urgent care. They told him that due to how he presented, they would be shocked if it was NOT type 1. They gave him a shot of insulin it was so bad. 2 days later he went to the family doc on the other side of the clinic (multicare), and the family doc didn't want to hear it. He saw an overweight male and said it was type 2. He was rude and condescending, telling hubby that hubby needed half an hour of walking each day, and that he could "break it into 10 minute intervals" if he needed to. Although hubby's schedule for the past 2 months had precluded him from walking, BEFORE that he was walking a mile each morning to catch the lightrail to catch the bus to walk from the stop to work, and then back again in the evening. The doc REFUSED to believe that hubby was capable of walking that much.

The doc put him on 500mg metformin twice a day. Hubby started that, though he was furious at the MD, and had horrible side-effects. Horrible and embarrassing and absolutely unpalatable for hubby. It also made him nauseated and feel worse than he did the weekend before his diagnosis!

He powered through though, figuring that the differences he was seeing in his numbers was caused by the metformin.

The the pharmacist had told us, during the question/answer time when getting the prescription, that it took at least 2 weeks to build up in your system to start seeing results. Hmm, that's odd, he's getting good results only a couple days into walking walking and more walking (and his schedule had now changed back so he's walking morning and evening again) and changing his diet to a GOOD vegetarian diet, not the junk veggie diet we had been following.

The family doc told him that it takes FOUR weeks to build up enough to see results. This doc did not even test hubby's blood sugar at that followup appointment, by the way. Which is scary, since hubby had been so sick and at 443 not even a full 48 hours before.

That day I did some power research, and found that the multicare people (who are very covered by our insurance) had a big diabetes education program, and I called the hospital up the hill from us to find out more. They were shocked by the family doc's treatment of hubby, and said that they had a variety of monitors that hubby could choose from, for free, and to come on up!

Their program involves an hour with a nurse and an hour with a dietician, but they didn't have anyone available that day, so we made an appointment with the dietician for the next week. We went up for the monitor, and although they didn't have appointments, there was a nurse floating around, and she took us back for a quick talk and to show hubby how to use the monitor, etc. Also explained, in a really great way, everything to our 4 year old, who was completely freaked out by the massive bruise the family doc's nurse had done on his arm when getting blood, and had nearly screamed "why do they have to take papa's blood? why are they taking it all?" when I had calmly explained the bruise (and didn't expect that reaction!). It was GREAT to have her help with DS.

During that conversation, she said it take SIX weeks for metformin to build up enough to show results!

Well that did it. Hubby's levels had already dropped by over 100, and by the next week with the dietitian it was down in the 200s. And even according to the pharmacist, it was NOT the metformin doing it. So after a couple days of reading about any negative effects of stopping it (can't find anything), talking about what he would do if his levels started rising again (go back on it), and so on, he stopped taking it.

It has been about 6 weeks since his dx, and he has hit 97 twice so far. His 7 day average is 130 as of last night.

It is 2 miles to walk from our apartment, through downtown, to the transit center. He doesn't always do the full 2 miles home, b/c there is a sketchy area leaving the transit center. So he'll often take lightrail to a better area, where DS and I meet him, and we all walk approx 1.5 miles back home. He often walks TO that safe area in the mornings, to catch the lightrail to the transit center. So he's getting 1.5-3 miles a day, not including walking from the stop to his office in Seattle and walking to the train on his way home.

He has been doing Weight Watchers for 2 years, and had slowly lost over 40 lbs (the family doc refused to believe this, also). But even with that, his portion sizes were out of control (as were mine). Portion sizes are a big part of our lives now, thankfully! We are eating veggies like we can't believe. Salads, steamed veggies (he was living with his mom after she had a heart attack during his macrobiotic diet, and she would BOIL broccoli within an inch of his life, and he thought he hated broccoli but it turns out he loves it! as does DS, and as do I), etc.

Being vegetarian, going low carb is a bit more difficult, and his endocrinologist felt bad for him when we told him that we're veggie. But they have all sorts of "fake meats" as DS calls them, which have helped us all. Portion control has been so important, again, with the carbs.

The endo looked at hubby's diet and agrees that although hubby is NOT eating as many carbs as the dietician wanted, hubby is not hungry, is losing reasonable amounts of weight, and is doing VERY well, so it's OK. The endo is scared hubby is going to fall off the wagon b/c he's made so many changes, but honestly, hubby was SO sick that weekend he thought he was about to die. It scared him to pieces (more than the tumor 15 years before, actually) and he NEVER wants to feel that bad again.

Hubby also found out that cinnamon has AMAZING results with his blood sugars! He had seen an ND 2 years ago, had all the bloodwork, and wasn't even pre-diabetic then. But the ND was concerned with hubby's weight, and sold him all sorts of supplements (which annoyed Robert, b/c R wanted a diet plan), and when we look at the bottles now (R never finished them) we realize it was almost all things that have blood sugar effects! He was on cinnamon with a bit of ginseng, both of which have blood sugar lowering effects (CinnDrome X is the name of it). Also some cholesterol lowering supplements (though hubby's LDL and HDL levels are *barely* into the bad realm, nothing like you would normally expect in a man of his size) and so on.

We realized the cinnamon thing b/c of Disneyland, actually. Disneyland's site posted their pumpkin muffin recipe in the AP holder section. I made them, and they have cinnamon all through, even in the cream cheese frosting. Hubby had one, and his levels were LOWER the next morning than normal. He realized it was the cinnamon, and started taking the supplements again.


Now in full honesty, after the meeting with the endo, I think he decided to try the metformin again. But this time just 500 mg per day, b/c the side effects were so bad he just coudln't deal with it.

But the endo is great (matthew davies, for anyone in the Seattle area in need of one) and is VERY much in favor of diet and exercise changes, and ENJOYS stopping drug protocols when they prove to not be needed anymore. Everyone else seemed to be "it's met for life now", but not this guy, and that gave hubby good feelings.

Since he's gotten it down to 130 average with diet and exercise (and cinnamon), if the metformin can squeeze him under 100, it will help him. Then as he loses the weight, as the endo explained it, his body will need to make less insulin naturally, and his blood sugar levels will likely continue downwards, and once they are at a good level, the drugs can stop.

But I'm not sure if he IS taking it...he said he was going to, then had the side effects again and stopped for a couple days (he knows he needs it to be consistent, he just has a hard time with those side effects), and I'm not sure if he is taking it.

And that's the saga!

Oh, forgot to mention that hubby's mom, a very slim woman, has Type 1. She refuses to use insulin b/c her older son said "once you start on insulin you're always on it" and so she walks and works out (at 70 years old) for about 2 hours every day, is VERY careful with her diet, and I guess keeps it at an OK level. She's Korean and isn't fluent, and hubby isn't fluent in Korean, so medical conversations like that are very difficult at best, and we don't know the specifics. Even if we asked BIL to help (he lived in Korea until he was 9 and is fluent) he lies and exaggerates and puts his own spin on things, so we'd still never get the true story from him.

Since she is type 1 it adds suspicion that hubby is too. It would be a rare type of type 1 indeed, for the two of them to be NON insulin dependent type 1s, but from my research I've found that diabetes goes FAR beyond just type 1 and type 2. There are MANY subtypes (they just aren't common) out there, and maybe they are their own little subtype.



I highly recommend a rice cooker, by the way, to make lovely brown rice. We use about 3/4 brown rice and 1/4 barley, use our Aroma rice cooker, and it's delish and very filling. Just follow their instructions (the rice industry's "cup" is actually 3/4 of a standard cup!) when making it.

 

[princessmom29]

Actually, it DID heal his cancer.

He was diagnosed at University of Washington medical center with a benign but fast-growing brain tumor. The diagnosing team gave him a prognosis of 6 months due to the extremely fast growth. They wanted him on a protocol of radiation, b/c surgery wasn't possible at that time.

He looked into the side effects of the radiation on that part of his brain, and decided that death would be better than all of what could happen.

He started searching for information, and found a book written by a well known doctor in the traditional field of healing yourself. Turned out that that doctor was in the Seattle area at that time.

When he told the UW docs that he would not be going with their protocol, they threatened him with putting him into protective custody, b/c a few years before he had sought help with depression. They figured he was trying to kill himself (what a way to go! ouch!). He had to put an attorney on retainer to hold them off.

Since oncologist have an interesting "hold" on what other people can treat, no one could "treat" him for the tumor. He paid, out of pocket, for supplements, enzymes, and hyperbaric chamber treatments. He went on a macrobiotic diet that did NOT include fish (as macro normally does) because the point was to DEtox, not put all the toxins from the ocean into his system.

The entire time he was having followup MRIs (paid out of pocket b/c his job didn't have insurance) at Harborview Medical Center (big reputable hospital).

Within 6 months (his "death time" according to the UW team) his tumor was shrinking. Inside a year it was GONE.

His 7 year followup MRI was done after we met and were engaged and all was clear and perfect.

Hubby is unique b/c he continued with the MRIs all the way through. There was no falling out of care where the diagnosing docs could say "oh well maybe you didn't have it after all". He was there the whole time, and the MRIs show the progressing of healing.


When you have had that experience and you talk about it, you meet MORE people who have had that experience. When you meet Naturopaths (who are not allowed to "treat cancer" in WA state) and tell them your past, they quietly tell you of many many more cases of healing like this. There are FAR MORE people out there who have healed their cancers with macrobiotics etc than obviously you can even imagine.

I am a biochemist and it is disturbing to me that people are putting this out there as a cure for cancer. There is NO solid science to back it up. Cancer is a mistake in the DNA sequence that leads to uncontrolled cell growth, and loss of funcetion of the affected cells. The only way to completely get rid of it is to remove or kill every cell that contains the bad DNA. No diet can do that. It is simply impossible without radiation chemo or surgery to "cure" cancer. Did your husband have a brain biopsy to confirm it was milignant? That is the ONLY 100% confirmation for malignancy.

 

[mommytomy3]

I hate to tell you this, but it was terrible. They strapped my daughter down to a little board that is suspended between 2 rings. (This was on a table, she wasn't like free-floating.) The little board can sway from side to side so they rotated her so they could xray one side, then the other. She hated that part as she was pretty much sideways and felt like she was falling.

And injecting the catheter was no picnic either. She was screaming hysterically. First they put the cath in to empty the bladder, then after that they inject the dye. When my son had it done (only cause his sister has reflux and it's very hereditary) his urine was cloudy, so before they could do the test they had to test his urine for a UTI. (BTW, he didn't have the reflux.)

It was not only torturous for her, but me as well having to hold her down there. The one thing to remind your daughter is that the sooner she pees, the sooner it's all over. My daughter was uncomfortable with the fully bladder but kept holding it in cause she didn't want to pee in a pan on the table.

.

My dd had it done 8 years ago when she was 3.. not fun! she cried and cried..ugh, it was hard! but my son had one as well (very hereditary like you said, and he had hydronephrosis as did dd) he was 4 months old, and didnt even flinch!
BTW, neither one had reflux, thank God

 

[Jacksmom99]

My DS9 had a ureter pelvic junction (UPJ) blockage diagnosed at age 3. He had to go through rounds of tests with DH holding him down b/c I was pregnant with DD at the time and couldn't be in the room with the x-rays. That was the worst of it, listening to DS scream "I want my mommy" and not being able to go in to him.

After 2 different tests, we found that Children's Hospital in Boston has a coping clinic. There a therapists to work with both the child and the family to prepare for any procedures. The woman we worked with was a life saver! DS ended up having surgery and was able to work with the therapist to prepare for the remaining tests, the surgery and the follow up care. Preparing DS made a world of difference. It was still stressful, but we all handled it much better than the first two tests.

I'd check and see if the hospital has someone to work with the children to explain procedures to them. Good luck, I hope everything works out.
Kim

 

[princessmom29]

My DS9 had a ureter pelvic junction (UPJ) blockage diagnosed at age 3. He had to go through rounds of tests with DH holding him down b/c I was pregnant with DD at the time and couldn't be in the room with the x-rays. That was the worst of it, listening to DS scream "I want my mommy" and not being able to go in to him.

After 2 different tests, we found that Children's Hospital in Boston has a coping clinic. There a therapists to work with both the child and the family to prepare for any procedures. The woman we worked with was a life saver! DS ended up having surgery and was able to work with the therapist to prepare for the remaining tests, the surgery and the follow up care. Preparing DS made a world of difference. It was still stressful, but we all handled it much better than the first two tests.

I'd check and see if the hospital has someone to work with the children to explain procedures to them. Good luck, I hope everything works out.
Kim

This is a fabulous program! I wish more hospitals aqnd doctors did this!

 

[skw444]

My dd had a VCUG done for the first time when she was 8 months old and was diagnosed with reflux. That first experience was the easiest just because she was too young to really understand what was happening. We had to have a VCUG done every year until she was 4 when thankfully she had outgrown the reflux. The VCUG's were harder and harder because she was understanding what was happening and not liking it. The hardest was when she was 3 and I was pregnant. They wouldn't let me stay in the room because of the xrays. To hear her screaming from the hall was extremely difficult. She was never strapped down though...just held down. Also, to this day, she is very sensitive down there and doesn't like the doctor touching her. I definitely recommend having the procedure done at a Children's hospital or pediatric facility. We ended up in the ER of a regular hospital where they had to catheter her and it took 3 nurses before one was finally able to get it in. They weren't accustomed to working on such a small person.

 

[princessmom29]

I realize this is OT but for anyone who is wondering here is some infor on the macrobiotic diet:

"After studying the literature and other available information, the American Cancer Society has found no evidence that macrobiotic diet is useful as a cure for cancer in humans. Lacking such evidence, the American Cancer Society strongly urges individuals with cancer not to use a dietary program as an exclusive or primary means of treatment."

"The macrobiotic diet was developed by George Ohsawa, a Japanese philosopher who sought to integrate traditional Asian medicine and belief with Christian teachings and some aspects of Western medicine. Staring in the 1930's, he taught a philosophy of healing through proper diet and natural medicine. He moved to Boston in 1960, where an early disciple, Michio Kushi, came to spearhead the macrobiotic way of life."

"According to Kushi, cancer is the result of a person's behavior, largely due to improper diet but also to his or her thinking and lifestyle. Improper diet produces a "chronically toxic blood condition." He considers cancer to be a "natural mechanism" that localizes the toxic condition and detoxifies the body. Kushi writes, 'Of primary importance in dealing with cancer, then, is not to disturb this natural mechanism by taking out or destroying the cancer.'" The standard macrobiotic diet in cancer treatment is varied depending on the type of cancer"

"Because this concept was developed without benefit of physiology, it is fanciful and far from accurate. It states, for example, that blood cells, which actually are produced in the bone marrow, are birthed by a 'mother red blood cell' in the stomach."

"It is impossible to evaluate the safety and adequacy of the macrobiotic diet in cancer treatment because relevant scientific data are lacking. Neither descriptive studies of the clinical progress of cancer patients following such a diet nor controlled trials of the diet in defined animal cancer models are available. Many of the patients reporting "miraculous" cures have received conventional medical therapy concurrently"

"Kushi provides no scientific documentation to support his claim that the recovery of cancer patients who have undergone conventional therapy is hindered when treated macrobiotically, compared with patients who did not have conventional therapy. He advocates the avoidance of conventional cancer therapies, thus cancer patients could be needlessly discouraged from undergoing surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. In January 1983, The ACS asked Mr. Kushi for documentation of his work and references to relevant publications. No reply had been received "

"Macrobiotic 'diagnostic techniques,' including iridology, or looking at a person's eyes to diagnose cancer and other diseases, appear to be less commonly accepted than they were a few decades ago. This is fortunate because in the past many sick people failed to have their illnesses properly diagnosed and they received proper treatment belatedly if at all, sometimes with fatal results. Also, some individuals were 'diagnosed' with a cancer they did not really have, 'cured', with macrobiotics, and presented publicly as evidence of the ability of macrobiotics to cure cancer. This kind of activity perpetuated an unfortunate cycle. Neither macrobiotics nor any other diet can cure cancer."

"Caution is crucial because the diet can be seriously deficient in particular nutrients. In the past five years, several studies of the macrobiotic diet have been reported in the peer-reviewed medical literature... Every study found serious deficiencies in infants and children who had been on macrobiotic diets... Researchers recommend that children on the macrobiotic diet receive dairy products and eggs to provide the missing nutritional components and produce a safer, balanced diet. Pregnant and breast-feeding women similarly should supplement their macrobiotic diets."

Two surveys of the dietary intakes of macrobiotic children and adults have been published. Some of the results were as follows:

The diets are low in calories - most of the healthy adults reported having lost weight on the diet.

Several cases of protein-calorie malnutrition have been documented among infants and children who were fed strict macrobiotic diets.

An adult woman who had followed diet no. 7 for eight months had lost 35 pounds and on hospitalization was "near death with the classical manifestations of scurvy and severe folic acid and protein deficiency."

Several cases of nutritional rickets have been documented in macrobiotic children.

Intakes of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B, and folate are below the recommended dietary allowances (RDA).

Calcium intakes in macrobiotic adults and children were 50-60% below the RDA.

Iron intakes of macrobiotic women and children averaged 62-84% of the RDA; those of the men exceeded the RDA.

here are the references for this article

References

Barrett S, Cassileth BR, editors. Dubious cancer treatment. Tampa, Florida: American Cancer Society, Florida Division, 1991:86-87.

Bowman BB et al. Macrobiotic diets for cancer treatment and prevention. J Clin Oncol 1984;2:702-711.

CA (Anonymous). Questionable methods of cancer management 'nutritional' therapies. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1993 Sept/Oct;43(5):309-319.

CA (Anonymous). Unproven methods of cancer management: macrobiotic diets. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1984;34:60-63.

Carter J. Diet and lifespan in cancer (Meeting Abstract). Adjuvant Nutrition in Cancer Treatment Symposium, Tampa, Florida, Sept, 27 1997:A10.

Cassileth BR. Alternative medicine handbook: the complete reference guide to alternative and complementary therapies. New York: W.W.Norton & Co., 1998:99-103.

Creasey WA. Diet and cancer. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1985;202-212.

Dagnelie PC, van Staveren WA. Macrobiotic nutrition and child health: results of a population-based, mixed-longitudinal cohort study in The Netherlands. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1994;59(suppl):1187s-1196s.

Fink JM. Third Opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 2nd ed. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1988:161-163.

Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 3rd ed. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1997:210.

Hafner AW, editor. Reader's guide to alternative health methods. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: American Medical Association, 1993:247-252.

Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project. Guide to unconventional cancer therapies. 1st ed. Toronto: Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project, 1994:110-113.

Wilson Ben R. (M.D.). Cancer quackery primer. Dallas, Oregon: The author, 1986

 

[Minnie M6]

I'll tell you first why he hadn't wanted to take the metformin.

He was diagnosed with the 443 at urgent care. They told him that due to how he presented, they would be shocked if it was NOT type 1. They gave him a shot of insulin it was so bad. 2 days later he went to the family doc on the other side of the clinic (multicare), and the family doc didn't want to hear it. He saw an overweight male and said it was type 2. He was rude and condescending, telling hubby that hubby needed half an hour of walking each day, and that he could "break it into 10 minute intervals" if he needed to. Although hubby's schedule for the past 2 months had precluded him from walking, BEFORE that he was walking a mile each morning to catch the lightrail to catch the bus to walk from the stop to work, and then back again in the evening. The doc REFUSED to believe that hubby was capable of walking that much.

The doc put him on 500mg metformin twice a day. Hubby started that, though he was furious at the MD, and had horrible side-effects. Horrible and embarrassing and absolutely unpalatable for hubby. It also made him nauseated and feel worse than he did the weekend before his diagnosis!

He powered through though, figuring that the differences he was seeing in his numbers was caused by the metformin.

The the pharmacist had told us, during the question/answer time when getting the prescription, that it took at least 2 weeks to build up in your system to start seeing results. Hmm, that's odd, he's getting good results only a couple days into walking walking and more walking (and his schedule had now changed back so he's walking morning and evening again) and changing his diet to a GOOD vegetarian diet, not the junk veggie diet we had been following.

The family doc told him that it takes FOUR weeks to build up enough to see results. This doc did not even test hubby's blood sugar at that followup appointment, by the way. Which is scary, since hubby had been so sick and at 443 not even a full 48 hours before.

That day I did some power research, and found that the multicare people (who are very covered by our insurance) had a big diabetes education program, and I called the hospital up the hill from us to find out more. They were shocked by the family doc's treatment of hubby, and said that they had a variety of monitors that hubby could choose from, for free, and to come on up!

Their program involves an hour with a nurse and an hour with a dietician, but they didn't have anyone available that day, so we made an appointment with the dietician for the next week. We went up for the monitor, and although they didn't have appointments, there was a nurse floating around, and she took us back for a quick talk and to show hubby how to use the monitor, etc. Also explained, in a really great way, everything to our 4 year old, who was completely freaked out by the massive bruise the family doc's nurse had done on his arm when getting blood, and had nearly screamed "why do they have to take papa's blood? why are they taking it all?" when I had calmly explained the bruise (and didn't expect that reaction!). It was GREAT to have her help with DS.

During that conversation, she said it take SIX weeks for metformin to build up enough to show results!

Well that did it. Hubby's levels had already dropped by over 100, and by the next week with the dietitian it was down in the 200s. And even according to the pharmacist, it was NOT the metformin doing it. So after a couple days of reading about any negative effects of stopping it (can't find anything), talking about what he would do if his levels started rising again (go back on it), and so on, he stopped taking it.

It has been about 6 weeks since his dx, and he has hit 97 twice so far. His 7 day average is 130 as of last night.

It is 2 miles to walk from our apartment, through downtown, to the transit center. He doesn't always do the full 2 miles home, b/c there is a sketchy area leaving the transit center. So he'll often take lightrail to a better area, where DS and I meet him, and we all walk approx 1.5 miles back home. He often walks TO that safe area in the mornings, to catch the lightrail to the transit center. So he's getting 1.5-3 miles a day, not including walking from the stop to his office in Seattle and walking to the train on his way home.

He has been doing Weight Watchers for 2 years, and had slowly lost over 40 lbs (the family doc refused to believe this, also). But even with that, his portion sizes were out of control (as were mine). Portion sizes are a big part of our lives now, thankfully! We are eating veggies like we can't believe. Salads, steamed veggies (he was living with his mom after she had a heart attack during his macrobiotic diet, and she would BOIL broccoli within an inch of his life, and he thought he hated broccoli but it turns out he loves it! as does DS, and as do I), etc.

Being vegetarian, going low carb is a bit more difficult, and his endocrinologist felt bad for him when we told him that we're veggie. But they have all sorts of "fake meats" as DS calls them, which have helped us all. Portion control has been so important, again, with the carbs.

The endo looked at hubby's diet and agrees that although hubby is NOT eating as many carbs as the dietician wanted, hubby is not hungry, is losing reasonable amounts of weight, and is doing VERY well, so it's OK. The endo is scared hubby is going to fall off the wagon b/c he's made so many changes, but honestly, hubby was SO sick that weekend he thought he was about to die. It scared him to pieces (more than the tumor 15 years before, actually) and he NEVER wants to feel that bad again.

Hubby also found out that cinnamon has AMAZING results with his blood sugars! He had seen an ND 2 years ago, had all the bloodwork, and wasn't even pre-diabetic then. But the ND was concerned with hubby's weight, and sold him all sorts of supplements (which annoyed Robert, b/c R wanted a diet plan), and when we look at the bottles now (R never finished them) we realize it was almost all things that have blood sugar effects! He was on cinnamon with a bit of ginseng, both of which have blood sugar lowering effects (CinnDrome X is the name of it). Also some cholesterol lowering supplements (though hubby's LDL and HDL levels are *barely* into the bad realm, nothing like you would normally expect in a man of his size) and so on.

We realized the cinnamon thing b/c of Disneyland, actually. Disneyland's site posted their pumpkin muffin recipe in the AP holder section. I made them, and they have cinnamon all through, even in the cream cheese frosting. Hubby had one, and his levels were LOWER the next morning than normal. He realized it was the cinnamon, and started taking the supplements again.


Now in full honesty, after the meeting with the endo, I think he decided to try the metformin again. But this time just 500 mg per day, b/c the side effects were so bad he just coudln't deal with it.

But the endo is great (matthew davies, for anyone in the Seattle area in need of one) and is VERY much in favor of diet and exercise changes, and ENJOYS stopping drug protocols when they prove to not be needed anymore. Everyone else seemed to be "it's met for life now", but not this guy, and that gave hubby good feelings.

Since he's gotten it down to 130 average with diet and exercise (and cinnamon), if the metformin can squeeze him under 100, it will help him. Then as he loses the weight, as the endo explained it, his body will need to make less insulin naturally, and his blood sugar levels will likely continue downwards, and once they are at a good level, the drugs can stop.

But I'm not sure if he IS taking it...he said he was going to, then had the side effects again and stopped for a couple days (he knows he needs it to be consistent, he just has a hard time with those side effects), and I'm not sure if he is taking it.

And that's the saga!

Oh, forgot to mention that hubby's mom, a very slim woman, has Type 1. She refuses to use insulin b/c her older son said "once you start on insulin you're always on it" and so she walks and works out (at 70 years old) for about 2 hours every day, is VERY careful with her diet, and I guess keeps it at an OK level. She's Korean and isn't fluent, and hubby isn't fluent in Korean, so medical conversations like that are very difficult at best, and we don't know the specifics. Even if we asked BIL to help (he lived in Korea until he was 9 and is fluent) he lies and exaggerates and puts his own spin on things, so we'd still never get the true story from him.

Since she is type 1 it adds suspicion that hubby is too. It would be a rare type of type 1 indeed, for the two of them to be NON insulin dependent type 1s, but from my research I've found that diabetes goes FAR beyond just type 1 and type 2. There are MANY subtypes (they just aren't common) out there, and maybe they are their own little subtype.



I highly recommend a rice cooker, by the way, to make lovely brown rice. We use about 3/4 brown rice and 1/4 barley, use our Aroma rice cooker, and it's delish and very filling. Just follow their instructions (the rice industry's "cup" is actually 3/4 of a standard cup!) when making it.

Thanks so much for sharing your hubby's story- I found it really interesting. I am also a vegetarian (I'm actually a pescatarian b/c I eat fish) and have been for 18 years. I suspect that this has a lot to do with my blood sugar issues. When I stopped eating meat at age 19, I had no clue how to do it right, no plan other than: no more meat! It was all carbs, all the time. Plus I was in college so it was carbs and beer, late night runs to Taco Bell, you get the idea.

I put on around 15 pounds right away, and another 15 over the next year, which I have struggled with since. I am much better now about including protein with my meals ( I love Morningstar Farms products- black bean burgers and soy sausage are yummy!) But I still eat chips and sweets, pizza, etc.
I probably need to get a bloodwork panel so I have a starting point, and then commit to walking every day and eating healthier. I will try the cinnamon as well. There are other supplements I am considering but need to get more info on (have you heard of Padma Basic?)

Thanks again, and I hope your husband's health improvements continue!