What should I expect?

[rainne]

Hi, everyone. I'm brand new here today, and one day into a low carb diet.

I'm looking for some reassurance (and finding it).

Yesterday, I took myself off glyburide and started low carbing. I haven't said a thing to my doc (there's a doctor shortage in my community and I don't want to rock the boat) and my bg is a bit higher this morning than it was last week, having gone up about a point (which would be about 12 points the way American's measure it) to 7.9.


It scares me a bit to just take myself off meds like that, but I don't feel as though I can go low carb while still on the glyburide (I often have frightening lows in the afternoon if I don't injest plenty of carbs to balance the effects of the glyburide)-- and I have come to the realization that if I don't do something different, I'm going to just get worse and worse until I die. And although it scares me a bit, it also makes me feel empowered. I read and learned, decided my medication was hurting me and took myself off. Yay for me.


My experience yesterday was that my bg was pretty good all day, but my mood was strange. I'd have periods where I'd feel foggy and disoriented. It didn't feel like a typical blood sugar problem, either. I'm feeling a bit more with it this morning.

Is that foggy feeling normal early in the diet? What other symptoms do people have on the first few days?

[c6h6o3]

If not, you should buy it at once.

[Lisa N]

Hi Rainne!

Wow...there's a lot of stuff to go over here!
First...I'm a little concerned with you taking yourself off medication without first consulting your doctor. Yes, I understand that you don't want to rock the boat because of a doctor shortage, but the two of you really need to do this together. 7.9 isn't wildly high, but it's still too high for a fasting and it needs to come down. Some people will see a dramatic decrease in their blood sugars right away but for others, it may be a few weeks before those blood sugars start to normalize.
Second, combining low carb plans right from the start is usually not a good idea. You have a lot to learn about what works for your body and what doesn't. While you're still in the learning curve, it's much better to pick one plan and stick with it for at least a couple of months before you start tinkering with the plan and making changes or combining it with other plans. Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes solution plan is written specifically for diabetics, so that is usually what I recommend for diabetics, but The Schwarzbein Principle, Protein Power and Atkins are all very good low carb plans and can help you control your blood sugars if you follow them as written.
That foggy feeling is somewhat common the first 3-5 days on low carb..it's a symptom of carb withdrawal. Other symptoms can include low energy, generally not feeling well (nausea, achiness) and irritability. It's important to drink plenty of water (at least eight 8 oz. glasses a day) and at least take a good multivitamin. You may also find that you need to supplement with a calcium/magnesium combination and possibly potassium. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding potassium if you are taking any type of diuretic or blood pressure medication as potassium doesn't mix well with some of those medications.
You didn't mention how often you check your blood sugars, but right now you should be checking it several times a day; fasting, 2 hours after each meal and at bedtime. This will help give you a clear picture of how each meal is affecting your blood sugars and also gives you a good record to show your doctor the next time you see him/her. Record what you ate and then your blood sugar results at every meal. This may also give you some good ammuntion to convince your doctor of the sanity of what you are doing the next time you see him/her and perhaps make them less resistant to the changes that you have made. It's hard to argue with good results. :)
Low carbing is the best way there is to get good control over your blood sugars, but if you're going to do this on your own, please use caution.

[rainne]

Thanks for your replies.

I have Dr. Bernstein's book on order. When both the bookstore and the library didn't carry it, I thought I could get away with reading what is available online - at least until the new edition comes out. But I agree. I should read the whole thing now. I hope it will be here by the end of the week.

My bg is still not too terrible, though. In general, the fasting glucose is about a point higher than it tended to be while I was on the glyburide. The post-meal levels are lower. So, I'd say it's leveled out, but still a bit high. I'm going to give it more time, though. I'm not sure I'd be able to low carb with any confidence if I was still taking it. Those lows can be scary.



I can't say I"m feeling much better yet. I've been warned it can take a couple of weeks to adjust to a low carb diet. What's more, it's been dark and rainy 6 days out of 7 around here. That much gloom always affects the way I feel.

I have lost 5.5 pounds. I realize this is water, but I'm happy to get rid of it. It's nice to see my ankles and feet looking normal. My fingers are less stiff for it as well.

[BeeDott]

Please be careful stopping any medications without at the very least telling your doctor you're stopping it.

There are some medications that cannot be stopped just like that. Long term prednisone taking, beta blockers etc.

[rainne]

It's all good today.

Yesterday (day 11), I started to feel really good. Good energy and good mood.

And today, I told my doctor what's up with me, and how I went off the glyburide. I was pretty nervous telling him (which is funny because I'm not afraid of much of anything, but there's a doctor shortage around here). He didn't look happy, but he also didn't throw me out, and seemed to understand what I was saying about having to eat to avoid the lows.

I'll go back next week and he'll perscribe something else - probably meformin, which I won't mind taking.

My bg is still too high in the morning, but it's not wildly out of control or anything. And it's levelled out well during the day.

I've lost some weight already. I feel better. I will be making a switch to an even better medication.

It's all good.

[Lisa N]

Good news that your doctor was at least willing to hear you out! :thup:
If he does decide to prescribe Glucophage, ask about the possibility of the extended release version (Glucophage XR). It seems to be easier on the gastrointestinal system for most folks and the control also seems to be much steadier...no spikes as your first dose is wearing off before you take your next dose. It also seems to help lessen the dawn phenomenon (where your morning sugars are consistantly higher than your bedtime sugars).
Keep up with the records if you're keeping them so that you can show him your progress. :)

[rainne]

Thanks for that tip. I did a quick search for the XR version (brand name and generic) but I don't see it available in Canada.

I hope that it is, and I'm just not searching right.

I will ask about it.



And yes, I'm keeping records - although I could be a lot more consistant. Yesterday I managed a test just about every hour. Today, none.

[Lisa N]

Yesterday I managed a test just about every hour. Today, none.

Consistency is good, but testing every hour is a little excessive (ouch! those poor fingers!). If you have Dr. Bernstein's book, follow his testing schedule and I think you'll have plenty of data to show your doctor next visit. :)

[alaskaman]

Seems to be a huge variation in what people experience. My dr. put me on glyburide and a high carb, low-fat (Ornish) diet and it was hell. I would eat all that starch, go up to 300, go for a 3-mile walk, back down to 50 and the shakes. Always hungry, had to eat every couple of hours. Take the d--- pill in the morning, eat cereal, nonfat milk, bread, juice, have to be scrabbling in my desk for candy at work an hour later. Gained weight. Hdl cholesterol dropped to practically nothing. Ldl stayed the same. Triglicerides went way up. Took myself out of the medical system, ate what I wanted but worried about numb feet, blurred vision, etc. Read atkins, started that, then read Bernstein, which made wonderful sense. Now, I take no medication at all, my sugars are never over 100, I feel great, lots of energy, walk a mile with weights every day, go backpacking and keep up with the 30 somethings.The first week was hard. Cheated a couple of times with the wife's zucchini bread, but got over that. I do better without all the stuff that's supposed to be like the old high-carb days - phony chocolate just stirs up cravings. Steak and broccoli satisfies. Haven't had a cholesterol check yet, I figure its ok either way. Lots of people on this forum drop, some increase. When I have my heart attack I will still have my feet and my eyes.

[c6h6o3]

I am absolutely convinced that diabetes is the number one cause of death in America. Think about this: what percentage of deaths whose proximate cause is listed as "myocardial infarction" or "atherosclerosis" or some combination of these would not have had those conditions if they hadn't had chronically high blood sugar? I'll bet that it's most of them.

So if you keep your blood sugar normal you shouldn't have heart problems.

[c6h6o3]

Originally posted by alaskaman
Hdl cholesterol dropped to practically nothing. Ldl stayed the same. Triglicerides went way up.

Your experience sounds similar to mine. The next time your physician checks you'll probably see:

1) LDL and total cholesterol down substantially.
2) HDL up modestly. Mine went from 33 to 46.
3) Triglycerides plummeted. Mine went from the high 100's to 73 in six months.