Diabetes -- Yes or No?

[Superbob]

Inspired by a recent thread from Tom in Cincinnati, I am attempting to set up a poll on the incidence of diabetes within the vr.com family. (Tom's doc had observed that diabetes is more common among those undergoing VR.) If I mangle this or leave out possibilities, maybe an expert pollster will come along to clean it up.

Will also use the occasion to brag. My A1C (the three-month average of blood sugars) had soared to 7.7 after my GP diagnosed me as "prediabetic" a few years ago. (A reading above 7.0 is the danger point.) Result from Dec. 6 bloodwork: My A1C is now down to 6.2.

Okay, here goes....

 

[bvdr]

Inspired by a recent thread from Tom in Cincinnati, I am attempting to set up a poll on the incidence of diabetes within the vr.com family. (Tom's doc had observed that diabetes is more common among those undergoing VR.) If I mangle this or leave out possibilities, maybe an expert pollster will come along to clean it up.

Will also use the occasion to brag. My A1C (the three-month average of blood sugars) had soared to 7.7 after my GP diagnosed me as "prediabetic" a few years ago. (A reading above 7.0 is the danger point.) Result from Dec. 6 bloodwork: My A1C is now down to 6.2.

Okay, here goes....

You might want to add a catagory called Gestational diabetes. It is when a woman becomes a diabetic when her body is under the stress of pregnancy but usually goes away after she gives birth. She is more at risk for becoming a diabetic later on in life but is not "pre-diabetic".

 

[Mary]

 

[Superbob]

You might want to add a catagory called Gestational diabetes. It is when a woman becomes a diabetic when her body is under the stress of pregnancy but usually goes away after she gives birth. She is more at risk for becoming a diabetic later on in life but is not "pre-diabetic".

That's an excellent suggestion, Betty. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to edit the poll. Maybe Ross will come along and do it?

Should the category be worded:

+ + I have (or have had) gestational diabetes + +

(to take into account that it usually goes away after pregnancy)?

 

[bvdr]

That's an excellent suggestion, Betty. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to edit the poll. Maybe Ross will come along and do it?

Should the category be worded:

+ + I have (or have had) gestational diabetes + +

(to take into account that it usually goes away after pregnancy)?

I think maybe: I have/had been diagnosed as having gestational diabetes



I know there are many cardiologists who watch very carefully for the development of diabetic problems during times of extended cardiac stress such as following a heart attack. Sometimes the physical stress during that time can cause a patient to develop temporary diabetes very similar to that which happens during gestational diabetes but it happens much less frequently and I don't know of an independant term that refers to it. I guess our bodies can just take so much without something giving out.

 

[geebee]

Pre-diabetic here. My blood sugar climbs too high after eating but it does come back down fairly quickly. I have also had abnormal reactions to glucose tolerance testing but not enough to be called diabetic. I do watch what I eat and test fairly often just to keep track of things.

 

[Nancy]

Regarding what Betty has said-

They do check out Joe for diabetic symptoms whenever he has had stressful medical problems. Sometimes his level is elevated. It has always returned to normal.

 

[JohnnyV_46]

I'm like Gina....My blood sugar is always borderline when I go in for my Labs...It scares the daylights out of me. I have diabetes on both sides of my family tree. Unfortuneately Diabetes and heart problems do not go well together.

 

[Harrybaby666]

Heavily Diabetic Here.....

Heavily Diabetic Here.....

Diabetes runs heavily in my family and NO ONE escapes it.....I think even my mum is diabetic, but she won't admit it....Harrybaby

 

[Nancy]

There was a timely article in the local paper this morning regarding aggressive diabetes management while in the hospital, in particular when there for heart surgeries.

Albany Medical Center had assigned a doctor to monitor these patients and other selected patients for diabetes and treat them very aggressively. The idea is to promote better healing and prevent other related problems.

The article stated that in the past, monitoring and treatments were not as aggressive, often allowing serious issues to develop.

I wish I could have found a link on the Internet, but no luck

 

[ElectLive]

Forgive me for unearthing such an old thread, but I just cast the first Type 1 diabetes vote above, and just have to ask: is there anyone else out there who is Type 1 and had valve replacement? I can't be the only one...can I? Maybe there is no connection, but it would be interesting to see where new votes might land...

 

[ken taylor]

I found out I was last summer my sugar level was 430 and I would have drink water out of the toilet if needed. I could not even read a stop sign . My eyes were so bad. Now my a1c is 6, and I really eat well now ,only carbs, complex and I limit that to 75 or less per meal, lots of fruit and vegs and very little red meat.

 

[ElectLive]

Sounds like you're doing very well Ken, good job. I was surprised how little my A1c was affected by my surgery. My insulin levels were off the charts for a while, but blood sugar control is the important thing, and that was pretty much normal after the first week, so that explains it.

I just looked in my pre-surgery notes, and my surgeon told me that 29% of their patients are diabetic. I'm pretty sure that was all heart issues, though, not just valves. The American Diabetes Assocataion stats indicate that 8.3% of the general population (children and adults) have diabetes. In the 65 and up age group, it goes up to 26.9%. But diabetes also causes heart attacks, so that might better explain the surgical percentages, or at least more so than a valve disorder connection.

Also, for those under 20 (Type 1), only 0.26% have diabetes. So, even lower odds than having BAV. Even lower odds, of course, having both...hence the poll results so far.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi EL,

I was diagnosed with atypical Type 2 diabetes just over four years ago - I'm thin and not insulin resistant so the endo thought I was actually a Type 1 in slow evolution - but I've not "evolved" so now he thinks it's atypical Type 2 and genetic. I take repagnlinide and make sure I eat no more than 30 to 50g carbs per day, similar to Dr Ricard Bernstein's protocol. I also do anaerobic exercise. Last HbA1c was 5.2%.

I can imagine that a lot of heart bypass operations are done on diabetics who have poorer control over their diabetes as high blood glucose can lead to athersclerosis. I don't think there's a connection with heart valves. I've got bicuspid valve and in the waiting room, cardio thinks surgery will be within the next 18 months.

Anne