Sugars up following steroid infusions and Christmas

[cathie]

I'm trying to get on top of my blood sugars after two steroid infusions in December (connected to rituximab for my RA) and carelessness over Christmas. I'm sticking to my normal meds, but trying to radically control my diet following online advice from Diabetes UK. I'm not long on this but want to know anyone else's experience, will it be possible or should I go back to the hospital for more medication? My sugars are about twice what they should be and this has never happened before.

I try to eat a 'normal' diet nothing too faddy otherwise I wont be able to keep this up.

[cathie]

thanks. We eat no junk

[Anjijag]

I have been following Dr Michael Moseley's 8 week blood sugar diet plan for low carbs,high fats. (i moderate my fat intake because of a high cholesterol reading). T he recipe book that accompanies the diet plan book is excellent and my blood sugars have come down in the 2 months since I started. I am making a permanent change to my diet based on these books, and hope to lower my blood sugars to something near normal in the next two months.I have lost weight and I feel much better. Diabetes symptoms are not always glaringly obvious and I suspect I had been diabetic for a year or more before I eventually went to the doctor for blood tests. I strongly recommend you read his books as many type 2 diabetics have been able to come off their meds after taking his advice. My arthritis has not got any worse and my acid reflux has disappeared.

[cathie]

Thanks it helps to have good guidelines. I'm getting somewhere with sugars by being very careful. It'd be good to be off meds but that's another stage.

[Patches2]

Hi Cathie

I have to take steroid tablets occasionally for respiratory problems and when I do, my blood sugar goes up. Not a very large amount, but enough for my GP to send me to the Diabetic Clinic to be tested. I should say that when I stop taking the steroids my blood sugar comes down. They told me at the clinic that I should take a blood sugar reading twice a day when on steroids and if it does not come down when I stop taking the steroids to contact them again. I am just hoping that it always goes down. They discharged me from the clinic.

[cathie in reply to Patches2]

My experience too. I should have been more careful over Christmas, but steroids are tricky to handle. I've found that a fairly strict diet is helping but the steroids made my blood sugars double, which is quite a lot. I'm checking first thing, 2 hrs after breakfast, before dinner then last thing at night and I can see steady progress.

[Hidden in reply to cathie]

I was pleased to read this Cathie, I've been taking steroids to help with my COPD chest infections and was alarmed to see my reading had shot up to 20.1. I've only recently been put on tablets was expecting a really low reading. I obviously do have a bit of a problem getting it back down, but I'd reached the point of expecting to expire any minute

Thank you for posting.

[cathie in reply to Hidden]

I'm still struggling to get readings down but slowly it is going down. Good luck!