PMA one month - Now Grade 2 Diabetes!

[Silver-Babe]

I've only been part of your community for a month, having been diagnosed with PMR on January 2nd. I am on the usual 15 mg Pred and have had my first monthly blood test. Unfortunately the ESR(?) is still on 40, which means it hasn't gone down, so the same Pred for another month.

But what is more worrying is that the Pred seems to have put me over the limit of 47 as a borderline Grade 2 diabetic and I am now 49, which means I am! My doctor says " the worry is the prednisolone can cause a raised sugar so in fact you are doing quite well with the sugar considering you are on the prednisolone. "

Can any of you experts comment please? I appear to have no symptoms of diabetes, ie. great thirst and fatigue. In fact, I've never felt better!

[SheffieldJane]

It does right itself when you reduce Pred again. You can help it along by following a no carb/ sugar diet like Keto. I hope yours normalises like mine did, I found it quite depressing.

[Silver-Babe in reply to SheffieldJane]

Hello another Jane! I meant to say that I am on the Keto diet and have been for a month, so far I have lost 12 lbs. Never lost so much. And I'm at last walking too. I love the diet, no carbs, no sugar, so hopefully the diabetes will maybe go?

[piglette]

ESR does seem to take a while to go down, CRP seems to react to pred a lot faster.

[Lindalang]

I too developed type2 diabetes from high dose of pred. I followed a low carb diet and am no longer diabetic.You can do it!

[Silver-Babe in reply to Lindalang]

Thanks - I'm on the case! No cheating for me now!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Quite normal, but if doctor is not overly worried, neither should you be....as others have said as you reduce the Pred, your sugars will return to more normal levels.

Presumably your blood sugars will be monitored for the next few months along with other tests.

[Silver-Babe in reply to DorsetLady]

Yes, trying my best now Dorset Lady. Hope your bruises are feeling better now

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You were obviously very close to Type 2 diabetes before pred and it is a shame your GP hadn't worked on that sooner. I'm actually surprised he thinks that you have done well - to get much change in a month is quick, the figure still reflects 2 months when you WEREN'T on pred - though to be fair that does include xmas and I imagine there may have been a few carbs around then!! So it may go down once the xmas effect is no longer part of the reading.

One of the reason we bang on about a low carb diet on the forum is that pred DOES change your body's relationship with sugar and simple carbs and although you can't control that you CAN control a large part of the release of sugar into the blood. Pred makes the liver release random spikes of sugar from the muscle stores and that has the same effect as you eating carbohydrates, especially those in processed foods and added sugar. So while you can't stop the liver effect, you can reduce the amount due to diet.

Did you tell your doctor that you already use a low carb diet? That will be why it hasn't risen any further and with a bit of luck it won't rise further - and as you lose more weight it should go down further.

[Silver-Babe]

Thanks so much for these very helpful tips. I really can't ever cheat again! My life depends on it! But tell me about that one square of 70% dark chocolate! Is that off too? Anyway, encouraging that the diet might cure diabetes. I have no symptoms at all though and can hardly believe it.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Silver-Babe]

It all depends what else you eat You have to get down to a level of carbs in the diet that works for you - Snazzy and I have to get very low, for others it is easier. But once you know your level - how you make it up is up to you and if you can be disciplined then you can have a treat. Your choice if it is to be a small glass of wine or a piece of chocolate - or whatever rocks your boat