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Need help with insulin resistance?

Posted on Nov 26, 2009 under insulin resistance test | 3 Comments

my wife has been having a lot of health problems and even more so over that last six months or so. we had a issue come up about 3 weeks ago that we thought she was having a stroke and took her to the hospital, but all the test came back at the time that she was fine. after doing more test they have called her today and told her that her problems that she is having is because of insulin resistance. they are putting her on a medication as of tomorrow, will not know what it is till we pick it up. but my question is, what do we do from here. is there a good site to get information and help from. this is something i have never had to handle before and i want to be able to provide as much help as possible. any input would be great. thanks

As a diabetic I can highly recommend the following sites:
Diabetesincontrol.com
DiabetesConnect.com
Diabetes.org
Also go to YouTube.com, and do a search for diabetes. They have lots of great videos on there related to that as well.
You are going to have lots of questions, etc. Please do not hesitate to e-mail me davelennv@yahoo.com

What is the test for insulin resistance like?

Posted on Oct 06, 2009 under insulin resistance test | 1 Comment

Will I have to fast? How long before I get the results?

The test is the Alc something er other. I never can remember the correct name – it is the test to see if you are diabetic. You have to fast for 6 hours. So try to get it done early in the morning then head for breakfast!! They will take a couple of viles of blood and your doctor should have the results the next day. This test isn’t just for insulin resistance, it is for diabetes. I am insulin resistant and I have the same problems other diabetics have, except my pancreas may give out sooner than theirs. While you are waiting for the results, write down all the questions you can think of to ask your doctor. There is only 1 dumb question – the one you didn’t ask. Your doctor should be able to put your mind at ease if you are prepared. Good luck.

Advice on Severe Insulin Resistance and Acanthosis Nigricans..?

Posted on Oct 04, 2009 under insulin resistance test | 2 Comments

Should my daughter be testing her blood sugars daily?

My daughter has Acanthosis Nigricans which is caused through Severe Insulin Resistance (her pancreas is making far too much insulin, so it seeps into her skin making it dark brown black around the neck, groin, inner elbows/thighs under the bust etc). The unused Insulin is then stored as solid muscle/fat….. hence obesity!!!

Her glucose tolerance test showed a baseline glucose of 5.0 mmol/l which rose to 9.0 mmol/l at 2 hours. The baseline glucose was normal, but she had a raised glucose level at 2 hours as a normal result would be <7.8 mmol/l. A 2 hour glucose level between 7.8 and 11.1 mmol/l is consistent with impaired glucose tolerance, whereas a level of >11.1 mmol/l would be consistent with diabetes. She had a baseline insulin level of 180 pmol/l which rose to 335 mmol/l after 30 minutes! Her baseline insulin level is raised and would be consistent with insulin resistance as a level >100 pmol/l is abnormal. She had normal cholestrol & triglycerides in her blood….

Now my question stems from the above information… Based on the information above, my daughter has been told no more than to just take 500 mg of metformin once daily for the 1st week then twice (breakfast & evening meal) the following week.

She had one glucose tolerance test and on the day of her test her baseline glucose was 5.0 mmol/l. Now I believe that it drops below 5 or maybe goes even more sky high ?? which would explain for me why sometimes when shes up and about she just loses her balance becomes giddy and feints.

Now what are the risks of her taking this drug & if her sugars are already low??? The specialists at Birmingham Childrens Hospital havent said anything other than to provide the results and to bung her on the medication. I might have thought she should be testing her sugars..? What do you think? Especially as I know that she is so severely insulin resistant, that she is pretty well on the very brink of being type II diabetic anyway… Can somebody offer me there opinions on this…. Her glucose test was done 11th August 2009 apart from the letter with the results and medicational needs she doesnt get to see the specialist again until November 2009!!! Pretty bad I think as we dont get to ask these types of questions…

Can somebody please advise of the rise & fall glucose risks and if she ought to be checking her sugar levels as a diabetic type II would…. ??

Thankyou for taking the time to read this…. xxxxx
By the Way : My daughters only other appointment will be with a dietician next week… Will they be the ones advising us about blood testing and of likely highs /lows in glucose???

Theoretically, metformin should not cause low blood sugars in those with insulin resistantce or diabetes. That being said, if she is having symptoms of hypoglycemia, it would certainly be reasonable to ask for a script for a glucometer to check her sugars when symptomatic!

Has she had a henoglobin A1C (or glycohemoglobin) test? This would let the doctors know what her average blood glucose is, and may show that her insulin resistance is actually worse than the glucose tolerance test indicates, which may make it more important to treat her sugars more aggressively.

Finally, has anyone spoken to you about PCOS? Polycystic Ovary Syndorme would certainly be a consideration in a young woman with acanthosis nigricans and insulin resistance, and may have a significant impact on future fertility issues, if she does not make a huge effort to lose weight! Wight loss can be curative in this disease.

Good luck! Hope this helps-