[tysondouglass]

I know being thirsty is a symptom of diabetes...but i am quite sure I dont have them. Ive drank 9 glasses of water in the couple hours and had a few popsicles just cus my mouth seemed dry...

any one else experience great dry mouth/need of liquid?

[brandonc]

i am always always always drinking something. i drink so much liquid in any given day

[mrsD]

Well, if I were you Tyson, with those nightsweats, nightmares, now the thirst...I'd get a glucometer and start testing yourself all day long. With your history of long term use of Prednisone, aberrations in glucose throughout the day and night, are fairly common.

Best to rule this out. If you do have beginning diabetic issues, you can go into lactic ketoacidosis, which is a sudden change in blood pH and that can be very dangerous and deadly suddenly. One minute you are moving around, the next you can be unconscious!

[Twinkletoes]

Originally Posted by brandonc

i am always always always drinking something. i drink so much liquid in any given day

Me too, brandon -- I've been that way for years. Just found out I have pre-diabetes -- just a small percent away from the real thing. I really didn't think I was headed there, even though I know I should watch what I eat. I guess I needed that diagnosis so I'd pay better attention to how I treat my body. I'm a slow learner, but doing better.

Tyson, I agree with MrsD--you need to be tested for diabetes. I hadn't realized there was a glucose test that can tell you how your blood sugar has been for the past month! Its just a simple lab test.

Take care of your bod -- you've only got one! Be well.

[mrsD]

I can't stress this enough.... diabetes can overwhelm you very quickly. Diabetes is not a "failure" on your part....it is a metabolic crisis. People tend to deny diabetes for some reason, and that can be dangerous and deadly.

Your weakness is also a sign of diabetic onset. For a person with myasthenia...weakness can be confused, and ignored.

You need medical attention NOW.

[mrsD]

This site:

http://www.drugcite.com/?q=Prograf

Lists all the reported events for patients taking Prograf.

[suev]

Hey Tyson..

There is no way for you 'to know' about diabetes. It is remarkably like MG weakness....sugar hi and lows come on whenever, for however long, to whatever degree it wants.

A friend was recently hospitalized for a cardiac event and they 'discovered' diabetes. They took glucose readings every two hours 24/7 for three days to establish a baseline and to help determine what the insulin dosage and timing should be.

The most amazing thing was the baseline (no insulin) varied over 180 points within 24 hours (122 low to a bit over 300 high!!) No wonder his arteries were a mess and his heart on a roller coaster. As I'm sure you know...ideal is 80 - 100 on a fasting draw.

What ended up happening with your sharp pain that you went to internist for? Has anyone ever done a glucose tolerance test on you? They should have for your age and the amount of time on pred.

Finally, what's the update on insurance and your stem cell project. With so many medical things going on with you, it's got to be getting you down. Hang in there, and I hope so very much that things will take a major turn for the better for you.

PS
My friend has stabilized now after quad bypass, strict diet, consistent glucose monitoring and multiple insulin injections every day ... his new way of life.

[allen L]

IM 56 and fat, and on sept 6th of this year I was diagnosed with diabetes.

I was upset thinking the cellcept triggered it off, but who was I kidding.

my father had diabetes, my grandmother, alot of cousins and relatives, and I am heavy, and live pretty much a sedentary lifestyle these days, so in my case, I was asking for it.

Tyson, with all the meds you take, Im sure you are getting blood tested every few months, things like kidney function, etc......very important, anyway, dont wait, go and ask the doc how your sugar levels have been.

Just to rule it out.

[tysondouglass]

Hello all and thank you all for your responses. I am getting my glucose checked..so that will bring out any results. Pred is finally started to add weight to me... not being able to exercise is killin me, just like the first time it did.

But atleast I am alive. Im having very conflicted thoughts right now about the stem cell transplant/vs going back to school.

Allen, how are you doing?

I cant exercise and have to nap 1-2 hours a day to keep up and still at this, i get generalized weakness...so i probaby should just go through with the stem cell transplant,the wait just sucks.

Suev- I really think many doctors dont take me seriously...and I know alot of us go through that. I have not had a steady doctor ever...I was in North Carolina when diagnosed, that doctor wouldnt follow me..i switched to duke, and my physician was a regular for a year or so, then went to school in baltimore, found a different doctor there + my current neuro. Having all of this, no one asks how long ive been on pred for, or the other medicines. They all just think im okay...which maybe I am.

Im glad your friend has recovered, that is a crazy medical mystery..

I am doing okay, i do get down alot yet have to have some sort of faith in something, (not sure what that is right now) but i am ok. Im confused on what to do, and I feel like a failure at the moment. All i want to do is go back to school, and feel better. Things normal people take advantage of..as you all get very well, Im sure.

Allen, im sure that was hard to deal with, after already having a MG diagnosis...but it was expected with your family history it seems like. Sorry though it doesnt make it any better.

I do get blood drawn every 2 weeks right now, and I am coming up on my tests so I will soon see what it is.


Hope your all doing well...

[mrsD]

Sometimes a fasting blood glucose is not enough.

Tyson, you get those late night crashes...that is when you come here and post. Those could be serious LOW sugar events, because the Pred has worn off until you take the next dose in the morning. Night sweats, nightmares, are very common in diabetics having LOWs at night.

Secondly, autoimmune patients, with autoimmune disease can develop type I diabetes anytime, if the disease process begins to attack the pancreas. So while the Pred is stimulating the liver to make more glucose (which is a common side effect) your pancreas may not be working right to take on that effect.

If you looked at the Prograf charts I linked to...you'll see diabetes listed as a serious side effect in many people who reported it.

I think you should ask for an RX for a glucometer and strips and start testing yourself. Sometimes beginning issues only show up at certain times of the day, and may seem normal at others.

Ask for an A1C in your testing you have next. This is an overall average of blood glucose over a period of 2-3 months. It shows elevations, when glucose spikes during the day. It is not in the standard Chem Panel...it is added in extra. May prediabetics show reactive hypoglycemia in glucose tolerance tests, long before elevated fasting levels go up. We are very familiar with this on the PN forum, because that is when PN starts for some people... before severe diabetes occurs. It is called impaired glucose utilization/tolerance.

Since you are interested in the medical field, charting and journaling your journey with MG should be an interesting thing for you to do. It may reveal things your doctors are missing!
People are often very resistant to changing their diet even when frank evidence of harm (blood sugar abberations) is shown to them. This is perhaps your biggest hurdle.

Also extreme dry mouth, and dry eyes too, are signs of another autoimmune problem...Sjogren's syndrome. This is sometimes more difficult to prove with tests. Some people are sero-negative. It is diagnosed with a lip biopsy to see if infiltrates are present in the cells.
We have some patients on PN with this as well...if you search the term on the PN forum you can read their frustrations they have with their own autoimmune issues.