Omg. Thank you,everyone. I'm on 2000mg Metformin daily,Januvia,Neurontin,lantus,pravastatin,prilose c (BAAAAAAD gerd/acid reflux),Cymbalta,synthroid,lopid,metroprolol,chant ix,Plavix,isosorbide,325 mg aspirin, enalapril,& I think that's it. I'm in a small town,in rural SW Minnesota. No car. It's 60 miles to the nearest decent health care. I'm scared! This disease really sucks. My last a1c from a few months ago was 5.5. Shocked my doctor. I suffer from chronic pain in my back,from a 1990 injury,& there's no pain mgmt nearby. It's an hr away & I have no way to go that far monthly. I'm out of food till Monday. Have nothing. I'm really concerned abt my sugars after no food for 2 days. Am I in danger? Y'all are sooooooo sweet for actually replying to this teddybear. Thank you all so much. Damnit..now I'm crying. Stupid neurologist said she won't do the emg cause of my obesity. That's Mankato Clinic. I pray Mayo will help me Wednesday,cause life's getting too hard :-(

As I suspected, your meds can be causing alot of problems for you.
Acid blocking drugs like Prilosec, cause low B12 and also low magnesium. And diabetics lose magnesium daily besides.

Since you cannot get to a doctor, buy some methylcobalamin, the active form of B12 online. iherb and Amazon have it very affordably. 5mg daily on an empty stomach... I'd start that ASAP. You can also get the Epsom lotion by Morton's on Amazon as well in the same order.

Locally WalMart has the Epsom lotion, and also Walgreen's has the special B12 methylcobalamin.

Both of these interventions are easy and safe to do, so I wouldn't wait for stubborn doctors and since you are stuck with poor transpo, you need to be proactive in this.

Here are the Amazon links:
http://www.amazon.com/Morton-Epsom-L...s+epsom+lotion

http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formula...ethylcobalamin

This is a new and very motivating B12 video....made by medical doctors trying to educate their peers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEiz...ature=youtu.be

And this is my B12 thread with all the details about this crucial
nutrient:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

This is the Qunol at Amazon (it is a 4 month supply) at one capsule a day.
http://www.amazon.com/Qunol-Ultra-Co...keywords=Qunol
Statins (your pravastatin) block the enzymes in the liver that make your own CoQ-10...you need to replace that. Over time low CoQ-10 affects muscle functions including the heart.

Please get started now, and continue your successful weight loss
work.

edit to add.... Lopid and pravastatin together are a serious drug interaction.. I'd discuss this with your doctor:

http://www.drugs.com/interactions-ch...-687,1929-1242
Because of this serious potential, Lopid is not much used today.
Your pharmacy should have consulted with you and flagged this
interaction.

I can't thank you enough. I'm showing this to the Dr I'm seeing at Mayo Wednesday! Much luv your way,MrsD

Good luck at Mayo...

Not many of our PNers have much good to say about them.
Mayo is very conservative and mostly anti-supplement OTC etc.

They will test you alot and tell you what the results show hopefully. I'd suggest getting copies of everything. One poster here in the past had POTS and was not told, by Mayo after her testing. But when she requested copies of all her testing, she found that diagnosis in them.

Their B12 ranges in their B12 testing are still the old outdated
format. So get that number specifically.(you need to be above 400pg/ml) An MMA test to go with it would be helpful too since you are getting many tests.
Get Vit D tested too. The RX version to treat low D is not effective in humans and doctors still prescribe it. So bring your numbers here and I will give you a suggestion for D3 OTC alternatives.

Make sure they test you for amyloidosis...and full blood work for immune globulins etc.

Since you are fasting, and dieting strenuously, it would be a good idea to have vitamin levels measured, and also all minerals/electrolytes.

I don't think it is wise to fast for days, as you have said here while using oral antidiabetic medications and insulin. You should ask your doctor to advise you on a minimum caloric intake for your medications to work properly. Otherwise you risk low blood sugars, and lows can damage nerves.

Don't take any vitamin or mineral product before testing. Best to be several days off of them if you use any.

Good luck at Mayo...I hope you find some answers there to help you.

It also could depend on the location of the Mayo Clinic one goes to. There are quite a number of states where the Mayo Clinic is and obviously they all have different doctors. Just saying.

I have developed a bad habit of waiting until there is little food in the house before I head to the store because it is always a painful experience. I usually only hit the grocery about once a month and get my prescriptions at the same time. Being without food for two days is not good for anyone but especially for diabetics. I realize how difficult it is for you to keep up with stocking the pantry but it is absolutely necessary. I keep a bunch of canned vegetables on hand like cut green beans, etc. and a jar of peanut butter so I am never totally out of food. I also keep some can tuna, salmon, etc. I usually run out of perishable items and just do without them untl grocery time but I always have a stock of those can items. At least enough for 2 weeks.

I was told that extra body weight will affect the results of a NCS/EMG and are more difficult to perform. Maybe as the weight continues to come off, you will be in a better place to get the testing done if it is still necessary at that time.

Good luck to you.

I was wondering how excess weight can affect the results of EMG/NCV testing.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/electromy...uction-studies

I have never heard of that. Thank you.

Dear Kitt,

I do not know the technicalities of why weight affects NCS/EMG testing but that is what the last neuro told me at my most recent test a month ago. He told me that even some edema would alter the results. That was not the first time I was told that excess weight is problematic for the testing and I also read it somewhere within the last few months.

I will see if I can find the particulars for you and get back to you.

Thanks again,MrsD. Are you a doctor? Just curious. You seem to know alot. I think I should start physical therapy again. Get the circulation going again. I gotta do something. Ever heard of Sanford here in SW Minnesota/Sioux Falls SD? They're not addressing my damn awful pain. I wanna be able to walk..shop for mysel..walk outside like a normal person. Ya know? It's been 5 yrs.

Clay.... I have to laugh. No I am not a doctor. (I am however
well educated in the medical arena).

You will learn as a member here, that doctors don't really know as much as you think. And also, they are highly suspicious and threatened by people who learn about their own problems.

So in fact, the reverse of your statement is sadly often true.

If I had become a doctor, you wouldn't find ME here, that is for sure. LOL (especially for FREE). Doctors do not donate time to internet forums....their liability insurance would probably
suggest against that. In fact they do not trust the internet at all.
It is only in the teaching hospitals you MAY find doctors using PubMed etc in their practices.

This is why I give links for everything, so the reader can decide for themselves what to do.