Diabetes

[strawberry]

where do I go for treatment of my diabetes. Can't seem to get my sugar down although I'm pretty well sticking to low G.I. diet.

Joe

[Ajarn]

where do I go for treatment of my diabetes. Can't seem to get my sugar down although I'm pretty well sticking to low G.I. diet.

Joe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How do you know if you have diabetes,and you can't get your sugar down without having tested?

And... if you've already been diagnosed before, what's your reason (excuse?) for not being treated? And... why haven't you googled an easy and fast answer to your question? And... how can you know about the GI if you haven't done any research?

??

[strawberry]

I've got a blood glucose meter been testing several times a day and can't get it below 8.5. Just got back from a hol in Aussie land. Needed to come back for family reasons. Previously been classified as border line.Now have gone over the line. I'm on 3 grams of metformin which is the maximum allowable. I figure I now need an additional drug to help keep the sugar down. Possibly a drug such as Amaryl or perhaps I need to go on to needles. I'm not a doctor and my experience with doctors here in provinces tell me they don't seem to know much about the desease and I see people here in the village dieing of it fairly regularly.

What did I say that made you think I haven't done any research.

What I was asking was ''where can I go to where I can find practitioners that specialise in diabetes who can prescribe medicines for me''

I figure I'll need to go to one of the hospitals in Bangkok whick I need to do soon.

If someone can give me some advice I'll head down there on Monday.

Regards Joe

[lopburi3]

I've got a blood glucose meter been testing several times a day and can't get it below 8.5. Just got back from a hol in Aussie land. Needed to come back for family reasons. Previously been classified as border line.Now have gone over the line. I'm on 3 grams of metformin which is the maximum allowable. I figure I now need an additional drug to help keep the sugar down. Possibly a drug such as Amaryl or perhaps I need to go on to needles. I'm not a doctor and my experience with doctors here in provinces tell me they don't seem to know much about the desease and I see people here in the village dieing of it fairly regularly.

What did I say that made you think I haven't done any research.

What I was asking was ''where can I go to where I can find practitioners that specialise in diabetes who can prescribe medicines for me''

I figure I'll need to go to one of the hospitals in Bangkok whick I need to do soon.

If someone can give me some advice I'll head down there on Monday.

Regards Joe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Any hospital should have someone on staff that specializes in diabetes but as you say the treatment can be less than intense. AFAIK Metformin is only to keep your weight down rather than directly reducing sugar. Wife currently uses NovoNorm (repaglinide) for sugar control and is more expensive than dipazide or some others but controls after meal peaks better without problem of causing low sugar levels at other times. And a low level is more serious in the short term.

[Ajarn]

I've got a blood glucose meter been testing several times a day and can't get it below 8.5. Just got back from a hol in Aussie land. Needed to come back for family reasons. Previously been classified as border line.Now have gone over the line. I'm on 3 grams of metformin which is the maximum allowable. I figure I now need an additional drug to help keep the sugar down. Possibly a drug such as Amaryl or perhaps I need to go on to needles. I'm not a doctor and my experience with doctors here in provinces tell me they don't seem to know much about the desease and I see people here in the village dieing of it fairly regularly.

What did I say that made you think I haven't done any research.

What I was asking was ''where can I go to where I can find practitioners that specialise in diabetes who can prescribe medicines for me''

I figure I'll need to go to one of the hospitals in Bangkok whick I need to do soon.

If someone can give me some advice I'll head down there on Monday.

Regards Joe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

''where can I go to where I can find practitioners that specialise in diabetes who can prescribe medicines for me''

So far, I've only found gross incompetence in this area.. Bumramgard might be your best chance.

But, no matter who you see, check ANYTHING they say by doing the research on the internet.

In my own experience...

Amaryl works well for me, but check the drug's contraindications and dosage recommendations carefully and get a liver function test before taking it. Amaryl can put extra stress on your Pancreas, too.

Glucophage works more on your digestive system and is less stressfull on internal organs like the pancreas...

My dosage (self-prescribed for 5 years) is:

Amaryl- 2mg per day

glucophage 2000 mg per day

Excercise! If you were borderline, the most likely reason it got worse is because you don't excercise enough. This is critical to any diabetic to maintain reasonable blood levels. Don't ###### around here, or you will die much sooner than you'd like, I guarantee you.

Add aspirin to your daily diet. It will help to keep your blood from clotting, thereby lowering your risk for stroke and heart attack. This advice came late for me... I had a stroke one year after being diagnosed which paralyzed my left side, permanantly disabling me, and turning my life completly upside-down..

Check out these newsgroups for information and support

alt.support.diabetes

misc.health.diabetes

alt.support.diabetes.uk

alt.food.diabetic

Best of luck to you. Don't screw around with your body.

Edited January 15, 2005 by Ajarn

[Digger]

exapt friend of mine who used to live in Pattaya, always saw a doctor at Bumrungrad as she felt the doctors and hospitals in Pattaya did not have a clue how to treat diabetes. She was having her medical costs paid for though by her employer (Aussie exapt - full package deal) so she probably did not care what the cost was only that the doctor knew what he/she was talking about.

I'll email her and get the name of the doctor. From memory I think she was pretty happy with whoever she saw and she is difficult to please.

[francois]

hi'

Ajarn, I heard that the sadao tree can be used to make tea from the new

shoots, using the leaves, and it helps to low the sugar in the blood.

do you have any appreciation about this?

I have seen this in Fang and one time in Chiang Mai a few years ago ...

it looked traditional thing to me as Thai people use quite a lot of sugar in cooking ...

your thoughts ..?

francois

Edited January 15, 2005 by francois

[Ajarn]

hi'

Ajarn, I heard that the sadao tree can be used to make tea from the new

shoots, using the leaves, and it helps to low the sugar in the blood.

do you have any appreciation about this?

I have seen this in Fang and one time in Chiang Mai a few years ago ...

it looked traditional thing to me as Thai people use quite a lot of sugar in cooking ...

your thoughts ..?

francois

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Missing your good energy and lovely family, francois

This is the first I've heard of the Sadao tree being useful in such a way. I'll do more research on that, for sure. Any idea where to buy it? Since I built my pool for excercise, I haven't had any problems with maintaining good bg (blood glucose) levels... But I do know that it's almost impossible to control by diet/meds alone, and many folks lead much more sedentary lives than before, and of course obesity is increasing rapidly here, and that's a HUGE risk factor for diabetes, especially Type 2....

Onward through the fog

[strawberry]

Thanks for the advice.

your right about the lack of exercise, I've been a genuine couch potato for the past couple of years. the fact is I knew what I was doing to myself its almost as if I had a death wish. When I first came to this village I physically worked hard, building the orchard digging holes for trees etc. For various reasons I stopped and lay down. I kept going to doctors and complaining about this overpowering tiredness that seemed to take over me sometimes sleeping 16 hours a day. I suspected it had something to do with my sugar levels but doctors didn't confirm this. last doctor I spoke to about this ,after having complained about it for a couple of years, just said straight out that he didn't know what was causing it.

When I got to Australia a couple of weeks ago my tiredness got worse. Probably due in part to having lusted for years over certain foods ( apple pies,custard tarts etc.) I went to see a doctor and he told me to pull my finger out and take it serious and put me on to glucophage. Some of the pharmacies in Aust. have nurse on staff that have been trained in diabetes problems and they were more helpful than any doctor I've seen. Pointed out that the numbness in my toes was serious. Iprobably would have been better to stay in Aust. but I needed to get back here with my daughter.

i'll head down to Bangkok tomorrow and will try the St. Louis hospital. they advertise to being a non profit organisation and on a visit there couple of years back to have my ears vacumned I was treated pretty decent.

Once again many thanks for the advice

Joe

[george]

I was shit with diabetes a month and two ago, but now much better:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/blog/george

Please read my blog!

[Sheryl]

Dear Joe,

Dr. Apichati at Bumrungrad Hosp has 30+ years experience, Board Certification in the U.S. and is a Professor at a leading Medical School (Mahidol) . He has private consultations from 4-6 PM every Saturday at Bumrumgrad, medical clinic nurses station 6.

If you're still looking for a doc he's about as well qualified as it's possible to be.

By the way, recent research has found that cinnamon -- a tavb lespoon or so daily -- helps control blood sugar. Try it in tea, sprinkled on cereal, or on yogurt. Can't hurt.

By the way -- have you had your thyroid checked? If not, should given your complaints of fatigue.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice.

your right about the lack of exercise, I've been a genuine couch potato for the past couple of years. the fact is I knew what I was doing to myself its almost as if I had a death wish. When I first came to this village I physically worked hard, building the orchard digging holes for trees etc. For various reasons I stopped and lay down. I kept going to doctors and complaining about this overpowering tiredness that seemed to take over me sometimes sleeping 16 hours a day. I suspected it had something to do with my sugar levels but doctors didn't confirm this. last doctor I spoke to about this ,after having complained about it for a couple of years, just said straight out that he didn't know what was causing it.

When I got to Australia a couple of weeks ago my tiredness got worse. Probably due in part to having lusted for years over certain foods ( apple pies,custard tarts etc.) I went to see a doctor and he told me to pull my finger out and take it serious and put me on to glucophage. Some of the pharmacies in Aust. have nurse on staff that have been trained in diabetes problems and they were more helpful than any doctor I've seen. Pointed out that the numbness in my toes was serious. Iprobably would have been better to stay in Aust. but I needed to get back here with my daughter.

i'll head down to Bangkok tomorrow and will try the St. Louis hospital. they advertise to being a non profit organisation and on a visit there couple of years back to have my ears vacumned I was treated pretty decent.

Once again many thanks for the advice

Joe

[paehk]

My girlfriend's mother also takes cinammon on a daily basis for her blood sugar. After hearing good things from her in Thailand about cinammon, I recommended it to my father.

[Ajarn]

By the way -- have you had your thyroid checked? If not, should given your complaints of fatigue.

Good point, but it should be noted that fatigue and weakness can also be major signs that your bg is way out of control, and has been for some time... A definate wake-up call, to be sure. Losing your sight, as I did, is the next step for many.

It's sooo easy to let this thing go for a long time.. In my case, I figure I had diabetes for perhaps 4 years before I got serious- and only because it got serious first.

Now I'm paralyzed from a stroke and must use a wheelchair, my sight is still not as good as 3 years ago, my toes and feet are in danger of being amputated, and it's extremely likely I'll have another stroke, or heart attack in the relatively near future.

I've learned my lessons the hard way, as usual. I'm not whining about it, but please heed my words so maybe you can avoid finding yourself in such a situation as mine...

There is a plus side, in that it has changed the way I think and act in a hugely positive way, but there must be better ways to achieve that, na'?

[strawberry]

Hey Ajarn,

real sorry to hear about your problems. scared the ###### of me as well. Just got back from bangkok and the St. Louis hospital, saw a specialist there works at chulalongorn university and seems I was lucky to arrive there in time to see her.i'm now on the same medication as you. The web sites you mentioned are great and I spent a fare amount of time last Sunday going through those. If I can add to the list you gave me www.diabetesaustralia.com. If you are fortunate ( like me) to be an aussie cituzen. There are benefits price wise to being a member, but one needs to go back to aust. to be seen by a doctor. The government subsidises some of the stuff. My blood sugar has been down to 5.4 since starting the amatyl which is the lowest its been in months. The 2 books I'm studying are The G.I. Factor and a book called ''food for everybody'', that can be got from the Roche web page.

Hi Sheryl

Yes mate I get my thyroid checked every year and its been staying fairly steady now for about 3 years.

I tried the cinnamon, 1 teaspoonful per day but my Diabetes got worse, stupid me decided to to go off my medication while I was doing it. I get good yoghurt culture sent in and I'll start mixing it in with my breakfast but will continue to take my pills

Regards to you all Joe

[Ajarn]

Oh, by the way, I still do a lot of homecooking (via my housekeepr) and the only added sugar I use is Splenda, and it's helped a lot to maintain a better quality of life. Unfortunately, rice and noodles must be severly limited in my case due to their high carb levels...

Splenda is available from the States, and they will ship to Thailand. Duty-free, too.

http://www24.netrition.com/cgi/prices.cgi?manu_id=136

[strawberry]

Hi Ajarn,

put the web site on my favourites. I'm in your debt again. thanks mate. Having the same problems with rice and it also seems with wheat products as well. 2 toasted tomato sndwiches,for breakfast, put me up to 15 mmol/L (270.3mg/dl). So its a challenge to try and get it right. Wouldn't mind some of the receipes you have.

Regards Joe

[strawberry]

Hey it might be a helpful thing if some of us got it together to exchange receipe ideas. The receipes I have some of the ingredients are not possible to get.

Joe

[Ajarn]

Hi Ajarn,

put the web site on my favourites. I'm in your debt again. thanks mate. Having the same problems with rice and it also seems with wheat products as well. 2 toasted tomato sndwiches,for breakfast, put me up to 15 mmol/L (270.3mg/dl). So its a challenge to try and get it right. Wouldn't mind some of the receipes you have.

Regards Joe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Joe, the hardest part for me was figuring out how my body reacted to foods. The GI scale is useful, but every body reacts differently, to diffeent foods. For example, your breakfast would raise my bg just a bit, because my body does pretty well with bread... But even one small springroll (the woon sen (glassnoodles) will send my bg up fast.

Peanut butter has no strong effect. Fruits have a strong effect...

Dark chocolate, even a large bar, doesn't hurt me too bad.. Just once a month or so is all I need...

Test, test, test...

Sort of a goal is to keep your levels under 140 two hours after a meal. The easiest way to do that quickly is by excercise. I have a pool just outside my door, so that part is easy and fun. No hot sweats, no aching joints, and docs say 'jogging' in water burns 30% more calories than jogging on the street.

Joe, I don't deny myself anything, but I try to keep it all in balance. If you feel deprived, you're more likely to meet that desire for whatever it is.

And, as I've mentioned (ad nauseam?) excercise is a key to better health, and in my case, my pool saved my life because I had no real way to get excercise, let alone maintain an excercise regime on a daily basis. I was headed downhill fast until I built it last year. The only bad part is getting out. I go from feeling like a fish to feeling like a big buffalo.

allrecipes.com has lots of low carb food and many reviews for each submitted recipe. They also have a recipe search by ingredient(s) which I use a lot..

Best to you, Joe. Keep on truckin'

[NarrLing]

This may provide a ray of hope in the near future.

New oral drug to treat type 2 diabetes

18:32 AEDT Sat Jan 22 2005

A Melbourne research team has invented an oral drug for diabetes sufferers in a bid to given them a new lease of life.

While Type 2 diabetes sufferers depend on routine insulin injections and other therapies, the new drug could improve insulin potency, lower blood glucose levels and reduce side effects.

The drug, ISF402, is the brainchild of Monash University diabetes experts Paul Zimmet and Frank Ng.

Professor Zimmet said the drug's major advantage over existing therapies was that it was based on a peptide in human fluids with four amino acids.

"ISF402 lowers blood glucose and has been shown to be more effective when co-administered with injected insulin," Professor Zimmet said.

"It is anticipated that it will also enhance the action of insulin and improve the control of blood glucose levels."

An oral version of the drug is being developed and human trials are scheduled for the end of 2006.

Monash studies have shown that the drug reduces glucose levels in animal models of diabetes.

Professor Zimmet said the drug was targeted to Type 2 diabetes sufferers, whose conditions were mostly linked to obesity and usually resistant to insulin.

©AAP 2005

[skycop51]

I have diabetes and gave up on my BS, because I have to take Steriods for another condition. I take pills and now my feet are numb, won't be long for me. Killed my Mom.

What to do...###### I do not know.

Oh, by the way, I still do a lot of homecooking (via my housekeepr) and the only added sugar I use is Splenda, and it's helped a lot to maintain a better quality of life. Unfortunately, rice and noodles must be severly limited in my case due to their high carb levels...

Splenda is available from the States, and they will ship to Thailand. Duty-free, too.

http://www24.netrition.com/cgi/prices.cgi?manu_id=136

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Nignoy]

I have diabetes and gave up on my BS, because I have to take Steriods for another condition. I take pills and now my feet are numb, won't be long for me. Killed my Mom.

What to do...###### I do not know.

Oh, by the way, I still do a lot of homecooking (via my housekeepr) and the only added sugar I use is Splenda, and it's helped a lot to maintain a better quality of life. Unfortunately, rice and noodles must be severly limited in my case due to their high carb levels...

Splenda is available from the States, and they will ship to Thailand. Duty-free, too.

http://www24.netrition.com/cgi/prices.cgi?manu_id=136

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have any of you guys tried Diabex ,I have been diabetic for over 20years, was insulin dependant in UK, through my disability have put on a lot of weight, been up as high as 130kgs , am losing weight again, controlling my diabetes with sensible eating and 3x1gramme tablett of diabex check my gi twice a day only goes over 7.5 when we I drink coke or lemonade, so must be doing some thing right, Nignoy

[tutsiwarrior]

I posted this elsewhere but got no reply...how much would I expect to pay for health insurance in Thailand if I were diabetic and over 60 years?

Also...those of you with diabetes trying to cut out the carbs and living outside of BKK where alternate diets are difficult, how do you do it? Where I live in Suphanburi if you cut out rice and noodles you starve to death...

something else...last year I managed to keep my fasting BG level below 150 mg/dl but recently I struggle to keep it below 200 with no difference to diet and drinking habits...anybody seen this phenomenon?

[cathyy]

I'd sure like to hear an update from Strawberry on whether his diabetes is under control!

[Ajarn]

I posted this elsewhere but got no reply...how much would I expect to pay for health insurance in Thailand if I were diabetic and over 60 years?

Also...those of you with diabetes trying to cut out the carbs and living outside of BKK where alternate diets are difficult, how do you do it? Where I live in Suphanburi if you cut out rice and noodles you starve to death...

something else...last year I managed to keep my fasting BG level below 150 mg/dl but recently I struggle to keep it below 200 with no difference to diet and drinking habits...anybody seen this phenomenon?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Regarding insurance, the main problem would be that your diabetes is a 'pre-existing condition', meaning that any problem you have that could be connected to your diabetes (and that seems to be almost anything...) might likely not be covered by your insurance... Of course, the only way to know for sure is to contact an insurance provider and ask them...

If you can't get your bg levels down through excercise and food control, you may be forced to do the insulin scene... Better to severely limit the rice and noodles... You're not going to starve, I think

To skycop51, I'm sorry you have decided to give up... But still realize that you can also decide to not give up, too

The key is balance. I've learned to live with my diabetes and still not deny any food I want... I just put a bit more effort into keeping it all in balance. Some days you can, some days you can't...

Good luck...

[Nignoy]

I posted this elsewhere but got no reply...how much would I expect to pay for health insurance in Thailand if I were diabetic and over 60 years?

Also...those of you with diabetes trying to cut out the carbs and living outside of BKK where alternate diets are difficult, how do you do it? Where I live in Suphanburi if you cut out rice and noodles you starve to death...

something else...last year I managed to keep my fasting BG level below 150 mg/dl but recently I struggle to keep it below 200 with no difference to diet and drinking habits...anybody seen this phenomenon?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Regarding insurance, the main problem would be that your diabetes is a 'pre-existing condition', meaning that any problem you have that could be connected to your diabetes (and that seems to be almost anything...) might likely not be covered by your insurance... Of course, the only way to know for sure is to contact an insurance provider and ask them...

If you can't get your bg levels down through excercise and food control, you may be forced to do the insulin scene... Better to severely limit the rice and noodles... You're not going to starve, I think

To skycop51, I'm sorry you have decided to give up... But still realize that you can also decide to not give up, too

The key is balance. I've learned to live with my diabetes and still not deny any food I want... I just put a bit more effort into keeping it all in balance. Some days you can, some days you can't...

Good luck...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Giving up is not an option really, to many things can happen, I was taken off all medication for medical reasons 2 years ago , result was the loss of sight in my right eye (diabetic Glaucoma)So skycop51 dont give up mate!! Nignoy

[george]

What is your experience with Diamicron MR ?

[Sheryl]

I posted this elsewhere but got no reply...how much would I expect to pay for health insurance in Thailand if I were diabetic and over 60 years?

Also...those of you with diabetes trying to cut out the carbs and living outside of BKK where alternate diets are difficult, how do you do it? Where I live in Suphanburi if you cut out rice and noodles you starve to death...

something else...last year I managed to keep my fasting BG level below 150 mg/dl but recently I struggle to keep it below 200 with no difference to diet and drinking habits...anybody seen this phenomenon?

Switching to brown rice (nowadays readily available) will help if you eat at home. If you eat out, maybe you could bring your own brown rice with you. Will still need to control rice intake but brown rice breaks down much more slowly so lower Glycemic Index.

It is common for type II diabetes to be harder to control as one ages. Suggest eliminate all alcohol (sounds like you still take some). Beyond that and doing your best in keeping weight down and regular exercise, also take at least 1 teaspoon of cinamin daily it has been proven helpful. It tastes good in tea or coffee.

If with all of these fasting BG still high then you have to either go on medication or change meds/dose if already on.

(I'm a nurse)

Good luck