How do we,who need to take medications daily,stay compliant,(take them as prescribed) and why do we go off them, knowing the results if we do.

asking

Hi Ken,
So sorry to hear about the diabetes diagnosis. But the good news is that the symptoms are controllable and it's possible that over time you'll feel much better than you have been for a while. I'm hoping that some of things you thought were mood related were actually caused by the diabetes and the metabolic syndrome that probably preceded it.

I did want to draw your attention to the fact that both sugared sodas and diet sodas disrupt blood sugar metabolism.

For example, here's an article from the New York Times from last February about diet drinks and metabolic syndrome, which is considered the forerunner to diabetes. You probably had metabolic syndrome for a long time before you were diagnosed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/he...on/05symp.html

It says: "the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none."

I wish i could get all my friends to stop drinking daily sodas.

Anyway, I'm guessing it would help if you could switch from sodas to whole fruits (the more fiber the better) or glasses of fresh water. I wrote about this extensively last year, and a high fiber diet--especially fruit (surprisingly)--helps with blood sugar regulation.

Take care. This may turn out to be good news, since diabetes is controllable.

KBC

Well, the blood sugar levels have been steady and "normal".

Metformin and Glipizide have been very effective to this point, haven't needed to inject insulin for a few months now...woohoo.

Now its new meds for the other problems( Seems the older I get, the more problems...HMMMM)

I blew my knee out while splitting many cords of wood.I am now taking a new med called Naproxen.Apparently it'll cause bleeding in the stomach if not taken with food,been ok so far..it is also a problem with the diabetes,I don't quite understand this,but the Dr. stated it might cause some problems somehow,much less I can't take aspirin or the like for all the other pains I have daily,,,WHINE WHINE WHINE.

My Lamictal and Celexa have been a good concoction,seems like this 'MIGHT' be a good winter....we'll see!!!

As the initial thread states, Keeping on the daily meds has made me a more functional person,willing to do the right thing,even if it hurts,,,,sniff,sniff...

Hope to hear from my friends and newbies soon,

KEN

asking

Hi Ken,
Glad to hear your medications are working! Do you think that some of your mood problems were related to the untreated diabetes?

I messed up my knee this year too. A pain. Exercise helps.
Have you been doing that?

I've been tapering off my methadone the last few weeks, which makes me sort of obsessive and gives me hot flashes. I thought it was menopause until I looked up methadone withdrawal.

I have my fingers crossed that you have a great winter.

KBC

Yes, some of the moods were definitely from the diabetes, but not all.

My knee is a cartilage tear ,I get the MRI in Monday am and possible scope work before Christmas,,,,,what a glorious winter this will be.LOL And exercise,LOTS of it, I am installing a new hand split shake roof on an old(1860's) barn,now that hurts...

Hot flashes,huh,Must be thinking about that special someone when they come on...

Hope the intensity tapers off for you,hope to see more of you in here,

Ken

asking

My knee is a combination ACL injury, plus miniscus tear in did in my teens. Then just when it was getting better, I bashed it on a branch. Don't know what that did. At least I can hike now. i do better when I exercise.

The barn. That sounds cool, but really bad for your knee if you are doing a lot of kneeling. Don't do this! That's the one thing I've discovered I cannot do at all anymore.

The hot flashes (ha!) seem purely related to methadone withdrawal. It's weird because I never had them before. I think this is going to be going on for a couple of months, since my planned taper is so slow.

KBC

How go those hot flashes?I hope they have settled down for you

My surgery is scheduled for Jan 13th.That's a long way off,and being stuck on vicodin for that long isn't sitting well.This pain med is bringing out the addict in me again,I am short tempered,tweaked in my thinking,argumentative,and my buttons are way too easily pushed.

I am on a probation of sorts in here even! I made an enemy of a member and was accused of insulting them.Even though others have pm'ed me to support some of my actions,I still believe I would have never gone to the extremes I did with this issue had I been more 'sober'.

I have been wondering if vicodin causes muscle spasms?At night I stretch and my leg muscles cramp up on the other leg, not the one with the damage.Maybe its that I use the other leg more due to the injury?Not sure.

Hope you had a nice thanksgiving and hope to hear from you soon,

Ken

asking

Hi Ken,
I had a great thanksgiving with family and hope you did too.

I still have hot flashes, also lots of headaches. Kind of discouraged these days. Tapering is taking so long and I feel crummy nearly all the time. I'm tempted to try cold turkey to get it over with. I HATE methadone! I go down an eighth of a pill every other week and each time that eighth pill less gives me hot flashes and misery.

Of course, I still have baseline lower back and knee pain and that's been worse, so that doesn't help my cranky mood.

I am sorry they have got you on vicodin for such a long time. That sets you up for an addiction relapse, but I'm guessing you will be able to overcome the temptation to continue for more than a reasonable amount of time after the surgery. maybe give yourself a deadline? A doctor friend told me to keep taking pain meds through physical therapy.( But he's an addict himself. His wife had to through away his drugs.)

I didn't know that pain meds make people short tempered and argumentative. You mean that's not all me??!

I've been on pain meds--different ones-- now since June of 2004, though I'm now down to 2.5 mg of methadone. I sleep terribly if I don't take ambien or benadryl or something to help. I switch off, so I don't get dependent on any one thing. The sleep disturbance is a symptom of methadone withdrawal too, so I'm hoping to get better sleep when I'm finally free of its grip.

I took vicodin for a while and I did have muscle spasms in my legs, but both were back in 2004-2005 and I can't tell if there was a connection. Seems possible now that you mention it. It could also be overuse, as you say. Can you do some simple warm ups and stretches before bed? That might help. I would try to do both legs as much as possible. The more you maintain muscle tone in both legs, the better your recovery from the surgery. I read that people who put off knee surgery have a worse outcome because they are so deconditioned by the time they get the surgery.

KBC

Thanks,I wondered if I was just in my addiction mode again,seems like I am settling down,usage is down to 4-5 a day.(Even though it's dangerous to work in the shop while taking these,power tools and pain meds...not a good mix,unless I can't feel it when I lose a finger.... OUCH!)

Exercise before bed...hmm,that's when it is the most painful.Mornings, the pain is there but after a day of normal use it's a different story.

Surgeon is still booked till Jan.The OR is tied up(I guess not ALL elective surgeries. )

asking

I guess I would try gentle knee exercises in the morning then. Whatever makes you feel better. For me, it's walking. For you something else might help. It's not so much whether it feels better while you are doing it but how it feels later.

Plus then you could do very gentle stretches before bed. I was just thinking it might be worth trying. You could do some easy yoga type stretches while watching a tv show or similar. (I do that. ) For example, I stretch out my quads and hamstrings. And also I found a stretch for the si joints that helps my back. Of course, I don't do them as much as I should....

I have a friend who is in the same boat--having to wait for surgery--and his wife told me that it's really hard to get surgery this time of year because people wait until their deductible is used up, then schedule surgery for late in the year. Then people like you who really need it now, have to wait.

4-5 doesn't sound too bad. If that helps you function, it's good!

I'm down to 3/8ths plus a little.

How did the roof come out?

KBC

The roof is AWESOME( I need to get some pics of it,,once the snow melts that is )

Now an insurance company wants me to do a hand split shake repair on a round,ceramic tiled(ceramic sides),barn,only 3-4 square,I said,,NOPE, not until 1) winter is over and 2) not until my knee is done healing after surgery..(they have NO ONE to do this type work.....Exclusivity has it's privileges...LOL)