Hi everyone. I’m still on the hamster wheel of RA/diabetes/thyroid. Been on Trulicity 0.75 since November and my labs in March showed my A1C did not move from 6.5. My endo was very unhappy with me and has increased the Trulicity to 1.5 and started talking about weight loss surgery and placing me on cholesterol medication because my cholesterol was 202.
I calmly asked her that didn’t see think my cholesterol was increased due to my RA medication—prednisone maintenance pill of 5 mg/daily, Remicade every 4 wk/1,100 mg infusion, and 40 mg solu-medrol prednisone injection with my infusion, plaquenil 2x, Topamax 2x (Fibomyaglia). She said yes, the prednisone would increase my cholesterol.
But she was still pushing for the weight loss surgery—again the weight is due to the steroids for the RA, I eat small meals. Sometimes I have skipped meals. When I skip meals my blood sugars range from 95 to 108. But when I eat a meal I average 122 and higher.
She accused me of eating improper with the high blood glucose levels on my meter. Again, I reminded her that the levels reflected when I took my infusions, and after I took my oral medications.
So, even with the Trulicity 1.5 my numbers are still fluctuating between 102 (waking up) to 150 (bedtime 9 pm). I take my night medications at 6 pm with my evening meals. I eat no breads, rice, pasta, or starchy veggies (corn). No eating between meals.
I am at my wits end. She wanted to place me on a daily shot for weight loss, but my insurance won’t pay for it. My RA doctor is happy with my progress because the steroids have ballooned my weight up to 300 lbs. (labs did not show diabetes or pre-diabetes at the time), but I’ve lost down to 245 (and now I’m diabetic). Go figure. Before I was diagnosed with RA and placed on steroids (25 years ago), I weighed 150.
One caveat–my RA is not under control at all—and never has been—my CRP levels are off the charts, my SED rate is very high. I do not “show” RA damage, but my labs are awful–I feel like I have the flu all the time.
So, for me to continue to work to push myself and full-time job is really an accomplishment, but my endo does not see any of this, all she sees is that I’m not in in alignment for weight, A1C, or blood glucose levels. She wants them to be in the 80s. I’ve always ran in the high 90s/low 100s even before I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic/diabetic because of the steroids.