Well I didn’t get to talk to my rheumy at this month’s infusion for the antibody testing…no doctor’s visit, but I have another infusion and doctor’s appointment at the end of the month (infusion every 4 weeks).
Of course the infusion raised my BG as usual , but over the weekend I was so busy with projects that I ended up doing intermittent fasting and my blood sugars worked out pretty good. I did the same thing again today (again, not by choice, but due to a crazy work schedule) and my BG worked out pretty well.
Doing the above I hovered between 98 to 136 compared to the yo-yoing of 118 to 198.
So does anyone do intermittent fasting every day, like eat breakfast, skip lunch and eat supper or eat breakfast and lunch and skip supper?
I have medications to take for breakfast and supper so I need something on my stomach.
Will this work as a long-term solution to keep my BGs level…or will my diabetes become resistant? I know I won’t be able to keep it in line completely because of the infusions, but…every little bit helps.
Yes, I intermittent fast all the time and it has not only flat lined my dawn phenomenon but also keeps my weight in check. I have found a direct relationship between morning BG and weight.
I keep my weight between 125 lbs and 127 lbs during the day. To do that, I weigh myself first thing in the morning and if I am over 125 lbs, even at 125.1 lbs I skip breakfast. If over 126,5 skip both breakfast and supper and just have lunch. If over 127 skip all meals for the day and just drink fluids. This keeps BG’s and weight amazingly stable.
This has been a large part of my secret of being able to remain 100% Time in Range 24/7 for 30 day periods without 1 hypo or 1 hyper episode. I am MDI with I:C 1:3, not on pump + Dexcom G5 CGM
@Kate25 - I eat only once a day (mid-afternoons). I do have coffee in the am and drink Diet Coke, but only ingest food once every 24 hrs.
I also get blood product infusions and the hospital every third week, which can disrupt my routine and BG.
Given the flexibility the pump and CGM give me, it’s far more manageable than it was 25 years ago.
There’s really no secret to intermittent or extended fasting. If you’re on 3 meals a day the key is to cut out all snacks, begin increasing your fat intake while reducing carbs. Eliminate breakfast first, and if you don’t eat until noon you will have fasted since dinner the night before (18 hours).
My doctor only has me testing my sugars twice a day and hasn’t given me a script to get my testing supplies. It’s more of a hit and miss on check my blood sugars, in having to stretch out my supply. My previous endo wrote me a script so I could get my supply through my insurance but my current primary said it’s not necessary.
How do you fast that long without having a hypo? Since I take prednisone—it demands food–like a rebellious child. Very easy to spike then drop, roller coaster.
I’ve noticed that I can no longer tell whether I am high or low anymore either…lately I think i"m “in the zone” and I’m really higher than I thought.
Sounds like you are more than ripe for a CGM - Due to your other issue I am not qualified to answer your question about fasting and prednisone as I am not on that medication. - Sorry
Not a problem CJ114. Thank you for responding. Thank you Jim for responding as well. You both have answered my question on how intermittent fasting works. I not have more knowledge on the subject and how I can utilize it in my diet.
Kate - Prednisone is an ugly drug for Diabetics to be on. It makes BG control close to impossible. Are you just getting IV prednisone or orally each day as well?
I apologize if you’ve mentioned this, but are you T1 or T2? Are you on MDI (basal and fast acting), and do you have a CGM?
Any Diabetic who’s experiencing low blood sugars (hypos) has too much insulin in their system. I’m on a low carb (read no carb) diet and I only use about 16-18 units of FiASP per day. This is less than half what I used in the old days when I ate pasta, pizza and potatoes .
Let me add that low carb diets aren’t for everyone and I’m certainly not promoting LC over any other diet choices. Given my particular situation, LC has relieved me of having to be concerned with roller coaster BG levels, while at the same time reversed most of the inflammatory processes my Lupus has caused.
I don’t need carbs because I’ve adjusted my basal does down to a level that just compensates for the glycogen my body produces itself via gluconeogenesis.
Even doing 72 hour fasts I find that careful monitoring of BG levels and keeping a close eye on on basal insulin needs allows me to complete these without issue.
Jim, I am on a maintenance dose of 5 mg prednisolone but I also take a 40 mg shot every other month with my monthly Remicade IV. I was diagnosed with steroid induced diabetes (aka T2). My maternal grandfather and my mom were both T1, and my maternal grandmother was T2. I’ve never had the antibody test done.
I have other autoimmune problems–thyroid and allergy issues (food and environmental) with my body being overdrive.
Doctors have tried me on T2 medications–metformin, Trulicity, Januvia, etc. and they made me extremely sick and/or did not effectively control my blood glucose levels.
I try to stay away from starchy foods (breads, pasta, potatoes, etc.)—raises my sugars and causes more inflammation. My mom and grandfather had the same issue of high blood glucose with starchy foods.
One endo I visited suggested insulin for meals but due to insurance I was not able to return to see him. I do not have a CGM and unfortunately I ration my testing strips since my primary will not write me a prescription for test strips. Some days I do not test at all.
That maintenance dose of 5 mg/d is enough to create serious havoc with your BG, not to mention your appetite. I hate prednisone - was on it several times for months, with additional Solu-Medrol infusions for inflammatory flare-ups.
I take my hat off to you for staying in range while on the prednisone. Not sure how Remicade affects you, but a number of patients I know from day medicine stopped Remicade after serious side effects.
Yes, I can’t handle pred. The couple times I allowed a doc to Rx for me were mistakes. The high bg’s were worse than what I went to see the doc for. One time was for a chronic, terrible case of hives. I’d take 3x the normal amount of insulin and still would be in the high 200’s day and night. I quit after a few days. I forget the other time I took it, but since then I’ve been offered pred for a variety of things and just turn it down and manage w/o it.
Remicade is a double edged sword as well, but not as harsh as the prednisolone. The months that I do not have the 40 mg pred shot with the infusion, I usually suffer the same side effects as with the prednisolone except loss of appetite. I still have a spiked BG for a few days. With prednisolone my BG will be 250+ and without I will come in at 180-195+ range.
I’ve really worked hard with keeping my BGs under control. My former endo was very unforgiving even though the prednisolone keeps me functional; but, my inflammation markers (CRP/Sed Rates) are still high.
The diabetic meds make me sick so I’ve just been trying to control my BG with diet and exercise (the most I can do is stretching and walking on flat ground).
When they thought I was a type 2 all the medications made me sick they tried and didn’t work very well. I noticed you mentioned you have relatives that were a type 1. Type 1/LADA takes years, even 8 years plus to fully develop so keep an eye out for it as it runs in families.
5 mg of Pred would put me in the 300’s, 2 1/2 kept me at least in the 100’s. I turn it down now too, but I know sometimes it can’t be helped. But it just makes it really a lot harder to predict what your sugars are going to do.
I have DP too and it’s really hard to control my Bg’s if I eat in the am so most of the time I generally fast until after noon at least. So I fast somewhere in between 12-16 hours every day.
Thanks Marie. Before I gave up starches I would be in the 250 to 270 range easily two hours after a meal and around 180 before a meal. Now I guess you would say I’m leaning toward a keto-friendly diet no starches—but veggies, blueberries, small apples, and lean beef.
For what it’s worth, whenever I periodically take oral prednisone for asthma flare-ups, I increase my basal by 15% for every 5 mg tab, and similarly decrease my basal by the same amount as I taper off. Through trial and error I found this successfully keeps my numbers pretty normal.
Very easy to spike then drop, roller coaster.
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