Sarcoid and Diabetes

• By Pat-y
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 11:52 am

BDilly,
They dx my diabetes when they started me on pred. and metho. so I started the insulin and sarc. med.s at the same time. I am managing the diabetes and just holding on til I get off the pred. to see what my sugar levels really are. Right now they are typically around 200-400 but maybe once a week upper 400's. Following the diet is huge but when I forgot to take the pred. one day my sugars were in the normal range,so I'm hoping. (I'm on 20mg pred. daily) Have a great day! Pat-y

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• By BDILLY
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Hi Pat-y
Yea, I'm 200-300 without the prednisone. If I go back on pred----just the thought of it...

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• By nyjets
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Hi BDilly, my husband Rick was & is diabetic. He has been diabetic for about 10 yrs, very high readings, at one point was off of work for almost 1 1/2 yrs. He's been now out of work since 1/07. He's been having problems for about the last 3 yrs. His highs on a regular basis has been over 600 because his meter says HI & has been 300-600+. Thank GOD he has never been in a coma because of it. His drs have been surprised as well. We've been watching his diet, I have taken him off diet soda, the aspartame I didn't know it was KILLING him, especially for diabetics, I thought that giving him diet soda instead of reg soda was better for him....NOT. Since he's been off the diet sodas,his sugars have been ok. I feel if he wants a soda just have a regular one & that seems to work. Now in June 07 he wad dx'd with Sarc & no treatment, until he started getting worse with the sarc, he now has it in his liver/spleen & that was just dx'd 7/08 that's when Dr Sharma said it's time to start tx. Rick's dr was supposed to have a liver bx done last yr after our visit to Dr Sharma in 6/07, his dr over looked it. Rick has suffered alot due to error. After Dr Sharma pointed that out to us we were outraged,that very next day I was at the Dr office. Dr Sharma felt that Rick needed ASAP...Pred 10mg & Plaquenil 200mg. He started that on 6/18/08. Rick checks his sugars 3x a day & that god that they have been under 300 that's good!!!! Average 140-190 daily...Nothing higher... weird?.... but what's more weird is that his sugars have also been very low 57!!!!!!on more then one occassion, anything lower then 100 is too low for him & that's maybe 3-4x per wk!! Once at 11:30pm Rick got up to go to the bathroom, when he came back to bed he was dizzy & felt funny, I told him to check his sugar & it was 57....I was very scared & worried because I thought he was going to pass out. I gave him an orange soda & crackers, after he ate that he felt better 1/2 hr later his sugar was 197!!! Go figure....As far as his weight goes, he's lost wt, since 7/08 to today he's lost 8 lbs. He's gone from 300 to 228, he lost the first 50lb in less then 2months when he was first dx'd with sarc 6/07. He's still having problems so maybe his meds need to be adjusted, we're waiting to hear from Dr Sharma since his liver bx is positive for sarc. We were so worried thinking about the side effects of the Pred, we know that could change at anytime but for now we're greatful. I hope this helps. Take care & God Bless
Rick & Rebecca

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• By gonenatural
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 10:11 pm

I had low sugar for yrs because my pancreas make too much insulin. Now it goes up and down and the dr doesn't know why. He is thinking I am turning into a diabetic. Nice.
I have a fatty liver for an unknown reason and there has not been a dr who cares and the 3 newest ones blame it on being obese all my life. I use to be 110 of muscle until they put me on drugs in 1999 and since then I have gone up and down.
I have old and new granulomas in my spleen. There is not a dr who cares. Should I?
I was just on prednizone and came off last wk. I was sick and refused to check my sugar so I can't help ya. I just did a protein, milk and fruit with occ. fiber shake 2x a day to keep my weight down. It worked. I even lost a few more pounds. I sure wish the belly would shrink 1st.
Sorry I didn't have a betta answer for ya Bdilly and I wish I had the dr that Nyjets has.
Gone Natural

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• By BDILLY
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 11:26 pm

Thanks Gone Natural! Keep the faith! Keep us posted on your progress!

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• By BDILLY
• Posted August 31, 2008 at 11:40 pm

Thanks for the response! Wow! Rick and you have been through allot! My Family Prac is relying on me and my research! When I find a web site, either from someone on here or elsewhere, I email it to him! At least he's trying to stay ahead of the curve in learning about sarcoid! When he finds something new, he sends it to me!
We're both afraid to start prednisone again, when I can't seem to stablize the blood sugar! I don't drink any soda, unless my sugar drops! I'm drinking decaf, brewed, green iced tea with artificial sweetner. I haven't given up coffee in the morning yet, but, that's next! I'm looking into the ZONE diet as well as others.
Thank you for your input!
The trick to this is to take charge of your health and do the best we can with what we've got!
GOD BLESS!

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• By SarcoidPrincess
• Posted September 1, 2008 at 9:04 am

Bdilly,
Thanks for starting this post.

I just recently found out that I have a fatty liver. Among a host of other problems my liver functions are up and down as well as my pancreas tests. I am now suffering from dumping syndrome which is leading to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar not high. I do not have a glucose meter as of yet but have been doing a lot of reading. I don't know if I'm becoming diabetic, am diabetic or what. Diet does make me feel better. When I start to feel myself get hot sweaty, shakey, heart palps, tingley tongue and lips I eat something cheese and crackers or something and it goes away. I'm so confused at the moment.

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• By cat1964
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 2:08 am

How fascinating that many of us have Fatty Liver and Sarcoidosis. I wonder if our liver doctors are saying fatty liver and it is really granulomas? My Liver Doc actually told me I was just too fat and needed to lose weight, hello I wasn't fat until I started taking huge doses of Predinsone and Solmederal. Grrr. Some doctors are just plain horrid, and then there are some who will fight for you constantly. I too have Diabetes with my Sarc,and it fluctuates constantly.

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• By BDILLY
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 8:17 am

You're welcome Princess!
The only thing I can tell you is, get the blood work done! My blood sugar is generally high, but, I do have a touch of hypoglycemia. I think that is why it took so long for them to see that I'm Diabetic. Prednisone shot it so high that my Pulm Dr called my general prac and yelled at him! There are many free blood sugar testing supplies out there to get you started and monitor your levels. I didn't find out until I could barely walk, my feet hurt so bad and a total stranger told me I may be diabetic! Tell your doctor to test for diabetes and take it from there!
Keep us posted on your progress and don't wait! Get it done now!

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• By BDILLY
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 8:21 am

I understand your situation! Ask your doctor to change your insuline to the SoloStar Pen! It's a prefilled injector with a small needle attachment that fits on the end! This may help with the nephew! He won't be able to use it to support his habit! If you have to, buy a safe to keep your pain meds in! Your nephew needs help and I will keep you both in my prayers!
Best of luck!

Bob

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• By BDILLY
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 8:30 am

True! I wonder also, if "Fatty Liver" means granulomas. I'm trying to find out if it's related to Sarc of Diabetes or both???? If anyone out there knows, this is a good question to pose to the group! As soon as I get insurance again, I'm sure my Pulm Dr will be able to shed some light on the subject!
He is very proactive with Sarcoid and I like him! It's just he needs to get paid to see me! LOL And I can't afford a $400 office visit right now!
Thanks for the reply!

Bob

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• By bulljack
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 9:55 am

Diabetes is a side affect of Prednisone.

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• By BDILLY
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 10:52 am

I was diabetic before Prednisone and am still not taking Pred.

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• By kattykitty44
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 9:10 pm

Ditto to the fatty liver diagnosis and the diabetes. My liver enzyme levels usually send the dr into a panic, then she says, "That's probably your sarcoid." My diabetes diagnosis came after the sarc, and a couple of years after I got off of prednisone. I, of course, blamed sarc for the diabetes :). My sugar levels are not high (I once had a reading over 200 because of a chocolate cake moment of weakness). Other than that I'm usually under 140-150. I struggle with it, though! Diet and exercise are hard for me to get right. I do it for awhile and then... Anyhow, that's my piece.
Take care, all. God bless. Oh, right now I take nothing for the sarc, but take Metformin for the diabetes.

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• By jeffg9
• Posted September 3, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Hi- I had the same issue and it was scary. I have been weened off the diabetes meds, but really have to watch my carb intake now. As my doctor said sometimes the cure for one disease is worse in than what it causes. Good luck to you!

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• By hope777
• Posted September 7, 2008 at 3:36 am

Praise the Lord!
We are all still alive for some good reasons. My sarcoid was found while i was on active duty in the U.S. Army. I was very shock. I am out on disability from the military because it happen while i was on active duty. So i get all of my care from the military. It"s never easy you just learn to manage as time goes on in life. But I have had neur,sarcoid, lungs, bones, vision was my worst, joint pain in my bones and sarc. on my bones in my feet. Its been hard but i do a lot of praying and i have decided to not give up. I pray that i can always share good news of Hope and trust that we have suffer but we will always be some help to someone that is new to this and we have another chance with life because we are still alive. The God Lord will help us .Just stay incourage and read your bible daily and stay out of stressful situations.
Gets some good DVD's that make you laugh and enjoy your life the best that you can and know that you are not alone. Jesus can help us feel better for sure. When we keep reaching out to help others by telling our stories it will lessing their pain and suffering because we are here to tell it. I have been on Pred. since 1978 and i am 52 and i am still here fighting to stay in control of my health. The doctors can only do so much and they really try to just make you comfortable but they can not heal us . Only Jesus can do that. He died for us so we would not suffer so surrender it all to him anyway .He will use some doctors to helps us deal with the suffering but some of the doctors don't care because they do not understand the illness at all. The Good God Sent doctors have compassion and they do what they can do. By God's Grace i am still here. The Diabetes is something because of years of Predisones but i have kept my numbers under 150. but thats because i check it 3 and 4 times a day ! you have to watch what you eat for sure and there is no way around it. I do not work out every day because i become very time. so i just staybusy moving and that seems to help. take care and i hope this have help somebody. Oh i had been on Methetrex for 8 yrs. but the doctors had to cut back because i have a lot of tumors ,,,, (negative) that i will not allow them to remove any more because they were all fatty tissues. I don't understand everything thats going on but i will not keep getting tumors remove because you have other problems from the surgeries and it take too long too get well. Stay Positive we all will write a book one day.

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• By corlinwil
• Posted November 29, 2008 at 3:56 pm

Hi BDILLY:

I have been on prednisone for 4 months now, and have been dx w/diabetes as a result. My sugar is over 300 and I feel horrible, I have the worst dry mouth, thirsty all the time, and urinating like crazy. My MD confirmed it for me and just advised me to leave the soda/sugar alone and to drink more cranberry/water, since doing so I do feel a little better, but all of the symptoms come back eventually, I am on a taper down, and I am down to 20 mg from 40, all of my MD's have advised me to hang in there and come off of my prednisone normally, and that all will return to normal once I am done with the prednisone, is this correct?

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