Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on June 18, 2011 at 8:27pm

I have high insulin resistance so the topic is of great interest to me. Quite frankly studying the current theories about what causes it, I find none of the explanations compelling. I know that in some people cutting off or lining a section of the small intestine eliminates IR. So digestion is somehow involved with IR.

Don't assume worst case scenario. But it would still be prudent to check it out.

I agree that normally more insulin = weight gain.

I have not had your symptoms so I cannot even venture a guess.

Something may be causing grief to your immune system. This can be an infecting agent virus or bacteria or even an allergic reaction like celiacs. I know that my BG goes to hell regardless of the amountof insulin injected when I had the flu or possibly H1N1 virus.

Best of luck in sorting this out.

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Permalink Reply by bigf4 on July 30, 2011 at 4:00am

I had the same problem, Doctor sent me for a blood test too specifically test thyroid function,hey bingo underactive thyroid,Now with thyroid hormone tablets i am back to normal.

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Permalink Reply by something_exotic on June 18, 2011 at 9:41pm

So, from my experience there is one big thing that comes to mind: Celiac's Disease. It's a very common thing to develop sometime into life with diabetes. It's another autoimmune thing aka a gluten allergy. Luckily, it's become very mainstream to avoid gluten now so living with it is somewhat similar to living with diabetes. Gluten is something found in many grains in particular wheat products (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) Usually a diet change (simply eliminating gluten) solves a lot of the symptoms you mentioned (sores, digestive issues, fatigue, weight loss) in a few weeks. The big thing about Celiac's is that it keeps your body from absorbing nutrients that it needs to survive.

I imagine your doctor will prescribe some bloodwork to determine if you have the antibody found along with Celiac's and then an endoscopy to check your small intestine (to ensure it's actually active and not latent Celiac's).

I found out about all of this when I managed to loose 10 pounds in 3 months without trying. I ended up having a latent Celiac's thing but I may volunteer to go gluten free without it all to try and get healthier.

Best of luck!

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on June 19, 2011 at 7:42am

I don't know about celiac... my understanding is that unexplained LOW BG, not high, is the hallmark of celiac in someone with diabetes. Which makes sense given it's a malabsorption syndrome. But, autoimmune thyroid or adrenal disorders could be a likely culprit. High cortisol tends to promote insulin resistance as well. I would suggest you get yourself tested for hyperthyroidism and/or Cushing's disease, if none of the other suggestions pan out. Either of those would account for the weight loss too.

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Permalink Reply by Jag1 on June 18, 2011 at 10:29pm

Causes of increased insulin resistance in my experience:

1. weight gain (though you said this isn't it in your case)
2. decreased exercise (exercise can make a huge difference - and just a few days with a different exercise routine can be noticeable).
3. seasonal change (this happens to me every spring and fall, though I and most people tend to need more insulin in the winter than summer)
4. illness or infection (can make a substantial difference) - e.g. dental infection you're ignoring maybe could also explain sores in mouth and fatigue?
5. out of control BG (this one is often missed - if your BG has been high, then you have increased insulin resistance, so will need more insulin to get down to normal - your resistance should return to normal if you can keep your BG within range for a couple days)
6. hormonal change (this is obviously more-so for you as a woman, but my experience leads me to believe this applies to men as well)
7. change in diet (I find eating a lot more protein/fat than I normally do - like lots of grilled meats when grilling season starts - causes long sustained increases in BG past the four hours or so it normally takes meals to digest)

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Permalink Reply by latvianchick on June 18, 2011 at 11:33pm

I do not think it is cancer! Sometimes the internet is not so helpful!!!

You could have an infection, be under some stress, have hormonal problems, or have anaemia. (thinking about the sore mouth etc).

If your sugars are high, then you will lose weight.

I would ask, if it is not offered for a full blood test to see what is going on. But try not to worry too much.

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Permalink Reply by Lila on June 19, 2011 at 12:51am

Any possibility you might be pregnant?

My first symptom of being pregnant (a few days after conception) was an overnight doubling of my insulin needs. Triple for breakfast.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on June 19, 2011 at 4:03am

When this happened to me 3 years ago... it was all caused by Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a systemic bacterial infection from infected deer ticks that is particularly common in late spring.

Fatigue and much higher insulin requirements (like you I was doubling doses and still not coming down) were noticeable early on and then came migrating joint pain.

Separating cause and effect when bg's run high for a while can be hard. An overly focused endo might not necessarily look for lyme disease because he's concentrating on bg's.

All easily taken care of with antibiotics after getting it diagnosed.

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on June 19, 2011 at 5:28am

Are you still following a raw vegan diet? Have you been to your doctor lately?

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Permalink Reply by Steveand on June 20, 2011 at 10:57am

Hi Jen, I have developed IR over the past couple years, and it comes and goes. Mine seems to be most related to fat (the kind I eat, more than the kind that accumulates on various places on my body). If I eat a good portion of cheese, which I love, I can become almost completely insulin resistant, especially if I haven't been to the gym in a couple days. I'll be at 225, and take 6 units with no effect after 2 hours. I'll take 6 more, and so on. It can last up to a day.

The only remedy I've found when I'm in this state is exercise. If I go for a jog, even for 10 or 15 minutes, I can bring my BG down pretty dramatically, especially if I have insulin on-board. I once stepped onto our trampoline with our 9-year-old at 280, and stepped off 15 minutes later at 80.

Not sure if this is your issue, though. Here's hoping you figure it out soon.

-Steve

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Permalink Reply by Emily Coles on June 20, 2011 at 11:31am

Years ago I had a long spate of insulin resistance that made me totally insane. It turned out I had a low-level sinus infection that I was unaware of, and once that was cleared up my sugars got back to normal. See your doc!

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Permalink Reply by David G. on June 20, 2011 at 2:45pm

With insulin resistance, I now that over time I've had to stop injecting into the leg area and move locations of the injection. I don't know whether there is any trurth to this but I somewhat believe that when the bottles of insulin get down to about 1/4 left that it seems the insulin loses it effectiveness. It seems to take more units to get the sugars down than when the bottles are fuller.

Like some of the other comments read here, I would be suspicious of some kind of infection messing the system up. Might not be totally obvious but it doesn't need much.
I am aware that stress and mental peace, if you want to call it that, also affect how you are doing.

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