Message Boards for the CF Trust

Replies: 8 Pages: 1

Kim (summerdays)

Posts: 301
From: south wales
Registered: 15-Nov-2006

pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 09-Dec-2006 12:48

Reply

Im on pred and have been for two months, my chest is great, infact ive havent felt so well for two years. i can breath for a change, but im having really tired spells all of the time ! im doing my sugars at random, early in the morning they can be 5.5 to 7.0 and then at night they are anything between 9.9 and 18.0, i know the pred is causing my sugars to be all over the place,i was told this would happen by some fello cf mates at my hospital

The thing is shall i cut down on my sugar ? as yet im not diabetic but in my anual review my glucose intolerance came back as high, so i guess it maybe on the cards. i love sugar and cakes sweets hot chocolate, im thinking i should cut it down or i think im going make things worse. im really tired today, fisrt day it hasent rained and i feel dog ruf.

Thanks for reading my post any tips ?

kim x

anita

Posts: 31
From: west midlands
Registered: 07-Nov-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 09-Dec-2006 12:55

Reply

if they are steriods they will make your sugers higher,

try eating carbs then sugery things after

Kim (summerdays)

Posts: 301
From: south wales
Registered: 15-Nov-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 09-Dec-2006 12:59

Reply

thanks anita, cardbs ? like pasta is it ?

kim x

sunseasand

Posts: 74
Registered: 10-Nov-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 09-Dec-2006 13:32

Reply

Hi Kim, my son's sugar level also went up to 18.0 when he was on steroids and they had to take him off them. He is in hospital at the moment and just started him on steroids again, so we are having to do checks on his sugars levels. My son also loves eating loads of sweet things and would probably loose weight if he stopped. I am not sure what they are going to do if his sugar-levels raise again, but I don't know if this is common with pwcf when put on steroids. Just wondering what else they could use to keep the inflammation down. from sunseasand.

andrewh

Posts: 860
From: South London
Registered: 06-Feb-2004

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 09-Dec-2006 15:09

Reply

Raised sugar levels as a result of being on pred is very typical. I guess the worry might be that your chest may take a downward turn if you are taken off pred. One possibility is they might consider putting you a tablet like Metformin which will help to control your sugar levels better.

http://www.besttreatments.co.uk/btuk/conditions/8755.html

I suggest you speak to your CF team about your sugar levels and possible solutions.

Andy

x

Nu Generation

Posts: 3
From: Essex
Registered: 10-Dec-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 10-Dec-2006 20:35

Reply

Hey sunseasand, for what its worth, once ur sugar levels start going above 10 then you wont get any of the nutrition out of the sweet things etc anyway, they just get passed straight through the body. Plus, any chest infections feed on sugar, so you get the whole vicious cycle of high sugar makes bad infection, and infection makes sugars harder to control.
Kim, personaly id cut down on sugary things, as i said before, sugar feeds infection so its fighting against the steroids.
But hey, high sugars are almost a given with steroids. Maybe ask about insulin (you dont have to be diabetic to have insulin) to get them down again, it will make both chest and weight better and more stable

Pete

sunseasand

Posts: 74
Registered: 10-Nov-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 10-Dec-2006 22:48

Reply

Hey thanks pete I did not know about that, must get my son to cut down on loads of sugar things he eats. He is in hospital now and I am sure his sugar level is going to creep up again like before. Does anyone know if this could be a sign that he may get diabetes, does anyone recognise this pattern? from sunseasand.

Kim (summerdays)

Posts: 301
From: south wales
Registered: 15-Nov-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 10-Dec-2006 23:45

Reply

Thanks pete, that makes sence, my chest is ok so far , well better than usual so the sugars havent hit my lungs yet. i was just going to make hot chocolate but you've made me think ?so im going to give the sugar in the cup a miss and the mashmallows mmmmmm......how unlucky am i now, just kidding, thanks also to sunseaandsand .

cheers gang, as tesco say every little helps eh kim x

Nu Generation

Posts: 3
From: Essex
Registered: 10-Dec-2006

Re: pred causing sugar problems, sugars as high as 18.0
Posted: 12-Dec-2006 14:39

Reply

Well thats what happened with me, although i was was on high dose steroids for YEARS non-stop before they caused Diabeties so if he has only been on them a short while then they should get better the longer he stays off them. Although diabeties sucks, the steroid benefits still outweigh the Diabeties risk. But yeah things like sugar in already sugary hot choc is unwise. Dont STOP him eating sweets though, its the wrong way to go about it, just make him eat them after meals of with snacks, and not loads and loads at a time. As mentioned by someone else, if sugar is eaten with Carbs (pasta, sandwich, main meal etc) then the sugars are absorbed better and dont just generate high sugars. I would suggest, if he stays on steroids, to ask about insulin as the high sugars will effect his chest in their own right. Also as im sure you have noticed, both steroids and high sugars can effect his mood, eating pattern, sleep pattern, the amount of time he needs 2 use his bladder etc etc, so theres alot of benefits to making sure they stay down.
I was taught none of this when i was in pediatrics and had to learn most of it myself years later when it was too late.

Pete