January 22, 2010
How Byetta Helped My Out of Control Diabetes
I have Type 2 Diabetes which, like a lot of people out there, I struggle to control. Along with diet and exercise I was taking Metformin as a way to control my blood sugar level. All of a sudden it wasn’t cutting it. What do you do when your current treatment no longer works?
It’s real easy to overlook the warning signs that your blood sugar levels are not under control unless you stick to a very strict sugar level testing regimen. Like a lot of people, once my blood sugar levels were under control for a long period of time…I kind of slacked off with the frequency of testing my sugar levels.
Complacency is a huge factor in the denial associated with diabetes. Unfortunately I fell into this trap. I didn’t start with regular blood sugar level testing again until I was feeling the side effects of having a high blood sugar level. We all know that having a high blood sugar level for a prolonged period of time will cause diabetic related complications in the future.
So once I got back on track with regular blood sugar level testing I was alarmed to find that I had elevated levels. Just waking up in the morning my sugar level was around 280. That is really high for not having eaten anything since dinner time the evening before.
The Warning Signs Of Elevated Sugar Levels Were There
There are a few telltale signs of elevated sugar levels that you need to be on the look out for. Here is the thing, if you are not actually testing your blood sugar level and seeing that it is raised, some of these warning signs can seem to be due to other factors…at first.
- constantly tired
- body aches especially upon waking
- thirst
- shooting pain in your body
- frequent urination
- feeling confused
Now you may look at these warning signs and say “how did you not make the connection between any of these and diabetes?”. Well, the mind is a powerful thing. Since I was convinced that I was doing all the right things to battle diabetes I guess my mind just wouldn’t allow me to make the connection.
The tiredness and body aches in the morning I blamed on my mattress. Feeling confused went along with being tired. I figured I just wasn’t getting a good nights sleep and so this must be causing the confusion. The thirsty thing…hey it’s summer. Who doesn’t get more thirsty in the summer?
What it boils down to is that if I had stayed on top of my blood sugar level testing I would have known right away that my current diabetes treatment was no longer working.
Byetta Was My Solution
After being seen by my doctor it was decided upon that I would begin taking the Byetta drug to help control my blood sugar level. So, that’s good news right? I can just start a new drug and all will be well. But, what I didn’t realize is that Byetta is taken in the form of an injection. What, what, what?
Is this the beginning of the end for me? Are insulin injections right around the corner? Well, according to my doctor…no. Starting Byetta injections does not mean that I will have to do this for the rest of my life or that soon I will be giving myself insulin injections. It means that for right now, Byetta will be used to help control my blood glucose level. We can revisit my options again in the future.
Daily Injections!!!
In the doctors office I was shown how to properly inject myself in the stomach with Byetta. It didn’t seem like much fun. To stick myself in the stomach two times a day with a needle? I was not feeling good about this.
My doctor explained to me that if I can handle all the pin pricks in the fingers that it takes to test my blood glucose level…this tiny injection would be no big deal. I have to say, I wasn’t buying that right away.
Once I actually injected myself with Byetta I realized that it isn’t painful at all and it is something that I could handle doing to myself. After just one injection it was apparent that Byetta was working to lower my blood glucose level.
It has been one week since beginning Byetta and I have not had any raised blood sugar levels. Every time I test my blood sugar level it is always within the normal range. So for now…Byetta is working to control my diabetes.
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Jessica
08/12/2007 at 1:16 am
Hi!!
I was diagnosed diabetic but then I realised that it is due to stress.
I started doing pranayama and yoga and also started reading a lot of jokes. I realised that laughter is the best medicine. I opened my own jokes site …..
plz do visit http://lethaljokes.blogspot.com and I guarantee you that your diabetes will be gone. Do start yoga, pranayama also.
I found that mandukasana is best for diabetes control as it massages the pancreas. So just 5 to 15 minutes of yoga a day and ur diabetes will be gone.
Regards,
Enjoy laughing
Ken
08/16/2007 at 6:41 pm
I’m subscribed to your feed Jessica. You better make me laugh cause I’ve been needing it lately.
Gloria
09/01/2007 at 2:31 am
i have blogged about bayetta numerous times and so i’ve read that it does good to control blood sugar levels when other diabetes drugs have failed. still it is best to read first-hand account that the drug actually works. I wish you well, I hope byetta works for you for the longest time.
Ken
09/01/2007 at 8:05 am
Yes it does Gloria. Byetta seems to have taken away the sudden ups and downs of my blood sugars and made them more consistent over the day. Now I don’t feel sleepy after eating.
Also I read your feed daily as well. thx
Carolyn
09/06/2007 at 8:34 pm
I now just what you are going through. I too am a type 2 diabetic and I went a long time before I was will to admit that I had it. But for me it was already to late to do just the diet and pills. I am on 2 types of insulin Lantus a 24 hour one and Humalog where I have to do a shot every time I eat carbs which means 4 to 6 shots a day for me. I am going to add you to my blog roll and I will check back daily
Ken
09/06/2007 at 8:45 pm
I hear ya Carolyn. I’m bookmarking you as well. Nice to meet you.
MeadowLark
09/27/2007 at 3:50 pm
Hi:) I’m type2 and a bit nervous about alot of this.
I was officially diagnosed in Aug of this year.
I started with a generic called Fortamet; but had difficulty with constipation. Doc put me on Januvia for this month and said that if it didnt help, he would put me on Byetta. I’m scared to death of shots! sigh… I test 6 times a day to try to know what is best for me to eat. I walk/or use a ministepper at home to help with exercise:) besides chasing after 6 kids, a dog, a cat and my most favorite to chase is my hubby:)
Thankyou for sharing your experience!
MeadowLark
FDA Warning On Byetta - Is It Safe?
10/23/2007 at 5:05 am
[...] to our RSS feed.I had mentioned in a prior post that at the advice of my doctor I had begun taking Byetta to help control my Type2 Diabetes. I have just seen an FDA warning about Byetta causing Pancreatitis in 30 reported cases. So far, no [...]
jackie
01/15/2008 at 7:43 am
It’s great that the FDA is on top of things…..
But
As long as we live one day something is good for you the next day not. I’m a 2 time cancer survivor.
God gives the Doctor’s knowledge to help people.
I’ve been diabetic for 3yrs now Type 2.
God willing I’ll be 47 Thursday the 17th.
My sugar was always high 192-258 sometime higher.
My Doctor tried many different medications.
Finally 6mths ago he put me on Lantus.
Everything was fine until the beginning of Nov.
Right after Thanksgiving he added Byetta.
At first it was 50u every night of Lantus( Solostar).
But for the last month,I only have to take 12u.
Plus the Byetta twice a day 5mcg. In 2 more weeks my doc will up the dose of Byetta to 10mcg.
I found out the hard way that if I eat a hour before the injection I feel alittle queasy. So now I take it at 7:30am eat a lite breakfast, snack between
10-10:30a.m., have lunch at 12noon. If I do have another snack it’s before 2p.m. my 2nd. shot of Byetta is at 4:30 p.m. eat something lite. Have dinner with my family between 6-6:30p.m. Take my Lantus shot at 9p.m.
This hasbeen my routine and it has been great. There have not been any other side effects.When I started the Byetta my weight was 224lbs. I’m 5’8 my weight as of last night is 198lbs. I exercise atleast 4 times a week . This has been a blessing for me and I pray that everyone else is blessed also.
L Nichols
06/26/2008 at 2:18 am
I’ve been looking for information on Byetta and, of course, everything says that it is not recommended for Type 1. But nothing I’ve seen says why it’s not.
I’m a type 1, and I’m on sooo much less medication than so many of the commenters here. Two things: Novolog before meals and Lantus at night. But I’m curious about the Byetta if it helps one’s body to lower blood sugar. My husband was the one to tell me about it. He spoke to a man who said he was type 1 and that he was taking it and it helped him. I was diagnosed with Type 1 (my doc said because I was younger than 25 when I got it), but I’ve had another doctor tell me that I didn’t fit the body type of the usual type 1, so he thought I must be type 2. Isn’t there a more scientific way to determine?
Anyway, I’m thinking of approaching my doc about it…just to possibly put me on it on a trial basis. But I wanted to know why it’s not for type 1′s. Anyone know?
Ken
07/07/2008 at 7:55 pm
Are you guys also seeing an endocrinologist as well as your regular medical doctors?
nlbknitter
11/27/2008 at 11:44 pm
I started Byetta a month ago and graduated to the 10 mcg dose 3 days ago. I have had 2 major BG crashes in that time. One day I crashed to 36 and today to 34. Thank heaven both times my husband was with me and responded just as he should. I have now read that if you take Byetta with an elevated blood sugar it will overcompensate and take you low. I guess my blood sugar was high this AM when I got up because I had eaten a very light dinner in anticipation of Thanksgiving and I had forgotten to inject myself with Byetta. Add to that all the physical activity of getting the house ready for a dozen guests and I must have been pretty high. Since I didn’t know about this particular little quirk, I injected myself right before eating a light breakfast. By 10 AM I was in trouble. So live and learn.
Ken
11/28/2008 at 1:39 am
@nlbknitter let me just ask a few question up front.
1 you take your Byetta 3xday about an hour before you eat, correct?
2 when you do eat your meals you are sure to have a normal amount of carbs also?
I know the crashes you’re talking about but usually I can feel the early warning signs of hypoglycemia at around 90-100 mg/dl. Are you not feeling any different until you’re too low?
Michael
01/21/2009 at 5:11 am
Hypoglycemia can occur if you take a sulf. as the sulf. makes the pancreas overproduce insulin. My father has taken his Byetta and then did not eat and his sugar didnt rise or fall. When he took a sulf and did not eat and snack his sugar would drop to the 30′s. I would guess it is the sulfonlyrea that is causing these drops. Hope it gets better.
Saliva Helping Diabetes Patients Control Weight
01/28/2010 at 2:04 am
[...] How Byetta Helped My Out of Control Diabetes [...]
sandymee
02/04/2010 at 3:20 pm
I just was offically diagnosed with type 2 diabeties one week ago today, I was given a trial of Byetta 5mcg twice a day, 30 minutes before breakfast and 30 minutes before dinner. I am to inject in my thighs. So far I have experenced the nausea and the decrease in appetite. I just weight today and I have loss 5lbs in one week. I really hope this works because I also have high colesterol, doctor said if we get your weight down the diabeties will come down and the colesterol will to. Any Advise?
Mary
04/12/2010 at 5:42 pm
I also have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My little sister has had type one since she was 15. I will be 50 this year,and I listened to my body. I had all the signs, I am now eating good, taking care of myself. My problem is I can’t get my sugar under control, I woke up today with 582, and the last few days have been 480-I to have lost alot of weight-I went from 173 to 146 in a month-I use to be a size 12 now I am a 6, and my height is 5’9. I have only been diagnosed for 3 weeks-I am on metaformin 1900mg per day-what should I do?
Helen
04/21/2010 at 6:04 pm
Mary:
I have had Type II for 10 years. Stayed in control for 9 of those and when i was laid off, went out of control. Now back at work and do exercise 4 days a week and am on Jenny Craig diet, still cannot get back into control. Am seriously considering asking my doctor to change my medication, I don’t like the yo yo effect. If you get back into control, please share with me what you did to gain control
Thanks a lot and good luck to being in control.
marigold
05/30/2010 at 4:00 am
I’m type 2… 15 yrs. Many medications over the years. Byetta was really bad for me. It’s not good for everyone. I am having trouble right now getting bgs down. Today had a sugar binge. I do have eating disorder which gets no recognition in diabetes circles or with clinicians. Right now, some huge family changes are in process and my income has been cut, so the stress could be a factor, but I have eating issues under any circumstances.
I had forgotten the symptoms of high bgs, I have been tired and thinking is confused. Thought it was aging.