Medical Woes

[fuzzygeek]

I blame Cthullu.

[knaughty]

12-hour fast: Glucose: 79 (65-110)

On a fasting blood draw, glucose within normal tolerances rules out diabetes, so the doctors won't check for it.

My father-in-law is diabetic, I've known him 20 years. A 12-hour fast would have him severely hypoglycaemic (low glucose) - close to unconscious, I would think. I had another friend who did have similar symptoms to you, and it was adult-onset diabetes, but his blood sugar was so staggeringly high that when the doctor got the test results back they assumed he'd be in a sugar-induced coma and they sent the cops + ambulance round to his house. Cops were there to kick in the door and rescue the "almost dead" guy they were expecting.

You're not controlling your blood sugar through blood tests & insulin. Your blood sugar is normal. Thus: You are not diabetic.

NB: I'm not a doctor. Your doctor is a doctor.

PS: Diabetes is stupidly common and really, really, really easy to diagnose. Your doctor will spot it if you have it. Super-fit & healthy dude (he qualified for Spec Ops, FCS!) turns up to doctor and says "I fill shit and I pee all the time" - is there any doctor in the western world who would fail to think "I wonder if he has diabetes?".

[Sputterduck]

... and tanked to a nutritionist.

Given the nature of this site, this made me laugh; on a serious note I hope you get your problems resolved

[Daeren]

Diabetes should be tested as a fasting + glucose load tolerance. That's what's diagnostic. Then add in C-peptide, anti-GAD and IA2 for typing of diabetes.

That being said, there's a bit of uncertainty in regards to your weight loss and symptoms. Some can be explained, others can't.
I guess the next test that would be nice would be urine testing. In one part the clinical chemical in regards to specific wieght, ratios between blood electrolytes and urine, albumin in urine. Also a microscopy of the urine might show some findings.
I guess you could collect 24 hour urine for sampling of urine catecholamines, but that's a bit of work for the sampling. You don't have the many of the other symptoms though.
Maybe add in a morning cortisol from blood tests. Also a haptoglobin/reticulocyte count. Blood smear maybe?

Of course, you could go broad and test for tons of stuff at once, but if one is to do the next step, I would go for that.
It's always hard to give good advice over the internet because you can't do the clinical exam and a good patient history.

[Mcduffie]

Right. So, you need to get tested for diabetes. Now outside of the more "medical" side...

What are you eating?

What's your workout schedule? Are you just doing the 3-a week AF pt?

Are you eating regularly? Do you skip meals?

How much do you sleep a night? Do you have a regular sleep schedule?

[Fivelives]

Quit giving medical advice on a forum!

[Mcduffie]

Glucose: 79 (65-110)

On a fasting blood draw, glucose within normal tolerances rules out diabetes, so the doctors won't check for it. Considering that his body fat percentage is more than likely on the low end of ridiculous, I'm willing to bet that his thirst/urination issues are more than likely a result of his body trying to maintain homeostasis.

Overall, I'd say the best advice to give you, Vycera, is to stop soliciting medical advice on the asylum, and trust your doctor. There will always be shithouse doctors that say "well this/that/the other happened to me/my friend/a friend of a friend" and get you concerned over nothing. If you don't think you can trust this doctor, then get a second opinion.

lolwut?

[Fivelives]

Fat insulates and helps regulate body temperature. As the body starts to heat up you'll sweat more and lose water, getting thirsty. Then when the body starts to cool down, that excess water has to go somewhere. Hence, frequent urination.

Low body fat means that temperature will spike and drop rapidly, making you thirsty then causing you to urinate frequently.

And yeah, I probably didn't explain that well enough in that post.

[Mcduffie]

Quit giving medical advice on a forum!

No, I meant this ^

I'm going with sarcastic outburst?

[Fivelives]

Not really, no. Shithouse doctors are worse than shithouse lawyers.

[Vycera]

You are correct sir. However, it does give me some things to put in the back of my head to ASK about. All in all, the doc is the one who will end up knowing what is wrong. but why not stretch out and ask people for their experiences. Good to have as much knowlege as possible, IMO.

Now, onto the questions!
What are you eating?
A: It depends really. Ive been keeping a food journal. Typical for me is 2 packages oatmeal in the morning, yogurt, oats and honey bar, power bar, fiber bar, around 500cals for lunch, a large dill pickle, popcorn, and around 1000cal super (normally some sort of chicken or fish, a salad, and something else)

What's your workout schedule? Are you just doing the 3-a week AF pt?
A: Again, depends. Try to do 5 days a week, but have been keeping it lighter since I am losing weight.

Are you eating regularly? Do you skip meals?
A: Yeah, Im pretty regular. Sometimes I skip breakfast, but not normally.

How much do you sleep a night? Do you have a regular sleep schedule?
Betwen 4 and 8. Average about 6 a night. Try and keep a good sleep schedule, but as my work showtime changes each day its difficult. Stupid helicopters.

[Fivelives]

The thing about listening to "Well, this happened to a friend of mine" stories Vycera, is that it (almost) always sounds plausible and will generally waste your doctor's time and/or lead to unnecessary tests. Some of which are painful and expensive. It also worries patients, and pisses doctors off when people come in with "well, I heard on the internet that it might be ..."

Generally people only remember the odd stories - like the time I got meningiococcemia from being bathed in the sink as a baby (that's how we found out that our well was fouled). I remember that, but I don't remember all the times when I had a brutal cough and it was just bronchitis. Or a sore throat, and it was just laryngitis.

[Vycera]

Hrm. Good point. I guess I didnt see it that way. Funny, since I almost always point out that humans as a whole tend to focus on the negative. WHo cares if the guy made 1,000,000 good bridges. One collapses and now hes the worst bridge maker ever.

[Daeren]

Indeed. It's also hard to compare medical conditions, since not only may several diseases have the same symptoms, but one disease may manifest itself very differently.

[Mcduffie]

You are correct sir. However, it does give me some things to put in the back of my head to ASK about. All in all, the doc is the one who will end up knowing what is wrong. but why not stretch out and ask people for their experiences. Good to have as much knowlege as possible, IMO.

Now, onto the questions!
What are you eating?
A: It depends really. Ive been keeping a food journal. Typical for me is 2 packages oatmeal in the morning, yogurt, oats and honey bar, power bar, fiber bar, around 500cals for lunch, a large dill pickle, popcorn, and around 1000cal super (normally some sort of chicken or fish, a salad, and something else)

What's your workout schedule? Are you just doing the 3-a week AF pt?
A: Again, depends. Try to do 5 days a week, but have been keeping it lighter since I am losing weight.

Are you eating regularly? Do you skip meals?
A: Yeah, Im pretty regular. Sometimes I skip breakfast, but not normally.

How much do you sleep a night? Do you have a regular sleep schedule?
Betwen 4 and 8. Average about 6 a night. Try and keep a good sleep schedule, but as my work showtime changes each day its difficult. Stupid helicopters.

Start eating an "old school" breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, maybe some coffee. A high-protein breakfast has shown effective weight loss in men. And yes, I know you're not looking for weight loss. But you are looking for muscle build. The high protein breakfast was effective at making men lose weight, because it was helping them build muscle by providing amino acids for muscle growth. The best time to take in those amino acids is in the morning, to get your metabolism started up. You take in amino acids in the morning, your body starts breaking them down, you go to the gym and get your swell on, and then your body is ready to insert amino "lego blocks" to build you back up.

Also, get a more regular sleep pattern. Seriously. I know I've had some effed up sleep schedules in my AF career, but it's usually just for a few days. Sleep is really a lot more important than people think.

Those are two really big things. You *might* see some results if you fix those two. Or you may just have diabetes

Which would suck