I have been battling high fasting blood sugar levels for a few years now and have not been able to bring it down. Even 40 Units of Lantus did not help.

I always blamed it on my sleep apnea and adrenalin dumps and leaky masks that rendered the sleep therapy useless..

Just a few days ago, I was having a tete a tete with my young nephew who is a doctor and was asking him all sorts of questions about my health especially high fasting bsl and bloated stomachs..

Plavix & Losec

As we know, many sleep apnea sufferers develop hypertension and diabetes over the years and as we age and with obesity we also have gastro problems like constipation, gas and bloated stomachs.

Plavix is commonly prescribed by cardiologists to prevent blood clots and losec is most commonly prescribed drug for hyper acidity.

I have been on both since my stroke in 2000. that is ten long years..

Now it has been established by Canadian researchers that Losec interacts and counters and negates the action of Plavix, which is to prevent the heart throwing up blood clots.. It has been established that a considerable percentage of the populations studied have had heart attacks (Mio cardial infarctions) despite taking Plavix.

I have gone off Losec totally the minute I heard about this a week ago and something amazing has happened. My fasting blood sugars have dropped to below 7.0. It has been howering around between 8 and 10 and I always blamed my sleep apnea for it.

I am beginning to wonder if my bsl was affected by plavix and losec fighting each other as I took them both at the same time before going to bed.

I will never know, but am glad I have eliminated a major risk of a heart attack. It was a month ago that I was at the cardiologist complaining of shortness of breath and have been asked to have a stress test even though he thinks my heart sounds perfect.

If any one is taking both Plavix and Losec please consult your doctor ASAP.

I am now hoping against hope that my platelet count may also drop. Keeping my fingers crossed.

A week ago, my doctor suggested I take 40mg of Dimicron (Glyade) at night before going to bed, to see if this helps lower fasting blood sugars.
It did help and for the first time in many years I was beginning to see fasting bsl of below 7 ( 7x18=126).. While I am extremely pleased with this outcome I am experiencing severe head aches..

Any one taking Dimicrom tablets for diabetes who experiences head aches ?

I started this thread on October 3rd 2007 and cannot believe it is already 10th january 2010. Time does fly.
Happy New Year to all members.

What was a borderline sugar problem early in 2003, progressed to being prescribed Diabex and later Diabex plus Dimicron and finally my endocrinologist put me on Fast acting insulin Novo Rapid. Did not matter what my fasting blood sugar levels refused to budge as this was caused by sleep apnea and also called the Dawn syndrome, with the liver being the culprit. Finally I was asked to take the Long acting insulin Lantus Plus fast acting insulin Novo Rapid plus Diabex ( Metformin) with meals.

When I realised that insulin was increasing my appetite and I was putting on more and more weight and bsls were not easy to manage I knew I had a big problem on my hands. my doctor explained that wih diabetes doctos can only give a plan and it is upto the individual to keep bsl under control.

I wanted to do a lot more than just keep blood sugars under control. I wanted to eat less and lose weight too. Further I had this info that Lantus could trigger cancer and was not keen on continuing on Latus.
I told my doctor and stopped taking Lantus overnight. Funny thing is that it did not seem to have any effect.

I have a new labrador pup at home and I was given strict instructions to feed him just once a day. I began to wonder why human beings need three meals a day and why diabetics are told to eat many small meals a day to avoid spikes in bsl.

For the last three months I have been eating just two meals a day. Brunch and early dinner. and take 1000mg Diabex in the morning and in the evening. Inbetween meals I snack on raw nuts like walnuts, cashew, almonds etc high in Omega 3 or eat fresh fruits of the season, right now I am feating on lovely mangoes and plums..

My day time bsl has truly stabilised and is below 9.0 most of the time unless I cheat ( like the christmas period) I can proudly say I have had a partial success in controlling my type 2 diabetes.

One problem persists. I could go to bed at 10.00pm with a bsl of 7.0 and still wake up with a bsl of 8.5 the next morning and this I know is caused by my sleep apnea treatment being ineffective. Nothing to do with my consumption of food.

I am determined to find an answer to high fasting bsls especially for people with sleep apnea.
Please Wish me luck.

Oh I almost for got.

These days I drink at least 6 large glasses of water a day. two on waking up. one before meals and two before bedtime. Dehydration can affect blood sugar levels as the blood is more concentrated ( may be a crude definition)

The other inclusion in my food intake is that I chop up cucumber with skin and seeds and blend it and add a pinch of salt and drink it fresh, as often as possible. This is supposed to be high in Phytochemicals that help lower bsl. It requires a high power blender to bring out the phyto chemicals.

I too have Type 2 diabetes, and like you my fasting numbers were high. Metformin ER is what I take, once in the morning, and once in the evening just about supper time. Yes, a light snack is a very good idea, I usually eat 3 cups of plain popcorn, or 6 Vanilla Wafers and a half of a banana. I know it's difficult having Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea all at the same time, but you can do this, I know you can. Talking to your Dr., even if it drives them crazy, is a good thing. This is your body and your life, and knowing how to best help yourself is the best way to take control of your life. I was told when I was diagnose with Type 2, was read and learn as much as you can, and never stop learning, this is your body and you are the one who needs to be in control of it! That's what my Dr. said to me. You've gotten some great advice here, and all's I can say is... I wish you all of the best. Take care of yourself, keep up with your gluclose monitoring, and your cpap monitoring, and soon it will become old hat. Best Wishes.

puddinjudy wrote:I too have Type 2 diabetes, and like you my fasting numbers were high. Metformin ER is what I take, once in the morning, and once in the evening just about supper time. Yes, a light snack is a very good idea, I usually eat 3 cups of plain popcorn, or 6 Vanilla Wafers and a half of a banana. I know it's difficult having Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea all at the same time, but you can do this, I know you can. Talking to your Dr., even if it drives them crazy, is a good thing. This is your body and your life, and knowing how to best help yourself is the best way to take control of your life. I was told when I was diagnose with Type 2, was read and learn as much as you can, and never stop learning, this is your body and you are the one who needs to be in control of it! That's what my Dr. said to me. You've gotten some great advice here, and all's I can say is... I wish you all of the best. Take care of yourself, keep up with your gluclose monitoring, and your cpap monitoring, and soon it will become old hat. Best Wishes.

I have tried light snacks before going to bed as suggested by many. like dark chocolate, cheese, some fruit etc.. It is not as if my blood sugar levels plummet after I go to bed and makes the liver react and shoots up. I have monitored bsl's all through the night and find say if my bls is 7.0 at 10.00pm it gradually shoots up between 8 and 9.

It is interesting you take your second metformin at supper time. I take mine once in the morning and the second is around 7.00pm before dinner. If I had dinner and took metformin at supper my bsl will have a big spike. Plus supper is not traditional for me.

Let me see if I'm catching what you are saying. You normally do not eat a meal in the evening??? If your not, you should be. Otherwise you are interfering with your bsl's, and the metformin. What time do you eat your bedtime snack??? I'm talking like eating it maybe 1/2 an hour before bedtime. That's what I do, then get my jammy's on, brush teeth, etc. get into the bed, put on all of my gear, and hit the hay. You maybe eating your snack to early, I'm not sure. But, if this continues, you may need to discuss this with your Dr., Hang in there, I'm sure it will all work out. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

I am hoping everyone's blood sugars are under control and every one is exercising and feeling fit. I am on the mend. My HBa1c is 7.2 I have lost 10 kilos since my cpap pressure was changed to 16 fixed pressure as compared to a variable Pressure of 10 to 20..plus I go swimming thrice a week and have become a vegetarian too since 1st July 2011.

Did some one say " If there is a Will there is a Way ?'

I started to have diabetes after developing more severe sleep apnea. it is terrible, I can't eat regularly anymore and have weird pains in my feet

sickwithapnea17 wrote:I started to have diabetes after developing more severe sleep apnea. it is terrible, I can't eat regularly anymore and have weird pains in my feet

My dear friend ( I do not want to address you as Sick with Apnea),

Severe sleep apnea leads to weight gain and high blood pressure and eventually diabetes. Diabetes is a terrible disease and can result in kidney and eye problems if blood sugars are not regulated. Eventually diabetes can result in clogged arteries in the feet and also neuropathy where you start losing sensation in your feet and wounds do not heal and in worst case scenario can lead to amputation of limbs. I am not trying to scare you but alerting you to a worst case scenario. Lot of people with uncontrolled diabetes end up also with detatched retina causing blindness. Please PM me and tell me about yourself and I will see how best I can assist you assuming you are interested and willing.

It is January 2012 and I have good news about my sleep apnea and Type II diabetes.

1- Last year I had another sleep study and was recommended a cpap pressure of 16 cms. I was on 12 cms pressure for over ten years. I started to sleep better with the increased pressure. I do not use the variable pressure now but opn constant 16cms pressure all night.

2- The Resmed Quatro FX was a big relief helping me sleep better. Nothing on the fore head and seals better that a quattro. however the harness is badly designed and causes leaks when it slips off the preferred position. If this was not bad enough to affect the sleep, the silicone mask itself slips off its frame all the time which means I have to get up turn the lights on and remove the mask and refit the silicone mask on to its frame and seat all over again. Pity Resmed did not build on all the plus points of Activa and Quattro. Instead they created a new mask. The harness clips are a joke and keep pulling out all the time..

3- As of July 1st 2010, I decided to give up eating meat and sea food. I eat veges fruits and eggs.

4- Lastly I started to take Bittermelon Capsules 2 in the morning and 2 before bed time..

The Result: My weight dropped by over 11 kilos, I have stopped taking fast acting insulin altogether ( I was on 30 units with each meal three times a day) My HBA1C was 7.0 and my endocrinologist is extremely happy with what I have achieved.

Battle with sleep apnea still continues. If I sleep better and my blood oxygen keels are maintained during sleep I am sure I can lose more weight and get my metabolism restored.

Congratulations, Ram!
Wow.

And great to see you again!


Linda

Thanks Linda. Nice to be back and nice to see the flapping dove. Poor Bird must get tired sometimes
My health can improve lots more if only I could find a mask that does not leak...
Quattro FX is the best of the lot yet not perfect yet.
Hope Resmed comes up with a better mask in 2012 to serve this large community of sleep deprived people.