Ask an MD

[Resistance]

This, is a pretty badass thread.

I've always been prone to stomach aches cramps, defecate once every 2 or mostly three days.

Mostly, I'll get up at 7ish, and I'll be fine,but by half 10/11, my stomach will be tensing and cramping, and it is literally excruciating, I'll double up in pain, grind my teeth, clench my fists and just twist my abdomen.

I've seen my GP about it a few times before, and they he seems like an ignorant, half arsed twat, who insists on it being indigestion, or a stomach bug, even though I've stressed that it's repeated.

This happens from anything like three times a week, up to once a month, but is mostly around the once a week mark.

Hey, maybe it's just hardcore constipation! Or colon cancer.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.

[K-9]

Originally Posted by Haiti's Space Agency

Nope. Last time I was at the Neurologist he mentioned sleep tests and a "tilt-table" or something.

Well the tilt table testing basically checks to see if certain positioning can elicit blood pressure or heart rhythm changes which could possibly explain those episodes. And I would guess they would be checking your EEG changes while sleeping. Hopefully they can figure something out.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by CountBlah

I had a large pop that friday and it spiked over 500, was given 25 units at docs and sent home. (my first time ever with insulin) Siince then I ate very low amounts of sugar, less than 20G between cereal (cheerios) and granola bars. if I wake up with say 350 after an injection of 15units it onlydrops may 25points that whole day.

I'm also back on januvia since metformin is shit and i was forced on it due to my ins not covering januvia.

It's frustrating.

For the record, I work as a diabetes educator in a hospital.
I will chime in with some additional info, if that's cool with you.
First off, if your HbA1c is higher than 8.5%, your high sugar problem is less diet related and more the disregulation of your liver making sugar, something it does 24hrs. per day (for everyone). Metformin is a great medicine for helping control your body's sugar production, so embrace it. You probably should be on 1000mg twice a day, as that is typical. The manufacturer states doses less than 1500mg/day are not clinically effective. I see internists prescribe 500 mg/day, which is a joke.
Metformin doesn't work on lowering your blood sugar spike following food.
Januvia does, so it's a good mix to have two medicines, one for food sugar, one for liver sugar.
You're taking a mix of two insulins (70 + 30) that have two jobs. The basal part (70) is geared toward controlling the liver sugar, the rapid part (30) is geared toward controlling food sugar. It's an old fashioned but less expensive mix, often used for the convenience of needing one shot. The newer (dare I say, better) insulins don't mix and require two shots.
If you're eating low carb and waking up with 350 mg/dL BG, it's safe to say your basal insulin isn't doing it's job.
You should explore the possibilities of using analog basal insulin, like Lantus or Levemir, which is peakless, unlike the 70.
--------------
I hope you realize sugar is just one form of carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates spike your blood sugar, and cutting sugar doesn't necessarily lower your carbohydrate intake if you're taking in other non-sugary forms, like grains.
Your cheerios and granola bar may have 20 grams of sugar but several times that in total carbohydrates.
Lastly, there's a good chance you're insulin resistant.
15u of insulin may be what works for others, but if your body resists insulin, you probably need more.
Weight loss, exercise and a low glycemic load diet helps your body use insulin better.

[K-9]

Originally Posted by Resistance

This, is a pretty badass thread.

I've always been prone to stomach aches cramps, defecate once every 2 or mostly three days.

Mostly, I'll get up at 7ish, and I'll be fine,but by half 10/11, my stomach will be tensing and cramping, and it is literally excruciating, I'll double up in pain, grind my teeth, clench my fists and just twist my abdomen.

I've seen my GP about it a few times before, and they he seems like an ignorant, half arsed twat, who insists on it being indigestion, or a stomach bug, even though I've stressed that it's repeated.

This happens from anything like three times a week, up to once a month, but is mostly around the once a week mark.

Hey, maybe it's just hardcore constipation! Or colon cancer.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.

Do you ever have diarrhea as well, or is it just constipation? Are there any medications that you take (like opioids) that may be contributing to it? Any foods that particularly don't agree with you? It could really be any number of a variety of bowel issues. Or it could be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which can tend to be kind of a cop out answer when no specific underlying reason for problems like this can found. But usually the next step would be to go see a gastroenterologist and have it worked up since it sounds like it's something that is happening fairly consistently and causing you some pretty fair discomfort.

[Resistance]

Originally Posted by K-9

Do you ever have diarrhea as well, or is it just constipation? Are there any medications that you take (like opioids) that may be contributing to it? Any foods that particularly don't agree with you? It could really be any number of a variety of bowel issues. Or it could be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which can tend to be kind of a cop out answer when no specific underlying reason for problems like this can found. But usually the next step would be to go see a gastroenterologist and have it worked up since it sounds like it's something that is happening fairly consistently and causing you some pretty fair discomfort.

No diarrhea, just constipation.

Nothing I eat on a regular basis, but I was literally living off of cereal bars for a few months.

My dad's been diagnosed with IBS, but as you said, he reckons it was more of a cop out, since there's nothing that could be determined as a specific contributing factor.

One thing, I do eat a hell of a lot of processed red meat, bacon and the like, could that contribute?

Cheers.

[K-9]

Originally Posted by Resistance

No diarrhea, just constipation.

Nothing I eat on a regular basis, but I was literally living off of cereal bars for a few months.

My dad's been diagnosed with IBS, but as you said, he reckons it was more of a cop out, since there's nothing that could be determined as a specific contributing factor.

One thing, I do eat a hell of a lot of processed red meat, bacon and the like, could that contribute?

Cheers.

Well you can always change your diet and see if that helps. Cut out the processed meats and see if there is some improvement. And fiber and fluids can really do wonders to clear out your bowels.

[p6867]

Frequently after i cum i have painful urination accompanied with the sensation that i'm still urinating for minutes after i stop. I have been tested for vd numerous times in the period it has been bothering me for.

[The Pat-Man]

Originally Posted by p6867

Frequently after i cum i have painful urination accompanied with the sensation that i'm still urinating for minutes after i stop. I have been tested for vd numerous times in the period it has been bothering me for.

this shit happens to me too wtf

[Iehovah]

Originally Posted by The Pat-Man

this shit happens to me too wtf

Means you're beating yourself too hard and are bruising your poor delicate blood vessels.

[K-9]

If it's not some infection, then it likely means that it has to do with irritation of the urethra following the ejaculation. Waiting some time before urinating may help. But definitely one big other thing we could be concerned about here is that there might be infection (in cases where it hasn't been ruled out).

[peaceseeker]

ATTENTION K9:

first off, i appreciate your help and interaction on this forum!!

i'm a 48 y/o woman. lots of health issues.. inflammation and infections are a regular problem. anyhow, i developed deep hip abscess in early january. i had emergency surgery at the end of january (after 4 weeks of laying on the sofa thinking i had a hematoma).. since surgery i have been suffering from regular and distressing episodes of RLS (restless leg syndrome).

i normally take opioids for chronic pain in my hips/lower back--i also suffer from sciatic pain down my right leg (possibly triggered by piriformis inflammation). my regular meds are ms contin, morphine IR, estrogen & naproxen. i don't drink alcohol at all and i rarely drink coffee and don't ingest caffeine or stimulants.

since being laid up from the hip surgery these episodes have increased in intensity and have become almost a nightly event. my pharmacist suggested i take quinine so4 300mg (it's available here in canada without a prescription). i am an amateur competitive bodybuilder and since the surgery i've been very inactive while healing whereas i usually weight train & do atleast an hour of cardio 4-5 days a week (2-3 hours of training a day).

last night i took the quinine at bedtime knowing the night before i was up for 4 hours with the impulse to kick my legs--just couldn't get to sleep due to a desire to move and i didn't really feel that the quinine did much (whereas other nights it has seemed to work better). can i take 2x300mg quinine safely??? i also have diazepam 10mg on hand, but i won't take it unless i know it will help this condition. even this afternoon i can sense the same impulses to move, but i am up and moving so it's not so distressing. i never experience these episodes in the morning and most frequently experience them at night.

i am HOPING that the increase in severity & occurrence are happening because i've been so inactive but i can't return to training yet, my wound is still open and draining. i am HOPING that this recent infection & surgery haven't caused or triggered worsening or permanent episodes of RLS. i never thought this could be so distressing!

other than quinine so4 300mg, is there anything you can suggest i take to help manage this syndrome so that i can sleep through the night? i'm averaging about 4 hours sleep (and it tends to be 4am-8am).. it's messing with my energy levels and my moods at the very least (it's been depressing enough being layed up this long).

i figure if it doesn't resolve when i return to training, THEN i will see my GP.. i'm hoping it's not something permanent i have to live with. the ONLY other time i've ever experienced this is when i couldn't take my morphine orally putting me into withdrawal (and RLS is a common symptom of opioid withdrawal).

thankyou for any information you can suggest!!

[K-9]

Sorry that I missed this and took so long to answer.

RLS, like many other things, is unfortunately not completely understood. But surgery is definitely something that can trigger it, and so it is not all that surprising that it would start to occur following surgery.

From what I understand, it is actually recommended to avoid quinine due to the side effects it can have. There are a variety of medications that have been prescribed to treat RLS, but I would suggest consulting someone who is familiar with your particular medical background and medications before starting on something. Diazepam could very well be helpful for you, and the only real way to know is to try one night and see if it does help you sleep through the night.

Hopefully with recovery following surgery and becoming active again it's something that will subside.

[TheSexyBeast821]

Originally Posted by K-9

Sorry that I missed this and took so long to answer.

RLS, like many other things, is unfortunately not completely understood. But surgery is definitely something that can trigger it, and so it is not all that surprising that it would start to occur following surgery.

From what I understand, it is actually recommended to avoid quinine due to the side effects it can have. There are a variety of medications that have been prescribed to treat RLS, but I would suggest consulting someone who is familiar with your particular medical background and medications before starting on something. Diazepam could very well be helpful for you, and the only real way to know is to try one night and see if it does help you sleep through the night.

Hopefully with recovery following surgery and becoming active again it's something that will subside.

RLS is most definitely caused by dopamine dysregulation.

[K-9]

Originally Posted by TheSexyBeast821

RLS is most definitely caused by dopamine dysregulation.

But unfortunately, knowing that the dopaminergic system is involved does not confer a full understanding of the disease process.

[The Pat-Man]

as a respiratory dude how do you feel about electronic cigarettes? specifically as an alternative to regular stogs.

[K-9]

I am incredibly pro electronic cigarettes. In fact, I would love to be the spokesperson.

[Gun Lover]

Originally Posted by K-9

I am incredibly pro electronic cigarettes. In fact, I would love to be the spokesperson.

Really? I found that surprising. I had thought nicotine itself can cause such bad effects that MDs wouldn't even advocate them.

Perhaps it's just so much more preferable than tobacco combustion that it's worthwhile to advocate if they just have to have their smoke

[K-9]

Nicotine may have some bad effects, but nicotine on its own can't even be closely compared to what cigarettes do. We already prescribe nicotine patches and endorse nicotine gum. If people switched from cigarettes to e-cigs it would make an incredible change to overall health.

[Spike12]

Doc the gooch stinks thats the only way I can put it. If I swag my finger at it and smell its putrid to say the least.

The balls they are good, dick,asscrack and hole all smell ok.

Even when im int he shower scrubbing at it and its full of soap and i can swab at it and its horrible.

[Meepasaur]

Do you think chiropractor are full of shit?
I have a bulging disc at c-3 and hyper lordosis that causes me some pain, the disc issue is aggravated by a lot of different things but the lordosis is only a problem when I work. Lately I can't sleep on my back because the arch in my back is too high. I am also getting crazy hip pains.
I am seeing a chiropractor and I have no idea if it's a good thing to do.
I helps the pain for a day or two but could this be counter productive?
I would appreciate your opinion.

[SoulButter]

Help please

Spoiler: Click to toggle