Diabetes.Blog.com

1 - Morning everyone, I have only been on the "spit" for 4 days now and I have lost 2 pounds so far..WOOOHOOO! I have noticed my 2 hour after supper numbers are still running high though. But they are down into normal range before bedtime.Maybe I should take my metformin more than a hour before i take the byetta, like I have been doing. I also have been having some bad pressure headaches in the evenings as well. But I am not sure if that is due to the byetta or what yet. Time, and trial and error will tell the tell I guess. Oh and by the way,If anyone would like to email me individually my addy is melaniejoleen@aol.com.
God Bless, and Hope everyone has a Great Day! "Melanie in FL" (Comment this)

2 - Ok, here's my 4 month Byetta report.
APPETITE: after appetite loss for first month or so, it's returned to its former level;
WEIGHT LOSS: Some but not terrific;
NAUSEA: Insignificant to none (I was lucky);
ACHING TEETH: Never happened;
HAIR LOSS: Same as above;
HEADACHES: None;
BLOODSUGAR AND A1C RESULTS: PRICELESS!

For all those just starting out who may be experiencing some discomfort, the end definitely justifies the means. Hang in there, the results are amazing!


 (Comment this)

3 - For 2 days I was unable to get on this blog and I was about to panic.
Have now been on Byetta for almost 4 weeks. BS is down, esp. for morning reading. The other day I had to get a flu and pneumonia shot and did not know if I should do the monster as usual. The good folks at Byetta simply told me that they had no research on Byetta and the flu shot. So I skipped it.
I have to go to dentist and have to be pre-medicated with amoxicilin. Am on hold until dentist figures out how to handle that. The people at Byetta kept telling me to take it an hour before I took the monster...but you have to take it an hour before you go to dentist. Not too interested in a heart infection!
Am a little discouraged due to the lousy way that I feel so I am very thankful for this blog.
Laurien - I have not done much exercise with this monster so I cannot answer your question. I am going to start walking again and see if I am still sleepy. (Comment this)

4 - I was on an antibiotic when I started on Byetta and my endo told me to take the antibiotic two hours before or six hours after my Byetta shot. It worked out fine, but I had to take meticulous notes on times of medication to stay on schedule. I also had to adjust some meal times. Hope this helps. (Comment this)

5 - Dear Gilly friends,
I have been lurking on the sidelines for about 2 months now. I wanted to tell you how very much all of your comments have meant to me. I am a single mom who is experiencing that "empty nest" syndrome AND the beginnings of Byetta. After I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I started paying attention to my health.
I have lost 24 pounds in 2 months and will be getting my A1C results in a week or so.
I have not had any side effects, so I guess I have been very lucky.
Thanks so much for being there. (Comment this)

6 - had my flu shot while taking Byetta 5. no problems at all! (Comment this)

7 - I too took my flu shot. I had no problems. I would encourage anyone to take it. What is the flu going to do to your body?

The blog routinely closes and opens a new one each month. we made that decision early on and it's a good one especially as big as we are now. all the old ones are available to read but comments are no longer allowed. (Comment this)

8 - Just want to say Welcome to the new people and Happy Holidays to everyone.

I've been on byetta for three months. Rocky beginning, but smoothing over now. Just want to say that its so nice to get things normalized, get a routine and stop obscessing about every blood sugar reading I get. Now that they are usually in a good range, Im starting to turn my thoughts to something else for a change. ( Like living my life.) Its so nice to be able to do that.

Everyone who's still feeling funky, hang in there. Your time will come. Everyone have a wonderful Holiday season. (Comment this)

9 - Sometimes it takes 6 trys to get on blog. The codes really get mixed up. So Gilly friends keep trying.I was one of the ones who suffered both on 5 and 10 in the beginning. I am happy to say most days this week i HAVE BE SIDE EFFECT FREE. yeah!!!I have even started to inject in stomach instead of arm. That was my main fear. I could not bring myself to inject in stomach . no problem now. So I guess after 3 months I finnally am a byetta pro. So all you newbies Hang in its worth the fight.I am still staying on the newbie blog. I would miss all my new gilly pals if I did'nt. So Good Health to all Danielle NJ (Comment this)

10 - Today is the beginning of the second week on the stuff. I was so happy this morning. First time in a good long while that i had a decent morning reading. A 137; . It felt good after having consistent readings well over 200. This is a GREAT site. Thanks to all who share. (Comment this)

11 - We are being offered the flu shot at work and I was wondering about any possible reation with the Monster. Thanks for the posts on this subject.

I've been on the Big Brother for two days now without any events. I also made it through 30 days of the Little Brother. So far lost five pounds, BS ranging from 90s to 150s. Best of all, I've been feeling pretty good and getting lots of work done that I was unable to do before Byetta.

I tend to drop low by midday. Have gotten shaky a couple of times. I take Amaryl in the morning and it causes this drop I believe. (Comment this)

12 - Alan, I got my flu shot in early October and didn't experience any reaction with the Byetta.

I'm a happy gilly camper. :) (Comment this)

13 - FLU SHOTS
I, too got a flu shot in October and had no problems with it at all (on Byetta). We who are entirely too sweet(!) are at greater risk for complications from the flu than the average bear, so protecting ourselves from the flu is a good thing. (Comment this)

14 - This is my second day and I have already manage to have a frozen pen. I put it in a thermos with gel packs to take to work and by time I got there my pen was frozen. Called Amylin and they are sending me a coupon for a new one. My doctor replaced the one that I distroyed. I brought a car refrigerator, I hope that works. I gave my script to Eckerd for the 10 mcg pen yesterday and they had to order it, I couldn't belive that it was ready today. (Comment this)

15 - Thanks to all who responded to my questions about the chills. I'm learning to recognize the initial signs and a few times have been able to fend them off. The biggest concern is still the muscle spams I exeperience with them. The muscle relaxers given me by an ER doc help, but at taking 12 prescription meds plus OTC vitamins each day (along with Lantus and our friend Gilly 2x a day) I certainly don't need to put another drug in my body! Several of you said these 'spells' subside...keep your fingers crossed for me that mine will too!

Traveling with lizard juice and insulin: We took a 2 week vacation by car just a few weeks ago. I have had a FRIO bag for my insulin for several years and it works great...even when no frig is available. I had received the travel bag from Amylin before the trip and chilled the packs and kept my pens in there. While in the car, I kept both travel packs in a small insulated bag (the kind made for a six pack) along with a Blue Ice pack the same size (diameter) as the six pack bag. By putting the Blue Ice on the top (remember...cold air falls)...this worked great. We chose hotel rooms with a frig and I put the Blue Ice in the freezer compartment and the meds in frig overnight and had no problems. The Blue Ice that size stayed frozen a lot longer than the small size does...they hardly thawed at all. This also allowed the other travel packs to work more effectively. Greatest thing was you only had a small bag to carry in with you!

I'm happy to have found this forum...I'm a firm believer in being an informed patient, but sometimes you get more useful information from someone in the same boat than your doctor or even the great ADA Forecast magazine can provide. Thanks everyone... (Comment this)

16 - Alan: I take my amaryl in the evening instead of in the morning. It helps with the fastings and the midday lows are gone. If your morning fastings are on the higher side, you might want to try that. Amaryl works for 24 hours, but it peaks in 2-3 hours. I decided to use it 3 hours before my highest blood sugar of the day, which is late at night. Yours might be at another time. (Comment this)

17 - Keisha-How long is your drive to work? You get l44 hours a month at room temp, so I doubt you even need to keep it cool for the ride. Even if you are driving 2 hours/day, thats only 60 hours/month. Amylin's travel pack with the refrigerated (not frozen) gel packs keep it cold for about two hours, too. (Comment this)

18 - FARE-THEE-WELL

This will be my last post here to Byetta.blog; I'm one of those on whom it doesn't work. I'm pretty sad about that, since it means I will be going on insulin later tonight.

I wish you all happy holidays and the best of everything!

Gretchen (Comment this)

19 - Gretchen, Lots of us take both Byetta and insulin along with oral meds. Have you tried all possibilities??
 (Comment this)

20 - Well, I just started Byetta yesterday. I don't know what I would do without this BLOG. The doctor knew nothing (asked me if I know what the dose is) and the pharmacist know even less. My doctor didn't even show me how to inject. I really feel out there on my own, but thanks to this blog... One of my concerns is my additional medication. I take 2000 mgs of metforman (i cut to 1500 at this point, 10 mgs of glipizide twice a day and 30 mgs. of Actos once a day. My BG's are very stubborn. Since starting Byetta, my post lunch BG was 130 which is the lowest I've had in a long time. From what I'm reading, the Byetta will continue to help them to drop. It's kind of nerve racking being on such a new drug, injecting for the first time, no support from doctor.
But so far, I love the way it makes me feel! Loads of energy and tiny apitite and good BG's. I'm calling all my diabetic friends. I wish I had stock in Lilly.
Sorry Gretchen :( (Comment this)

21 - Well, 1 2/2 months on the spit. For the first time in many years a day where blood glucose never went over 150. Have lost 20 - 25 lbs. (varies due to CHF). This week first fasting BG under 120. Suddenly my BGs go down after my fasting if I do not eat for an hour or two. (Byetta not taken until ready to eat).

Now to try to get the insulin down. Currently Humalog at 1:2.5 carbs and 1:10 over 120. 124u of Lantus at night.

 (Comment this)

22 - Hello, everyone, a friend discovered this blog for me when I told her I was going on Byetta. It has been useful to read everyone else's stories. I was diagnosed a type 2 five years ago. Started on oral meds and have been on Novalog/Lantus over the past 6-9 months -- gaining 20 pounds in the process w/out better HbA1c's. Had a bad low 5 weeks ago -- passed out and needed 14 stiches in the back of my head (much better now!). New doctor at Joselin recommended Byetta. Only been on it 2 days -- BS are already more steady (no wild swings). Nausea is my primary side-effect -- although I was getting muscle cramps last night and I read above those might be monster-induced as well. Made the mistake of going back to bed this morning because of the nausea but that only made it worse... tonight I stayed active (went to the mall after dinner) that seemed to help keep my mind off the nausea.

Doc kept me on Lantus -- for now..along with Actos. My HbA1c's have been in the 7.2-7.6 range so hoping to see improvement, oh, and losing thoe 20 pounds I added on insulin wouldn't hurt either!

Bob (Comment this)

23 - Bobbiand Ricki welcome to the Gilly Club. Hope gilly treats you both with gentleness and kindness. We are here for you. Wonder Women its very sad to lose one of our gilly pals. Are you sure you have to give byetta up altogether? Will you be able to try again ?? Good Luck and Good Health to you no matter which way you go. Happy Holidays to you. I hope somehow in the future you and gilly can team up again. Danielle NJ (Comment this)

24 - Had my flu shot last month while also on Byetta. No problem at all. I would be more concerned about a diabetic not getting their annual flu shot. (Comment this)

25 - Danielle ... congrats on your successes and now shooting in the tummy! You are such a motivator for everyone else here, and I know that I truly appreciate you! ;o)

Gretchen, I hate to see you go and hear that things haven't gone too well for you. Maybe you can give Gilly another try .. I pray that you stay well and have a blessed Christmas! (hug)

Well, this was Day 3 for me, and everything went great! I have been feeling so good (energetic) that I have taken a night time walk the past 2 nights. Last night I went at 9pm and it was only 24 degrees outside! Tonight I went about an hour earlier and it was 33 degrees ... so needless to say, these were BRISK walks in more than one way! :o)

Tonight one thing kinds of scary did happen, but thankfully it only lasted a few minutes. (probably no more than 10 minutes) Any way, I had just taken my Gilly shot and went to sit down in my living room for the 15 minutes before I ate. Well, my whole chest area got tight, felt like IT was bloating instead of my tummy. It kind of freaked me out, but I got up and finished fixing supper to try and forget it. It lasted only a few minutes longer and I was able to eat with no problem. I jokingly told hubby to call 911 if I fell over, but inside I was a bit panicky. But all is well, and I guess it was just a fluke.

Anyone else had this type of feeling on Byetta?

 (Comment this)

26 - Kimberly,
Sounds like the pains I have been having, but mine seem to be when I get cold...even though I don't always feel like I am (does that make sense????). It is strange...but in my case, an ER doc did seem to think it was muscle related. I burp alot...another Gilly side effect...and definitely seem to do it when these pains hit...and then suddenly, I've gotten warm and they go away as quickly as they came. Maybe one day we'll get this all figured out! :) (Comment this)

27 - Danielle,
"felt like IT was bloating instead of my tummy"

I had the same thing and mine turned out to be gas and when I finally belched I felt much better. It was very weird and only happened once a week or so after I started Gilly.
Hang in there

Angela in Iowa (Comment this)

28 - Kimberly, I get the tightness in my chest also. But I also get this same systm from my formosa meds too, the doctor said it is heartburn. Some people have heart burn in different ways from meds. To me it feels like I am having a heart attack. (Comment this)

29 - Lisa, I drive 20 mins. to work, but I could be in the building one day and out in the field the next. Also if there is anyone who works night shift, I have a hard time decide when to eat breakfast. I leave for work at one in the morning and I am ready to eat at 3 and then again at 6. What should I do? (Comment this)

30 - Kimberly:
If it happens again, don't assume it's gas. Those of us who have diabetes are much more prone to heart attacks than the average person. See the heart blog on this site. I would mention it to your doc. (Comment this)

31 - I have been lurking for about 2 weeks on this blog. (sorry) but my husband just started byetta 11 days ago and as usual I am the one checking everything out for him. This blog as been a life saver for me. I tell him everything that I learn on here. He travels alot lately and I was concerned about how he would handle it, but so far so good. he was really mad that he hasn't lost any weight so far but I told him to hang in there. Hope you don't mind me hanging around for all the wonderful info you have given me. Good luck to everyone on this "spit", I have high hopes for this!!! (Comment this)

32 - FOR THE NEWBIES:

Bring On The Monster

To some this might sound silly,
But since we have found "Gilly,"
Our lives are so much better than before.

Bring on the nausea and the bloating,
We will still continue gloating.
At how glad we are to hear the "monster" roar.

We will tolerate the strife,
'Cause he's given us new life,
So none of this will ever be a chore.

And if there's a choice to make,
it's the side effects we'll take,
With the hope..someday he'll bother us no more!

Shari, cat mom
 (Comment this)

33 - Shari
Thanks for the morning brightener! (Comment this)

34 - After rapidly gaining 15 pounds, my doctor took me off Actos - said that was the culprit and started me on Byetta. I have been complaining about nausea for months but the doctor said that was my high blood sugar. Did anyone experience that?

After one day on Byetta, the nausea is worse. Does it really go away?

I also take amaryl and lantus. Any weight gain problems with those?

Thanks much! (Comment this)

35 - Lisa R. Feel free to be the one getting our Gilly reports. My husband refuses to learn on to turn on the computer so I understand. So A Big Gilly welcome to you and pass it on to hubby too. Kimberly, You deserve a big pat on the back. Look how far you have come in just a week!!! ....Shari love your poem about dear gilly. ... To all having cheast pain, yes several of us had similair pain BUT we are diabetics so check your Hearts out just in case. I did! Peace of mind is a wonderful thing. Go on Heart blog OUR BELOVED BETTY will guide you in the right direction. Dr. Bill and Betty I am sure have help save lives with thier Medical advice and guidence. Good Health to all. Danielle NJ (Comment this)

36 - Cindy, when the nausea is bad check your bgs make sure its not too low. crackers, ginger, ginger ale, real coke, mints and sea sick wrist bands are some of the nausea aids we have used. Yes it does go away and byetta will improve your all over health. But the first several weeks can be rough if nausea is bothering you. I have a very week tummy. It does not take much to upset it so I was one of the gillies who suffered nausea BIG TIME, but its over now and I never thought about giving Byetta up because of it. I was improving in other ways too much. High morning readings are my only problem left. Still working on that! Good Health, Daniell nj (Comment this)

37 - Keisha, I'm sorry your pen got frozen. I use a thermos, but I don't put ice packs in it. I precool it, then ony use a few ice cubes.I put the Byetta in a plastic bag with a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. I haven't had any problems using this method.

Janie (Comment this)

38 - Cindy, Yes, the nausea does go away. I have been on Byetta for 6 months and it got better for me after the 2nd month. I still get short reminders once in a while but that does not last long and is not debillitating. But I want to add that everyone of us has a slightly different experience so you can't expect your responses will be the same as mine. It is helpful to look at the blog and see what others have experienced.

I was on 120 units of Lantus before I began Byetta. I experienced significant weight gain on insulin. I have now lost 39 lb since June. This alone is valuable in improving my health and well being. Someone said that the increase in energy and well being was also one of the perks of Byetta. I would agree. I get up in the morning feeling so much better. I used to hurt so much in the morning that I couldn't really face the day, now I love to just get up.

Shari, you said it all! John Dodson jld65@aol.com (Comment this)

39 - Well this is day 11 for me on 5ug of monster drool. Worst side effect is tiredness in the afternoon. I also have been on 4mg of Amaryl, but was told to drop to 2mg if the tiredness continued. This my first day on the lower dose of Amaryl, so we will see if that helps. My BS's have been very good, better than any other time in the last 8 years. This stuff can really work very well, but you still have to mind the carbs AND do not over eat. The only time I feel sick is when I overeat, and then I feel really bad for hours, because one of the things Byetta does is to slow gastric emptying. Therefore if you over fill your tummy, you feel it for a long time afterwards and that is not pleasant! DaveGauth (Comment this)

40 - I am amazed at my blood sugars. The only time it has been high has been in the morning and the highest has been 140. The weight loss has stalled which is frustrating but I have joined the gym and attended the past 2 days, so hopefully that will help. Interesting, I felt a little nauseous a few minutes ago - about 2 hours after eating and my bg was 81 - so I just ate a granola bar. Will have my blood work in about a week but unfortunately I had to reschedule my 12/13 appointment because I have a project launch that morning, and they can't even look at rescheduling until after January. Great Endo but difficult to see unless you just take the appt they give you.

Love the poem Shari! Good luck everyone! (Comment this)

41 - To those suffering the chest pains too...most definitely get it checked out by your doctor/cardiologist. A trip to the ER...with the EKG and blood enzyme tests done that night, lead the ER doc to decide it was muscle spasms and not a heart attack. I see my endo on the 7th and I'm sure he is going to schedule a stress test to verify it...getting that verification will ease my mind. But hearing that I'm not the only one in the world having this symptom helps keep the stress level over this lower. Hang in there gang! (Comment this)

42 - Byetta and Nitrous Oxide
I'm just back from the dentist, a lovely shade of pale green and nausea about 5 on a 10 scale. Never had nausea from nitrous before so I'm suspicious of the Byetta/nitrous mix. Have my sea bands on now, glucose is 91. Next time I go to the dentist I'll wear my sea bands there! (Comment this)

43 - Hey Barbara J - it may also be the 91 - have a lite snack or some lunch. Never a dull moment ;-) (Comment this)

44 - ( times out of 10 when I was nausea my sugar was low. Below 100 brings it on for me. The other time is if I overate or eat the wrong thing. So check your bgs first and work down from there. My endo said we all have differant LOWS for me under 100 others not until under 80 but some can not tolerate below 120 so find your low and watch for it to prevent that nausea. Good Luck and Good Health. Danielle NJ (Comment this)

45 - Thanks for the nice welcome. I have been one of the lucky ones as far as side effect go and weight loss... have lost 24 lbs in 6 weeks. I was on a natural high and then the weight loss totally stopped.. I was really upset. Guess I will hang in there as I am hoping it starts up again. (Comment this)

46 - Hello, all,

I'm a new Byetta user, and I'm coming up to my 5th day using it. So far, so good. I got over the weirdness of injecting it pretty quickly, as it wasn't painful at all, and reading the forums here made me feel a lot better - and the advice here is amazing. I do that thing where I reset the pen while it's still in me, and I don't get the drips any more - though I wonder if that's just because I'm leaving the needle in longer while I do it.

Regardless, I seem to be doing well - my appetite has vanished! I don't know if I'm losing weight yet, as it's much too early to tell. But I'm not hungry, I feel full all the time, and I'm not getting the munchies mid-afternoon like I used to.

My BG's are still high, but they are coming down steadily. I'm not in this race for speed, but for longevity, right?

Anyway, I'm a regular here now, and I wanted to thank you all for the great advice and stories.

Stephen (Comment this)

47 - Stephen H. Welcome to our Gilly World and the blog. Your right longevity is the key word. Glad Gilly is not picking on you. Thats great a lot of my gilly pals had little or no side effects. I am glad you are one of them. Look forward to other post from you. We are a great family of Gillies here and growing every day!! Good Health to all, Danielle NJ (Comment this)

48 - Another approach to the problem of having a drop of lizard spit appear when I remove the needle. I have found that if I am careful and remove it just part way and pause for even a few seconds before complete removal that the drop doesn't appear. It seemed that whenever I noticed a drop, that I didn't get the full effect of the 10 dose. On a more positive note, I am just finishing my third week on THE BIG GILLIE and the nausea seems to be subsiding quite well as long as I don't eat any high sugar or high fat foods. The small peice of lemon pie the day after Thanksgiving(it was calling my name) made a believer out of me. My three foot long stuffed Gila Monster isn't smirking nearly as much the past few days and the chart of after meal numbers is still headed in the right direction. (Comment this)

49 - Lisa, thanks for the suggestion on the timing of the Amaryl.

Sick on the 10 - This is day 3 on the Big Gila 10 for me. This morning was the closest to being sick that I've had with either the 10 or 5 pen. I woke up feeling pretty bad. I ate 4-6 saltine crackers and was fine withing a few minutes. Later I took my morning meds with some water and sprite. I have felt great all day since then but was beginning to feel a low sugar moment come on just before lunch. I am anxious to try the Amaryl at night to see how that may change my morning readings which have been around 150. My miday numbers are around 90-100. (Comment this)

50 - Alan, you are right Big Brother 10 is a bully!! But he can be tamed just like 5. Sounds like you have a good hold on the gilly brothers. Keep up the good work. Nausea will pass on 10 I am finally side effect free except for a occasionally headache like today. Good Health Danielle NJ PS. sleepiness also a problem from time to time. (Comment this)