Byetta 10: Discussion Forum for the week of February 12
This is the second in a new series of weekly Byetta Discussion Forums, and 32nd Discussion Forum at Diabetes.Blog.com. It is now closed to additional comments. There is a listing of other Byetta Discussion Forums at a separate webpage: List of Byetta Forums.
By the way, you'll also find some information about Byetta at two other Discussion Forums: odds'n'ends, and research about meds.
Also, you can still read the earlier comments (at the February 5 weekly forum, as well as earlier monthly Byetta forums), and search for information throughout those forums, by using your webbrowser's FIND or SEARCH feature while at the earlier forums, or by searching at the advanced search feature that is at the Diabetes Monitor.
Bill the diabetesdoc
wwq@diabetesmonitor.com
Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com.
By the way, you'll also find some information about Byetta at two other Discussion Forums: odds'n'ends, and research about meds.
Also, you can still read the earlier comments (at the February 5 weekly forum, as well as earlier monthly Byetta forums), and search for information throughout those forums, by using your webbrowser's FIND or SEARCH feature while at the earlier forums, or by searching at the advanced search feature that is at the Diabetes Monitor.
Bill the diabetesdoc
wwq@diabetesmonitor.com
Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com.
I do have a questions. What are the consequences of not eating an hour after injecting? What are the consequences of missing an injection? I thank everyone for their comments. (Comment this)
Ed asked on the previous forum:
Does anyone have the Byetta welcome kit free bag and the Medi-cool bag? Does Medi-cool frozen portion fit in the free welocome kit bag? I was thinking of ordering the Medi-cool frozen portion for $ 14.95 to fit in the free bag form welcome kit if it fits becuase it seems the Medi-cool frozen pac is better than what comes with welocme kit. Obviously my welcome kit has not arrived. Had to seek it out on the web since endo did not give me kit.
I have both. The Medicool insert will not fit in the Byetta bag. And as someone else said (apologies for not remembering who), any kind of frozen thing in the Byetta travel pack will freeze the pen.
The Medicool insert is made of something that doesn't freeze the pen. I don't have a clue what it is, but I wish they would make some Byetta-bag-sized inserts out of it! Though it's probably the combination of the frozen thing and the insulating material that makes it work so well.
Reino, it seems that the consequences of missing an injection are just high blood sugars. Byetta doesn't seem to me to build up in the body. You take it, it does it's thing, and then it leaves your system and you need to take more. I think we've all (at least those of us for whom it's working) seen fantastic results on the very first dose.
(Comment this)
LIVER PANEL
Hi bettta users. I'm back after two weeks.
After using byetta since June 05, I'm discouraged.
Lost 2.5 dress sizes, then stopped the weight loss. My morning numbers are exactly what I have eaten since 6 pm the night before. Trials of Lantus or Levemir have caused bad stomach problems, so I'm looking for new ideas for night. I am one whose sugar goes up drastically when I stop eating.
My GGT on the LIVER PANEL was very high! Alkaline phosphatase and ALT were also just into the high range. AST was normal. My endo says that it is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and needs to be treated with Actos. I wonder whether Byetta could CAUSE it. Do we have any idea whether byetta is safe on the long haul?
I am seeing my GI this week, and praying that this is not a serious issue. It would seem logical to rule out any other possibility. I will not go on Actos, because I just cannot deal with weight gain. Finally I have my weight in a normal range. My mid section, (forgive the bluntness), my stomach is visible through my clothing, especially 1 1/2hrs after byetta. It is still the best I've felt and looked for years. The progress has been slow, and I just can't go back to the weight gain.
Anyone had a liver panel done recently? Any thoughts on this? I'm very grateful for your support and experiences. Thanks. (Comment this)
Pat, I had been dianosed with a fatty liver some years back, when my diabetes was uncontrolled. I had very high triglycerides along with the abnormal liver enzymes.
After getting under control, which at the time was only through diet...mostly sugar and carb control..and some weight loss, my triglycerides, and my liver enzymes returned to normal. Eventually I needed Actos, but just for the diabetes. My liver remained healthy. Now I have stopped the Actos, and just do Byetta.
Is it possible that you had the liver problem before you even started the Byetta?
(Comment this)
Pretty soon we'll need a forum for that. I bet there are a few unconfessed snack sins such as yours and Danielle's and mine about the ice cream. It is sooo tempting.
We are like kids whose hands are finally able to reach into the cookie jar. Maybe after we get it out of our systems and get sensible again, the desire will pass.
Of course there are a few gilly spitkins who have not crossed that line of temptation and they are to be commended...they are also the ones with probably much better weight loss than I for one have had!
(Comment this)
But I have to say.. I think that I would like to do a "test" tonight with some "Munch and Crunch" myself!!NUMMY! (Comment this)
Thanks Shari. I am so frightened by this that I can't think straight. My GGT reading was 218. Four years ago, it was around 127 after near anaphylactic shock. Yes. It could have been high all along. Byetta alone cannot handle my dawn phenomenon (which I have had happen during the day when I didn't eat for 6 hours - and exercised). Occasionally I add Starlix to the daily postprandial mix. I have now tried both Lantus and Levemir at bedtime. Terrible results. Lantus killed my stomach but did bring down the am sugar. Levemir double-killed my stomach, gave me frightful nightmares and raised my am sugar. I am feeling quite desperate. I dance, and I don't want to gain weight. I am also very very sensitive to drugs -- I react to everything. I've added this new exercise routine before bed and it helps me to sleep. (I forgot that with Levemir I couldn't sleep mostly from the pain.) I am hoping that by eating tons of vegetables and a bit of meat and fish, maybe whole grains, that I can get a grip on this. We're running out of options. It has been suggested that I try 3 -- that's THREE -- byetta shots each day. I can't workout the timing. Thanks for listening. Thanks for your support. (Comment this)
Please try not to give up! They are making advances every day. Hopefully the right combo of meds is right around the corner for you. I know its depressing to try so many things and have them fail. You have been thru the mill with meds. Pain is not pleasant. we are here for you. I just know a solution is on the way. Good Luck and God Bless. (Comment this)
Can you give us more info..length of time on Byetta, do
you see an endo? Who is in charge of your liver and stomach problems? Are you confident in the care you are receiving? How long have you been T2? You say you dance..
do you dance professionally? Have you been diligent in using the Byetta and watching your diet since June?
Lots of questions for you, but it is unusual for it to work as poorly as it seems to be for you. Maybe things will improve if you stay on the right track.
We're hear to help support you any way we can.
What is the pain you are referring to that keeps you up at night? Can it be controlled?
Take a deep breath and talk to us.
(Comment this)
It's a tight fit through the mouth, and you'll need to pinch just a piece of the bag in order to pull it out again. But it works.
(Comment this)
Just read back and see you've been on it since June. That is a long time to not see any results. How's your C-Peptide? What does your doc say about that?
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I have been T2 since 1995. Handled it with diet and exercise until 2004l. Went on straight Lantus. Baseline was ok, postprandial high. Disliked it because it raised my postprandial, and left little skin marks. Went on Byetta 6/05. No drastic change. Weight improved. pains in stomach improved.
two types of stomach pain. Mostly like intense hunger, bent-over hunger with faintness and a bit of nausea. Byetta takes this away. Thank God. 1 1/2-2 1/2 hrs after byetta my stomach can inflate. measures anywhere from 34-43!! I look pregnant. Cant eat steak, cauliflower, hummus and other things with byetta. The night pain is the first -- intense hunger pains and just plain stomach pain. I did not get that problem with straight Lantus, but do get it with byetta and lantus.
I asked about c-peptide once, and I was told it could be a problem because I wasn't thin enough. I had been corresponding with a researcher on the west coast about gastri bypass as a cure for diabetes. He suggested the c-peptide issue. I was ready to go into the lapband study before I started byetta. My BMI is now 29 (I think), so I am inelligible.
My dancing is for mental health. I've danced about 8 years. It forces you to look good and to concentrate on your appearance -- so you eat better and exercise willingly! Now I still need to lose 20 lbs more, I look acceptable and move more easily, but the prospect of Actos is awful because of the weight gain. Why did I bother. Why not just get bypass? Those are my thought. Sorry.
I keep wondering if I just get radical in my eating and exercise, will I bring my sugar, bp, cholesterol etc., and GGT under control? Could the meds be causing s ome of the problem? I am so sensitive to drugs that it is possible.
Thanks again for listening. You have been wonderful. (Comment this)
Erin in CA (Comment this)
When traveling I use the metal lined thermos. Chill first, dump out the ice, then put 2 or 3 ice cubes in the bottom. The thermometer I use is the kin used to stick in a vent to see if the air conditioning is sufficiently cool, top is about an inch in diameter and the bottom about four inches long. (Comment this)
Have a great week everyone!! (Comment this)
If you are only 20 lbs away from your goal weight, you have come a long way from needing lapband surgery!!And that is FANTASTIC.!! You have really worked at getting fit and healthy. Did you give yourself time to enjoy how far you have come. We diabetics have to remenber to celebrate what we get control of so we can have the strenth to keep working at whats remaining. Remenber there will always be something remaining to work on because we have an uncurable disease. soon I believe it will be cureable now we can only work on controling.
wE all have problem areas that need to improve. I sometimes get the swelling of the stomach you talked about. I think its when what we eat expands with gas. My dawn # is not steady sometimes its great others its high. I guess diabetics bodies are always changing day to day. we have so many organs involved with this dreaded disease the best we can do is try to do our best.
I have ulcerated colitis so the foods that are good for the big D sometimes are not good for that. We make the best choices we can most daysBUT we are human and also make the wrong choices. What I am trying to say[took me long enough]is don'nt give up. We all are frustrated at times and feel completely out of control. But it can and will get better! Keep Dancing and keep trying whatever new meds the Dr suggest one of them will be right for you.Sorry this is so long but I wanted you to know your not alone. We joke on the blog to keep our sense of humor because deep down we know we have a long battle to go.Keep fighting I believe modern science found THE GILA MONSTER they can find ANYTHING including a cure one day.
No matter how hard our battle may be there are those in world with a lot more battles on thier hands. God Bless..Keep the faith.We are here for you. (Comment this)
YIPEEE....I am thrilled to see you post and the depression lifted. So glad you feel better! (Comment this)
Wow Danielle, what you said to Pat was beautifully said. You are such a great encourager! I hear your frustration Pat, and understand, and I agree with Danielle, the gilly gang is here for you anytime however we can help.
TO RHONDA ReDEPRESSION GONE:
Excellent Rhonda! Glad things are better for you now! Sometimes it is a matter of just hitting the right combination for each individual person! Looks like you are in your zone now! (Comment this)
{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}} Hope you can feel this Gilly hug coming st you.How are you feeling today? Did you get snow? We are knee deep in this part lollypopland. (Comment this)
Welcome to the blog and the Gilly Club[byetta users].If you take byetta[gilly juice ] and donot eat you can get low sugars or no results at all. I have noticed my # starts really improving after I eat, I think byetta may need the digestion tract working in order to do its best work. Hope that helps.Again Welcome to the blog. A lot more gillies will be on tomorrow and I am sure you will get a lot more opions then. good Health (Comment this)
In case I seem to be obsessing -- and I am -- we are snowed in, so it has given me time to acquaint myself with some wonderful friends. The snow has been a blessing, too.
I've had a lot of chance to research fatty liver today, and I guess it is quite common in diabetics. Often the tests aren't done. It seems that the GGT test is used as a predictor of insulin resistance in the Far East and in Europe. Little late for us, I guess.
It is difficult to convey to the people in our lives that (at this time) there is no cure for this disease -- only possibilities for living with it. For improving the quality of life.
You are quite right -- there are others with difficulties that far exceed ours.
Thanks for your wonderful encouragement. Every day is a new day and a new chance to get it right.
Hugs to you all. You are a blessing. (Comment this)
Hello Keisha! I'm kind of doing my own little survey of the ones getting the red welts like I am and apparently you are, and I was wondering what length needle you are using? That is an interesing observation you made. I get "stingers" sometimes but didn't pay attention to whether that was where the welts formed. I'll try to pay more attention to that one. (Comment this)
Pat, I have found that from bouncing ideas off each other in this blog, or seeing a question posed or something triggering a thought has caused me to do research I may otherwise not have thought of to do or taken the time to do. I have realized some things are more important than I thought them to be, and some things I was concerned about turned out to be not so bad. The help and concern shown by the people on this forum has been priceless. I thank God always for leading me here to these gilly friends. I hope you get all the answers you are looking for and find the right path to help you totally with this disease. Glad you joined us on your journey. (Comment this)
Byetta treatment is a very new one. I would check with your endo.your primary and a Obyn and then check some more!Tread gently and get all the answers you need. we have a few young people on the blog but not many. But perhaps one of them can give you more information.Good Luck and health (Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)Just found this forum, and you all sounded so nice, thought I'd try a round. I started taking Byetta last week, and had my share of the negative side effects. The worst seems to be the nausea - any suggestions to combat that would be great! As far as the Thermos discussions I have read - I found the Thermax thermos and I use some of those little rubbermaid gel packs (come in a blanket, but you can cut them apart - very tiny rectangles). I put a few of them in the bottom of the thermos and put the pen cap up - no freezing has occurred and pen stays cool in the car all day while I am at work. But, keep in mind this is winter, and I am at a dilemma for the summer. I work quite a distance from home, and exercise at work - need to keep the Byetta cool for at least 13 hrs if I am eating away from home - still working on a solution, but any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Seemed a little discouraged by the (small) limitations the injection poses to my freedom, but still willing to give it a go! Seems they didn't have this in mind for the more active, younger folks, but then again, most people probably do go right home after work. Looking forward to reading and sharing with you all - thanks for the opportunity. (Comment this)
I don't think that any of us is likely to "finish" treatment -- I see Byetta as a permanant thing in my life, like insulin for a T1.
Danielle, you were saying that the lizard spit worked "better" for you after eating. In fact, it won't work at all unless there's some digestion going on. It's really very interesting; the hormone interacts with the digestion process to trigger the production of insulin. I read the whole package insert, small print and all! Fascinating process.
(Comment this)
Welcome to the blog and the Gilly club[byetta users] nausea is one of the most common side effects.sea bands sold at drug stores have helped some with nausea also sipping on real coke or ginger ale also ginger tablets,tums,anacids.There are also scripts you can get from your Dr. Be sure tocheck your blood sugars when they go too low it can bring on nausea thats why the real coke or ginger ale are used. There are other things this old mind can not remenber but others will jump in with what I forget. How young are you Judi. So far our baby of the club is 27. Good luck and health and again WELCOME (Comment this)
TO Ark-- I am a 67 year old man so I am not an expert on pregnency. However, I recall reading in some early literature, that nursing mothers should not be on Byetta. That could well be merely a precaution as no tests have been published.
To Karen in Tyler-- Thanks for the positive reinforcement.
Backsliders like me appreciate it.
Finally to all new readers-- One of the most important lessons we have learned on this journey is that we are all different. Our diabetes is different and our reaction to various meds and foods differs. Through trial and error we must each find what works for us. Some of the soundest advice was given by Warren a while back. If we decide to make an adjustment to our foods or meds, make only one at a time. Then evaluate the result before adjusting anything else. (Comment this)
Here in Virginia most of our 2 inch blanket of snow melted yesterday...
Did a stupid thing yesterday... got busy doing some computer work and skipped lunch...by 4pm I felt groggy...course it was also nap time...checked bg's and had a 69.. so...decided to choose snack instead of nap..
John (Comment this)
Glad to hear you are doing well!
As I recall, you were diagnosed with gastroparesis.. pre-Byetta, take reglan to treat it, and are on Byetta 10. Evidentally despite the listing of it as a
contraindication, you are thriving and experiencing good bg #'s. Way to go!
Can't wait to hear the results of your lab work. Keep us posted..you are making an important contribution. (Comment this)
Since mike is getting such good results, even though he has medically treated gastropasresis, I'm just wondering if some of us with the worst symptoms associated with that slow emptying effect, could possibly have some of it alleviated in the same way.
Maybe it could be "Reglan" to the rescue! I will be asking my doc about it, next visit.
Maybe that terrible bloating and nausea would be lessened.
Repeating what has been said here before.. we are all different and if some tummys empty slower than others, then....why not help the slow pokes to empty??
(Comment this)
Thank you all for the suggestions and YES, I see an ENDO March 3rd. My friend explained it to me this way...you wouldn't see a GP for heart issues...you would see a cardiologist. So what made me think I could use my GP for diabetes??? Live and learn I guess. I am just a little peeved that my GP didn't recommend an ENDO.
Happppier in SC!!
Hope
**and I have lost a total of 16 pounds since starting Byetta...YAY ME!** (Comment this)
Good Morning Shari! Wow! That would be GREAT if it could help you with the nausea and bloating! I guess it works o.k. with the Byetta or Mike would not have been put on it, so it might just be your answer!
KAREN IN TYLER TEXAS ReGREAT GILLY DAYS:
Way to go Karen! Awesome numbers and nausea gone away! I am really happy for you! GO GILLY! (Comment this)
Good morning HOPE! Great news that you are seeing an Endo now and good advice your friend gave! Excellent weight loss! Truly amazing. I don't think that Endo would have started you out on the 10 dose. Glad you are starting out on the 5 now. Our bodies are supposed to get adjusted to it in about a month to advance to the 10, but some are sticking with the 5. Glad things are good for you now. I assume you are getting great bg numbers too? Go gilly! (Comment this)
I am from NC Cindy..west of Charlotte little town called Morganton. (Comment this)
Oh Hope, that is SCARY that your GP is so uninformed and yet putting his paitents on this! Thank The LORD you found this blog to help you figure some things out...especially on getting an ENDO now! (you might even consider a new GP too for later when you need a GP for things an ENDO doesn't do. That is really scary.)
Hope I am so envious that you live in Morganton! Beee-u-ti-full country! I love the mountains and foothills--lived in the mountains of Virginia for years. I am on the east coast--Northeastern, N.C.-about 2 hours from the beach and very near the Virginia line. (Comment this)
I livED in Morganton, born and grew up there. My husband took a job in Myrtle Beach SC...we have been here a few years now. I miss those mountains, but love the beach too. (Comment this)