A New Journey In Type II Diabetes

Ok, got my labs, and for some reason, they either didn't run the lipid panel, or didn't send me the results.
My hemoglobin a1c has gone from 9.8 to 7.1.
My fasting glucose that day, prior to making the move to induction and low carb, was 113. I have been consistantly 100 or less every day fasting since.
My ths, thyroid stimulating hormone was 2.71. According to the lab, this is "Normal", however, the National Standards have been changed to 3.0, so I am still below "normal".

They have not called to tell me that they got the script called in to the Target, so I need to call today and make sure they do that before the holidays, or else I will run out.

Other than that, I spent two days in the hospital with severe chest pain. I was given the "million dollar" workup, and cleared cardiac wise, my heart is in great shape, so it would appear it was and is being caused by my pancreas.

Since I am allergic to H2 blockers such as Tagamet, Zantec, Pepcid, etc., they prescribed me Carafate, which has been working wonderfully. Instead of changing the body chemistry like H2 blockers, it simply coats the stomach. I take it 3 times a day before each meal, and at bedtime.

Still can hardly eat, but still take the med. I eat when I am hungry, and when I feel I can with the least pain possible. So far that is about once every one to two days. Still not retaining the food for long, within half an hour to an hour, it passes right through. I imagine this is malabsorbtion causing my vitamin deficiencies. The pancreatic pain is the least when I don't eat. Drinks are fine.

Got a referral to a gastroenteroligist, waiting now for an appointment. Hoping I can get in before the end of the year, the weight loss is fairly dramatic now.

a friend of mine had type 2 diabetes, i say had because he seems to have cured it while taking unmentionable herbals for cancer. he still uses it everyday before bed to keep the cancer and diabetes in check, been going strong for years now and he can eat anything he likes.

Just posting an update. Been a miserable few weeks since my chest pain incident. Still sick, still having pancreatic pain, bores into my back below my left shoulderblade. When I was in the hospital for the chest pain, I remembered they had run amylase and lipase to check for pancreatitis. They told me several times my amylase was low. I just decided to look up what the potential causes for low amylase could be, and needless to say, it was alarming.

Low amylase is considered "rare", and with pancreatic symptoms, is considered a "red flag" alert for pancreatic cancer.

Now, I am likely needlessly worried. The few articles I was able to find online only outline a few problems that cause low amylase. None of which I have. So, I will simply just have to wait and see what the gastro has to say.

Good news is, I called yesterday after not having heard from them in almost a month, and due to the symptoms I described, they got me in emergently. My appointment is today at 1:30.

Still unable to eat hardly anything, no appetite now, due to fear of pain. Even the smallest amount of food makes me ill. It seems my bowel functions have all but ceased, as well, and I must take Milk of Magnesia to have any success in that category. Not sure if this is due to what is going on, or because of my back problem.

My only choice is to simply tell the doctor what is going on, and let him make the clinical decisions.

I will update if I glean anything after my visit today.

P.S. was very ill, feeling shaky yesterday when getting ready for work. Almost passed out, high heart rate, high bp again, intense abdominal pain, chest pain, back pain all night at work. It was as severe as the night I went to the ER.

Took my blood glucose, and it was 149. Only thing I had ingested that could have caused a glucose response was chewable Vitamin C. Won't be using that again, instead, sticking to the swallowable pill.

Had hardly eaten for days, in fact, a chicken breast Saturday, a chicken breast Sunday, and nothing else since Friday morning when I had scrambled eggs and bacon.

Btw, amylase is the enzyme that we produce to metabolize carbohydrates. Present in both saliva and pancreatic juices. Lack of amylase means lack of carb metabolism. Looks like my body knew what it needed, and going on a low carb diet was the best thing I could have done.

Listen to your body!

One thing to remember is that 149 mg/dl blood sugar on your meter isn't exactly 149 mg/dl. I found out something scary recently is that the BEST blood sugar meter on the market is only within 14% accuracy. So that 149 blood sugar is within 14% of 149, or in other words your blood sugar is truly 128-170. Diabetes is a tough thing to keep track of.

My doctor said that chest pains can be caused by a form of acid indigestion or even gastroparesis when you are diabetic. You might consider getting checked for gastroparesis. One sure symptom of that is if you aren't always digesting food properly. That can cause some severe upset stomach, and the doctor told me it is caused by neuropathy of the vagus nerve that tells the stomach to produce acid to digest food. Good luck with the battle, I hope things get better for you.

reply to post by InFriNiTee


Thanks so much for your reply. I am sure the meter reading was a false positive, there was absolutely no way my glucose could have been that high.

As for the other, absolutely. I have been dealing with lifelong digestive issues, chronic pancreatitis, ulcers, etc. I have been through many years of remittance, however, but the past year, since I became inolerant to the metformin then the Onglyza, has been a nightmare.

Atkins diet helped literally cure my chronic pancreatitis, and even resolved my once fatty liver. The CT scans were undeniable. However, the CT scan after adding carbs back to my diet showed the fatty liver had returned, along with the pancreatic attacks.

It is frustrating, because I knew better than to do what she said, and I should have been more demanding about seeing the doctor, especially once the PA started to contradict his advice.

Although, I do have to consider the Onglyza may have done some pancreatic damage, as the sole purpose of that drug is to stimulate the pancreas to increase insulin production.

I will just tell the gastro the whole story, what symptoms I have, and let him make the decisions. I am feeling I am likely going to be scoped both ends, due for that anyhow, and possibly an ERCP to check out the pancreas. If not an ERCP, which can have severe aftereffects, likely an MRI or abdominal CT.

Perhaps the MRI may be better overall, because the carafate has also caused kidney pain, and worsened the back pain so severely I had to stop taking it. Both are side effects of the drug. It figures that I would find something that works, and the side effects are too much.

Very ill today, just took morning meds, and my pancreas screamed out in response. I don't know, if he scopes me, how I will tolerate the prep. I may have to be hospitalized for it. We shall see.

Wish me luck! A bit scared today.

reply to post by Libertygal


I am not a doctor, but being a diabetic for almost my whole life I can tell you a few things that you might want to look into. Someone who cares about me a lot helped me over the years and looked into a lot of medical studies. There are a few things that might help your digestion.

There are multiple types of enzymes that can aid your digestion. Here's what I was told about enzymes. Your body only has the capability of producing its own enzymes in certain limited quantities. It's not just stomach acid that helps digestion. Digestive enzymes come in many different types. There's Pancreatin, that's a good one from many research studies. There are other enzymes like nattoknase and serrapeptase. One of those you are supposed to take on an empty stomach, and the other you can take when you are full.

Research enzymes to help digestion, but be aware that nattokinase and serrapeptase can act as blood-thinners inside the body (from my own experience). I wouldn't take enzymes with blood thinners, because your blood can get too thin causing dizziness or even fainting in some cases. Do your own research, those are one thing that may help you. I don't have the blood-thinning experience with Pancreatin, and it's cheaper than serrapeptase and natto.

If you're worried about other complications of diabetes like kidney problems/eye problems, look into cross-linking of protiens. There are antioxidants that prevent cross-linking of protiens (which is basically what diabetes damage is). There are many antioxidants that can help, like ubiquinol, l-carnosine, astraxanthin, aminoguanadine, and many others.

I have talked to my doctor about vitamins and supplements. The doctor tells me I only need to take a multi vitamin, but I can tell you that natural herbs can help a lot.

There is another product that is sold through many outlets on the web. It's called Panc Tea. It used to be made by a Dr. Christopher who found ingredients that help with a lot of the digestive problems associated with diabetes. The tea does have cayenne pepper in it. I recommend building up a tolerance to hotter foods over time if you can. Eating hotter foods in moderation can actually suppress heartburn. There are other ingredients in that tea like cedar-berry that have been shown in some studies to have an anti-diabetic affect similar to bitter-melon or other herbs that have anti-diabteic effects. I use it with a good chai tea or roobios tea. Those teas have cinnamon in them which is also known to be anti-diabetic.

Good luck. If you need to know about anything specific, I can find the medical studies that have been shown to help diabetics. Many of these things are simple things like taking 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda 1-2 times a day (from the health-food store, not the big-brand). The baking soda tip alone is a powerful one. There are many links to diabetics having problems with acidity. I take 1/4 teaspoon once a day. They proved in a medical study in Italy that if diabetics take a small amount each day, they can drastically reduce the risk of kidney damage, even with high blood sugars. I have studied this with my family's help over my entire life.

Talk to your gastro specialist about gastroparesis. What happens with gastroparesis is you don't digest the food because the nerve that tells your stomach to produce acid may have neuropathy. When this happens, food just sits and ferments in the stomach. Often times it is passed undigested into the toilet.

Your doctor can help you possibly by recommending diet changes that will be more compatible with your symptoms. They can also give you drugs which may reduce the symptoms, but they have nasty side-effects (including seizure). I won't suggest a diet, that is something only your gastro specialist should help you with.

I can tell you myself that I had gastroparesis at times in my life before. The combination of things I mentioned above is what helped me with that problem specifically.

I try to keep my blood sugar at 120 all day. It's tough, but it can be done. You might want to look into a Dexcom sensor to help you with your glucose control. They are very expensive, and sometimes insurance doesn't cover it. If you have good medical insurance that might be a thing to try as well. If you get the sensor, you could have your doctor switch you over to insulin injections. As bad as I believe the injected "insulin" they GMO in the lab, I still think it might be better than the pills that they are giving you by the sound of it. You might consider talking to your doctor about those two ideas, but the American Diabetes Association does say that an A1C of less than 7 is optimal for avoiding complications. The A1C of a non-diaetic is usually 4.8-5.3, but it is very difficult to keep that tight of control without low blood sugar events.

Please continue your updates, I hope that you find solutions here.

Just a quick update before I head to bed, I am exhausted.

Infrinitee, I read your posts, and I had actually been told about the cedar berry tea as well as the one with the cayanne pepper. I have looked into both, but not made a decision yet. I will be back to respond more, but thank you so much for your suggestions! They are very helpful!

I saw the gastro, and to put it politely, he is already fired. He ordered an abdominal CT for this coming Friday, but pending a precert from my insurance. I filled out 8 sheets of forms, 3 health information, and the rest all fiancial.

On the health forms, I was quite careful to list my allergies, one being an allergy to CT iodine IVP dye. That is the old dye they no longer use. When the secretary was ordering the CT with scheduling, she spoke about it with contrast, and I warned her of my previous allergy, and perhaps I should pre-medicate? (I only said this, because it is the hospital imaging policy if you have a history of this allergy.)

She says, "You didn't put that on your form."

I quickly said, "Yes, I did. I even wrote next to it 'old iodine dye'". She rolled her eyes as she telephoned the doctor, who changed the order to without contrast.

The doctor was a whole other issue. He spent 30 minutes in the room next to me speaking with the patient, so I was hopeful.

Boy, was I wrong. He was short, didn't listen, and didn't care. I told him how much weight I had lost, how weak I was, and that I had barely eaten for over two weeks. He said, "If you have pancteatitis, then you should be npo!", and promptly walked out. I gathered my things, and that was when I had the incident above with the secretary.

All I was was a payment. He was in the room less than 5 minutes. That was it. Just wow.

Since my blood draw at my PC, I have lost another 16 lbs. Down to 220 now, from 236.

I am happy about the weight loss, but not happy about how it is happening. He could not have cared less.

I will have the CT, after making sure the precert is approved, but, I will never darken this doctors' doorstep again. That's for certain. I basically paid 65.00 for a CT order.

Oh, he told me if it got worse, to go to the ER.

Again, just wow. You go to the ER, they send you to the doctor, who does basically nothing, and refers you back to the ER? No thanks.

If I felt better and had the energy, I would have been very angry. Right now, I spent my energy looking for a new doctor. This time, I am going to interview him for the job. I made that clear with his secretary when I called. She seemed pretty cool about it. Guess I will find out how he feels!

That appointment is December 23rd. I am done paying good money to be treated like I was today, and I intend to make it clear, in writing, how I felt about that "visit" today. With what I will be paying for healthcare in 2014, I refuse to play around anymore.

The same goes for my PC. Time to move on.

reply to post by Libertygal


Good choice Libertygal. Remember what I said above. All of those things have helped me. I don't really recommend the sensor for a type 2, because it's too expensive. All those other things you should look into though. They are cheap and can make a world of difference. Especially the tea and the l-carnosine. They are very cheap, considering what they do. I still go to the doctor, but I read a lot about what nature can do.

Just look at one source on how L-Carnosine protects diabetics and lowers weight:

www.liveinthenow.com...

or another:

www.1stvitality.co.uk...

If you want I can share a lot, but I found the above by just typing L-Carnosine diabetes into the search engine. There are a lot of things in nature that can help you.

reply to post by InFriNiTee


Thank you for the information on L-carnosine. That is very interesting. I do eat a lot of meat and no sugar though, so I wonder if it is necessary in my case? However, before I add or change anything, I want to get my CT results back, which I had Friday.


I also did some reading and some thinking. I have recently begun having anaphylactic allergic responses to both food and drugs. In fact, my pancreatic attacks very closely resemble my anaphylactic shock.


I found the correlation unusual, and when I did see the doctor, I explained what the attacks were like, and how I have, in the past year, started to get an odd response. My hands will flush very red, the palms then itch and burn severely, then swell. This is the exact response I get during a severe allergy, but with anaphylaxis, I get swelling in the lips, face, eyes, running nose, watering eyes, etc.


I told him that it seemed like some sort of histamine response, and, that in fact, benadryl actually helped ease the attacks. He didn't respond, of course.


When I got to thinking about it, I decided to do some research, and found several fascinating things. Perhaps coincidence, perhaps linked, but it gave me some direction and hope!


Firstly, I found out the pancreas produces, among pancreatic juices and insulin, histamine! Specifically, in the head of the pancreas.


Unfortuntaley, this is a latent sign of late stage pancreatic cancer. That is not comforting. However, it could also be from a possible benign hormone producing tumor that causes sudden releases of histamine!


It so happens that cimetadine, Tagamet, an H2 blocker, also helps stem production of histamine. Sadly, I am allergic to H2 blockers. Tagamet, in particular, caused me to have renal shut down.


Next, I found something more fascinating. Histamine intolerance. And, there are histamines in some foods! I did not know this, either!


Now, I look back, and one of the foods that caused me to have "attacks" was chocolate. It also happens to be one of the foods highest in natural histamines!


I also discovered histamines never leave the body. They build up, until.... an attack?! Wow...


So, I have this love/hate realtionship with chocolate. I never know how much can eat before I have an attack. I can eat one Hershey's kiss, and have an attack. Other times, I could eat a whole BAG, and nothing. But.. the next bite... and BAM. An attack. Is this possibly the histamine build up?! Could it really be that simple? A histamine ALLERGY?


I searched for a list of foods with histamines. Some, I already had figured I was "allergic" to, like chocolate, and balsalmic vinegar. The vinegar is the same. It seems to build up. But, all the foods I eat the most? Have histamine!! All the foods I eat now, on Atkins, are all Histamine foods!


I was floored! It also goes hand in hand with carb intolerance. More common in women my age. Ahem.


And, more common in people with Celiac disease.


I think I need to see an allergist that specializes in histamine intolerance that can test for it, as well as gluten/wheat. This would answer everything. All of it.


I really felt like I found something with this, and wanted to share. For the first time in YEARS, I actually have some hope!


From the little information I can find, the histamine allergy test is done in a setting with a full emergency response team available, because of the risk of anaphylaxis type response. A dose is administered inthe expectation that it will illicit a response. Kind of scary, but at the same time, very promising, and I am so glad I am not crazy!


foodallergies.about.com...

reply to post by Libertygal


I'm glad you're getting checked for histamine allergies. I will give you an example of a breakfast meal for me. 5 eggs with 2 seranno peppers, 1 jalepeno, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 small onion, and a little shredded steak or ham. Lots of spices. 1 tsp crushed peppercorns, 1/4 teaspooon himalyan salt (the orange stuff), 1/4 teaspon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon sage, 1/4 teaspoon curry, 1/4 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon oregano. Plus 2 tsp. of worcestershire sauce. It's gluten free, very low carb and helps a lot. Atkins diet compatible, and very tasty.

Sautee the meat, then add the vegetables (chopped very small) and the spices. I also add about 1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese to this, and then the eggs and stir it on medium high heat until it's cooked. It's very good. I also use grapeseed oil with olive oil spray on the pan. 1 tsp grapeseed oil, with a little olive oil spray to cook the meat then vegetables in. I will tell you that this recipe is very spicy, but I feel very good when I eat it. Try it sometime, if you dont mind eating hot stuff from time to time.

I have noticed that I feel the best when I avoid any type of grain products myself, and my blood sugars stay better overall. When I do eat grain products is the times when I don't feel good after a meal. Sometimes rice is ok, but wheat never makes me feel good. I wish the best to you.

reply to post by InFriNiTee


That sounds wonderful! Nice use of herbs and spices, too. The problem though, is ham is on that list. I was very surprised. I am not sure yet, what to do about histamine foods, whether to eliminate them completely right now, or just be careful.

Just after I posted that message this morning, I could feel an attack coming on, and I took a benadryl. It totally aborted, and I was able to sleep comfortably. I work at night and sleep during the day.

I totally stay away from rice, though. It spikes my glycemic index terribly. My sugars will LEAP into the 200's from just a small serving. It's one of those foods that I am sensitive to. Even brown rice will spike me.

When I am on Atkins, I tend to be very diligent, also. Because Atkins actually changes the bodys' metabolism from one that burns carbs to one that burns fat for energy, I take that pretty seriously. I found out with my first go around with Atkins that it made me pretty miserable if I seesawed back and forth, and I also think it cannot be very healthy for the body, so I try to be perfectly compliant.

If I make a decision, such as when the PA told me to add bread back into my diet, to change from low carb, then I realize I am changing my metabolic system. I did not take that lightly and though I tried to stay low carb, I realized it was still a change.

About the histamine test, from what I can tell, the doctor or lab will put you on a histamine free diet for about 4 weeks, then do either a double-blind food study, or give you capsules of a histamine dose. I suppose it doesn't matter if I start being cautious. However, I have been doing some more reading and there is something called DAO that in the small intestines, that metabolizes histamines, along with megadoses of vitamin C.

They can actually do blood tests for two things to check if your histamine metabolism is off, so it looks like there are several ways to go about verifying this.

Histamine intolerance is defined by an imbalance of histamine and the histamine degrading enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which is mainly produced in the small intestine.

www.nutratestlabs.com...

At this point, if I cannot find an allergist or immunologist to test me, I *will* self pay a lab. That is how certain I am about this!

Just for grins, I am going to post a list of histamine foods, in case some others reading this may think they have food "allergies", and may actually have histamine intolerance instead!

The typical symptoms of histamine intolerance are headache, diarrhea, migraine, engorged or dripping nose and especially in connection with food incorporation asthma and arrhythmia,
hypotension, urticaria and dysmenorrhoea. Those with anaphylactic reactions often also have lower histamine activity. The diagnosis of histamine intolerance is achieved by determination of the diamine oxidase activity in serum.

(Same link as above.)

reply to post by Libertygal


You might try some Psyllium fiber as that is supposed to help with how much glucose is taken in by the intestines. It holds sugars in the fiber until they need to be released, sort of. Psyllium is in Metamucil or Mira-Lax. Will help with any potential constipation from too much protein also.

reply to post by Libertygal


What you've mentioned brings something to mind. Since there are people that have bad food allergies out there, shouldn't insurance companies be covering for diets that they may need? Is that not considered a medical necessity? Just being diabetic and eating the right foods all of the time is expensive, then if you add food allergies to that list it becomes cubersome to be able to afford all of the proper ingredients.

I'm glad that I don't seem to have allergies to food. There are a lot of things that make me feel worse or get higher unpredictable blood sugars. I came up with that recipe above from an Atkins book, but I customized it to my liking.

I will not go into a lot of detail here, but I have not ever been a person who wants to take Benadryl in any quantity. Benadryl has always made me feel like a zombie. I don't like the side effects of almost all over the counter medications that are out there. Just look up the potentially dangerous side effects of any OTC painkiller or other medication. I used to know people that would take as much as 2500 mg of ibuprophen in 24 hours for headaches. A year and a half after that they had the worst stomach ulcers. I don't think they recovered from that.

If the Benadryl is what works for you, by no means change that. I would look into natural histamine blockers if I was in your situation. If you want me to I might be able to find out about something like that (perhaps an extract or something). I have done a small amount of research, and I am finding that there are things that block histamines. Certain foods, and herbs.

Remember what I said about enzymes. I didn't know you were having histamine problems specifically, but I did mention enzymes. I'm finding hundreds of articles talking about enzyme supplementation to break down the histamine activators that your body may not be processing. Enzymes will most likely help you out a whole bunch, like that pancreatin I mentioned. Other enzymes can be effective too. Please research that and how it relates to histamine allergies.

For information on histamine intolerance histamine toxicity, here is a well written artcle:

diagnosisdiet.com...

Here is a partial list of foods that contain histamines. Visit the link for more comprehensive information. Basically, any aged, fermented, or cured foods are high in histamines, as well as red wine.

healthyeating.sfgate.com...

Red wine happens to be of the things I simply cannot tolerate. Literally within seconds of taking my first sip, I get painful cramping in both my arms. If I keep drinking it, the pain will rapidly move into my chest, and then my whole body. I thought it was the sulfites all this time, but it might well be the histamines! The pain in my arms alone was enough to make me avoid red wine all of my life. All alcohol contains histamines, but red wine is the leader.

healthyeating.sfgate.com...
This is not a complete list, visit the link for more in depth information.

Red wine

All vinegar, balsalmic vinegar, all foods and condiments containing vinegar, such as ketchup, mustards, dressings, miso

Cheddar cheese, bleu cheese, all aged cheeses, curd cheeses are ok, like cottage cheese, ricotta. Creamed products are okay, such as sour cream, cream cheese

Cured meats, ham, bacon, jerkey, smoked fish, sausages, deli meats

Vegetables in the nightshade family, specifically tomatoes, eggplant, pickles, olives, spinach, saurkraut. Olive oil is okay.

All berries and citrus, advocadoes, plums, dates papaya, pineapple, raisins, strawberries, bananas

Sodas, coffee, all teas, flavored milks, soy sauce yogurt

Chocolate

Herbs, cinnamon, anise, curry powder, paprika, cayenne pepper

Once I read that list, I was pretty shocked! Most of these foods are Atkins and Paleo diet friendly, and foods that people on low carb tend to eat a lot of! I was thinking, what's left?!

Fresh! That's the secret! Buy fresh, cook fresh! Even leftovers, especially meats, can start to build histamines in the refrigerator as a natural part of the breakdown process. Cooking does NOT destroy histamines!

Avoiding the fermented, aged, and cured foods still leaves a wide variety, however, the main area I see being very restrictive is fruits. Many fruits are on the list, and with Atkins, I limited myself to primarily berries. Strawberries, in particular, became my favorite snack and desert food. It is also high in histamines!

Vitamin C is shown to help with the breakdown and metabolism of histamines, so this leaves me a bit confused, leaving primarily supplements and other restrictive food sources as the only source of vitamin C.

Nuts and seeds are on the list for tyramines, but not histamines, so getting food allergy testing prior to restricting foods based on histamines seems to be the recommended course. I had eaten hazel nuts all my life, but tried some Nutella, which is hazel nuts and chocolate, and that caused my first anaphylactic shock. I thought it was the hazel nuts, but now, I have to question, was it the chocolate, very high in histamines?

(Note: the list at the link above also includes tyramines, which is known to cause chronic headaches. I have attempted to include histamine foods primarily on this list. Visit the link if you are interested in tyramine food sources, as well.)

reply to post by InFriNiTee


I was reading back through the thread as promised, and in reply to your post about pancreatic enzymes, this will definitely be one of the things I am going to be bringing up, especially in light of the histamine discovery. It all leads back to leaky gut syndrome, which stems from the small intestines.

The more reading I am doing, the more I am finding that your information is really good information for diabetics. I have to say thank you, because you have offered a wealth of information, along with several others in the thread!

I am going to get the histamine thing checked, for certain, and must do that before I try the panc tea, due to the histamines in cayanne pepper. I am reading though, and paying attention, and just wanted you to know.

I feel kind of like I am taking two steps forward, and one step back at this point. But, anything worth doing is worth doing right and taking time. It's a little frustrating, but as I said, I am finally feeling some hope!

I am a bit distressed still, that the Onglyza may have caused some permanent damage. I would think after having been off of it for the period of time that I have, that I would have had more improvement. It is a bit disconcerting, though, and things are not quite working out as I had hoped.

Considering I am not as young as I used to be, and other things like the Onglyza that have happened along the way, it may not be as easy as it once was.

One thing I know for sure, though. I will never eat the poison foods they have on the market again, white breads, sugar, flour, etc. It is just not worth it, for the misery that I have been going through.

Thank you again, for all of your wonderful advice, and taking the time to reply. You are so dead on with your advice, now I just need to see how to work it for me.

You are appreciated!

reply to post by Libertygal


Look up the articles about nattokinase and serrapeptase being histamine blockers. Here's just one link I found, but I personally use the Doctor's Best brand (although I used to take the Wobenzym, but now it is too expensive):

www.allstarhealth.com...

From the source above:

The proteolytic enzyme bromelain, derived from pineapple stems, is often formulated with the bioflavanoid quercetin. Bromelain-quercetin combinations are able to inhibit the release of histamines from mast cells found in connective tissues. Histamines cause tissues to swell, and account for the congestion associated with colds and sinus problems. Why not use antihistamine drugs? Anti-histamine drugs affect histamine receptors, and because of that, have well-established side-effects such as drowsiness. But bromelain-quercetin combinations don’t work through the histamine receptors and therefore don’t cause those side-effects. Their most significant side-effect of bromelain-quercetin is sexual in nature. Because histamines are essential to arousal and orgasm, some users may experience diminished sexual responsiveness when using bromelain-quercetin supplements.

Nattokinase along with serrapeptase are systemic enzymes. If you take systemic enzymes, or any high-quality enzyme, you will find that along with your anti-histamine diet that the symptoms will likely be reduced further. Enzymes are something the body only makes so much of throughout your lifetime. Once an organ cannot produce enough of its own enzymes, it can become weaker or not perform its job as well.

I learned all of this stuff by reading medical studies over the years. If you search enough, you can just about find something to help anything that's wrong. I have not figured out how to cure type 1 diabetes, but I have figured out ways of making life easier with it. With the knowledge that me and my family have learned, we saved my grandpa from repeated heart attacks. He had 3 of them, and the third one he almost died. That was 20 years ago, and he has not had a heart attack since! We also found a tincture that would stop a stroke in 15 seconds. My grandma had to use it on him, but it brought him out. His whole face went grey and numb on one side the day he had the stroke. A strong tincture of cayenne is what brought him out of it.

He is 86 years old now, and he still does have significant health problems. COPD from an autoimmune attack on his lungs, and other things. The COPD is the worst though. We have even helped him a little with that.

Do reasearch. Any powerful antioxidant is good for a diabetic, but L-Carnosine can protect your eyes and your kidneys from high blood sugars. There's a lot I know about different health probems. Things from folk remedys to essential oils, herbs, amino-acids, minerals and trace minerals, vitamins, extracts, and even modern things like infra-red therapy for cirulation and cold laser therapy for that as well. If it was not for the internet today, I (and my grandpa and other family and friends)wouldn't be alive. These things are powerful.

Lastly, I have read in the past that cayenne pepper is an anti-histamine. It is a histamine blocker of the type that cause nose stuffiness. As far as other histamines go, I'm not sure. The best way to tell would be to do a test with a capsule no more than 250 mg and try that one time with PLENTY of water. If you don't have a reaction, I don't think it should be a problem. I actually eat hot peppers so much to keep my sinuses from bothering me. Peppers also help alkalize the sytem. Part of the problem with all the flour, corn syrup, and other crap is the fact that it is so acidic! Not to mention all the carbs. I think it is good you found out about the Atkins diet. It has made a lot of difference for many people with diabetes of both types and other metabolic disorders.

Theres other things I know that will protect the heart and teeth from getting cavities at the same time. I found all of this reading medical studies that often times were independently verified.

Libertygal

Red wine happens to be of the things I simply cannot tolerate. Literally within seconds of taking my first sip, I get painful cramping in both my arms. If I keep drinking it, the pain will rapidly move into my chest, and then my whole body. I thought it was the sulfites all this time, but it might well be the histamines! The pain in my arms alone was enough to make me avoid red wine all of my life. All alcohol contains histamines, but red wine is the leader.

Cramps in your arms? In the back of your arms (triceps area)? If you get cramps in your arms and or legs along with musle twitches in the backs of your legs, hands, arms, or face you could have a magnesium/potassium imbalance. I take a krebs cycle magnesium potassium chelate. Just type krebs magnesium pottasium chelate into your search engine to find out about it and research the symptoms of deficiency. Chest pains (a.k.a. angina) can also be associated with a mineral imbalance. I recommend a multi-mineral complex with trace minerals added, plus the krebs chelate of magnesium and postassium. Often times heart attacks are caused by mineral deficiencies. I had the same symptoms as you described, and once I got on the various mineral supplements, that problem vanished.

Just search magnesium or potassium deficiency symptom on your search engine and see if that matches anything you have felt recently or in the past. Doctors don't teach people what the body really needs, because they are not taught significantly in those areas, unless they are a naturopath or osteopath.

Just to clarify, the chelate means that the minerals are chelated to make them more absorbable by the body so less passes through the intestines. Piperine is an extract of peppercorns (black pepper). I found a medical study that said that it potentiates (ehances the potency) of curcumin by 2000%. Curcumin is one of the most powerful natural antihistamines known to man. I will find that medical study myself for you if you want me to post it here, but just search. You will find it. I think that would be a powerful thing to try, I just typed curcumin antihistamine and found a plethora of medical studies.

Here is the medical study, please do research on how curcumin is one of the most powerful antihistamines:

Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers.

It's a good thing you joined ATS LibertyGal. I would try this piperine food grade extract and curcumin 500 mg combination twice a day . I actually take that as well. I open the curcumin capsule and in the opened end I pour 5 drops of piperine and put it back together and swallow it.

Piperine and vitamin D3 along with vitamin K2 oil placed on the teeth will restore cavities. I found the medical studies to back it up and I can vouch for that as I had a tooth that the dentist said needed a root canal several months ago. I put those oils on my teeth twice a day and the cavity that "needed" a root canal was healed. Just more proof of how I beleive that cavities never were a natural thing. The acidity of the food with all the flour and sugars truly does cause cavities, along with the acidic toxins that the bacteria release. I haven't written a thread on it yet, but I plan on writing it in the future.

Okay, back for another update. Doing well with the low carb diet. Still staying at 25 carbs or less, usually less, per day. Still having a hard time eating anything, it doesn't matter what. Had to change the interview with my new gastro to Dec. 30th, due to a work conflict. So far, that staff is really friendly.

This week started with a lot of drama. Sunday, I had all I can describe as, exquisite kidney pain, followed by what felt like passing a kidney stone. It didn't feel as though it passed until very early Tuesday morning.

While still awaiting the CT results, I telephoned my primary care to inform them, and the PA that I really liked called me back. We spent a lot of time on the phone asking me about my symptoms, etc. She was unable to get my report until Monday, though I told her what the gastro said.

Per the nurse at the gastro, "Your pancreas is fine. You have an enlarged adrenal gland, an enlarged left kidney. You need to go back to your primary care doctor."

That was it. They were as done with me as I was with them, which is fine. I went and got the films and the CT report this morning. The report states that because it was non-contrast, the ability the show lesions in many organs was inhibited. I suppose the gastro felt no need to investigate colonoscopy or endoscopy. Which blows my mind.

On the other hand, the kidney issue does not surprise me, however the report states it does not show stones or calcifications in the tubes or upper ureters, but that really doesn't mean much. The pain, where it felt like it got stuck, was very low.

The report states there is no billiary blockage, no dilation of the pancreatic duct. Those are positive things.

It states that in fact, both kindneys are affected, not just the left kidney, as she implied. Though, ironically, the left kidney is the one in which I have been having all the pain, and the one that hurt most from the carafate, which caused me to quit taking it.

The report states "nodular of low attenuation adeniform thickening of the bilateral adrenal glands similar in configuration to the prior exam compatible with a combination of adrenal hyperplasia and adenomas."

Basically, swelling of the adrenal glands bilaterally, due to adenomas, that had previously been called "nodules". Nodules are considered 100% benign, but adenomas shows changes to what can possibly be hormone producing tumors, or carcinoma.

Hormone producing tumors being more likely, and more common is aldosterone tumors, the symotoms do match. That diagnosis will be a time consuming one only a nephroligist will be able to make, buy sympomatically, they do match my symptoms.

So, possibly, but, unlikely, kidney cancer. More likely, a benign, probably hormone producing tumor, which would explain the severe muscle weakness in my legs in the past 6-8 months. It also would explain why, the longer I am upright, the more severe the pain gets. That is an unusual effect of that type of tumor. After 4 hours in an upright position, the pain increases exponentially.

Going to continue my diet, since still on no diabetes meds, and see what the PA says on Monday when she calls. She said she will read the report, then decide about the nephrologist. I will wait to see what she says, see if she wants another CT with contrast, or possibly an MRI, or just straight to nephrology.

If I am not satisfied with the response, I will go to, and already picked out, a nephrologist, on my own. I love not having to have referrals anymore. With even the possibility of kidney cancer, I am in no mood to play around, and I am still in a lot of pain with that left kidney.

Also the CT shows another spinal change which is new, at L3-L4, a prominent, wide based disc bulge. Yay, one more to add to that problem. Not surprised, really.