October 30, 2005
Hyperglycemia and DKA, Type 2
Question from Memphis, Tennessee, USA:
What is wrong with me? My sugar is out of control! My doctor prescribed Amaryl, Avandamet and Benicar for my illness. Everything was working for a while. In fact, it was working so well, we even lowered my dosage. But, after recently checking my blood sugar, it’s back in the 200s mg/dl [11.1 to 16.6 mmol/L] as opposed to the high 90s mg/dl [5.5 mmol/L] and low 100s mg/dl [5.7 mmol/L]. I don’t understand. As of now, I weigh 250 pounds and I’m 5 feet, 9 inches. Will dropping 70 pounds get my sugar under control completely? If so, I will do anything to get to that ideal weight.
Answer:
Diabetes has a plot line and can worsen over time. The natural history is to require more medication over time. More than half of all patients with type 2 diabetes will need insulin to bring their blood sugars under control. It is possible that you need insulin at this point in your disease. Losing weight will be very helpful. However, losing weight may not be enough to avoid insulin therapy.
JTL
