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Ask your questions!
Serena Cardillo, MD and Vanessa
Rein, MD answered your questions this month about diabetes.
Victoria asks:
I was diagnosed as having a mild case
of type II diabetes three years ago. I am
managing with diet and exercise. Lately,
I saw an upward trend in my glucose reading
(before breakfast) ~ 6.7mmol instead of 5.9mmol.
The funny thing is before bedtime my reading
will be normal (~5.5mmol).
How did the
excess glucose come about, is it being
produced by my liver at night? Do I need
medication to control that? |
Dr. Rein, MD, responds:
I am not sure how to interpret your blood
glucose readings, as most meters read
blood glucose in mg/dL and not mmol.
In any event, it is great that you have
been working on your diet and that you
have been exercising to help manage your
diabetes. It is very common for the nature
of your diabetes to change over time.
This change does not mean you are doing
something wrong, it is just the natural
progression of diabetes.
It is possible
that if your blood glucoses are going
up, you may now need medication to help
keep your blood glucoses closer to the
normal range. My best advice for you
is to keep monitoring your blood glucoses
and make an appointment to see your health
provider to review your blood glucose
readings.
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CP asks:
How do you find specialized nutritional counseling
for diabetes? Do you need a referral? |
Dr. Rein, MD, responds:
There are excellent nutritionists at the Penn
Rodebaugh Diabetes Center. Our nutritionists
specialize in working with people who have
diabetes. Many diabetes centers throughout
the country also offer the same dietary couseling
with registered dieticians. You should check
with your primary care provider to see how
this can be arranged for you. You should
also check with your health insurance plan
to see if this is covered, as every health
plan has different guidelines as to what
nutritional counseling they cover.
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Mae-Jo asks:
Are heart palpations something to worry about? |
Response:
Thank you for your question. We are currently
only answering questions related to diabetes.
If you would like to schedule an appointment,
please contact 1-800-789-PENN (7366)
or schedule an
appointment online. |
Mae-Jean asks:
I have a shunt in my brain from surgery.
The tube drains into my stomach. I have
tenderness and nasty brain spasms.
What's the cause? |
Response:
Thank you for your question. We are currently only answering questions related
to diabetes.
If you would like to schedule an appointment,
please contact 1-800-789-PENN (7366) or schedule
an appointment online. |
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