horrible situation Paul,

i had the same thing happen a good few years ago now .. i was taking a drug when i was going through the menopause ( not HRT ) but it must have been a hormonal drug, anyway that sent my bloods sugars sky high and i was also very overweight then.

stopped the drug and levels came back to normal, well was still on the cusp, went on to lose a vast amount of weight and keep stable now.

didn't realise RA drugs could have this affect, or it is just the steroids? as you know i don't take them,

wonder what they suggest you do? i know you are struggling with them right now.

Suzanne

had a blood test too last week as consultant worried about diabetes caused by steroids , have got awful pins and needles and weird sensations , think she's barking up the wrong tree personally , but didn't realise till then this is yet another joy of steroids , hope everything is OK Paul , you don't need any more problems.

that was going to be one of my questions Paul,

re diet?

wondered if anything had been suggested to you while you wait.

have posted many time's i lost a huge amount of weight in 2007 and maintain well now. but i stick to the maintenance plan and i know that helps with my general well being.

i know this is drug related with you, but you might be able to get the levels back down with diet perhaps?

Suzanne

yes i did know Paul,

i never eat cereals.

i have 200gm yoghurt, combined low fat greek and natural ( yes i know they have sugars ) in fact the lower fat yoghurts have more sugars than the normal, but as i maintain well on this plan i won't change to full flat now, kcals is here or there with either, i also have a combination of four seeds, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and flax, an apple or a pear and two dark rye Ryvita's, this was my plan with Sureslim where i lost the weight, i love this brekkie and i take my seeds on holiday with me, would never eat a cooked breakfast at the hotel now.

i can get the fruit and yoghurt ( i take what they have ) and it's filling right up till lunchtime.

i know you can't get away from lots of hidden sugars though.

i make a free soup, that in fact give's me a three course meal, made up of celery and watercress and boullion powder ( spelling ) it last's a week in the fridge, this was to help bulk up my meals when i was losing weight but i know there's so much goodness in there, i still enjoy it .. but it wouldn't fill you up on it's own, hence called " free soup"

just mulling over my diet really that keeps me stable weight wise and all other necessaries.

Suzanne

I eat breakfast cereals on the advice of the nutritionist because they are fortified wit the vitamins I am deficient in. It's a balancing act.

It was just a routine blood test, nothing specific to RA. One that we all should have as the years pass us by.

Funnily, I used to have porridge for breakfast everyday. It was the nutritionist who recommended I switch to one of the fortified cereals to boost my vitamin levels. You can't win!

sorry to hijack your thread Paul,

answering Julie,

i put weight on over many years without necessarily overeating, it was a lot of reasons, early menopause, i used to suffer with anxiety/agoraphobia through my adult life until my forties ( long story not going there now ) but eat when in panic situations, my metabolism went through the roof and ended up couldn't smell food without piling on the pounds.

i joined Sureslim, which is nationwide although sadly i don't think many clinics are left now. i had one to one weekly consultation's, had a plan devised for me .. blood tests were taken as to foods to avoid and so on.

it took me a year to lose the weight with a 3 month break as i had to have a hysterectomy and went onto maintenance while i was recovering.

it's normal food, no fads or shakes or anything. basics protein, carbs ( of which i still try to avoid as they're my downfall ) and just eating at meal time's no inbetweens, my metabolism was put back to normal with the regular rigid eating pattern.

i have never taken steroids fortunately, although my meds list is long enough.

i stopped at a weight that really my body told me was enough as the weight loss slowed down after the year, and i have maintained it well since early 2008.

and i feel the way i eat really does help my general well being.

Suzanne

Paul,

it was a case of needs must to be honest,

i think i would be housebound now if i hadn't done this, as you know i am in a wheelchair for distance, with having awful osteo in both knee's which I'm sure being overweight started it.

so i am so grateful that my friend saw the advert for Sureslim for me, as nothing else i tried worked.

hope your bloods come back better than you hoped.


Suzanne

I don't think there's a hijack here. Weight loss is inextricably linked to sensible (i.e. boring) diets!

Well, the results of the second test are in and they are identical to the first - one point in to the diabetic scale.

The good news is the doctor feels it is the steroids that are to blame and it would be wrong to diagnose me as diabetic. We will re-test in 3 months and see what the result is then. By that time I hope to have reduced the steroids somewhat (should be down to around 9 mg per day).

Fingers crossed.