Any medical professionals out there?

[turtletwo]

I am hoping on a site this large, some of you work in the medical field. I am having some serious concerns, (which I just finished posting a prayer request about. If you'd like to go over there to read it, as a preface to this discussion. It is related to electical sensations I keep experiencing. They can last for hours and are getting more intense/frequent.) I hope that some of you will participate in this discussion and be able to give me some much needed info.

I am also concerned about discrepancies in what I am being told at my local clinic. M dr told me last visit that my blood sugars looked excellent! Yet, when I personally signed a medical release for the lab to mail me that bloodwork, the results didn't synch with that. My glucose read 142 mg/dl High (55-112 is the normal range) (Bun is 8 mg/dl , which is Low and HGB A1C 6.1%, which is High. ) I understand that glucose is my blood sugar, but don't know what those last two even are. And I definitely don't get these contradictions with him claiming my labs were excellent...

If he and I had a good relationship, I'd confront him. But we always clash and he only wants to see me every 6 months now. The blood pressure medication he just put me on is propranolol. I took it in the 1990's for migraines and tremors which were brought on by a devastating blow to my head. But I wasn't on other meds back then, so no interactions to worry about.

But the propranolol (also known as inderal) he prescribed recently, this time had the side effect of extreme dizziness. So I went off them. But after tonight being the worst ever time with those electrical sensations!, I'm going back on them and giving them a second chance.

Is anyone familiar with this med? Have you had good or bad results in your own times using it for high blood pressure? I was surprised to read online that it contraindicates with diabetes meds ( which I'm on ) and valium (which I have to use as a muscle relaxant for my spasms.) I'm wondering why neither he nor the pharmacist caught this! Just one more thing that I don't like about living in such a small town. Anyway, can someone help me... pleassse? Thanks Worthy family.

[ayin jade]

Hi, Im a pharmacist.

Ok, its hard to say what the tingling is. Could be anything from a slipped disc to neuropathy from any one of many causes including diabetes. Propranolol is contraindicated in diabetes because it can mask symptoms of diabetes. You will likely need to undergo many tests to rule out and see what is going on.

A big concern besides your symptoms is the poor relationship you have with your doc. Honestly you should consider changing physicians if you cannot effectively communicate with him so that he is able to deal with your medical needs. You need to find someone who is receptive to your needs and can help you figure out whats wrong.

For information on your medications, a good online resource is pdrhealth.com. A good resource online for disease information is mayo clinic.

In rereading your post, I see you didnt understand your labs. BUN is blood urea nitrogen. It is a measurement to gauge kidney function. HGB A1C is Hemoglobin A1c, a test used as a standard tool to determine blood sugar control for patients with diabetes.

Hope this helps.

[JIME]

Hi TurtleTwo,

I have been an LPN for 19 years and I agree with what AyinJade told you. Hgb A1c is a test that they do to get a 3 month average of how your blood sugars are doing and the BUN measures Kidney function. As for the "electrical sensations," you should discuss this with your Doctor. Explain to him when you noticed the symptoms starting and how you are concerned about it being connected with the Propranolol. If you are having trouble discussing things with your Doctor, I would suggest changing Doctors also. As for the Doctor stating that the Blood sugar reading was excellent, that could mean better than your past readings have been. I don't really know. I hope I have helped you.

[anitarose]

I am hoping on a site this large, some of you work in the medical field. I am having some serious concerns, (which I just finished posting a prayer request about. If you'd like to go over there to read it, as a preface to this discussion. It is related to electical sensations I keep experiencing. They can last for hours and are getting more intense/frequent.) I hope that some of you will participate in this discussion and be able to give me some much needed info.

I am also concerned about discrepancies in what I am being told at my local clinic. M dr told me last visit that my blood sugars looked excellent! Yet, when I personally signed a medical release for the lab to mail me that bloodwork, the results didn't synch with that. My glucose read 142 mg/dl High (55-112 is the normal range) (Bun is 8 mg/dl , which is Low and HGB A1C 6.1%, which is High. ) I understand that glucose is my blood sugar, but don't know what those last two even are. And I definitely don't get these contradictions with him claiming my labs were excellent...

If he and I had a good relationship, I'd confront him. But we always clash and he only wants to see me every 6 months now. The blood pressure medication he just put me on is propranolol. I took it in the 1990's for migraines and tremors which were brought on by a devastating blow to my head. But I wasn't on other meds back then, so no interactions to worry about.

But the propranolol (also known as inderal) he prescribed recently, this time had the side effect of extreme dizziness. So I went off them. But after tonight being the worst ever time with those electrical sensations!, I'm going back on them and giving them a second chance.

Is anyone familiar with this med? Have you had good or bad results in your own times using it for high blood pressure? I was surprised to read online that it contraindicates with diabetes meds ( which I'm on ) and valium (which I have to use as a muscle relaxant for my spasms.) I'm wondering why neither he nor the pharmacist caught this! Just one more thing that I don't like about living in such a small town. Anyway, can someone help me... pleassse? Thanks Worthy family.

I would have to agree with Ayin Jade and Jime: I'm currently studying hematology, and from my experiences with my ex husband (who is diabetic) I know a bit about diabetes in general.

The electrical sensations in your body could be nerve endings either being stimulated or (God forbid) neuropathy setting in. I sometimes have those too---every once in a while I get the feeling like my cell phone is on vibrate and going off in one of my pockets, and I don't have it on me.

As for the lab results, it could be that the glucose level is pretty good (aka normal) for you. My ex likes his level around 150 (at one time his level was around 600), and your A1C level---anything under 7 is really good. The BUN is a concern tho; if your system isn't putting out enough urine, I suggest you get it checked out.

I agree with Jade---if you aren't communicating well with your doctor, get another doctor that WILL communicate. My ex has had a number of problems with doctors in the past because he is the most paranoid diabetic in the world---and he has every right to be.

Your best bet right now is to get militant with your health. If a doctor isn't going to take care of you, you have every right to dismiss him and find another. But don't dismiss him UNTIL you do.

a.

[turtletwo]

Yes, you have been of help. Thanks to both of you. It's nice to know we have a pharmacist & an LPN here. I'm glad you could explain what the lab abbreviations mean, so I could know what my tests were for. But why is Bun being low a bad thing, I wonder? I hope you two had a nice Thanksgiving, by the way.

I do have neuropathy. This was diagnosed by an EMG where I was feeling absolutely nothing (when they were sending out electrical impulses to me.) In a normal person, this would've hurt badly. The dr couldn't believe how bad my readings were. I overheard the technician telling him that she had the machine "turned up to the max." He said to me that he wasn't sure of the cause, so it must be "diabetes related." Even though my local clinic always said my diabetes was borderline. (I was only put on pills for it last year, actually. Even though they knew I had it for 10! They'd said to diet-control it by trying to eat healthy.

Anyway, neuropathy is one reason that walking is so treacherous and I can barely do it... even indoors as an invalid. My legs are super weak. And since I can't feel them, they sometimes go out from under me! It's kind of like they "turn to jelly." They buckle if I even stand for a very short length of time. So I must use my cane to stabilize myself, as I tend to lose my balance a lot. It helps me to catch myself... as I tend to tip over. I was sure from the dizziness, weak limbs and other symptoms that I had multiple schlerosis, but they claimed the brain MRI said no.

The dr who diagnosed me was a neurologist from out of town. He told me to my face that I had a moderate case of neuropathy...likely from diabetes. Yet he wrote it up in my chart as only being "mild." Go figure! I have had a lot of this behavior from doctors playing down my symptoms. Other folks have told me of similar frustrations with specialists they have gone to and their personal family physicians. So I am kind of jaded on the mistreatment by doctors over these past years.

Perhaps this trial of always being in pain and handicapped is the "thorn in the flesh" I am called to bear. Still, I keep praying for healing. Because life like this is so difficult and painful. Especially with spasms and now the electric sensations. I barely can even eat and sleep anymore.

The electric sensations feel much different and worse than tingling. I know how that feels, because I have had that for a long time. That's more a pins and needles sensation. This is something brand new. It is hard to describe. It is more like being shocked by a light socket or when you would change those old fashioned fuses. And it fluctuates between my head and body. Sigh. I hate being such a freak.

[anitarose]

Yes, you have been of help. Thanks to both of you. It's nice to know we have a pharmacist & an LPN here. I'm glad you could explain what the lab abbreviations mean, so I could know what my tests were for. But why is Bun being low a bad thing, I wonder? I hope you two had a nice Thanksgiving, by the way.

I could explain a little what the BUN means...it stands for Blood, Urine, Nitrogen, and it's used to measure how your urine output is. It's a serious indicator of whether your kidneys are working at normal levels...seeing that it said Low, I would say (not diagnosing, just a guess, now) that you *might* have some renal issues. That is just another side-effect of the diabetes. My ex was diagnosed at one time with Stage 4 renal failure because of his kidneys and the diabetes.

See, diabetes puts a major strain on all the organs of the body. It's why people die; lack of one little endocrine hormone (insulin) causes extreme havoc within the system. If your urine is excreting too much sugar, your kidneys could be shutting down. That's an extreme example, not actually what's happening. Check with a doctor.

Anyway, glad we're all helping.

Anita Pesola, PCT, CNA

[JIME]

TurtleTwo,

Thank you for asking about my Thanksgiving. It was nice. I hope yours was as well. I am glad I could help you better understand about BUN. Here is a link with more information that might be of more help. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) It explains a little more in depth about the test.

Also, here is a link with more information about the Hemaglobin A1C. Hemaglobin A1C

It will help explain what it is used for. By the way, I too have diabetes. I was diagnosed Dec. 24, 2009 and started on Glucophage 500 mg twice a day to help with it. My doctor checks my Hemaglobin A1C about every 3 months to see how I am doing. I also check my blood sugar twice a day to make sure it stays in range. I am supposed to be eating properly to help as well. That part is more difficult.

Also, if you are having trouble from neuropathy and your legs are giving out sometimes, you should probably be using a walker instead of a cane. A walker can provide better support for you because it uses both of your arms to help to stablize your legs using the four legs of the walker.

As for the electrical sensations, would you describe them as the feeling you get if you hit your funny bone on your arm. Is that the "electrical" sensation you feel?

I know that I can be resting my arms on the desk and move the wrong way and I will feel like an electrical shock around that area on my arm. It is quite uncomfortable.

I am here for you.

Your Sis,

JIME

P.S.

You are not a freak. God created you how He wanted you. Remember, you are a Kings Daughter . You were created in His image. God doesn't make freaks.

[Littlelambseativy]

Though I am not a medical professional and I don't have the expertise that the others who have responded, I did have migraines from the time I was in public school until I retired and one of the meds that my Dr had me on for a time was propranolol (amongst others that he tried). I could not recall the effect it had so I googled it. Try googling it and look at the side effects with serious side effects. Unless you have had this tingling before you started this med I would talk to your Dr about it or your pharmacist. Your pharmacist would know your meds and their affect on you.