Re: My Story
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> Hi,
>
> This is my story. Warning it's a long post. Medical stats are listed at the
> end of the post for those who care. I'm posting this to say thanks to this
> group, and the Internet in general. I hope that it might serve as a warning
> and as an inspiration for the individuals who read it and who might benefit
> from my experiences.
>
> Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and do not presume to give
> medical advice. This is just my personal experience...
>
> I'm a 45 year old male 178 cm (5'10'') tall, never been obese but never
> been sporty, self diagnosed IFG/IGT/T2. My mother was overweight and
> diabetic, and I've seen the entire panoply: bad circulation, neuropathy,
> strokes, macular degeneration, amputation, kidney failure, have I left
> something out..? My father was overweight and had a couple of heart attacks,
> before he died of a massive coronary in the hospital... One sister has
> celiac and lupus, and the other sister (judging by her looks and life style)
> is well on her way to follow in my mother's footsteps, even though she
> claims to be in good health.
>
> I've been tired since I was 20, tried a couple of doctors but nothing was
> wrong. I've been coughing for over 15 years, but the cigarettes were to
> blame. I started going for regular blood tests 3 years ago, and have been
> basically told not to worry, stop smoking, start exercising, and eat a
> "better" low fat diet.
>
> I've been progressively following the advice, battling worsening blood
> values, rising cholesterol, FBG, and liver values... In October 2004, I was
> diagnosed with a fatty liver and pancreas (ultrasound). This scared me and I
> started doing more than just walking. I got myself a rowing machine, and did
> 30 mins a day (for 2-2.5 hours each week). I got more restrictive in my
> diet, ate less fat, more wholegrain bread, more fruit (for breakfast),
> etc... I gave up coke and sugared drinks completely, started drinking only
> water, and occasionally red wine at dinner. I didn't really lose any weight,
> but I got stronger and started feeling more bodily capable.
>
> In May 2005, I went for blood tests again, and my blood sugar values were
> even worse, even though cholesterol and liver values were better. I was told
> that I might have an upcoming diabetic problem, and put on the standard
> diabetic low fat high carb diet. I increased my efforts at keeping a diet,
> and doing exercise. In September I stopped smoking.
>
> In November 2005 I went again, to find that my values had worsened... I hit
> a FBG of 114, my cholesterols hit an all time high, and my liver values were
> the highest ever. Was told that I should start taking statins, totally
> refrain from alcohol, and not even take my omega 3 supplements, because they
> might have been extracted with alcohol (bad for my liver).
>
> Now I really got worried and thought something is not working out the way it
> should, so I started surfing, looking for information. I quickly found that
> a non diabetic FBG is between 80 and 90 mg/dl, not the 55 to 105 mg/dl that
> my labtest lists as normal. That a normal HbA1C is around 4.8% and not the
> 4-6% range listed. In other words I realized that I was already in the
> diabetic progression, and that I'd better take charge of this myself, and
> not trust a doctor who had told me not to worry about diabetes, even though
> I've specifically asked that question a couple of years earlier.
>
> I found the advice of post prandial testing and was horrified when I found
> out I was regularly spiking at 140, 150, 160 mg/dl... I began to cut out
> what was spiking me, which turned out to be starches, certain fruits, and
> candy. I started interesting myself for a lowcarb diet and started avidly
> reading Quentin's posts on nutrition. I've never done Atkins, but reduced
> carbohydrates quite a lot, and after about 3 weeks I was in ketosis and
> started feeling like a king. My post prandials went down to 100 - 120 mg/dl.
> The tiredness which had plagued me since my youth went away, the coughing
> subsided over the weeks to come, even though in December I started smoking
> again. The dry patches on my feet disappeared, and I got sweaty feet again.
> The attacks of dry hands and flaking skin on my hands have subsided. I think
> this was early signs of neuropathy. The chronic tendonitis I had from bass
> playing went away. My general mood improved, and my tendency for depression
> lessened.
>
> Since then I've replaced my aerobics routine with weightlifting. I still
> walk a lot. Don't get the idea that I'm living an athletic life, but I'm
> also not a couch potato. At the moment I do a routine of 60 pushups, 30
> dips, 15 pullups, and 15 chinups, about 3 times a week. This is done at
> different times spread out between my other activities. Think I'm going to
> mix that with dumbbell lifting for strength, and some heavy walking in the
> forest for my legs and aerobic fitness. Also considering starting Tai-Chi
> once a week with a friend, to get more physically and mentally fit and gain
> better control over my energy. Recently I hiked 220 Km over 8 days. Made me
> feel great. I really love the feeling of a fire burning in my body, and
> massive levels of endorphines feel real good ;-)
>
> I lost about 7-8 Kg (15-17 lb) when I split up with my girlfriend (through
> adrenaline having a resting pulse of 110-120 bpm instead of 60-80) then
> regained 1 or 2 Kg (2-4 lb). But the physical exercise and diet has helped
> me lose weight, keep it off, and to build muscle. My weight used to be
> 69-70Kg (152-154 lb), now it's been hovering around 61 Kg (134 lb) for the
> last 6 months. I've gone from a very tight fitting 32" waist, to a loose
> fitting 30", next pair of jeans will be 28".
Becoming lean&trim around the waist is the key to possibly curing your
metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type-2 diabetes in time.
In truth, getting rid of all the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is the
key here.
The single best indirect measure of VAT is waistline.
>
> I eat a very satisfying diet. I've more or less eliminated starches, trans
> fats, sugar, and processed foods. I cook everything myself and buy nothing
> ready made. I'm eating a diet high in vegetables, berries, nuts and seeds,
> fish, seafood, and lean meats. The occasional red meat (when I feel like
> it), a lot of dried ham, and a variety of goat and hard cheeses. My shopping
> basket routinely contains walnuts, pumpkin sesame and flax seeds, ham,
> cheese, avocado, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers (all colors),
> spring onions, shallots, garlic, cucumber, radishes, mushrooms, legumes,
> spinach, olives, salmon, flatfishes, shrimps, scampi, mussels, chicken,
> eggs, kiwis, plums, peaches, passion fruit, cherries, strawberries,
> blueberries, butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cream, Greek yogurt, Lindt
> 75% or 85% chocolate (without lecithin), coffee, green tea, red wine, etc...
> Spices I get fresh from my garden.
>
> Looking at my Fitday logs from April (last time I entered enough data
> points), I come in at 2 418 kcal, 150g Fat, 106g Carb and 105g Protein.
> I've noticed that I'm not at all so hungry as before. In fact I normally
> won't eat very much during the day, if I had a lot to eat the day before. I
> also seem to be relearning listening to my body, as in I see how my diet
> varies from week to week, depending on what I'd like to eat... I drink a
> lot of water, some 3 to 4 liters (3/4-1 Gallon) per day. Sometimes I fast
> through the day, and eat a big salad with Feta in the evening. Unfortunately
> I still binge sometimes in the evening, but now it's on cheese, nuts,
> olives, etc, not on chips and candy... Doesn't really seem to hurt my weight
> if it's once every now and then, but if I do it several days in a row I seem
> to notice it in the mirror. Motivation to eat less and to burn more
> calories. In general I think my binging starts when I've eaten too much
> carb, good job that I don't binge on carbs as well...
The main obstacle you will face toward continued progress in losing all
your VAT as you become healthier (ie cured of your type-2 diabetes) is
becoming hungrier.
The only way to overcome this obstacle is to befriend your healthy
appetite.
> I recently started to shop around for another doctor. Went to one who
> strongly disagreed when I mentioned reduced carb, so I gave him a miss.
> Went to another one (young) which I had used 10 years earlier. He doesn't
> seem too concerned with a FBG of 114 and an HbA1c from 6%. Told me that it
> was not possible to have neuropathy with those values. I do get the
> impression that he either regards me as a hypochondriac or is annoyed that
> I'm playing at being my own doctor. He did however agree to all my requests
> for blood tests, and did not chew me up for going on a reduced carb diet.
> Think I'm gonna keep him, if he stays pliable ;-)
>
> Results:
>
> The scanner showed no signs of a fatty liver or pancreas, did however show
> beginning atherosclerosis in the iliac arteries, and a light calcification
> of my adrenal glands.
Uh-oh.
This suggests that your hyperketonemia which is suppressing your
appetite has accelerated lipid peroxidation thereby causing
atherosclerosis.
Hyperketonemia will also maintain insulin resistance and keep VAT
around.
> My lipid profile ranges from good to excellent. My liver values are good. My
> FBG 103 mg/dl and HbA1c 5.4% are lower but still not normal. An Homa
> calculation based on FBG and C-peptide gives low insulin resistance IR=1.4
> and low insuline production %B=89.1. Uric acid is still high but lower than
> before. Inflammatory markers are lower.
>
> The OGTT that I managed to finangle out of the doctor, officially peaked at
> 265 mg/dl at the 1 hour mark (even though I measured 306 at 1h15min), and
> ended up at 200 mg/dl at 2 hours. Enough for a diagnosis of diabetes
> (AFAIK), was however told that all test were ok when I called the nurse for
> the results...;-) The official results closely matched those of my OneTouch
> Ultra (biggest difference was otu=269, test=265). In my opinion the
> OneTouch Ultra is reliable enough for our purposes.
>
> Conclusions:
>
> For me personally a change in diet has had the biggest impact on my health.
> Exercise in combination with a diet restricting starches and including a
> wide variety of phytochemicals, vitamins, fats, and proteins have normalized
> my lipid profile, healed my "fatty liver", reduced inflammation and reduced
> my blood sugar values. The exercise and diet are also slowly but surely
> changing my body composition from overweight couch potato to athletic, with
> a corresponding increase in well being and self esteem.
>
> It is a difficult endeavor to change one's ways, but it is possible and well
> worth it.
>
> Don't trust a medical doctor. It's your body. You are the one who will
> have to live with the consequences of your actions or lack of actions. I
> will never again let a doctor treat me, without informing myself as much as
> I'm capable of. I've not really tried to understand everything I've read
> over endocrinology and other medical matters, but I've slowly and surely
> applied what I've learned to change my diet and my way of living.
>
> Future plans:
>
> Stop smoking
> Increase aerobic activity, and strength training.
> Learn more about endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition and cooking.
> A scan of my thorax to find out about atherosclerosis, lungs and heart.
> Considering using a long acting insulin in order to preserve beta cells and
> normalize blood sugar.
This will make you hungrier. My hope for you is that you befriend your
healthy appetite (aka hunger).
> Would like to use a continuous blood glycose monitor, in order to fine tune
> my daily routine.
>
> Blood stats:
>
> 2001/05/01 FBG=90, Tot-chol=235, Trig=166
Possible MetS.
> 2003/11/18 FBG=94, HbA1C=5.8, Tot-chol=154, LDL=109, HDL=32, Trig=88,
> GPT=55, GGT=38
MetS (elevated HgbA1c) .
> 2004/10/19 FBG=100, HbA1C=5.8, Tot-chol=248, LDL=180, HDL=41, Trig=276,
> GPT=64, GGT=59
MetS.
> 2005/05/03 FBG=107, HbA1C=6.0, Tot-chol=216, Trig=139, GPT=47, GGT=46
Possible T2DM.
> 2005/11/24 FBG=114, HbA1C=6.0, Tot-chol=258, LDL=184, HDL=56, Trig=89,
> GPT=64, GGT=68
Probable T2DM.
> 2006/07/27 FBG=103, HbA1C=5.4, Tot-chol=181, LDL=101, HDL=69, Trig=54,
> GPT=17, GGT=21
MetS.
> Many thanks for your inspiration and your help in finding the way! (In no
> special order, and by no means complete):
>
> Alan S, Anil, bantista, Doug Freyburger, Chris J, Chris Malcolm, Nicky,
> Jefferson, Jennifer, Jenny, Julie Bove, Karen C, LizardQueen, oldal4865,
> OzGirl, Susan, Roger Zoul, Uncle Enrico, wmmckee, Quentin Grady and numerous
> others.
May GOD continue to heal your heart by curing your diabetes, dear
neighbor Jack whom I love unconditionally.
Prayerfully in Christ's amazing love,
Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung
Cardiologist, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HolySpirit
As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the
unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies
(Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/a77da2d26da0ab97?
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> news:kjagu3-...@news.air-internet.com...
>
> > Very telling, impressive story. It takes guts to throw out the medical
> > advice, but your careful record keeping shows how it was exactly the wrong
> > thing for a T2 diabetic.
>
> I would suspect that this is the truth. In any case it seems it was the
> wrong thing for me and my metabolism. It does seem logical to me that if
> your body has problems with it's carbohydrate metabolism, it is a wise thing
> to change your nutrition in order to avoid high blood sugar with it's awful
> consequences...
>
> I sincerely hope that Chung is wrong in his diagnoses that my beginning
> aetherosclorosis is caused by being in ketosis.
Those in the Holy Spirit are never wrong for HE is always right.
Most assuredly, without doubt, I know HIM to be kind, just, and right.
> I think I'll ignore him
> like I've done for the last 9 months
Sorry the words that the Holy Spirit guides me to write in these posts
bother you so terribly. Please forgive all my iniquities.
> ;-) I rather think it's the result of
> years of high blood sugar, high lipids, inactivity, high alcohol consumption
> and tobacco abuse.
>
> He is however right in learning to listen to your own body. If I look back
> at my life I've never eaten much fruit, especially in the morning. I always
> used to cut as thin a slice of bread as I could, and put a lot of butter and
> heaps of meat or cheese on it. I can remember that every woman I've spent
> time with (from my mother and onwards) used to tell me that it was unhealthy
> and that I should eat more bread and less meat and fat. It was however my
> natural inclination and what tasted good to me.
>
> All I've really done is to cut out bread and potatoes (rice I've never been
> fond of), and to replace them with nuts and vegetables. I really enjoy
> heaps of olive oil on my salads, and nice cream or butter sauces with my
> meat. Cheese seems like an excellent desert. It is a very satisfying way of
> eating, and in no way a burden on me (except for my wallet, I spend more on
> walnuts than I do on tobacco ;-). The only thing I really miss is Pizza ;-)
> I am however planning on a small pizza next week when I go out to eat with a
> friend. I'm planning on eating the middle of a half size pizza leaving the
> outside crust, together with a tomato and onion salad. Prior testing seems
> to indicate that I can allow myself this treat, especially if I've had a
> long walk before and combine the meal with some red wine. I might even
> splurge and have an Icecream with chocolate sauce as desert ;-) Gotta watch
> it though, cause I don't want to stimulate my carb addiction...
>
> A few potato replacement tips which at least to me taste far superiour.
>
> Cut half an Eggplant in small cubes, fry them in plenty of olive oil on
> medium heat with a garlic clove sliced thinly. Put on a paper towel to drain
> some fat, add salt and pepper.
>
> Boil caulliflower, pour the water away and mash, add butter, salt and
> pepper.
>
> Will's zucchini recipe is also a keeper. Best way I've found so far to
> prepare them. I did however add some garlic to mine ;-)
You would be wiser to befriend your hunger/craving/wanting and find
things to do instead of things to eat in between smaller meals.
This is the only way to lose all the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) that
is keeping you from shaking the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type-2
diabetes.
natesh...@yahoo.com
I think you are very brave to post these words. I am glad that their
are people still in this world that can write about good. There should
be more people like you willing to stand up for what they believe in.
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
It is the Holy Spirit that emboldens me. All the credit, praise, and
glory continues to belong to my Father in heaven.
Laus Deo !
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> Michelle <bookb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > "Jack In A Box" <jacki...@alchemy.lu> wrote in message
> > news:4518ec1a$1...@news.vo.lu...
>
> >> As concerns an elevated FBG value. I have come to the conclusion that the
> >> moment it rises above normal (>90 mg/dl), there might be any number of
> >> things going wrong. Either the patient didn't fast, or it indicates a
> >> problem with endogen glucose production (if the patient has truly fasted,
> >> then the glucose must be from a source within the body). That is to say
> >> that an elevated FBG indicates that the endocrine system has lost it's
> >> ability to maintain euglycemia (balance) and is releasing glucose when it
> >> should not be. This might apparently be due to a number of causes, among
> >> others:
> >>
> >> Impaired communication between alpha and beta cells in the pancreas.
> >> Apparently the alpha cells do not have the ability to sense the level of
> >> glucose in the blood, and rely on the beta cells to tell them when to stop
> >> producing glycagon (a hormone which tells the liver and muscle tissue to
> >> release glucose into the blood). This can occur when amyloid plaque
> >> builds up in the pancreas.
>
> I've no idea why, but usually if I test my morning fbg 12 hours after
> eating it's 100-110, sometimes higher, but after 14 hours it's usually
> 90-100, sometimes lower. So given that I often eat dinner at 9pm, and
> sometimes have a late night snack, the time of my morning appointment
> with the doctor has a critical effect on the values he sees.
The amount you eat for dinner +/- late night snack will also determine
what you FBG will be ay your doctor's office.
Why not befriend your hunger and choose not to have the late night
snack ?
> Given the amount of noise we've all seen in BG readings the fact that
> many doctors take the view that a reading of x-1% means "you're ok"
> and a reading of x+1% means a diagnosis worries me.
It is a concern.
> >> The beta cells no longer react properly to an elevated blood sugar level.
> >>
> >> IMHO something to take serious..! I can not help to think that this would
> >> be the moment to take action, much in the way that it is smart to get your
> >> car fixed when something breaks, and not to wait until the damage has
> >> multiplied to other parts of your car.
>
> > Absolutely! And this goes back to your disgust with the way the doctors
> > dismissed your increasingly poor FBG readings. As you know, I lot of us
> > have similar stories, and given the outcry over the diabetes epidemic, it's
> > amazing that medicine is not being more proactive.
>
> Don't forget that if they were more proactive, the diabetes epidemic
> would look a lot worse, and these days a lot of people in positions of
> authority are much more concerned with how things look than how they
> are.
The diabetes epidemic is following the obesity epidemic. Both are a
lot worse than how they are being currently portrayed.
May GOD continue to heal your heart by curing your diabetes, dear
neighbor Chris whom I love unconditionally.
Prayerfully in Christ's amazing love,
Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung
Cardiologist, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HolySpirit
As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the
unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies
(Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/a77da2d26da0ab97?
> --
> Chris Malcolm c...@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205
> IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
> [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
Mr. Natural-Health
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote:
> snack ?
Excuse me, but YOU don't have a story.
Jesus owns the story, NOT you.
Just thought that the fool might want to know.
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote:
> > Why not befriend your hunger and choose not to have the late night
> > snack ?
>
> Excuse me, but YOU don't have a story.
Actually, I do. However the story for this thread belongs to another:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.diabetes/msg/34754935a6b8d73f
My response to Jack:
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/7b5ebce36f904cea?
> Jesus owns the story, NOT you.
Actually, I owe LORD Jesus Christ my life.
> Just thought that the fool might want to know.
Name-calling simply shows that you are lost.
May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neighbor John whom I
Mr. Natural-Health
> Mr. Natural-Health wrote:
> > Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote:
> > > Why not befriend your hunger and choose not to have the late night
> > > snack ?
> >
> > Excuse me, but YOU don't have a story.
>
> Actually, I do. However the story for this thread belongs to another:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.diabetes/msg/34754935a6b8d73f
>
> My response to Jack:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/7b5ebce36f904cea?
>
> > Jesus owns the story, NOT you.
>
> Actually, I owe LORD Jesus Christ my life.
>
> > Just thought that the fool might want to know.
>
> Name-calling simply shows that you are lost.
Gee, I have caught you both in the act of lying and name calling, Mr.
Liar.
Furthermore, you really need to get your story straight, Mr. Fraud.
You have, thus, earned the title of fool, Fool!
Just thought that you might want to know that your Jesus act ain't
fooling anybody.
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote:
> > Mr. Natural-Health wrote:
> > > Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote:
> > > > Why not befriend your hunger and choose not to have the late night
> > > > snack ?
> > >
> > > Excuse me, but YOU don't have a story.
> >
> > Actually, I do. However the story for this thread belongs to another:
> >
> > http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.diabetes/msg/34754935a6b8d73f
> >
> > My response to Jack:
> >
> > http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.cardiology/msg/7b5ebce36f904cea?
> >
> > > Jesus owns the story, NOT you.
> >
> > Actually, I owe LORD Jesus Christ my life.
> >
> > > Just thought that the fool might want to know.
> >
> > Name-calling simply shows that you are lost.
>
> Gee, I have caught you both in the act of lying and name calling, Mr.
> Liar.
It seems you are gazing into a mirror and holding a conversation with
the image you are seeing.
> Furthermore, you really need to get your story straight, Mr. Fraud.
> You have, thus, earned the title of fool, Fool!
Again, name-calling simply shows that you remain lost.
> Just thought that you might want to know that your Jesus act ain't
> fooling anybody.
Without the LORD, your thoughts are meaningless (Ecclesiastes).
May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neigbor John whom I
Text Medium No. 5
jabbered inanely:
He's right, though. You aren't fooling anybody(tina).
--
Shon'ai COOSN-029-06-71069
"I was told there would be cookies."
Cross-Poasters For Goddess!
Remember: Straight people can't help it!
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Without the LORD, your beliefs are meaningless (Ecclesiastes).
> You aren't fooling anybody(tina).
The LORD's purpose for me here remains to inform and not to either
convince or "fool" anybody.
May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neighbor whom I love