Other Conditions
Other Conditions are medical conditions, such as thyroid, PCOS, or hormone cycles, that may be related to diabetes or may affect diabetes in some way. For more information on Other Conditions, please review the related questions below.
Questions
Q: "I have diabetes and my doctor told me that my triglycerides are high and that I will need to take some type of medication if they don’t come down. I’ve never had high triglycerides before and wonder if this was a mistake. I heard that the test needs to be fasting and I had eaten the day of my blood test. Is there something I can do to lower them without medication?"
Menopause
Q: "How does menopause affect blood sugar in type 2 patients? My sugars seem higher now that I rarely have periods. I developed type 2 two years before menopause and have had it for only 3 years. It seemed that when I used to have periods my sugar was better when I was having the period."
Eating Disorders
Q: "I've had diabetes for about 4 years or so— it is hard, I know. I was wondering what kind of effects can, let's say, bulimia or anorexia have on someone w/diabetes? I don't see why anyone would do that anyways, but wouldn't it be much worse on someone w/diabetes? I've been reading these pages on some websites and I was just curious because there is nothing about those type things on them and teens w/diabetes, especially young girls have problems w/things like that no matter what their condition is."
Donating Blood
Q: "I am a type 2 diabetic, controlling it by diet. I also am a blood donor. I would like to know what effects donating blood every 2 months will have on the results of my A1C (which is done every 3 months)."
Thyroid Disease
Q: "What effect do thyroid disease and thyroid medication have on my blood glucose?"
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Q: "I am a diabetes educator and I heard that people with Raynaud’s Disease may find using an alternate site easier and more accurate. I have Raynaud's. Can you explain why alternate sites would be better for me?"
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Q: "Does polycystic ovary disease cause diabetes?"
Hormone Cycles
Q: "Can the female menstrual cycle affect blood sugar? Can the hormones produced (or not produced) affect it? If it helps, I also have Hypothyroidism. Usually, I don't have much of a stomach to eat anything when I have my period. Today, when I got that high reading, I ate the same thing I normally do at lunch (typically resulting in a good reading of 114-120 two hours after lunch) but today it was 153!"
HIV and Diabetes
Q: "Can HIV affect your glucose level?"
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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