Post Shingles
I’ve stayed in good control with lifestyle & Berberine for years, but since my nasty Shingles bout, my numbers are WAY UP. Tried 2 months of Metformin (1000mg/2per day) , but no change. Anecdotal indicates a post Shingles rise is not uncommon, but I’d like to understand why that would be, & data is thin at best. Anyone else have this experience?
While I don't have personal experience with shingles, I know many people who have experienced shingles alongside other diagnoses, including T2D. We have a lot of articles about shingles on this site so I'll just share a couple for now. This article has some information about the connection between shingles and chronic health conditions: https://type2diabetes.com/living/shingles and this one was written by one of our patient leaders about her experience fighting off shingles: https://type2diabetes.com/living/shingles. You're certainly not alone!
Gabby (team member)Thanks for the response. There's plenty of data on Type II making you more susceptible. I've been hoping to find out why Shingles seems to raise one's blood sugar so dramatically. It was suggested to me today that Shingles causes a great deal of inflammation that takes a long time to settle back down. Also suggested was that having to take so much pain medication for so long could also create liver toxicity which could also be a factor.
Hello
, thanks so much for a great question. I did get to talk to someone about this. Her doctors never told her why her blood sugar went out of control. It took months after her shingles infection for things to get back to order. She was in so much pain that I'm sure this is what cause it. Thanks for sharing this. How are you doing? Diane (Team Member) Anytime you have any type infection, illness, even stress will make your blood sugars go wonky/High. The more you stress, worse it gets blood sugar wise.
Hoping it’s getting it got betterHi there, I'd like to echo your comment that stress can impact your blood sugar. It's important to manage stress as best you can for your overall health. I'm linking an article that discusses stress management techniques. Let us know what you think. https://type2diabetes.com/living/stress-cortisol-glucose All the best, Lauren (team member)
Sorry not to have responded sooner. It turns out, I'm one of those rare cases of someone who after 30 plus years as a type 2 , managed the last 15-20 with only diet, exercise, lifestyle, after Shingles, tests revealed that my Pancreas was done, and no longer able to make insulin. Though not that uncommon at my elderly stage, I'm essentially a Type 1 now and managed with a daily insulin injection. Over 3 months, my A1C fell from 10.4 to 6.7.
That must have been quite a shock to you,
, but I am glad your doctor figured it out and put you on insulin. What a dramatic change in your A1C. Are you okay with the daily injections or have you considered an insulin pump? Thinking of you and wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member)
