Questions about insulin

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Jan18
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Tincup wrote: Jan, "hydroxybutyrate 5.9." I searched on hydroxybutyrate, and all that came up is beta-hydroxybutyrate. This is a serum ketone and 5.9 mmol/L would be a high number. Either indicative of very low carbs and modest protein, extreme caloric restriction, an extended fast, exogenous (supplemental) ketones or a lot of MCT oil prior to the test. I'm curious if it is in fact beta-hydroxybutyrate?

Tincup, the best I can describe the symbol in front of hydroxybutyrate is that it kind of looks like a squished lower case "a" -- could that be the symbol for "alpha?" (I know NOTHING about medical words.)

I just looked up the Greek aphabet and it IS "alpha!"
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Tincup wrote:

"Free Fatty Acid 0.86"

This is indicative that you are in ketosis (given your diet). Dr. Gundry wants us there and gives me grief when my level is lower (which is where standard of care wants you to be). I'm guessing your hydroxybuterate is β-hydroxybutyrate and you are in ketosis. If you get a meter, you can check, but again I wouldn't stress about it. BTW, Theresa's numbers for this metric are in this ballpark...
Re: my Free Fatty Acid 0.86
First, Theresa said in a prior post that was too high. Second, I searched Plant Paradox and couldn't find anywhere Gundry giving a value for Free Fatty Acid. Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks!
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Re: Questions about insulin

Post by cpatr922 »

if your TG is higher than 80 it seems there's still excess carbs consumptions. Increasing fish oil may help from my experience.
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Jan18 wrote:
Re: my Free Fatty Acid 0.86
First, Theresa said in a prior post that was too high. Second, I searched Plant Paradox and couldn't find anywhere Gundry giving a value for Free Fatty Acid. Can you point me in the right direction?
!
We've posted all our labs as well as transcripts of six consults with Dr. G, all are linked here:
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Jan18 wrote:
rianlees wrote:Hi Jan18,

I would like to introduce myself, I am one of the interns and functional medicine health coach candidates and have been reading through your conversation. I really admire your persistence and commitment to improving your health despite meeting challenges along the way.
If I can also offer some thoughts...sometimes the numbers aren't the be all and end all-and I agree, sometimes it takes a while for some of the numbers to change. Hopefully, within yourself (despite sore foot) you have noticed some improvements to your wellness? I do hope so.
It sounds to me (I am a nutritionist) that you are eating really well, are there other areas in your life that might benefit from similar attention? There are many pillars to health as I'm sure you know- food, sleep, exercise, community and stress for example.
Stay strong
Rian

Hi Rian,
Thanks so much for weighing in!

I have low stress (retired, yay!) and I have always been adamant about 8 hours of sleep, even 9 if I could get it when I was working. I have occasional nights of less sleep but for the most part, I get 8 hours. I just hope I'm getting the deep sleep stage most nights....seems I can usually tell when I am and when I'm not. I wake up usually 2-3 times a night, though, and go back to sleep.

I'm five years new to where I live now, after most of my life in one general area, so I'm finally established with a social life here. It takes a lot of time when you aren't in school or working to find people to develop friendships with, but it's coming along. My friends back home say they've not known anyone who gets "out there" to meet new people, travel by myself, join organizations, etc. as much as I do, so I won't let myself get isolated! Moved here to be by my son and grandkids (and now that I'm used to no winter, I'd be hard-pressed to move back to the Chicago area, though do love it from May to October there.) My longtime friends and colleagues are there, but I talk to them frequently by phone.

Exercise is the big obstacle right now for me, as you can tell by my post about all of my injuries, starting from a car accident at age 18. I have had to stop the pity parties when a favorite exercise was no longer viable and find something else (dance went by the wayside because of my knees, walking/running went away for the same reason, back in the aerobics class days I had to quit that from herniated discs, which they didn't know how to heal back then and mine eventually calcified, then I discovered cycling and loved it for a lot of years. Weirdly, my knees didn't prevent that. But the broken wrist ended that (and my age.) So then I went to aqua aerobics for some years until my knees couldn't even do that and I finally had the TKR a year ago. So exercise is what I am trying to conquer now. I am having some success on the recumbent and my PT is evaluating which resistance machines/bands/etc. I can do with the weak spots I have from my injuries. I am determined.

My foot pain started about 3 months after I had the TKR. (It's the foot on the other leg, but that knee needs a TKR, too.) I've had the foot issue about 10 months and finally went to a PT. If what she prescribed doesn't work (and it doesn't look like it will...) I'll see a podiatrist, but truthfully, I think the TKR on my left leg (which I couldn't bend more than 90 degrees or completely straighten after a surgery pre-PT days) has changed the gait on my right leg and now it has affected my foot.

Sorry to go on and on....but I am hoping that after the right knee is replaced, the foot pain will subside and I'll eventually be able to WALK for exercise! What a great day that would be! Haven't been able to do that for decades. I'm just not looking forward to the pain -- for months -- of the TKR. However, I got through the first one -- even though it took a good year to get to a comfortable point with it -- and I'll get through the second one.

Thanks for the encouraging words! And to answer your question about if I've noticed improvements even with what I've done so far, YES! We went through all of my numbers and I've improved several. Plus I just FEEL better -- and when you start losing weight, especially with eating no grains, wow does your middle feel like it's getting thinner!

And the big thing I've noticed is improvements in my brain function! Better short term memory, less kind of brain fog about some things. Nothing that kept me from functioning on my own, but frustrating stuff like having to really concentrate and LOOK at the Roku remote when I had to search for something and had to arrow over and up and down and click to type in the search term. It's a breeze now. Little stuff like that. Plus remembering stuff people had told me in conversation.

I am so very thankful for this website and all of you wonderful people who care enough to take time to reach out and help! What a great community!

Hugs,
Barbara (Jan18)
Barbara,

It is wonderful to hear that you FEEL so much better and i do hope the exercise challenges are soon overcome.
Rian
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Jan18 wrote:
Re: my Free Fatty Acid 0.86
First, Theresa said in a prior post that was too high. Second, I searched Plant Paradox and couldn't find anywhere Gundry giving a value for Free Fatty Acid. Can you point me in the right direction?
!
Hi Jan,

From this consult.
Screen Shot 2018-05-21 at 12.06.37 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-05-21 at 12.04.20 PM.png
He has said this a number of times, but this is the most recent. It is all about context. Free fatty acids are normally thought to be bad by the standard of care, but nobody thinks about it in the context of a keto diet (obviously Gundry does). He looks at is as an indicator of ketosis as he does not test ketones directly.
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Re: Questions about insulin

Post by Jan18 »

Tincup wrote:He has said this a number of times, but this is the most recent. It is all about context. Free fatty acids are normally thought to be bad by the standard of care, but nobody thinks about it in the context of a keto diet (obviously Gundry does). He looks at is as an indicator of ketosis as he does not test ketones directly.
Thank you!!!! I love this group! You guys know more than my doctor!!!! (Makes me want to take up temporary residence in Palm Springs area just to go to Dr. Gundry -- is he still there? I bet he's not taking new patients, huh?)

AND ---- drum roll ---- lost 2 more pounds!!!! :)
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Re: Questions about insulin

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Jan18 wrote: Thank you!!!! I love this group! You guys know more than my doctor!!!! (Makes me want to take up temporary residence in Palm Springs area just to go to Dr. Gundry -- is he still there? I bet he's not taking new patients, huh?)

AND ---- drum roll ---- lost 2 more pounds!!!! :)
Congratulations on the weight!

Gundry is now taking new patients as he added a PA to his staff. Not sure how that works. You can learn a lot by going through the stuff I linked above, reading the transcripts while looking at our labs. I also linked a lot of interviews/podcasts he's done. In the main post I first linked to, above. You can get a sense of where he is coming from.
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Re: Questions about insulin

Post by Jan18 »

Tincup wrote: Gundry is now taking new patients as he added a PA to his staff. Not sure how that works. You can learn a lot by going through the stuff I linked above, reading the transcripts while looking at our labs. I also linked a lot of interviews/podcasts he's done. In the main post I first linked to, above. You can get a sense of where he is coming from.
Thanks!

So before I read your stuff, can I ask if you are a "remote" patient of his? I see you live in Colorado. How does that work? And does his staff answer you about lab results questions or does he personally?
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Re: Questions about insulin

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rianlees wrote:
It is wonderful to hear that you FEEL so much better and i do hope the exercise challenges are soon overcome.
Rian
Thanks, Rian!

My foot and I went to a podiatrist today (some of the PT is hurting, need another angle) and she gave me a plantar fasciitis brace to try. It helps! I'm hopeful. Still have to do the PT stretches and exercises.....crossing fingers (and eyes, and toes and whatever!!)
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