# diabetes and ms



## Stuart dykes (Jul 16, 2016)

Hi everyone I hope you are all well I have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and going through big changes i.e. Medication,diet,ect but I'm a bit worried because I also have primary progressive multiple sclerosis and don't know how this will affect my illness and my well being could I ask is anyone else in the same situation as me n what they did to keep themselves as fit as possible 
Thanks


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## grovesy (Jul 16, 2016)

Welcome!


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## Stuart dykes (Jul 16, 2016)

Thnx grovesy


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## Amigo (Jul 16, 2016)

Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear about your double whammy of MS and diabetes but hope you're keeping well at present. Hopefully they'll be others with the health combination who may be able to advise you. There does seem to be a slightly higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes in people with MS I understand (but interestingly not so much in type 1). One of the reasons has been speculated to be the use of glucocorticoid treatment and ACTH in MS patients. If you have these treatments, it might be useful to ask advice from your neurologist but I appreciate it gets difficult when you're relying on different specialisms talking to each other and understanding different conditions.

Wishing you well and hope you can keep your BG's in range because this will obviously help your general health. I have leukaemia and understand the need to keep my diabetes under control in order to avoid health problems elsewhere.


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## HOBIE (Jul 16, 2016)

Welcome to the forum Stuart. Sorry to hear about those two things !  Really good luck . Someone will be along with some knowledge to try & help.


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## Pumper_Sue (Jul 16, 2016)

Stuart dykes said:


> Hi everyone I hope you are all well I have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and going through big changes i.e. Medication,diet,ect but I'm a bit worried because I also have primary progressive multiple sclerosis and don't know how this will affect my illness and my well being could I ask is anyone else in the same situation as me n what they did to keep themselves as fit as possible
> Thanks


Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum.
Last year I was investigated for MS due to my symptoms so obviously did a lot of research on the subject. I ended up with a diagnoses of TM instead with a remote possibility of it progressing to MS. As I understand it the treatment for flare ups is massive doses of steroids as in about 500mg per day which would need a months worth of insulin each day whilst being treated. My DSN said no way and I would have to come into hospital and have IV steroids and insulin as it would be so much safer for me and a lot less steroid and insulin needed.
Your best bet would be to see your diabetes consultant and have a chat with him, the neuro I suspect if anything like mine knows diddly squat about diabetes lol.


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## Copepod (Jul 16, 2016)

Welcome to the forum, Stuart Dykes. 
There are so many uncertainties - particularly, is your MS responding to any treatment to slow down progression? I ask because a good friend of mine, some 5 years old than me (I'm now 50), has had relapsing remitting MS for about 22 years, but perhaps partly because she's lived in Canada for nearly 30 years, has been treated with interferon since a few years after diagnosis. So, when we get together, when she comes to visit family in UK, she can still talk and walk pretty well, even on rough or steep ground, although looks a bit unsteady at times. As she's a physio, who had to stop work, I reckon she knows what she's doing by choosing not to use a stick.
The one suggestion I'd make is to find / adapt a type of physical activity that you can do and enjoy, as exercise is so important in managing type 1 diabetes, alomg with diet and insulin.


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## Randall Hopkirk (Jul 17, 2016)

Hi Stuart
Research is around on the net that says sugar exacerbates the symptoms of MS. Therefore a Low-Carb, High-Fat (LCHF) diet could probably help you, to some degree, with both your diabetes and MS. I'm no expert, so these are just my personal opinions based on my knowledge of diabetes and what I've read online about MS. Good luck.


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## Copepod (Jul 17, 2016)

@Randall Hopkirk are you aware that MS is caused by problems with the myelin sheath around axons of nerve cells? Myelin is a fatty substance. So, perhaps a low fat diet is not the best course of action for managing diabetes and MS together?!?


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## Stuart dykes (Jul 17, 2016)

Thank you to everyone how has responded to my question about living with my ms and now being diabetic 
I appreciate all and any input I have to look into somethings and see were I go from here


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## Copepod (Jul 17, 2016)

Let us know how you get on, Stuart.


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## Stuart dykes (Jul 17, 2016)

Will do x


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