AN and diabetes

[ANinWV]

Hi,
   
I am new to this forum but wonder if anyone has had any complication post translab with elevated blood sugar?  I am 3 years post op and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes immediately post surgery.  I have a family history of diabetes but no high blood sugar or other symptoms until surgery.  I've read that elevated glucose levels are triggered after nerve damage as a kind of response to help in nerve regeneration but the levels soon return to normal.  Mine seem to have never returned to pre op levels.  Just curious as to whether anyone else has had any dealing with this or am I a one in a million with this too. 

                                                                                     ANinWV

[Sue]

Hi

My type II diabetes was found out about 2-3 years before I was diagnosed with the AN. I also wondered if there was any connection with the two. My father's family has the diabetes, so I suppose I was genetically inclined to get the darn thing anyway.  The steroids I took for a week shot up the numbers, but my doctor said not to worry about it, just try to be careful and it'll go down when I get off the steroids...which it did.  I was only on them for a week.  But I did have it before the AN treatment - GK not surgery.

Sue in Vancouver

[Battyp]

Like Sue I was diagnosed type 2 about 5 years ago but never really had a "true" response to the meds etc...after my surgery it was determined that I am no longer diabetic.  Apparently there was a study done that showed if your tumor was left sided it could cause type 2 diabetes but once removed and your body got the steriods gone you no longer have type 2.  I think if I understood my surgeon correctly it only happens if the tumor is left sided.  Has something to do with blood pressure problems to.  Now that you mention it I was suppose to ask my surgeon for that study or where it was done as at first my endo didn't believe him but after she retested me w/ a glucose tolerance test I was in normal range.

[Laura]

This is an interesting post. Diabetes also runs in my family and I've always been borderline. While pregnant I had gestational diabetes but controlled it with diet. I will keep this post in mind if/when I get moved up from watch/wait.

[Battyp]

laura I too had gestational diabetes and was told after I delievered that no problem not to worry.  Later I was told that studies were showing if you had gd you should always follow a type 2 lifestyle as you have a great chance of devloping diabetes later in life.  I know they quoted me a percent but I can't remember. 

[Jim Scott]

I never had diabetes pre or post-op.  I had the Retrosigmoid microsurgery and while I was in the ICU - and taking prescribed steroids - my glucose levels were checked several times a day.  I never had a problem and, by doctors orders, I tapered off the steroids 5 days after I was discharged.  No sign of diabetes in the almost-5-months since.   I guess some folks may be predisposed to their body over-producing insulin (diabetes) for any number of reasons and the necessary use of steroids (post-op) can usher in the condition.  I don't pretend to have any medical training but I believe this situation may have little to do with having an Acoustic Neuroma and is more about post-op steroid use as a 'trigger' along with a possible latent predisposition to developing diabetes.