Is there anyone here with IR but who doesn't have PCOS?
 

I am diagnosed as insulin resistant. To the best of my knowledge, I do not have PCOS, nor do I have many of the symptoms (really, only the ones related to insulin resistance).

Is there anyone else here who is JUST insulin resistant? Also, is there anyone dealing with Granuloma Annulare?

I'm IR and a borderline type 2 diabetic. I haven't been diagnosed with PCOS, but I'm 50 and have already had all the kids I plan to produce, so the doctor won't really talk to me about PCOS. But I do have some of the symptoms associated with it.

I treat it all with diet and exercise, by the way. And nutritional supplements.

Don't know anything about Granuloma Annulare.

My understanding is, that if you get the weight off that you can reverse the Insulin Resistance, but I am not sure if that is accurate.

Granuloma Annulare is just a stupid skin rash that can be associated with Insulin Resistance/Type 2 Diabetes. It looks like ringworm, and actually took me about 2 years to get an accurate diagnosis, because when it would flare up, no matter how many times I told the doctor's "It's not ringworm, I have 5 pets, 2 kids and a husband and no one else has it" they would treat it like ringworm. It wasn't until the doctor who is now my family doctor saw it that she knew what it was (that's why I switched to her she LISTENED to me). She'd seen it many times before. Now I just have to suck it up and deal with it. Blah!

How are you treating with diet?

I keep a tight lid on what I'm eating. At first, I drastically cut carbs overall. I lost a little weight, then that balanced out. Then I tried caloric restriction, but really couldn't stick to that very well. I started to learn that there are some foods to which I'm more sensitive, so I slowly weeded those out. Here's an abbreviated version of my personal forbidden list of foods:

Refined carbohydrates
Artificial sweeteners
Statchy vegetables
Non-fat and low-fat dairy products
I rarely eat out
I restric processed foods

Having said that, I do eat a slice or two of Julian Bakery Smart Carb Bread every day. I do restrict my fruit to one serving a day. I do indulge in dark chocolate once a week. Just a little. And I may have a glass of wine every other week.

What I do eat:

90 - 120 gm of protein a day lean meats that are grass-fed or wild-caught (fish). My poultry sources must be cage-free. I have a serious soy sensitivity and can't even eat meats or eggs that have been fed soy. I eat this much protein because I do a lot of Pilates and some weight training. If I drop below 90 gm, I feel a lot of soreness.

8 to 10 servings of vegetables and one fruit a day. This is my main source of carbohydrates. I try to keep carbs below 100gm a day.

Fats is where I struggle, but since I seriously restrict carbs, then I tend to make up for calories with fats. If I ate less protein, my saturated fats would be much lower. I don't restrict vegetable fats. I eat avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds. I have fatty cold water fish twice a week.

I keep my calories under 1700. My BMR is 2100. i can't seem to lose weight unless I'm under 1700. I never eat less than 1250 calories. I don't believe in starving myself. My metabolism just shuts down. I do calorie cycling, eating more on some days (especially days with heavier workouts) and less on others (weekends or non-workout days).

I take a lot of nutritional supplements as well, to support thyroid, pancreas and liver health. They seem to be helping.

My A1c has gone from 9% to 7% in the last four years. I'm shooting for under 6% I think it'll go there after I lose a bit more weight. I don't care to go on medication. Too many side effects. I can manage with diet and exercise. I have no trouble avoiding all the wrong foods since making this my permanent lifestyle. I do miss going out to eat, and occasionally still do, but I suffer for it.

I have had this though my dr. didn't name it. He did say it wasn't ringworms. He treated it and it went away, but I put 2 & 2 and figured out what was causing it. Now if I'm not eating well it will start coming back but if I eat right it stays away mostly.

Cajun moma how did he treat it?

I have a load of steroid creams, but they don't fix it, so far, it's just a matter of waiting it out, and usually it will go away. At least, over the last few years that's been the case. This time it seems to be sticking around, so I am trying to cut down my carb intake some, to see if I can get it under control.

I should take my Metformin as well, that supposedly helps, but I just forget!

OhMyDogs, my daughter has one of those things on the back of her thigh. Her doc thought it was either ringworm or excema, and we treated it as such. It keeps coming back but in a different place. She also has a black ring around her neck that won't wash off. She's almost 14, taller than me, and about 30 pounds heavier than me. I think she's IR but the doctor looks at me like I'm crazy. What's the best route to come to a diagnosis?

I think it was with an antifunal med. (pills). It was a few years ago so I'm not 100%. When I went in I thought it might be ringworm even though I had no pets at the time and no one else in the house had it, because i didn't know what else it could be. He said it was a type of fungal/ yeast infection but not ringworm. I started doing a little research and trying different remedies on my own when it kept coming back. When I get it, its usually in a hot moist area (like around bra area and inner thighs), and i'm usually not eating well. When I first notice any sign i put ointment with zinc oxide (like destin org.), or powder with the zinc (Amens or Gold bond). That along with cutting down on carbs., and let the area get some air usually helps me. Hope this helps alittle that rash terrible.

I was just at the gyno this morning for my yearly physical. We talked about insulin resistance and she specifically checked my neck, as she told me that a ring around the neck is a clear sign of insulin resistance. While I don't have one, I believe I am IR and am treating myself as such and am FINALLY losing weight. Been trying diligently since mid Jan. I started taking 200 mg of cinnamon, 500 mg of chromium picolinolate, fish oil, daily vitamin and BCP. Since starting the cinnamon and picolinolate I've lost 9 lbs...compared to losing nothing for the two months before I started.

Thanks, Lucy! I guess her pediatrician just hasn't heard of or doesn't believe that IR can strike tween/teen girls. I may have to try to get her in to an endocrinologist? She can't lose weight either. (We have a very liberal 1800-2000 calorie plan in place but I'm afraid to take her any lower because she's still growing.) She cannot stick to a low-carb diet, believe me I have tried. Maybe a professional telling her the facts will be the incentive she needs. This is one scary disorder. . .

Oh your poor daughter! I hope you can get her to an endo if not maybe research the natural supps. When I had insurance it took about three months to get an appointment with an endo. I am uninsured now so I've had to rely on my own research and natural supplements. I have to tell you I was a carb junky, even if I did keep cals low. It's what I wanted...they tasted good. After starting the chromium picolinolate and the cinnamon I realized a week or two in that turns out I had been craving carbs and sugar CONSTANTLY. I didn't realize it until the cravings went away. I'm now able to easily pass on bread and pasta whereas before if I knew we had either in the house it would be on my brain constantly. And same if I had "leftovers." For some reason I couldn't wait until I could dig into leftovers. Now I could care less and am easily able to only eat when I'm hungry instead of having to use every ounce of willpower I could muster.

For me it was a very persistant doctor and a glucose tolerance test (where you have to drink that gross orange stuff). For me, it kept coming back too, once on my side, aside from that it was always, for me, on my inner thighs. My glucose levels during testing just barely went outside the norm, but I am thankful that my doctor herself is insulin resistant, and knew to keep looking and to accept "barely abnormal" as still being abnormal.

For the GA, they gave me ringworm cream, and they gave me hydrocortizone (I am one of the unfortunate few for whom it's very very itchy). My doctor tells me she can treat each spot with a needle of something, but frankly, I am not desperate enough to have a needle shoved into my inner thigh yet! lol

I have insulin resistance (w/o pcos) and get that under my breasts, my lower back and on the outside of my hip/thigh areas. Went to Dr and he confirmed what is was. When it flares up I use an over the counter ani-fungal/anti-itch cream. It seems to help.

I have insulin resistance without PCOS. And my A1c is a 5. Cholesterol is fine (good is a little low), blood pressure is fine, fasting glucose is fine. But my insulin levels are really, really high.

Thinking about taking a cinnamon supplement. I'm just started on glucophage (metformin) for the insulin resistance. I'm also on iron supplements and prescription vitamin D supplements because of severe vitamin D and iron deficiencies.

My daughter has the same.
 

My daughter was diagnosed last week and was given the Metformin. Finally.
Our pediatrician knows the lengths we have gone thru to help her get her weight down.. since 2008 I might add. Everything from 3 years of swim team, personal trainer, strict diet to the most recent....weight watchers. She is 13 and is now 200 lbs.

I had a conversation with a woman who has insulin resistance and PCOS, and i now refer to that as a divine appointment.

I googled myself silly. I made an appt with her dr. and knew if he didn't give her the Metformin and do an ultrasound of her ovaries AND extensive blood work, I was going to see every pediatrician in the state until someone did. I went to the appointment armed with printouts of studies of insulin resistance and PCOS highlighted the points that were specific to my daughter......and well, it worked. He wrote the script that day. We had ultra sound last Thurs (which came back normal) and we r still waiting for blood results.

The studies for all of this in young girls is fairly new. So Pediatricians want to treat the weight gain organically, and not treat with meds. As noble as that may seem.......they need intervention now. the best info I found was on the endocrine society website. i can't post a link cause i am a newbie. :)


I would just email, and stay on the dr. until he listens. Him or another one. If we don't stand up for our kids, who will?

Good luck!