Home > Health > Question
Need Expert Advice?Our Gurus Can Help
Dr Hemalata

Dr Hemalata Arora  | Answer  |Ask -

General Physician - Answered on Jun 08, 2023

Dr Hemalata Arora is a senior consultant who practises internal medicine at Mumbai’s Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital.
In a career spanning over 24 years, she has focused on managing infectious diseases, critical illnesses and lifestyle disorders.
Dr Arora completed her MBBS and MD from the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College in Mumbai.
She is ECFMG certified, accredited by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Diplomate of the National Board and a DNB faculty.
She was honoured with the Paul Bunn award for her promising performance in the field of infectious diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University, New York.... more
Asked by Anonymous - Jun 07, 2023Hindi
Listen
Health

Hello Doctor, I am 59 yrs old, 90 kgs, height 6'1", a pure vegetarian. Mine is basically a sitting job. Last July, while doing a routine check up, I found out that my HbA1c was 6.30 which I brought it down to 5.80 by following a diet plan and walking exercise. I had stopped sugar intake totally for 6 months after which my HbA1c was down to 5.80. Now I have started on sugar intake but very limited quantity and that too once in 5-7 days. Now my HbA1c is 6.10. Is it okay or should I stop sugar intake totally ? I also found that TSH was 5.59. This is the first time that it is so high. Normally it has always been between 4.0 - 4.50 . My doctor has prescribed Thyrox 25 mcg. I'm not very keen to start on Thyrox as once started, it has to be taken for lifetime, which I am not willing to at this moment since I feel that it is not high. I do feel very tired and fatigued the entire day and especially when I wake up in the mornings. I have completed 3 months on Vit B12 (Meganeuron OD Plus). Do you feel that I shoud take Thyrox 25 mcg or not ? Just for information during the past 10 months, my FBS is between 98 to 108 and PPBS is between 110 to 140. I am not taking any medicine for sugar control. My cholesterol is between 140 to 180. Could you please revert back to all my queries ? Thank you

Ans: Hello.
1. Regarding sugars and Hba1c: 6.1 is quite fine, however in the long run it’s better to avoid sugar as much as possible.
2. Regarding Thyroid : it would be ok to not take thyroid medicine right away as the TSH is not that high. I suspect the doctor may have advised it as a trial to see if the fatigue improves with the medication. Instead you may want to take a thyroid vitamin and do some yoga and neck exercises to stimulate the thyroid.
3. Regarding the fatigue: it likely needs further evaluation wrt sleep quality, vitamins, mental health factors etc .
DISCLAIMER: The answer provided by rediffGURUS is for informational and general awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.
Health

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Dr Hemalata

Dr Hemalata Arora  | Answer  |Ask -

General Physician - Answered on Jun 02, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - May 31, 2023Hindi
Listen
Health
Hello Doctor, I am 59 yrs old, 90 kgs, height 6'1", a pure vegetarian. Mine is basically a sitting job. Last July, while doing a routine check up, I found out that my Uric Acid had shot up to 7.60. In fact, my toenails started coming off. My doctor then advised me to take Febutaz40 everyday for 3 months after which Uric Acid came down to 4.30. He then asked me to stop for 1 month and it again shot up to 7.50. He has now asked me to take 1 tablet every alternate day, now my Uric Acid count is 5.70. Should I start taking it everyday or continue taking alternate day, as is now ? Last July, my HbA1c was 6.30 which I brought it down to 5.80 by changing my diet and walking exercise. I had stopped sugar intake totally for 6 months after which my HbA1c was down to 5.80. Now I have started on sugar but very limited quantity and that too once-twice a week. Now my HbA1c is 6.10. Is it okay or should I stop sugar intake totally ? During the past 10 months, My FBS is between 101 to 105 and Post Prandial Blood sugar is between 110 to 140. I am not taking any medicine for sugar control. For the past 1 month, I have a tingling pain in my feet, particularly the toes and the portion below the ankle. Even the fingers of my hand is also aching. What could be the possible cause of this? Does it have to do with the Uric Acid Problem ? My cholesterol is between 140 to 180. Could you please revert back to all my queries ? Thank you
Ans: Hello. With your height and weight, your BMI is 26.8. This is on the higher side. I would recommend the following:
1. Continue Febutaz 40 alt day
2. Diet and exercise to reduce your weight to 80-82 Kg, which will give you a BMI of 23-24 which is ideal. This reduction will also help maintain your HbA1C.
3. Take supplements of B12 which may be low due to your pure vegetarian diet. This deficiency may be causing your tingling pain.

..Read more

Dr Hemalata

Dr Hemalata Arora  | Answer  |Ask -

General Physician - Answered on Jun 09, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 07, 2023Hindi
Listen
Health
Hello Doctor, I am 59 yrs old, 90 kgs, height 6'1", a pure vegetarian. Mine is basically a sitting job. Last July, while doing a routine check up, I found out that my HbA1c was 6.30 which I brought it down to 5.80 by following a diet plan and walking exercise. I had stopped sugar intake totally for 6 months after which my HbA1c was down to 5.80. Now I have started on sugar intake but very limited quantity and that too once in 5-7 days. Now my HbA1c is 6.10. Is it okay or should I stop sugar intake totally ? I also found that TSH was 5.59. This is the first time that it is so high. Normally it has always been between 4.0 - 4.50 . My doctor has prescribed Thyrox 25 mcg. I'm not very keen to start on Thyrox as once started, it has to be taken for lifetime, which I am not willing to at this moment since I feel that it is not high. I do feel very tired and fatigued the entire day and especially when I wake up in the mornings. I have completed 3 months on Vit B12 (Meganeuron OD Plus). Do you feel that I shoud take Thyrox 25 mcg or not ? Just for information during the past 10 months, my FBS is between 98 to 108 and PPBS is between 110 to 140. I am not taking any medicine for sugar control. My cholesterol is between 140 to 180. Could you please revert back to all my queries ? Thank you
Ans: Hello.
1. For the HBa1c and sugars: what you are doing is quite right and keeping the sugar intake to bare minimum to zero is ideal. You should also reduce refined carbs like maida and potatoes, reduce milk consumption, reduce cereals like rice, wheat, etc. Instead increase veggies, salads, nuts and seeds. This will allow you to stay off medications for a long time.
2. Regarding the thyroid, at this level generally medication is not required but your doctor has likely suggested it as a trial to see if your fatigue is taken care of by it. I would suggest taking it for a few months and seeing.
3. Regarding the fatigue, while you are taking the thyroid medications, it may also be prudent to get a further evaluation to see if there are any sleep related, chronic immune related or mental health related factors that may also be playing a part.
All the best

..Read more

Latest Questions
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

Close  

You haven't logged in yet. To ask a question, Please Log in below
Login

A verification OTP will be sent to this
Mobile Number / Email

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to

Resend OTP in120seconds

Dear User, You have not registered yet. Please register by filling the fields below to get expert answers from our Gurus
Sign up

By signing up, you agree to our
Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Already have an account?

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to Mobile

Resend OTP in120seconds

x