Diabetes as a side effect of Pembro

Hi Holly,

I was a type II diabetic before melanoma. I did first ipi and now I am on pembro. While on the ipi I lost control of my glucose and ended up on insulin. The folks at my diabetes clinic are now saying I look more like a type I diabetic than a type II.

When I was on the ipi I developed hypophysitis, a swollen pituitary, which was my immune system attacking my pituitary. If you look up type I diabetes, it is an auto-immune issue where the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. So even though this has not been confirmed by either my oncologist or my diabetes doctor, I suspect that the ipi (and perhaps the pembro) have had an adverse effect on my pancreas.

At the time I lost control of my glucose, my diabetes was being managed by my family doctor, who specialized in internal medicine. I was very fortunate to have found an endocrinology team specializing in diabetes that also work closely with my oncologist. I am on prednisone as a result of the hypophysitis, and that wreaks havoc with your glucose. When I was first diagnosed with the hypophysitis, my oncologist wanted to treat it with a high dose blast of prednisone, and my diabetes doctor agreed to watch over me and adjust my insulin while I was on high dosage.

You need to be careful when your sugar is above 300 because you can get into a condition called ketoacidosis, which can be dangerous and is something you would need to be treated at a hospital for. I would highly recommend seeking out an endocrinologist that specializes in diabetes.

– Paul.

Hi Holly,

I was a type II diabetic before melanoma. I did first ipi and now I am on pembro. While on the ipi I lost control of my glucose and ended up on insulin. The folks at my diabetes clinic are now saying I look more like a type I diabetic than a type II.

When I was on the ipi I developed hypophysitis, a swollen pituitary, which was my immune system attacking my pituitary. If you look up type I diabetes, it is an auto-immune issue where the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. So even though this has not been confirmed by either my oncologist or my diabetes doctor, I suspect that the ipi (and perhaps the pembro) have had an adverse effect on my pancreas.

At the time I lost control of my glucose, my diabetes was being managed by my family doctor, who specialized in internal medicine. I was very fortunate to have found an endocrinology team specializing in diabetes that also work closely with my oncologist. I am on prednisone as a result of the hypophysitis, and that wreaks havoc with your glucose. When I was first diagnosed with the hypophysitis, my oncologist wanted to treat it with a high dose blast of prednisone, and my diabetes doctor agreed to watch over me and adjust my insulin while I was on high dosage.

You need to be careful when your sugar is above 300 because you can get into a condition called ketoacidosis, which can be dangerous and is something you would need to be treated at a hospital for. I would highly recommend seeking out an endocrinologist that specializes in diabetes.

– Paul.

Hi Holly,

I was a type II diabetic before melanoma. I did first ipi and now I am on pembro. While on the ipi I lost control of my glucose and ended up on insulin. The folks at my diabetes clinic are now saying I look more like a type I diabetic than a type II.

When I was on the ipi I developed hypophysitis, a swollen pituitary, which was my immune system attacking my pituitary. If you look up type I diabetes, it is an auto-immune issue where the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. So even though this has not been confirmed by either my oncologist or my diabetes doctor, I suspect that the ipi (and perhaps the pembro) have had an adverse effect on my pancreas.

At the time I lost control of my glucose, my diabetes was being managed by my family doctor, who specialized in internal medicine. I was very fortunate to have found an endocrinology team specializing in diabetes that also work closely with my oncologist. I am on prednisone as a result of the hypophysitis, and that wreaks havoc with your glucose. When I was first diagnosed with the hypophysitis, my oncologist wanted to treat it with a high dose blast of prednisone, and my diabetes doctor agreed to watch over me and adjust my insulin while I was on high dosage.

You need to be careful when your sugar is above 300 because you can get into a condition called ketoacidosis, which can be dangerous and is something you would need to be treated at a hospital for. I would highly recommend seeking out an endocrinologist that specializes in diabetes.

– Paul.