Hi there! Maggie? My name is Debi and I live in Fresno, CA and I am new here also, however, I just recently fired my doctor because he has had me on Avandia and I have been trying to lose weight and I am also Diabetic and I also take Metformin 1000 mg twice a day and am on Insulin. I took Avandia for almost a year and finally figured out for myself why I felt so lousy and I gained over 80 pounds and swelled up like a balloon. Avandia's side effects are weight gain and adema...water retention. Get yourself to your doctor and tell him to please take you off of the Avandia!!! It will kill you in the long run. I have just started the Schwarzbein's Lo Carb WOE but I feel better since I stopped taking the avandia and I had my new doctor give me some water pills and I feel great. My sugars are still up but the Avandia was making me so sick and fat and miserable. I hope this helps. And let anyone else you know who is on it that it will eventually blow up your liver. Good luck sweetie and keep up the good work. It will get better now, I promise you. Love and Laughter, Debido54