Type 2 insulin to be increased to two jabs a day?

[Katmalan]

Hi, been a while since I've been on here, had massive problems logging in, but finally! Success!!!

Ok, after 20 yrs since being diagnosed, and 20 yrs previously undiagnosed, I have some complications. However, that's not my concern.

I've been on 2 different medications for years, 10 months ago I had to also start insulin. After a couple of months keeping an eye on me, my diabetic nurse told me that since my readings were 7.0 or below, I was fine and to carry on with the insulin...but NOT to test of a day, only on waking, since, she told me, as long as they're low of a morning its fine.

However, to me, that didn't sound right. At the end of the day, she left me without a check-up for 7 months...last friday I had the Dom come take my bloods. Yesterday morning the nurse phoned me. Of course this means there's a problem, lol

She told me she had to come see me because my Hba1c has gone up. Then told me that I will have to take another insulin jab later of a day.

Now here's the thing that bugs me!

All the time she's checking me, and for all these years, it's either high or low on waking, but what's never changed is that, as the morning goes on, my bloods go up. And up, and up...my levels often hit 15.0 plus...pre insulin, I could wake up to a 18.0

She told me when I went on the insulin not, NOT to test me bloods, as long as I was low on waking that didn't matter...odd, I thought it WOULD matter. But she insisted no.

Bearning in mind I have retinoathy, both eyes. Neuropathy. Nerve damage all over the place, cataracts, both eyes, tunnel vision, and so on...you'd think keeping an eye on my bloods would be a tad important?

Anyway, I ignored her, and continued to do my bloods. And I'm still getting all these highs. Sleeping at the drop of a hat. Raging thirst. Peeing, of course and double vision...Yeah, I think its stupid not to test.

Not that it mattered, she didn't really care, since I am low of a morning now!!!

So now I have to begin another insulin jab, which I am not impressed about!!!

So then, my question is...

I'm on 2 different lots of diabetic meds and insulin, why would this not be working and why would my diabetes be getting worse, what seems like, in the past 12 months? Nothings changed. I eat a healthy diet and sometimes I'd treat. Though once I went on insulin, I decided to never treat myself again...scarey stuff now! NOW she wants me to test my bloods from now till she comes to see me. NOW, she wants it done!!!

If I havent been checked in 7 months, and my Hba1c is taken over the previous 3 months, how the heck long have I been running this high?

I guess it's a question, but more a purge because I'm so NOT impressed with her!!!

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

What jumps out at me from your post is you say you eat a healthy diet. Is this the same healthy diet the NHS recommends you to eat? (plenty of starchy carbs, low fat, baked potatoes and baked beans, lots of fruit, wholemeal bread and so on). If it is, then that is where and how your problems started, and how they could continue if you continue to follow it. Do you know what the role carbohydrate plays in controlling diabetes? With the right diet, suitable for diabetics, it is possible to control your levels and reduce your medication. If this interests you, let us know.

Please ask questions and have a good read round the forums.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can you let us know your weight/BMI. If you don't have excess weight you may be Late onset T1 and not T2. If so you should probably be on the Basal/Bolus insulin regime (4 to 5 injections per day). I agree with @Bluetit1802 that a 'healthy diet' has no meaning and for the NHS it means an UNbalanced Unhealthy diet if you follow their advice. You need to keep the carbs down but do let us know your BMI etc. BTW anyone on insulin needs to test regularly and your nurse should know this - shameful.

 

[Johnjoe13]

Hi @Katmalan It seems very odd to me to start someone on insulin and then tell them not to monitor the progress of this throughout the day? Thankfully i'm only on metfrormin and diet control and fingers crossed that's as for as it's going to go. I can completely empathise with the increasing levels as the morning goes on cos I'm the same. If I were you though I'd put your experience with the nurse behind you and mentally tell her where to stick it and test as much as you like, unless ofcourse you've not been prescribed enough test strips to do this? If that's the case get urself an SD-Codefree meter and supplement testing with this one as the strips are fairly cheap, and given the other complication you you've got from this disease I think it a very good idea to do this

Also I would agree with @Bluetit1802 on your diet, have you been following the NHS brainwash diabetic diet? Then again if you've not been testing before and after meals to asses what those carbs are doing you won't have seen any improvement.

 

[Katmalan]

Hi and welcome,

What jumps out at me from your post is you say you eat a healthy diet. Is this the same healthy diet the NHS recommends you to eat? (plenty of starchy carbs, low fat, baked potatoes and baked beans, lots of fruit, wholemeal bread and so on). If it is, then that is where and how your problems started, and how they could continue if you continue to follow it. Do you know what the role carbohydrate plays in controlling diabetes? With the right diet, suitable for diabetics, it is possible to control your levels and reduce your medication. If this interests you, let us know.

Please ask questions and have a good read round the forums.

Hi there,

Sorry, I should have said what I mean by a healthy diet, but don't worry, it's not what the NHS tell us to eat!!

Due to other health issues I'm restricted on what foods I can eat.

What I can and do eat is fish, chicken, turkey, salad, salad, salad, I should look like lettuce! 2 small pieces of bread a day, I need that to take my insulin with. I eat eggs, soft cheese though not a lot, and porridge for breakfast, but only 5 spoonfulls at the most. And thats about it. I really only have a small appetite. Just as well I think!

Veg, not allowed to eat that. Or red meats. I can only have raw carrots, apples and oranges. So you may call that healthy, or not for a diabetic or anyone, but that's the healthy 'diet' I have to live on.

I don't eat pasta, and rare have potatoes, 'if' I have potatoes I'll have 3 very small new potatoes. But if I have potatoes, I have it instead of the bread at lunch time. And I don't eat rice.

I know what they tell us, carbs, carba, carbs!

I'm also in a wheelchair and because of my health, unfortunately I can't exercise, so there's no help there. I'm swiming against the tide I guess.

 

[Katmalan]

Hi. Can you let us know your weight/BMI. If you don't have excess weight you may be Late onset T1 and not T2. If so you should probably be on the Basal/Bolus insulin regime (4 to 5 injections per day). I agree with @Bluetit1802 that a 'healthy diet' has no meaning and for the NHS it means an UNbalanced Unhealthy diet if you follow their advice. You need to keep the carbs down but do let us know your BMI etc. BTW anyone on insulin needs to test regularly and your nurse should know this - shameful.

Hi there, well I put what I eat on a post above yours, no idea if you can see that? Not sure exactly how this forum works? But as I said there, I am restricted in what I am able to eat.

As for my diabetic nurse, I'm far from happy with her. Haven't been happy with her for a long time now. Problems over the bleeding in my eyes and she totally ignored me telling her my bloods were always high...but every time I have an Hba1c, she ups my meds, when they couldnt be raised any more, she then puts me on insulin.

But all this stupid nonsense about not testing has so angered me. I stopped testing eventually because she was ignoring what I was telling her anyway, so there was no point. When she put me on the insulin and told me to check my bloods for 2 weeks of a morning, but not to test any other time, saying I didn't need to since a low reading pre breakfast means my life is perfect and my diabetes is a breeze! Yeah...

At first the insulin worked though. My levels came down for the first time in years, I was chuffed. I always prayed that I'd never have to go on insulin. But I felt better on it so decided I didn't mind. I'd stopped falling alseep all the time and stopped the other things that high levels do to us. But that all returned months ago. I went back to falling aleep, hard to keep awake at times. I can be reading a book, writing a letter, or even typing, and drop off. It's not normal and not how I want to live my life!

So I'm battling against the tide in this, cos there's not a lot that seems to help me. But I am going to insist on a referal to my hospital diabetic clinic. I'm not putting up with this messing about any more.

Question, where are we allowed to inject insulin? She told me only the tummy. Never the legs. Yet I know people who use insulin and they use their tummy and their legs?

My weight is a problem I'm afraid, one, I can't exorcis, two, I'm wheelchair dependant. Three, I'm on heavy pain relief that unfortunately causes weight gain. So I dropped 2 a day off on one of them. My thyroid is underactive and though I'm on medication, they can't put me on what I need to sort it out because the medication affects my heart. Sounds like a losing battle doesn't it, lol

 

[Dairygrade]

Hi sorry to here about your problems as the others have been saying it's important to test for some reason some doctors say there's no need for type 2diabetics to test that's rot if they put you on insulin then it's important you do test regularly have you seen your doctor and explained what nurse said also is there any chance you could see a diabetic specialist at a hospital I'm sure they could work though your problems with you and get it sorted let's hope
Please let us know?

 

[Bluetit1802]

I'm not on insulin and know very little about it, but I do know that as your diet looks fine, your insulin regime is clearly not fine. You should not be seeing those high numbers.

There could be another reason though. It is possible that as you are carrying extra weight you could have a lot of insulin resistance - so in that case the insulin you are injecting, plus any you produce yourself, isn't being used properly by your body. Again, you need proper advice about this.

Your nurse is clearly lacking in knowledge, and I suggest you push very hard to see a specialist at a diabetic clinic. I think it is your only way forward.

 

[Daibell]

Hi there, well I put what I eat on a post above yours, no idea if you can see that? Not sure exactly how this forum works? But as I said there, I am restricted in what I am able to eat.

As for my diabetic nurse, I'm far from happy with her. Haven't been happy with her for a long time now. Problems over the bleeding in my eyes and she totally ignored me telling her my bloods were always high...but every time I have an Hba1c, she ups my meds, when they couldnt be raised any more, she then puts me on insulin.

But all this stupid nonsense about not testing has so angered me. I stopped testing eventually because she was ignoring what I was telling her anyway, so there was no point. When she put me on the insulin and told me to check my bloods for 2 weeks of a morning, but not to test any other time, saying I didn't need to since a low reading pre breakfast means my life is perfect and my diabetes is a breeze! Yeah...

At first the insulin worked though. My levels came down for the first time in years, I was chuffed. I always prayed that I'd never have to go on insulin. But I felt better on it so decided I didn't mind. I'd stopped falling alseep all the time and stopped the other things that high levels do to us. But that all returned months ago. I went back to falling aleep, hard to keep awake at times. I can be reading a book, writing a letter, or even typing, and drop off. It's not normal and not how I want to live my life!

So I'm battling against the tide in this, cos there's not a lot that seems to help me. But I am going to insist on a referal to my hospital diabetic clinic. I'm not putting up with this messing about any more.

Question, where are we allowed to inject insulin? She told me only the tummy. Never the legs. Yet I know people who use insulin and they use their tummy and their legs?

My weight is a problem I'm afraid, one, I can't exorcis, two, I'm wheelchair dependant. Three, I'm on heavy pain relief that unfortunately causes weight gain. So I dropped 2 a day off on one of them. My thyroid is underactive and though I'm on medication, they can't put me on what I need to sort it out because the medication affects my heart. Sounds like a losing battle doesn't it, lol

Thanks for the reply. Yes, your diet sounds fine. I would certainly ask for a referral as your other conditions certainly justify it. Your nurse is obviously useless which is a problem. You may need to make an issue of it with the Practice Manager if you don't get enough strips prescribed. Ask you nurse to look at the NICE Diabetes Guidelines on the web or show her a copy. It sounds like you may well need Basal/Bolus but with the correct guidance and testing. Good luck with a referral. I guess I'm very lucky with the various DNs I've had and still have at my surgery.