Diabetics and insulin

[Alex R]

Hi I am a final year student undergoing a project at Northumbria university in the UK about Diabetics and their relationship and interaction with their insulin.

I am a type 1 Diabetic myself and have been for 12 years now and I know without my insulin I would not be here today. My relationship and interaction with my insulin is that I fell strongly about its security incase it gets stolen and refrigeration because I do not want it to stop working effectively.

I would really appreciate if anyone could tell me about their relationship and interaction with their insulin, anything good, bad and why.

Any insights, story's, examples and views will be fantastic and greatly appreciated and will remain anonymous within my project.

Thank you

Alex

 

[Alex R]

If it makes it easier to answer, what areas of Diabetes do you think troubles you like, injecting in public, pains when injecting, eating and drinking alcohol etc

 

[janabelle]

HI,
If you'd like to read about my personal relationship with Lantus, there's a posting on 'Diabetes Soapbox' called 'Lantus problems" which says it all .
My relationship with Hypurin Porcine Isophane, however, is a beautiful one I am very protective of it, and fear losing it, as many animal insulin users do unfortunately. :cry:
I'm quite happy to help you, so please feel free to PM me.
Jus

 

[Alex R]

Thanks very much that will be great, yes il take a look

 

[Alex R]

Would improve any of your diabetic equipment you have? or what would you design to improve diabetes and your lifestyle?

 

[janabelle]

Hi again Alex,
Most type-1s, me included, worry about night-time hypos, when blood sugar can drop too low when sleeping. It's a hazard of being on insulin, and we don't always get it right.
It would be great if someone could come up with a night-time glucose monitor with an alarm. It would need to be could be small, as un-invasive as poss, and lower in price than the continuous glucose monitors available now.
It would be particularly useful for children, their parents, and for newly diagnosed people or people experiencing regular night-time hypos.
Failing that, I've often wished my mobile phone had an integral test meter!
Jus

 

[Angeldust]

Janabelle that is a brilliant idea. I actually can't believe such a thing doesn't exist.

Night time hypo's are my main fear. As rule of thumb I try never to go to sleep with a BM < 7.

 

[Adam09]

Hey Alex,

I'm at Northumbria too! Anyway like most people probably the 'security' side of things is what I think about most, I carry it all around in my bag to and from uni and always get a bit concerned incase someone steps on my bag or something or it gets knocked and breaks.

Also a couple of occassions being out in Northumberland street at dinner time had a few people have a go at me for injecting (not in the middle of the street of course). Also if someone was to come along when I was injecting and try to knock it out of my hand or something like that.

Having only been diabetic for less than a month I still get concerned incase I do something wrong, always clock watching to make sure I've checked myself and havent took to much or to little or something like that.

For a positive side though it's made me get more active again, got lazy over the last few years but I'm back excercising again now.

Hope that helps.

 

[xxxleonadxxx]

Hi there Alex,

When I read your post I thought that you meant how people felt about ther insulins on a kind of personal level ..... not sure if that is what you mean but I shall answer this way

I HATE INSULIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!! With a passion lol. I laugh but I mean it. I am an unknown diabetic type and have now appeared in medical jornals, my story is probably plastered on the web for all to see, although I have never looked.

I was diagnosed with type 2 a few years ago and the powers at be then decided it was undiagnosed type 1, then changed their mind to type 1.5 then they gave up and decided it was type just me lol.

I am allergic to all fast acting insulins and despite numerous tests no reason can be found, desensitisation has been almost ruled out as my body just doesn't like it. I currently take Lantus every night and my current dosage is 124 units per night (yes 124) and this increases by 6 units every 4 days. I hate lantus, it stings sooooooo much and I have to do 2 injections in a row to get the full dose (pens only dial to 80) Apparently this is due to the acidity of lantus.

Blood sugars are still consistently high, averaging aroung 15 daily. Depending on what i've eaten they can be MUCH higher. I take a strange concoction of tablets, some I have to buy prvately through the NHS as they are not avalable, so not only do I hate my insulin, I grudge paying £100 per month for tablets too .........


hmmmmmmmmmmm i'm sounding a tad like a bitter diabetic lol

All in all I would say my relationship with insulin was, at best, rocky lol

Hope ths helps, Leona.

 

[howie]

i find my levimer works really well and when i have never worried bout night time hypo's since i got my dosage correct (i always sleep with bg's between 4-5). when i skip a meal my bg's remain stable so its just when i use my novorapid things get complicated (shame this is about 3 times a day lol). i often inject 20mins before food to avoid any spiking above 7, i hate the way it takes 20mins to start working when normal people start producing insulin as soon as they smell food. like the rest of you if i spontaneously decide to get active then going low is a prob, suddenly the insulin is twice as effective but the normal dose has already been administered! well annoying. but i do find exercise is ok when i'm prepped for it.

i do worry bout my pen not working/breaking when i travel, though i haven't been abroad yet with it being in another city seems scary but hey its sugar we need in real emergencies really right??? and there's loadsa 24hr chemist these days so i might start chilling now i think about it.

in terms of partying/drinking, i now dont really find it an issue now. i stayed out till 5am on sat night drinking. i checked my bg's a number of times and only hit 7.5 once, rest of the night were 5's.

to summarise what i'm actually trying to say and in terms of my personal experience i think you have to learn and master the use of the insulin. they give us a middle of the road insulin thats ok for a general meal but difficult to customise.

 

[copepod]

A three year BSc at Newcastle University before diagnosis was very straightforward and great fun, but working there for a year some years after diagnosis & starting to need insulin was almost as easy and just as much fun. First time round, lived in Benwell and Heaton, with only bike or public transport. Second time, living at Tynemouth with bike, car and public transport, and going swimming and / or body boarding after a long day of work was great fun.

 

[sugar2]

I once had a boyfriend who objected to the smell of insulin...but I loved my insulin more than him, so he had to go!

 

[mazza31]

Can anyone give me some advice on how to give up alcohol? my consultant has stressed I am likely to get cirrhosis if I don't quit. I'm scared but I need support on how to avoid drinking altogether, I am the kind of person who is all or nothing, mostly all!! If anyone can give me some advice I would be grateful.
this is my first post, have been diagnosed type 1 for 2 years

 

[cugila]

Can anyone give me some advice on how to give up alcohol? my consultant has stressed I am likely to get cirrhosis if I don't quit. I'm scared but I need support on how to avoid drinking altogether, I am the kind of person who is all or nothing, mostly all!! If anyone can give me some advice I would be grateful.
this is my first post, have been diagnosed type 1 for 2 years

Hi mazza.
This isn't going to be easy.......it's not like you can just stop after drinking for a long time. I was once a heavy drinker, then I saw the damage that it does to health, relationships, family, friends, children and I made the decision that my health and family came first. That was the easy bit !

Then followed a gradual process of weaning myself off the social drinking, the binges, which all took time. Finally I got to the point where I just had 2 pints of Guinness a week, I didn't need any more. I didn't need a drink to enjoy myself, to socialise. I also found that I could remember far more of my evenings out than previously.....one benefit I hadn't thought about...... Nowadays for health reasons I cannot drink at all, so it's diet drinks and that's it. Still feel good, still enjoy life. Drinking was just a habit, we don't need it.

How to go about it.......
Getting some help and support greatly improves your chances of beating the problem.
Family, friends, counselling, AA, group therapy, or attending a relapse management group will help you to stick to your goals.

Here is a link to a UK website devoted to helping you to beat the drink habit. Have a read. It could be your first step to beating this problem ?
http://www.giveupdrinking.co.uk/index.php

Plus the 50 ways to give up drinking.
http://www.giveupdrinking.co.uk/admitti ... inking.php

Here are some useful UK websites:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
http://www.downyourdrink.org.uk
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk

Best of luck with your efforts.

 

[creative]

Hi Mazza,
I have been a steady/heavy drinker for 40 years untill I relised the damage it was doing to my health/relationships.

Unlike cugila I went cold turkey. I have not had an alcoholic drink now for 130 days ( not that I am counting)

Side effects, shakes, headaches, pains in liver and kidneys ,lack of motivation lasted about the first 10 days then nothing.
How did I stop? Made the drink my worst enemy and willpower.
Try this forum as well, great friends all in the same boat.

http://www.brighteyecounselling.co.uk Not an AA based forum neither.

Allan