Asking To Go On Insulin

[Gemsydodger]

I have had two rounds of gestational diabetes which has left me with type 2

In my first pregnancy I was on 1000mg of slow release metformin, and diet controlled for 9 weeks. I basically ate 10g of carbs per day. I was miserable.

In my second pregnancy I was diagnosed much earlier, tried to control it the same was but after 4 weeks of it I broke down and begged for insulin... it was still a huge struggle and I still had to very much control my diet, I learned to carb count and measured my own insulin. I was able to have 50g ish of carbs per day and it was much more manageable.... problem was that I needed high doses of insulin to hit a target within an hour, novarapid continued to work for 4 hours so I hypod regularly... by the end of my pregnancy every meal was split up into 3.... so breakfast I’d eat 1/3 with insulin, measure in one hour and eat and measure again in another hour sometimes having to eat again... in order to eat anything I had to keep my bs unnaturally high all day... I understand it now, I just accepted it at the time... in hindsight that has prob contributed to my long term issue.

Anyway... diagnosed after pregnancy with type 2, my bs reading at the doctors was 39.9 and my hba1c was 99 which is apparently the highest the surgery has ever seen. I was started on 1000mg of normal metformin for breakfast, nothing else as I was breastfeeding ... and they wanted me to have some carbage for breakfast, a salad for lunch and protein with veg for tea.... I’ve been at that now for 5 months, I’ve lost 2 stone and whilst initially my bs was amazing, it’s now absolutely awful and I’m lucky if it’s below 12... I do interval training 3 times a week. I’m exhausted, I’ve 2 kids under 2.5 to look after and all I want to do is sleep. I’m sick of fighting this, it’s been almost 3 years of this struggle, I want a break... will the doctors think I’m totally crazy if I ask to go on insulin to get a break?

I’m so sorry for the rant, but I feel the back story is required. Any helpful tips are appreciated. Mostly I’m looking for the confidence to ask for this level of help

Thank you x

 

[Runica]

I think you have absolutely nothing to lose by discussing it. If you don't ask, you certainly don't get.

To give your young family the best possible start in life, you need to make sure you're in good nick. If you think insulin will help you achieve this, then do it. It may not be forever, life and lifestyle can change rapidly as you know, and there will always be other options available to you when you feel they would benefit you better.

Do remember to take a food diary with you to any appointment, along with corresponding BG readings to show that despite excellent diet control your BG is climbing out of control.

I would wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it x. Hugs instead.

 

[Jenny15]

In my opinion, based on everything you said in your post, I think there is a good chance your doctor will agree with you about starting insulin. It is possible to go off insulin later if your clinical picture warrants it and you wish to.

I am a T2 on insulin because of a number of factors I won't go into here. It is certainly something that can be considered as part of standard medical practice, so please don't worry about asking too much. Good doctors take into account the whole person, in the context of their needs, including as a parent of young kids. Based on your post, I think anyone would be feeling exhausted. In my opinion you are having a normal reaction to an abnormal situation, and I have the utmost empathy for you.

I don't think you will need good luck either, but I wish you it all the same. Hang in there.

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.

You should not be reluctant to ask your GP about a change of regime because that is what he/she is there for, to advise you and to support you.

 

[daisy1]

@Gemsydodger

Hello Gemsydodger and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[Gemsydodger]

Thank you so much for the replies folks. I was just at the end of my tether last night. I have an appointment with my gp on Monday morning to discuss the changes. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you for being so understanding xxx

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Insulin may help but it you still have some excess weight and hence have insulin resistance then you may already have too much insulin in the blood. Do discuss the insulin but also ask for c-peptide test so you and the GP can find out how much insulin production you have. Many GPs just guess the type without doing the right tests when not sure. Certainly carry on with the low-carb diet.