anyone got insulin success stories please

[river-rat-sam]

I must be a bit dense because I can't seem to find any posts specifically about how insulin changed things for people. I know they'll be on here but not sure which forum to look on. Obviously if I search the word insulin it just tells me it's too common a word

I am about to go on insulin after years of unsuccessfully managing diabetes. I have taken metformin and tried byetta for three years but it made not a jot of difference. GP now wants me to go onto insulin. I'm in a rural area and can't get to a hospital clinic or team so will be just doing this with my GP. I do trust her but she is not a specialist (her words).

I feel such a failure. I know if I ate a perfect low carb diet I could probably really help myself yet I am too weak and despite trying for years I find it impossible. I have four children who eat a lot and do a lot of home cooking. I don't eat a lot myself, porridge for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch, some dinner at about six pm and not large portions but my BG sticks between 14 and 16

I have NO IDEA about insulin. Will keep trying to pour through the posts.

What I need right now as well as a cyber hug, is some positive success stories of Type II's who have gone onto insulin.

Where do I even begin? Whilst I trust my doctor somewhat I feel I need to go to her next Wednesday armed with a few facts.
What insulin will work best for me? Will it bring my blood sugars down straight away? What am I to expect? Will it be a cert that I will gain weight? will I feel nauseous and sick like I did with byetta? sitting here crying now with so many questions.

How many times will I inject? what is best? if anyone can help me even by pointing me in the right direction, I will be very grateful.

The reason I am giving in to insulin is for my children. I have for the last three years had absolutely zero energy and spend my life feeling ****. I just want the old me back

 

[catherinecherub]

I must be a bit dense because I can't seem to find any posts specifically about how insulin changed things for people. I know they'll be on here but not sure which forum to look on. Obviously if I search the word insulin it just tells me it's too common a word

I am about to go on insulin after years of unsuccessfully managing diabetes. I have taken metformin and tried byetta for three years but it made not a jot of difference. GP now wants me to go onto insulin. I'm in a rural area and can't get to a hospital clinic or team so will be just doing this with my GP. I do trust her but she is not a specialist (her words).

I feel such a failure. I know if I ate a perfect low carb diet I could probably really help myself yet I am too weak and despite trying for years I find it impossible. I have four children who eat a lot and do a lot of home cooking. I don't eat a lot myself, porridge for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch, some dinner at about six pm and not large portions but my BG sticks between 14 and 16

I have NO IDEA about insulin. Will keep trying to pour through the posts.

What I need right now as well as a cyber hug, is some positive success stories of Type II's who have gone onto insulin.

Where do I even begin? Whilst I trust my doctor somewhat I feel I need to go to her next Wednesday armed with a few facts.
What insulin will work best for me? Will it bring my blood sugars down straight away? What am I to expect? Will it be a cert that I will gain weight? will I feel nauseous and sick like I did with byetta? sitting here crying now with so many questions.

How many times will I inject? what is best? if anyone can help me even by pointing me in the right direction, I will be very grateful.

The reason I am giving in to insulin is for my children. I have for the last three years had absolutely zero energy and spend my life feeling ****. I just want the old me back

Hi,

Here is a big cyber hug as requested.. ((((()))))

I have no experience with insulin but there are plenty of Type2's here who use it successfully. Never describe yourself as a failure because of insulin. It makes managing diabetes a lot easier for some Type2's and we are all different in what we need to manage our diabetes.

I will bump your post up in the hope that someone will be able to answer you.

 

[phoenix]

Hi,
If you don't produce enough insulin of your own to prevent high glucose levels then insulin is a good option. Please don't be afraid of it.
I can't tell you which insulin will be best or how many times you will inject. The more flexible regimes include more injections but they don't always start people on those sorts of regimes.
They may introduce it slowly so to get the dose right so it may not bring your glucose levels down quickly.
I don't see any reason that it should make you feel nauseous.
I live an enjoyable, active life and I take insulin.

I found this article written by a T2 which might help you. http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/201 ... -diabetes/

 

[WhitbyJet]

river-rat-sam - you are having a hard time, I am so sorry. I am type 2 diabetic and not on insulin, but I do know 3 people with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin therapy. All 3 of them tell me that they wished they hadnt wasted so much time and gone on to insulin sooner, in their case oral meds had very little effect at controlling their diabetes, although they had also reduced carbs.
They still have a very good diet, keeping carbs fairly low, but not low carbing as such, it means they dont need massive doses of insulin to keep good control of their bg levels.

Here is your hug from me (((((((((((((((river-rat-sam))))))))))))))

Dont despair, with the right advice/treatment and your self help things will get better.

Thinking of you x x

 

[Fraddycat]

Big hugs to you! don't despair, think of this as a turning point in your life, its as positive as you want to make it. I hope pretty soon you are feeling in better control. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Jude]

hello

I have been on insulin now for almost 2 years - it has certainly helped lower my bg numbers but unfortunately I have put 14 kilos back on - had been on byetta and lost 14 kilos!! I am fortunate to have a Community Diabetes Nurse, she started me on the insulin and I am on Humalog 25 which I take with my breakfast and evening meal. It is an insulin mix of short acting and medium acting so that the short acting deals with the immediate needs with my meal and the medium gives me cover during the day. I also take Metformin.
If you are fairly active I think that will help but I have struggled with physical activity and think that probably contributed to gaining the weight back.
I was put back on to byetta alongside the insulin to see if it would help me lose any weight - it did not! Ten days ago I stopped the byetta and have felt so much better. I had nausea and extreme tiredness every day until about 1pm and that has all gone.

Judith :wave:

 

[Mileana]

I am not Type 2, but they thought I was, so I had been struggling for a couple years more or less - trying and failing, not managing too well, gave up a bit and ended up in hospital with blood glucose in the 20's and 30's and some nice ketones. It turned out I was type 1.5 (slow developing type 1 where my insulin production eventually stops entirely). No wonder I couldn't manage...

Anyway, the reason I'm replying to your post is because I can identify with the frustration, the fear or rather insecurity about insulin, and also I have had the very pleasant experience that after learning the basics of how insulin works, I can do whatever I like. I have a lot more energy, I feel back in control of my condition, I can go out for walks (long ones too), I can run, I don't nod off, I don't get every infection known to man in places we don't talk about, my mood is far more stable, not so cranky, bothered, flushed, annoyed, tired.

In short, insulin is about the best thing that has happened to me this year.

It has been a bit tricky, it takes some time to build the confidence to self-manage dosing etc, for a while you have to measure blood sugars often and forever you're going to have to keep a closer eye on it, it does take a few days to get used to giving yourself the jab, and should you want to, you can combine it with lower carb diets too - you may find like me that somewhere in the middle of the scale between normally recommended carbs and low carb feels best. But if you want to continue eating a normal diet that is entirely possible too. I have days when I could die for an icecream or a cake, and sometimes I won't and sometimes I will, and by now, I know my insulin profile and timing enough to never any highs from it.

I exercise like mad sometimes - seldom I have problems, because by now I know how to adjust insulin for extended periods of activity, but at first it was a bit tricky. Less so after I was put on basal/bolus instead of the premixed version, but keep a snack on hand until you learn how it works.

Paying attention to your body and meter is probably the best advice. And trust yourself. When you conclude something needs to be done one way or the other after thinking about it carefully, odds are pretty good that you're right. Discuss on here, with your GP etc, but don't be too timid. You know more than you think about how YOU work and react to it, once you collect a bit of data on meals, doses, activities etc.

 

[Van1946]

Hi, I am type 2, was on pills for 4 years but less than a year ago my blood test came back high my bg were running into the high 20's and low 30's, sleeping all the time, moody, temperamental, and didn't want to do anything in the home, my husband took over most of the things in the house, he told the dr that I was like a 80 year old woman instead of being in my 60's. So I was put on Humalin I, my bg in the morning average 6 and my last one at night is 9-10, I keep my carbs under 70 a day, I now feel like a new person, I'm back to before I started on the pills, yes it is a different way of doing and monitoring your life but I would never want to go back. Any question you might have that I can tell you how I managed just ask. Good luck

 

[Stevie2tone]

HI,

I am Type 2 and after a couple of years trying to control my BG levels with Sitagliptin and Diamacron and failing miserably, I was put onto insulin a month ago to work alongside the oral meds I was taking.

I too was worried and carried the "failure" balloon around with me, however since I have been on the Lantus, my BG levels have had a significant change. Along side a low carb diet, my bloods rarely ever go over 9mmols and considering for several years I was no where near that I am delighted with the result.

It took a while to get used to injecting myself, and having to work out when to increase the dose and when not to. Once I found a dose (its now 12mgs), its become quite easy to keep my BG down to a level that I am happy with. It was daunting of course to start woth this, I was and sometimes still am worried about nocturnal hypo's but have not had an issues so far and believe it may well have been my own worries playing on my mind rather then a genuine reason to be concerned.

Please do not think of having to use insulin as being a failure, I admit I did at first too, but now know thats not the case. Failing is ignoring the condition, and facing it head on, no matter with what treatment, proves you are not failing.

Thjere has been slight weight gain as I was warned there would be, but nothing like I was worried about.... I do not feel sick either

I hope my reply can help some of your concerns, if you have any more questions, queries or concerns please feel free to PM me and I will explain my experiences, thoughts etc

Steve