At last, Insulin

hello grabcol.

can I be be a bit forward and ask what sort of diet you were on for the last 15 months.

grabcol said:

Well after 15 monthe they have finaly put me on insulin . . . so easy don't see why the worry.

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Just wait till you have informed DVLA and your car insurers (which by law you have to), tried getting travel insurance, life insurance , , , and perhaps you will start to see "why the worry"!!

What oral meds were you on and what dietary changes did you make after you were diagnosed?

Grabcol, hi wellcome to the Zone. I am T2 and they wanted to put me on Insulin. From what i know now especially finding the resource of this site I for one am glad i didnt. The reply from Dennis is a good pointer for you - please look around the site and see if you still think you have moved in the right direction.

I dont want to be accused of telling you what you should or shouldnt do but please look around the site anyway.

All the best
Dave P

hi grabcol,
Good for you. I've known a few type 2s who felt the difference once on insulin.
When it's easy we love it! :mrgreen:

Don't forget the importance of regular exercise and a healthy balanced diet.

keep up the good work!

all the best,
timo.

Dennis said:

grabcol said:

Well after 15 monthe they have finaly put me on insulin . . . so easy don't see why the worry.

Click to expand...

Just wait till you have informed DVLA and your car insurers (which by law you have to), tried getting travel insurance, life insurance , , , and perhaps you will start to see "why the worry"!!

What oral meds were you on and what dietary changes did you make after you were diagnosed?

Click to expand...

Actually, I've always been told that car insurers aren't allowed to adjust your premium as a result of you being a diabetic on insulin. I don't know what the situation is now, but it's never effected me.

lionrampant said:

Actually, I've always been told that car insurers aren't allowed to adjust your premium as a result of you being a diabetic on insulin. I don't know what the situation is now, but it's never effected me.

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Its a common misconception. It is a legal requirement that you must inform your car insurer if you commence insulin treatment. The insurer may choose to do nothing other than to note it on your records, but they are allowed to reassess your premium on the grounds that there has been a change in your health and/or medication. All insurance is based on the insurer's assessment of the risk that you pose to them. This is why a young male driver can legally be charged more than a female driver of the same age, and an older driver will be offered a lower rate than a younger driver. Its not age or sex discrimination - it is simply a different actuarial risk factor. Someone who is diabetic when applying for insurance will generally be offered a higher premium rate than a non-diabetic, not because of discrimination but simply because of what the insurer regards as a higher risk.

It works the opposite way when you get to retirement if you have a private pension or are in a company pension scheme. Because a diabetic has a lower life expectancy than a non-diabetic, all us diabetics qualify for an enhanced pension, which can be 20% more than a standard non-enhanced pension. The exceptions to this are the state pension and if you are in one of the increasingly rare "final salary" schemes, where your health can't change your pension entitlement other than by allowing you to retire earlier than normal.

Ah, they've always just said "doesn't matter" when I've told them, and if they have monkeyed with it I've never noticed it because I've always driven bigger (engined) cars than my friends - and been diabetic long before I was driving.

Hi Grabcol,

Just a brief question?? following some info....(Male aged 50, on statins, Artovarsaltan, Lipitor, Felipodine etc) I'm on two doses a day of 500mg Metformin and have acute kidney problems and a fatty liver syndrome (MRI scan to follow) I've read the research papers and links to advise that those T2's with kidney problems should not be on Metformin! I'm seeing my GP on Friday! :evil:

My stats are all over the place as the Metformin is only making me sick, I'm regularly hyper' readings are 11+ in the morning and 19+ in the evening despite all the lifestyle changes, such as dietary, lost 22lbs, eat healthier etc. :lol:

My question..."I'm looking to gain a greater level of control over my blood / glucose levels as its clear the changes already made combined with Metformin are'nt working at all.
I work quite unsocial hours as a consultant engineer all over the UK and Europe and the two hits a day of Metformin are sending me up and down like a sinusoidal waveform....with quite frightening symptons. :cry:

"Can I simply request from my GP that he prescribes me with Insulin to enable better control and is he likley to be conducive to my request?? or do I have to experience / exaserbate the whole gambit of oral medication first before he considers insulin as a last resource.??"

I would have thought from a control perspective, that if a patient wants to manage his diabetes effectively and insulin would provide a suitable alternative to lowering blood glucose levels than Metformin, then this should be a positive consideration.

My brother's a T2, went on to Metformin for three years before finally going onto Insulin.
His quality of life has changed so dramatically for the better and I'm looking for the same opportunity basically.

So essentailly, is it just a case of saying to my GP, "I think I know whats best for me, can I please have some?? :?:

Any replies to this post are always well received.

Regards

Martyn

Hi Martyn,
I would say that by all means go and see your GP. But don't make the assumption that because a particular treatment has worked for one person then it must also be the best one for you. Metformin works in a completely different way to insulin. Insulin converts your blood sugar into energy in your body's cells. Metformin simply helps the insulin by making it easier for the cells to accept and store the blood sugar. Metformin is not an alternative to insulin and insulin is not an alternative to metformin.

Your GP must have prescribed metformin because you have some degree of insulin resistance - most Type-2s do. As you have not been prescribed a medication that will increase insulin production (like a sulphonylurea), that would indicate that your GP believes you are producing insulin. So why would you want to inject even more of it? That's like taking a paracetamol for a headache you havent got!

Hi Martyn!
Have you tried reducing your carb intake by quite a large amount?( say down to 20% of calories) It's not going to upset your stomach or your insurance premiums and isn't hard to do. Actually if you have some fats in your eating plan, you probably won't feel hungry. The "Metformin Grumblies" usually wear off as you adjust to it and it doesn't cause hyps, so it won't make driving unsafe.
You don't have to do the "full Atkins", but since it can't hurt you and might well help, why not try it?

Not very reassuring, but if you're trying to get your weight down as well as those numbers. Insulin probably won't help. As far as the BGs go It will probably be easiet and there are plenty of places you can inject where the skin sensors are a long way apart, so you won't hurt.

I'm pleased for you grabcol, I know how it feels to go through months of feeling awful, not seeing a blood sugar below 15 etc. I love insulin and have much better control now.

My car insurance didn't go up at all, the DVLA wasn't a big deal either, that was sorted easily just had to send the form back and they issued a new lisence.

Sounds like you could be a type 1.5/LADA, as you say you are young and thin and are responding well to reasonably small amount sof insulin, doesn't look like you have the typical insulin resistance of a type 2. Unless you are already eating low carb and if you ate more carbs you'd need alot more insulin.

Now that you are on a basal bolus insulin regieme, i suggets that you start looking at carb counting and matching your insulin does to the amoutn of carbohydrate that you eat. usually dieticians are very good at teaching carb counting, along with your DSN.

Dear SarahQ

Thanks for the reasurrance. I'm off to the nurse now to be shown how to start injecting. I'll let you know how it goes. Harpoons at the ready lol :wink:

Well that wasn't too bad. I have injected twice now, once at the drs, took three attempts to actually stick the needle in but didn't hurt at all. I have also injected yesterday on my own feel very brave lol but didn't hurt. My numbers are still high but am only on 10ml so will probably put those up. I'm more put out by having to test before all meals and exercise and not being able to drive the school mini bus anymore.

Thanks for those who wrote in support.

Best wishes

Hi all

I've just contacted the DVLA about now being put on insulin. I have to re apply for my license every 3 years along with those with servere learning difficulties, talk about insulting! I test before I drive, unlikely to have hypos and now throughly fed up. I spoke to a woman at the diabetesuk careline who was singularly unhelpful and unsympathetic, I feel it's an invasion of my rights to drive, I've been a safe driver and had my license for 12 years. If I can't drive, i can't get to work, I lose my job as a teacher and have wasted my life. I might as well go and sit in a corner and die - I hate being diabetic, I hate my body and I hate the DVLA

Purpleanna , didnt anyone mention Byetta to you as it dosnt have the same impications ? They wanted to get me on insulin but my view is only as a last result apart from all the other implications. In my PCT area a lot of T2`s are going the other way from Insulin to Byetta.

Dave P

No sixfoot Dave P

What is byetta, what does it do? At the mo I'm on 2000 mg of metformin sr, 6mg of Amayrl and 14ml of lantus insulin and still getting highs of 19.9 2 hours after breakfast and waking with 11 what am I doing wrong :cry: