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Going onto insulin

DizzyChick

Well-Known Member
Messages
64
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
I was diagnosed in 2015 with a hba1c of 117. Was put on metformin & gliclazide which did reduce hba1c to 58 and the 61. Just had a review on Friday and it has increased to 100. Doc was thinking of adding statins but my cholesterol & blood pressure is good and I've lost weight without trying ( I wasn't over weight before ) so after referring with another doc they have decided on insulin. To be honest I'm not scared of needles but I'm worried I'm gonna mess up and cause hypos. Any advice?
 
Welcome to the forum @DizzyChick. Don't let it phase you. Keep a diary of your doses and bgl's, before meals and two hours after. To avoid hypos, keep a supply of jellybeans or a suitable glucose suppliment to assist if you are feeling low. Your gp will prescribe a dosage to suit your condition, which can be reviewed over time. You have plenty of backup from the forum team so keep us informed of your progress.

Remember the symptoms of hypoglycaemia:
Tremors
Sweating
Headache
Intense thirst or hunger
Confusion
Weakness
Uncoordinated motor skills
Irritability and confusion.

The sensation can be likened to a panic attack, so watch for them and be ready.
 
There is a huge fear of hypos and, to some extent, this is justifiable.
However, the fear often leads people to maintain a high BG to avoid them and by avoiding the short term issues, they are leading to long term issues.

Being type 1, I had no choice about insulin or not and hypos are a part of my life. Thankfully, not every day and not every week. But I have them.
One piece of advice I was given when first diagnosed was to have a planned, controlled hypo with someone else around. This took away the fear of the unknown and gave me the confidence to cope when it happened ... as well as knowing what to look for.
I still don't like them but this helped me .... although I suspect few doctors would recommend it.
 
I agree with @helensaramay there is alot of hype around hypos and it's down to you and your DSN to manage your insulin to ensure that you are well controlled and the risk of this happening is low, however they are inevitable so you need to always know exactly how to manage them and it's pretty straight forward, always carry treatment with you, use a fast acting glucose so orange/apple juice (small carton) or 3 jelly babies or a glucogel, test every 10 minutes until you're above 4 mmol/l then treat with 10g of carb so a digestive biscuit. Over treating hypos can lead to high BG and a rebound effect so always stick to your plan and don't panic, they are brief and easily treated. Personally I would be more focused on getting your blood glucose levels down to a more manageable level and if insulin helps you then great
 

Great advice I only wish I knew about the Diabetes UK forum when I started on insulin. I have a needle phobia and practice the no look giving of insulin. I was always scared of stuffing up and having first hypo. When I did have a hypo I didn't have the standard symptoms which did nothing for my confidence.

This info is great. Definitely very overwhelming

Cheers for great advice
 
Thank you. Go and be joyous, let the world know your name!
 
Thank you for all the replies. Now the shock of being put on insulin has gone I feel confident that I can deal with it.
 
Well done its not easy at first but it will help u feel better and keep those horrible side effects at bay
 
I've started my insulin 14 units of lantus increasing by 2 units every 3rd day until my fasting bg is between 5-8. I'm on my second day and when I injected tonight I felt it and bled which didn't happen yesterday. Does anyone know why?
 
DizzyChick said:
I've started my insulin 14 units of lantus increasing by 2 units every 3rd day until my fasting bg is between 5-8. I'm on my second day and when I injected tonight I felt it and bled which didn't happen yesterday. Does anyone know why?
Click to expand...

Well done on embracing the changes you have in hand, DizzyChick.

The site runs a Hypo Programme, which you might find to be informative. There's a link in my signature, at the bottom of my posts, and most of the other Mods have it too.

I'm fortunate enough not to be taking any meds, or be troubled by hypos, but it might be worth a look for you.

Good luck with it all.
 
DizzyChick said:
I've started my insulin 14 units of lantus increasing by 2 units every 3rd day until my fasting bg is between 5-8. I'm on my second day and when I injected tonight I felt it and bled which didn't happen yesterday. Does anyone know why?
Click to expand...

Hi @DizzyChick

More than likely you caught a capillary blood vessel that lay close to the skins surface, its nothing to worry about and can happen from time to time

I found with lantus the most comfortable place to inject was my bum had very few issues there. Best wishes.
 

Thank you for your reply, I will take a look
 

Thank you I will try that.
 
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